1877 Foundation of “Oxfordshire Association for the Home Teaching of the Blind”

The aims were to provide instruction in reading and writing and to assist in obtaining work for blind people

1896 The name was changed to “The Oxford Society for Visiting and Providing Books for the Blind” although, soon after, this seems to have been shortened for convenience to “The Oxford Society for the Blind”

The books and magazines provided by the Society were in Braille and Moon, and the teacher’s salary was 30 shillings (£1.50) a month

1903 It was agreed for the next year “to provide for visiting, at their own homes, the blind throughout the county”

1904 “The Oxford Society for the Blind” amalgamated with “The Oxfordshire and Midland Home Teaching Society”

In that year a County Visitor was employed only from January to the end of August as, “it seemed to the Sub-Committee that this was as long a period as the subscriptions would allow them to employ his services”

A total of 122 people were helped during the year and subscriptions in 1904 totalled £76 - 0s -2d

1913 “The Oxford Society for the Blind” opened a shop at
4 Little Clarendon Street, Oxford where blind people were employed to sell their own work and orders taken for piano-tuning and chair-caning. The shop also contained a library of books in Braille. The Society’s register contained 145 names of blind people, of which 53 were in the city.

1920 “The Oxford Society for the Blind” was registered under the Blind Persons’ Act (1920)

1922 Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council accepted the assistance of Oxford Society for the Blind in providing teaching of blind people in the county

1929 Shops, employing blind people to sell their own work, were opened by the charity in Banbury and Bicester

1948 The name of the charity was changed to “Oxford (City and County) Society for the Blind”

1962 The Rt Hon. the 8th Countess of Macclesfield became vice-president

1974 Offices at 3 Enstone Road, Charlbury were purchased

1977 At the centenary anniversary of the foundation of the “Oxford Society for the Blind,” the name was changed to “Oxfordshire Association for the Blind” (OAB)

1975 The changes of the Local Boundary Commission extended the area covered by the charity to include Abingdon, Didcot and Wallingford

1994 The Rt Hon. the 9th Countess of Macclesfield became patron following the death of the 8th Countess

1996 Sale of the Charlbury property and relocation to rented property, with the establishment of a resource centre, in Oxford city at The White House, Rivermead Rehabilitation Hospital

1997 A “Sight Advisory Service” was established by OAB at Oxford Eye Hospital to support patients who are newly registered as blind or partially sighted 2002 Temporary move to 9 Newtec Place, Magdalene Road, Oxford, following the NHS sale of Rivermead Hospital

2005 Purchase of the former Lodge to Rivermead Hospital with a grant from The Bradbury Foundation

2006 Following a major refurbishment programme, OAB moved into Bradbury Lodge in August. The new centre was official opened on 20th November by The Rt Hon. the 9th Countess of Macclesfield

In the past year OAB helped more than 3,000 visually impaired people and their carers, and supported 11 local self-help groups for visually impaired people. The charity is helped by a team of more than 60 volunteers.