Angel Eyes NI

17/12/2025

School Places

If you are at the stage of applying for a school placement for your child: pre-school , Primary 1, or have a child in P6 or P7 and are thinking about Post-Primary- we are here to support you in navigating the process!

Choosing the right school for your child is crucial and can feel very overwhelming. If you have a child with a visual impairment, you will need to feel confident that the school you choose will fully support their needs.

Please contact our Education Advocate, Sarah Mathison, if you would like any help or advice on what to look out for at an open day or key questions to ask:
email: sarah.mathison@angeleyesni.org
phone: 07830104048

The online portal for Pre-School and Primary applications opens on Wednesday the 7th of January 2026 at 12 noon and closes on Wednesday the 21st of January at 12 noon.
The online portal for Post-Primary applications opens on Tuesday the 26th of January 2026 at 12 noon and closes on Thursday the 19th of February 2026 at 12 noon.

Below is the link to to key dates and information on admissions on the EA website. Here you will also find information on deferral of school starting age:
https://lght.ly/k18o1c8

If your child is currently undergoing statutory assessment and does not yet have a Statement of Special Educational Needs, you will need to apply for a pre-school, primary or post primary school place.

If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, placement will be discussed with you as part of the annual review of your child’s statement and therefore an application should not be made on EA Connect.

If you require more information, please contact the Statutory Assessment and Review Service on 028 9031 7777, Option 1.

Picture shows three cartoon children wearing school uniform with school bags.

17/12/2025

A huge Thank You to Corick House Hotel and Spa and Clogher’s Women’s Group for hosting a wonderful fundraising evening in support of Angel Eyes NI on 2nd December!

An incredible £1,280.45 was raised , we are so grateful for your generosity and support!

&spa

16/12/2025

Ulster University are doing an exciting study as part of their Atlantic Futures Project, exploring how digital mental health tools (apps & websites) can support young people’s wellbeing across the Island of Ireland. They are especially keen to hear from diverse and marginalised youth voices.

What’s involved?
• Try out mental health apps/websites via a co-designed Google Site (2 weeks)
• Take part in a short feedback workshop (£20/€20 voucher)
• Complete a follow-up survey (£10/€10 voucher)

Who can take part?
• Aged 18–25
• Living in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland
• Participation is voluntary and confidential

Workshops can be held online or in person.

If you’re interested, or support young people who might be please get in touch with us on rebecca.sowney@angeleyesni.org

15/12/2025

On Friday evening we had thee annual Angel Eyes NI Amazing Christmas quiz! 🎄 A huge thank you to everyone who took part – we were so impressed by all the smart cookies full of knowledge in the room!
Lots of laughs, festive fun, and brilliant teamwork made it a lovely way to celebrate the end of the year❤️

Image shows a screenshot of online Christmas Quiz attendees

14/12/2025

All aboard the Lapland Express!

45 of our lovely families joined us at Downpatrick and County Down Railway and went on a lovely, hot chocolate and shortbread accompanied ride through the drumlin countryside.

While we missed the snow, we certainly didn’t miss meeting Santa, Mrs Claus and their elves who made sure the day was filled with songs, laughter and presents! It was a wonderful day.

Thank you to everyone who came down on the day and all the staff at Downpatrick and Country Down Railway, and a special thanks to volunteer Jenny, for making the day such a huge success. This lovely accessible family event was funded by The National Lottery Community Fund Northern Ireland .

Image 1 shows Santa sitting with a family
Image 2 shows Santa and Mrs Claus with an Angel Eyes NI family
Image 3 shows Santa meeting a family and giving them a gift
Image 4 shows a happy girl finding out she is on the good list!
Image 5 shows volunteer Jenny, with Kerrie, Nathan, Santa and Mrs Claus

13/12/2025

What a magical day we had on 6th December at our Santa by the Sea adventure in Portstewart.

Our Angel Eyes families enjoyed music, singing, arts and crafts and meeting Santa and Mrs Claus and all the elves and lovely hot chocolate and treats at the end. Thankfully everyone was on the nice list!

