Robert Avery

Biography

Robert entered the field of vision impairment in 1983 and worked in various roles over the following seven years. Alongside this he taught sailing skills to people with a range of physical and/or vision impairments. In 1990 he became one of the first specialist Rehabilitation Workers for people with a vision impairment trained in Scotland and spent a further six years in the field working directly with blind and partially sighted people. During this time Robert established a creative arts group at a disability work centre in East Kilbride and supported swimming lessons and coached badminton at the Disabled & Able-bodied Sports Club. In 1996 Robert became a lecturer when Guide Dogs opened a Rehabilitation Worker Training School in Glasgow. He progressed to manage the whole UK Rehab Education service until the organisation decided to withdraw from this activity in 2007. Recognising the need to ensure that the needs of people with impaired vision are identified by health professions, Robert took the opportunity to move to York St John and now has inputs into the Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy programmes. He is also involved in delivering training to existing professionals in the Health & Social Care sector. As an advocate of digital learning, Robert is also involved in developing online resources for students within the School of Health Sciences.

Research Interest

In his spare time Robert plays cricket both north and south of the border, and referees Goalball both domestically and internationally.