Voices for Vision: BJSS and Newcastle Vision Support

We are delighted to announce that BJSS’s #SkilledVolunteers in Newcastle have successfully completed a groundbreaking project with Newcastle Vision Support, aimed at enhancing accessibility through Alexa Skills.
This project was designed to make essential resources more accessible for Newcastle Vision Support users by allowing them to:
🔹 Access the charity’s newsletter with voice commands
🔹 Receive real-time updates on events
🔹 Call Newcastle Vision Support directly through a smart speaker
Angus Huntley from Newcastle Vision Support shared the vision behind the project: “At present, we send out correspondence in large print, Braille, and on audio CD. I thought that we could reduce our production costs by delivering our newsletter through Alexa to our service users and also utilizing the Alexa functionality to list events that are taking place at Newcastle Vision Support.”
After exploring several solutions, BJSS collaborated with the charity to integrate Alexa Skills with their website, also converting their audio files into podcasts. This ensures a wider and more versatile reach for the charity’s content, increasing ease of access for users.
As Angus expressed, “The way that BJSS have implemented this is brilliant, because not only do we get the content available on Alexa, but we get the newsletter as a podcast embedded into our website as well. So it’s a win-win, really.”
The BJSS team found the project equally rewarding. Simon Tindall, from BJSS, highlighted the impact: “One of the reasons we get into this industry is to try and make a difference or something. And this is-I’m getting goosebumps-this is the reason we do it. We absolutely love it.”
A huge thank you to the BJSS team in Newcastle for their dedication to making this innovative project a reality.