Angel Eyes NI

What Angel Eyes NI does

Angel Eyes NI is a Northern Ireland charity founded in 2007 by Sara McCracken, a parent of twins diagnosed with Ocular Cutaneous Albinism, to support children and young people with vision impairment (birth to 25 years) and their families. Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (NIC103126) and as a Company Limited by Guarantee (NI633274), the charity operates from the Innovation Factory in Belfast and is structured around four service lines: family support, education advocacy, youth services, and grants/financial advice, all delivered free of charge. It serves a beneficiary base of more than 700 children and young people with visual impairment in Northern Ireland and also trains teachers, SENCos, classroom assistants and other professionals who work with this population.

The charity's core technology asset is Empatheyes, a proprietary Virtual Reality vision-impairment simulator that takes an individual child's clinical measurements and renders personalised simulated scenes (classroom, playground, living room). Empatheyes is operated as a branded sub-product (empatheyesvision.com) and is delivered through one-hour family VR sessions led by in-house eye clinicians at the Belfast office, accommodating up to 10 family members per session, as well as bespoke VR training for education professionals. A complementary Level 4 University-accredited 10-week Classroom Assistant training programme is co-developed with Ulster University using blended online and workshop delivery. Supporting services include statutory assessment support, school meeting attendance, transition support for young people aged 8–25, and accessibility resources such as QR Code accessible menus for hospitality venues.

Commercially, Angel Eyes NI runs on donations and grants, not fees: services are free to families, and income is sourced from individual donations (one-off and monthly via LocalGiving.org, Gift Aid-eligible for UK taxpayers), charitable grants and fundraising activity. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with referrals from eye clinics, schools, healthcare professionals and self-referral, supplemented by organic social, email newsletters, publications and policy advocacy aimed at policymakers and legislators. The management team combines lived experience (parent carers, an intern who is blind/partially sighted) with clinical capability (two eye clinicians and a vision scientist) and is led by Founder/CEO Sara McCracken and Director of Services Kerrie Cartmill.

Name

Angel Eyes NI

Legal name

Angel Eyes NI Services

Website

https://angeleyesni.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Angel Eyes NI is a Northern Ireland charity supporting children and young people with vision impairment (birth to 25) and their families via family support, education advocacy, youth services, and grants, delivered free of charge alongside a proprietary VR vision-impairment simulator (Empatheyes) and accredited professional training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Vision Impairment & Blind/Low-Vision Inclusive Childcare (HSAAAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Assistive Technology & AAC for Young Children (EDACAFAL)

Keywords

• Vision impairment support
• Family support services
• Education advocacy
• Virtual reality training
• Youth disability services

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Angel Eyes NI accepts donations through LocalGiving.org platform. One-off and regular monthly donations are accepted. UK taxpayers can use Gift Aid to maximize donations.
2. Charitable Grants: The organization receives funding from various charitable sources and grants to support operations and service delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Angel Eyes NI is a Northern Ireland-based charity that provides direct support to children and young people with vision impairment and their families. Its offering centers on family support, education advocacy, youth engagement, and professional training, augmented by its proprietary Empatheyes VR Vision Impairment Simulator. The organization also administers grants and resources to affected families across the region.

Product overview

Angel Eyes NI is a charitable organization offering a portfolio of services for children and young people with vision impairment in Northern Ireland. The core offering centers on the Empatheyes Virtual Reality Vision Impairment Simulator, a proprietary VR tool that enables families and professionals to experience simulated vision impairment. This technology is delivered through structured VR sessions and professional training services. Supporting services include Education Advocacy, Family Support, Youth Services, Grants and Financial Support, and QR Code accessibility resources for hospitality venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Empatheyes: A groundbreaking Virtual Reality Vision Impairment Simulator developed by Angel Eyes NI that simulates individual children's vision across settings including classroom, playground, and living room scenes to help parents and professionals understand the impact of living with a vision impairment.

Products and services

• Empatheyes VR Vision Impairment Simulator Proprietary virtual reality software developed by Angel Eyes NI that simulates vision impairment conditions, used in training and awareness sessions for families and professionals.
• Family Support Services Direct support, guidance, and resources provided to families of children with vision impairment across Northern Ireland.
• Education Advocacy Service Advocacy support for children with vision impairment within the education system, helping families navigate schooling and access appropriate accommodations.
• Youth Services Programmes and activities designed for children and young people with vision impairment, focused on social engagement, peer connection, and personal development.
• VR Professional Training Accredited training programme for professionals working with visually impaired individuals, leveraging the Empatheyes VR simulator to build awareness and empathy.
• Grants and Financial Support Financial grants provided to families of children with vision impairment to help cover costs associated with the condition, equipment, or related needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 new families supported, 219 received family support, 47 grants provided, 13 events delivered, 149 attended events, 66 received VR training in a single quarter

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ulster UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Collaborative educational initiative with Ulster University to develop Level 4 University accredited training programme for Classroom Assistants supporting children with Vision Impairments. This is a 10-week blended learning programme using online learning and workshops.
• Thomas Pocklington TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Thomas Pocklington Intern programme - Nathan Hood became the first Thomas Pocklington Intern in Northern Ireland, providing employment opportunity for a blind or partially sighted person.
• LocalGiving.orgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred online fundraising platform for Angel Eyes NI. One-off and regular monthly donations can be made through this platform with Gift Aid option for UK taxpayers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): The UK's largest sight-loss charity, providing services, advice and campaigning for blind and partially sighted people. Directly comparable as a national vision-impairment support organisation, but operating at much greater scale and broader scope than Angel Eyes NI.
• Guide Dogs for the Blind Association: Major UK charity providing mobility and support services for people with sight loss, including children and young people. Comparable as a national sight-loss charity competitor for donor funding and partnerships in the VI space.
• Sense (for deafblind people): UK charity supporting people who are deafblind or have sensory impairments, including children. Comparable in the multi-disability children's support space, particularly relevant given some Angel Eyes families have additional needs beyond VI.
• SeeAbility: UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, and sight loss, with strong education advocacy expertise. Comparable as a peer in education advocacy for children with VI and additional needs.

Direct peers

• Thomas Pocklington Trust: UK charity focused on enabling blind and partially sighted people of all ages. Directly comparable as a partner (Angel Eyes hosts the first Thomas Pocklington Intern in NI) and a peer in VI service delivery, employment programmes, and advocacy.
• Look UK: National charity supporting visually impaired children and their families across the UK. Directly comparable mission to Angel Eyes NI's family and youth support work, but operating UK-wide rather than regionally.
• VICTA (Visually Impaired Children Taking Action): UK charity supporting children and young people who are blind or partially sighted, including family activities, education support, and youth development. Highly comparable as a peer in VI children's services and family engagement.
• Royal Society for Blind Children: London-based charity supporting blind and partially sighted children, young people and their families through education, youth and family services. Directly comparable as a peer delivering integrated VI children's services.

Regional players

• Guide Dogs NI: Regional Northern Ireland arm of Guide Dogs, providing mobility and independence services for people with sight loss in NI. Comparable as a regional sight-loss charity peer and potential local collaborator/competitor for funding.
• Childvision: Irish charity (formerly the National Education Centre for Blind Children) supporting visually impaired children and families in Ireland. Comparable as a cross-border peer in VI children's education, family support and services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Angeleyes_ni
• Facebookfacebook.com/AngelEyesNI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/angel-eyes-ni
• Instagraminstagram.com/Angeleyesni

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Angel Eyes NI