Visualise Scotland

Who we are

About Visualise

History

Visualise was set up in 1987 by families of pupils attending the Royal Blind School at Canaan Lane. With little to no provision for students after the age of 18, families took the situation into their own hands and Visualise was born.

With an initial focus on supporting young adults with visual impairment and other complex needs, Visualise opened its first housing support service in the Newington area of Edinburgh in 1992. As the 1990s progressed, Visualise set up its first Day Centre at Norton Park in Leith, alongside its Head Office.

The early 21st century found that existing provision was no longer fit for purpose and two housing support services were set up in the Restalrig area, with a third added in Leith in 2007. There was further expansion in 2014, when our day centre in Musselburgh was opened, expanding our services into East Lothian for the first time. This was also the point at which the charity decided to use its considerable expertise to diversify away from visual impairment, with a focus instead on supporting any individual with a disability to live the life they choose.

In recent years, we have opened two new housing support services – one in Leith and one in Portobello – and have increased the number of people we support who live in their own home and access community resources. However, at all times we have worked hard to maintain our small, personalised nature.

Visualise has a proud history of being family-led, with a family member operating as Director until 2013 and family members continuing as trustees. We are proud of the strong links we have with the people we support and their loved ones. We feel this is what makes our organisation really stand out – we are mindful that Visualise came from families, for families. This gives us a phenomenal foundation on which to base our organisation.

Our Vision

We believe in a community where people are empowered and encouraged to take control of their lives.

Our Mission 

We build authentic relationships, based on values and respect, with a common purpose to enable our people to lead fulfilled lives.

Our Values

Diverse - A commitment to the Equality Act 2010, embodying non-discriminatory practice at all levels. Recognising the value and importance of each individual.

Realising Potential - Creating opportunities for everyone who is part of Visualise. Everyone we support or employ should be given the opportunity to develop and use their skills. Creating an atmosphere of collaboration. Developing high quality personal care plans for everyone we support.

Respect & Dignity - Thinking about people as human beings. Treating people as we would want to be treated in our behaviour, actions and communications. Emphasising our codes of practice and conduct.

Compassion - A focus on people’s welfare - employees and the people we support, checking out situations and being flexible. Enabling a culture of understanding and approachability.

Integrity - Acknowledging mistakes and implementing meaningful change. Trust, honesty and open communication with everyone involved in the organisation.

Community - Developing Visualise as a community and being involved in our community. Encouraging people we support to be part of their local communities.

Inclusive - Meaningful participation of the people we support and employ in all aspect of Visualise’s operations. An organisation that welcomes everyone.

Our Services

Housing Support – Visualise manages five houses and flats in Edinburgh, where the people we support are assisted to maintain their own tenancies. Usually, 2-3 people live together in our properties. We provide 24-hour support within these services.

In February 2020, the Care Inspectorate rated our housing support service 5 (very good).

Care at Home – Visualise offers supported living services, where we support people to remain independent in their own homes and be active in their communities. The individualised support is personally created, with the number of hours and kind of support based on individual requirements.

Our care at home services were most recently rated 5 (Very Good) by the Care Inspectorate.

Day Services – Visualise provides a day service which is individually tailored to meet the personal outcomes of each person who uses the service. Support services are provided from a base at Newhailes Business Park in Musselburgh. An integral part of the service is supporting people to take part in community-based activities.

Our day services were most recently rated 5 (Very Good) by the Care Inspectorate.