A big thank you to Eoghan Rua GAC for creating such an incredible winter wonderland and The National Lottery Community Fund Northern Ireland who fund the Special Eyes Project.

Imagine 1 children by a Christmas tree
Imagine 2 a family meeting Santa
Imagine 3 a family in an indoor sleigh
Imagine 4 a family out doors big red sleigh
Imagine 5 children doing arts and crafts
Imagine 6 a family in a sleigh
Imagine 7 a mum and daughter by Christmas lights

12/12/2025

Recently, our young people had the chance to use their voices in a powerful podcast episode with the Children's Law Centre and CLC Youth: “The Right To Feel OK: Facing the Crisis in Child Mental Health.”
They share their insights and experiences around education and mental health — tune in from minute 47 onwards to hear their contribution.
Now available on all major podcast platforms or click the link! https://lght.ly/4fp5ol0

11/12/2025

Belfast Music Society are inviting you to enjoy a relaxed afternoon of accessible, high-quality classical music, specially designed for people with additional needs and their families on Saturday, 21 Dec at the Crescent Arts Centre!. RiChmusicNI will create a soothing, sensory-friendly space, and you’re welcome to arrive 30 mins early to explore the venue. Bev from Open Arts will also be on hand for an instrument touch-tour.
Tickets are £5 per person (access companion/PA free)
0-13 years: https://lght.ly/f6cdlcn
14years + (inc. Adults): https://lght.ly/250ilhl

A classical music event tailored for people with additional needs and their families.

08/12/2025

Panto Fun with Angel Eyes NI!

We had an absolutely fun filled family day at our annual pantomime! The incredibly talented Lisnagarvey Operatic and Dramatic Society treated 144 of our amazing family members to a spectacular performance of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The show was packed with excitement, energy, and plenty of belly laughs.

Our families also enjoyed a touch tour, helping the show come to life for our children and young people. They had the chance to go up on stage, meet the cast, and explore the props , a huge thank you to the cast, who were, as always, fantastic.

We would also like thank to Power NI Helping Hands Fund for their generous donation towards the cost of the panto. Your support helps make days like this possible.

A big thank you to our Angel Eyes NI staff, volunteers, and the wonderful team at the very accessible Island Arts Centre for all your help and support.

And finally, thank you to our families, we loved seeing all those happy, smiling faces enjoying the show.

Images show children enjoying the touch tour and meeting the cast.

06/12/2025

Are you a young person between the ages of 8-25 with a visual impairment and up for a festive laugh? Then come join the Amazing Christmas Quiz which is sure to be filled with lots of festive fun and hilarious craic! The event will run between 7-9pm on Friday 12th December on Teams.
Please get in touch with Rebecca at rebecca.sowney@angeleyesni.org if you’d like to attend.

Image shows candy canes on a red background.

05/12/2025

This weekend our Youth Advisory Group got hands-on with a fun pizza-making session, using QR-coded ingredients to create their own pizzas from scratch — and we found some real talented chefs in the room! 🍕

We then moved into valuable discussions around the use of QR codes and about the issues that impact our young people, before rounding things off with ice cream!

Image 1 shows all young people with their pizzas
Image 2 shows a young person smiling with her pizza
Image 3 shows ingredients with QR codes attached
Image 4 shows a young person making her pizza base

04/12/2025

We were delighted to have Stuart Dickinson from Stranmillis University College join us at the launch of the Shared Island Education Access in Ireland Report.

In September, Angel Eyes NI had the privilege of delivering specialist vision-impairment training to 144 second-year BEd (Hons) students at Stranmillis. At the launch, Stuart presented the measured impact of this work, demonstrating the value of embedding high-quality, disability-inclusive practice at the initial teacher education stage.

Our sincere thanks to Stranmillis for their open, forward-thinking collaboration. By working together, we are helping to create lasting change for children and young people with vision impairment across our education system.

Féach

Image of Stuart Dickinson with Sara & Karen from Angel Eyes NI and Eithne from Feach