Braille Cards Extend Air Ambulance ID To The Visually Impaired

Secure ID cards incorporating Braille and personalised lanyards fromWalesbased Payne Security have enabled Wales Air Ambulance to enhance its profile when raising funds in public.

Based in Caernarfon, Swansea and Welshpool and with offices in Wrexham and Swansea, Wales Air Ambulance is a charitable organisation that airlifts life threatened sick and injured people to hospital as quickly as possible.  Effective fundraising is vital to keep the charity airborne, and employees and volunteers regularly meet with the public at events and door-to-door to canvas for support and contributions.

Wales Air Ambulance was keen to improve the visibility of its identification and contacted Payne Security to enquire about personalised lanyards.  Once dialogue had been established, it became apparent that Payne Security could offer further assistance by making the ID cards accessible to the blind or visually impaired.

To achieve this, a contact telephone number is printed onto the card in Braille, enabling people to learn more about the charity or to confirm the authenticity of the cardholder.  In addition, each card contains the charity’s distinctive helicopter logo and the cardholder’s details.

“Payne Security’s solution has provided an integrated method of maintaining visibility whilst extending ease of identification to the visually impaired,” comments Angela Hughes, Chief Executive of Wales Air Ambulance.

The move by Wales Air Ambulance towards highly visual ID cards reflects growing awareness amongst businesses of the need to demonstrate inclusivity towards all members of the public.  In the public sector, for example, this is now a legal requirement under the regulations of the Disability Equality Duty, introduced by the government in December 2006 to ensure that disabled people are treated fairly when they interact with any form of public authority.