Physical & Sensory Impairment Services

Sensory Impairment Team

Faseman House

Faseman Avenue

Tile Hill

Coventry

Tel: 7678 5250

Email: sensory.impairment@coventry.gov.uk

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Sensory Impairment Team

Provide services to people who are visually impaired, Deaf/deafened or have dual sensory loss

Rehabilitation Workers

Social Worker

Community Care Worker

Rehabilitation Assistants

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Role of the Rehabilitation Worker (Visual Impairment)

Work with people with visual impairment and dual sensory loss to:

• Promote independence• Support people in acquiring new

skills/regaining confidence when going through a process of change

• Assess and provide training in mobility, communication and independent living skills

• Offer advice/information

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Dept of Health data suggests as many as 4m older people do not have regular eye examinations that could detect some conditions that are treatable

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Indicators of sight loss in hospital setting

• Mobility difficult • Food left uneaten• Medication not taken• Unable to read forms• Unable to locate items

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Indicators of sight loss in domiciliary setting

– Mail unopened – Poor nutrition– Burns/scalds– Falls/No longer going out– Change of routine– Appearance

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Registration as blind/partially sighted

• Section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948 requires local authorities to compile and maintain classified registers of persons who are blind, partially sighted, deaf and hard of hearing

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Registration process Community Services

– CVI (Certificate of Visual Impairment) signed by Ophthalmologist and forwarded to Social Services

– On receipt staff in SI Team contact person to provide information of registration process, gain consent and screen need for assessment

– Letter send with consent form– On receipt of signed consent the person’s

name is added to register– If assessment requested the person’s name is

placed on our waiting list

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Benefits/concessions Registration as Blind

• Blind person’s tax allowance• Under 75’s television licence reduced by 50%• Car parking concessions (Blue Badge)• Under 65’s concessionary bus pass • Exemption from BT Directory Enquiry charges• Rail travel concessions• Free permanent loan of radio/cassette

players (British Wireless for the Blind Fund)

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Benefits/concessions Registration as partially sighted

• Under 65’s concessionary bus pass • Exemption from BT Directory Enquiry charges• Rail travel concessions• Free permanent loan of radio/cassette

players (British Wireless for the Blind Fund)

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Disability Living Allowance/ Attendance Allowance

No automatic entitlement but we would encourage people to apply

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RNIB Welfare Rights Services 0845 766 9999

Action for Blind People Welfare Rights 0800 915 4666

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Practicalities of working with people with visual impairment

• Lighting

• Contrast

• Familiar environment

• Tactile

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Lighting

Make best use of natural light

Positioning of artificial lighting

Avoid glare

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Contrast

• Using contrast to enhance low vision• Controls on equipment highlighted for

easier use

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Familiar environment

Coping mechanism for a visually impaired person is to keep everything in the same place.

Avoid rearranging environment

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Tactile

• Totally blind people may need markings they can feel on equipment

• Positioning of controls of equipment • Ability to use equipment