Practical access to insurance - loss of vision

There are more than 2 million people in the UK living with sight loss, and from that are hundreds of thousands of people registered as partially sighted or blind.

Sight loss can be difficult to come to terms with, which is why there are a number of support groups and networks available for people that are affected. There are however things other than support groups that people and businesses can do to try and help.

Access to insurance

When it comes to accessing insurance, especially when doing this online or directly with an insurer, there are a lot of forms and information to read about the product you’re buying. Thankfully, as time goes on many more websites and companies are trying to make their information and websites more accessible for all, but there’s still a long way to go.

At Cura, we appreciate how difficult things can become if something isn’t accessible. This is why we are regularly checking our websites and processes to ensure they are the best they can be.

Right at the start of the insurance journey with us, a person might go onto the website to find out a little bit more about what we do or to find contact details so that they can get in touch. Our website has a software called Recite Me. This is an accessibility tool which gives everybody the opportunity to use the website in a way that suits their needs, whether that be to have text read out loud, changed to a different font or even change the website to a more readable colour.

After getting in touch with us, we often communicate with our clients by phone call or email. Of course, this can be altered to suit the needs of the individual. There are sometimes insurers’ documents that need to be signed, but thankfully this is getting less and less. Within Cura we can keep communication to phone calls if that suits, or we can take part in video calls, chat over email or text message, and if you have any other specific accessibility need we will ask you to let us know how best we can help you. 

It’s normal for our advisers to run through the insurance application over the phone which already eliminates having to read through a lengthy document. If need be, we can even voice record explanations or key pieces of information so that they are easily accessible in the future too. Once the application is submitted we like to regularly keep our clients updated on its progress, again this can be in a way which more suits each individual person we speak with.

Insurance terms often come in the form of a number of documents to read through, this could include a policy schedule, terms and conditions and sometimes a trust. Again our advisers are happy to help as much as possible, and we are always open to new suggestions on how to make things more accessible that we can feed back to the insurers. We will speak through the key features documents with you to ensure that you understand the insurances, before you make any decisions to commit.

What terms might I expect?

When applying for insurance, an insurer will want to know if you have partial sight loss or are fully blind, and they will also want to know if you were born with your current level of vision or if this has developed over time. They will also ask questions surrounding any connected medical conditions or surgeries you might have had related to your eyes or sight.

There are many insurers which will offer life insurance for people that are blind with standard rates (no price increase), but that does depend on the individual circumstances.

When it comes to critical illness cover and income protection, blindness are often conditions that people can claim on. Because of this, your eyes or sight are likely to be excluded from those types of policies. Whilst this will not sound great, there are many situations that critical illness cover and income protection will still cover you for, that makes these insurances very valuable.

Speaking with a protection adviser can really make a difference. Not only can we try to make your insurance journey as smooth as possible, we can also give recommendations on which product to choose. We have found that the cheapest option isn’t always the best, there are many policies now which come with very useful added benefits and these can be taken into account when deciding which insurer to go with. An adviser is able to lay everything out on the table, give you all of the information on available options to allow you to make the decision which is best for you.

Please get in touch with one of our team who will help you to find the right insurance for you.

Related blogs

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How Cura can help people with limited vision or hearing loss complete an insurance application

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