Essex Cares FAQs

Q. How do I access Essex Cares Sensory Services?

First contact should be to Essex Social Care Direct on:

Tel: 0845 603 7630
Fax: 0845 6016230
Text phone: 01206 548937
Out of hours tel: 0845 606 1212
Email: socialcaredirect@essex.gov.uk

They will discuss your needs with you and gather relevant information before referring you on or transferring the call.

For general enquiries you can contact the Essex Cares Sensory Team team direct on:

Tel: 01245 256380
Text phone: 01245 261715
Fax: 01245 257645

Q. What is the difference between Deaf people and those who are hard of hearing?

We use the term deaf people in a general way when we are talking about people with all degrees of deafness.

Hard of hearing people - We use the term hard of hearing to describe people with a mild to severe hearing loss. We quite often use it to describe people who have lost their hearing gradually.

Deafened people - People who were born hearing and became severely or profoundly deaf after learning to speak are often described as deafened. This can happen suddenly or gradually.

Deafblind people - Many deafblind people have some hearing and vision. Others will be totally deaf and totally blind.

The deaf community - Many deaf people whose first or preferred language is British Sign Language (BSL) consider themselves part of the Deaf Community. They may describe themselves as Deaf with a capital D to emphasise their Deaf identity.

Your level of deafness is defined according to the quietest sound you can hear, measured in decibels.

Mild deafness - If you have mild deafness it can cause some difficulty following speech, mainly in noisy situations. The quietest sounds you can hear are 25 to 39 decibels.

Moderate deafness - People with moderate deafness may have difficulty following speech without a hearing aid, and find the quietest sounds they can hear are 40 to 69 decibels.

Severe deafness - People with severe deafness rely a lot on lipreading, even with a hearing aid, as the quietest sounds they can hear are 70 to 94 decibels. BSL may be their first or preferred language.

Profound deafness - The quietest sounds that profoundly deaf people can hear average 95 decibels or more. BSL may be their first or preferred language but some prefer to lipread.

Q. What equipment do we provide e.g. white canes?

We provide symbol canes, guide canes, long canes and liquid level indicators plus training in their use.

We are able to provide and install tactile or high visibility markers on domestic appliances including cookers, washing machines etc.

Following a Specialist Sensory Assessment, The Essex Cares Sensory Service may be able to provide an alerting system for the smoke alarm, doorbell, baby and telephone.

We can also sometimes provide the Screenphone, Uniphone or MC6000 Textphone. Please feel free to contact our office on 01245 256380 or Textphone 01245 261715 for further information.

Q. How do I arrange for equipment to be repaired?

Read more about Essex Cares Equipment Service.

Contact Essex Social Care Direct who will refer you on to the appropriate service:

Tel: 0845 603 7630
Fax: 0845 6016230
Text phone: 01206 548937
Out of hours tel: 0845 606 1212
Email: socialcaredirect@essex.gov.uk

If you need a Guide cane or Long cane repaired or replaced then you will need to contact our team as we are the only providers of these items.

Q. How can I gain funding to buy equipment?

Limited equipment is provided by both Essex County Council Sensory Assessment Team and Essex Cares Sensory Service but should you need further support with funding equipment there are various avenues to try.

Information about grant making charities is available from your local library or you could try local voluntary organisations like Rotary and Lions Clubs.

Funding may also be available from national charities such as St Dunstan’s www.st-dunstans.org.uk .

Should you need further support with sourcing assistance please contact us and we will do our best to help.

Q. How do I get a Guide Dog?

You can contact the Essex Guide Dogs District team who will answer any questions you have, and arrange an informal visit if that is what you'd like.

Tel: 0845 372 7421
Email: essex@guidedogs.org.uk
Web: www.guidedogs.org.uk

Q. Where can I learn BSL / lip reading / Braille?

If you would like to learn BSL, the best way to start is to take a course taught by a qualified sign language teacher.

The RNID have an Information Line which can give you details of BSL courses in your area. www.rnid.org.uk

They also have a guide to BSL called Start to sign! It is available as a book or CD-ROM and uses photos or videoclips to show you hundreds of signs. You will also get exclusive access to the Start to sign! website with over 1,000 clips.

Please contact the team to find out if we have any information regarding lip reading courses currently available across Essex.

Or you can contact the RNID who have regular classes at Woodford Green, Redbridge. For more info contact Mandy Freedman Tel: 020 8551 7700 Fax: 020 8551 7755 Text phone: 020 8551 7766 Email: Redbridge@rnid.org.uk . Alternatively contact www.lipreading.org.uk

We do not routinely provide training in Braille but it can be used for basic marking of items in which case it may be possible to teach grade one Braille however we try to offer alternative techniques.

There are or have been a number of Braille classes around the county and we would normally try to locate existing classes or suggest a self study pack called Fingerprint available from the RNIB

For more information contact us.

Q. What is Section 7 guidance for deafblind children and adults?

Guidance issued by the Department of Health gives new rights to deafblind people and places new duties on local authorities. It applies to children, adults and older people. The guidance is about anyone who has a hearing loss and a sight loss that cause them difficulty in everyday life.

The guidance defines deafblindness widely and says, "Persons are regarded as deafblind if their combined sight and hearing impairment cause difficulties with communication, access to information and mobility". This definition means that anyone who has both a hearing loss and a sight loss that cause them problems in everyday life is covered by the new guidance, people do not have to be completely deaf and blind.

The guidance tells local authorities that they have to do particular things that will help deafblind people, and provides suggestions about the way that they can do them.

Local authorities have a responsibility to show that they are following guidance from the Secretary of State for Health, and if they fail to do so they may be subject to judicial review.

The guidance says that local authorities have to know who the deafblind people in their area are, to provide specialist assessments by staff who understand deafblindness, to provide one to one support, to ensure services are appropriate, to provide information deafblind people can use and to have a senior manager responsible for deafblindness.

The Department of Health has recognised that local authorities need to focus on the needs of deafblind people. Now Social Care has to make the aspirations in the guidance a reality for deafblind people.

The guidance means that any person with a hearing and sight loss should expect:

• To be assessed by a person who understands the effects of a dual impairment, and the support that can be provided.
• To receive one to one support if needed.
• To receive services and information in way that is accessible to them

The Department of Health issued Social Care for Deafblind Children and Adults (LAC 2001(8)) in March 2001 under the Section 7(1) of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970.

The full guidance is available on the Department of Health Website (here).