Sensory impairment in Somerset

CQC records sensory impairment as a group that services are registered to support. In practice, support for sight and hearing loss runs through councils, the NHS and specialist charities together.

Registration, and why it is worth doing

If you are certified by an ophthalmologist as sight impaired or severely sight impaired, you get a Certificate of Vision Impairment and can register with your council.

Registration is voluntary, but being registered severely sight impaired unlocks:

• Automatic Blue Badge eligibility, with no further assessment
• A 50% TV licence discount
• Help with NHS costs, including eye tests and glasses
• Council Tax and rail and bus travel concessions
• A duty on the council to assess your needs

Deaf and deafblind people can also register with the council, which triggers an assessment duty.

Specialist assessment

Ask for an assessment by someone qualified in sensory impairment rather than a general social worker. It should cover:

• Rehabilitation, including mobility training and long cane training
• Communication support, such as BSL interpreters, deafblind manual or a communicator guide
• Equipment, from talking clocks and liquid level indicators to flashing doorbells and vibrating alarms
• Technology, including screen readers and magnification

Equipment and minor adaptations under £1,000 must be provided free after assessment. You should not be buying these yourself.

Money

Attendance Allowance or PIP, neither means tested. Sight and hearing loss often score well on the daily living and mobility descriptors, particularly around preparing food, reading, communicating and following a journey.

Access to Work for anything work related: screen readers, magnification, an interpreter, a support worker, or taxis where public transport is not workable.

Disabled Facilities Grant for adaptations such as tactile or high-contrast fittings and improved lighting.

Where to get specialist help

Councils commission a lot of sensory support through charities, so the specialist help often sits outside the council itself. RNIB for sight loss, RNID for hearing loss and Sense for deafblindness all provide advice, and can often act faster than a council waiting list.