If you have a hearing or visual impairment, we may be able to help you.
Support
The support you may be entitled to includes:
- information on benefits
- information on travel and parking concessions
- reductions in your TV licence
- information on voluntary groups and employment services in respect of sight and hearing loss
- personal, practical and social care and support in your home if you are living independently (home care)
- aids, equipment and house adaptations to help with daily living
- short term respite care which can sometimes be arranged in your own home
- help with mobility and communication skills
- liaison with other organisations, such as education, health and voluntary groups
- housing advice about which housing options are available to you
- referral to a Rehabilitation Officer for Visual Impairment (ROVI) who will give visually impaired individuals advice and support with learning new skills to build independence
Registering your hearing or sight loss
Registering your hearing or sight loss can make it easier to get support.
How to register sight loss
To register for sight loss, you need a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI). An ophthalmologist issues this certificate to eligible individuals. You can usually get a referral to an ophthalmologist from your GP.
The ophthalmologist will send your CVI to us. Once we receive it, we will contact you to help register your sight loss.
How to register hearing loss
To register for hearing loss, you will first need to have an assessment of your hearing to determine the level of impairment. An audiologist can do this for you or an optician offering the service. To see an audiologist, ask your GP for a referral.
The documents we need to register your hearing loss are either your audiology report or a photocopy of your hearing aid battery book. Once you have either of these documents, you can contact our Adult Social Care team to register your hearing loss. Registration is voluntary and is valid for 3 years. After that, the registration will need to be renewed.
How to get support
Not everyone is entitled to support.
You will need an assessment to find out what support we can provide. You can find more information and request an assessment on our assessing your support needs page.
More information
Speak to us
If you would like to speak to a member of the team for guidance or advice about hearing or visual issues, contact us using the details below.
If you prefer, you can contact us using our text service.
Text your query to 07557 633412. Do not call this number as it is a text service only.
Support organisations
The following organisations provide support for vision and hearing loss: