Registering your sensory loss
Sight impairment
Registration is not compulsory and a sight impaired person will not be refused services from the County Council if they are not registered.
To be registered you must first be certified by a consultant ophthalmologist. Only a consultant ophthalmologist is able to assess vision for certification and registration purposes. Once certified as either Sight Impaired (SI) or Severely Sight Impaired (SSI) you will be issued with a form called a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI).
As well as receiving a copy yourself, copies of this certificate are also sent to your GP and to the Essex County Council’s Social Care Direct Team.
On receipt of the CVI Social Care Direct will contact you to establish the initial difficulties and discuss registration. If further needs are identified a referral will be made to an appropriate assessment team.
Registration is voluntary. If registration is accepted, you will receive a card which can be used as proof that you are registered as a visually impaired person.
People who are registered Severely Sight Impaired (SSI) are entitled to:
- Blue Badge Parking Permit.
- Reduced TV licence (licence must be in registered persons name).
- An increase in personal tax allowance.
People who are registered as either SSI or Sight Impaired (SI) are entitled to:
Free radio from the Wireless for the Blind Fund, subject to an assessment of need. Contact the Contact Essex Team on Tel: 0845 6037630 or Text phone: 0845 7585592.
Free directory enquiry service from BT (to register or for further enquiries dial 195 free of charge or text phone 0800 838 363).
Services from the Library Service including talking books, large print books, e-books, free loan of CD’s and DVD’s. Contact 0845 603 7628.
Disabled Persons Rail Card. Contact Tel: 0845 605 0525 or text phone: 0845 601 0132 for details.
Disabled Persons Bus Pass – contact your local district council for details.
Hearing impairment
There are three types of registration:
- hard-of-hearing.
- deaf with speech.
- deaf without speech.
If you would like to register your hearing loss you will need to contact Essex County Council’s Contact Essex Team on Tel: 0845 6037630 or Text phone: 0845 7585592. They will process your request through to the Specialist Sensory Assessment Team (SSAT).
You will need to provide a passport size photo and complete a short application form.
If you are not already known to the SSAT team they will need copy of your last audiogram from a Hearing Clinic to confirm your hearing loss. If you do not have a copy you will need to sign a sharing Information form and return it with your application using the postage paid return envelope supplied. SSAT will obtain a copy of your audiogram.
SSAT will post your registration card to you. You can use this to prove you having a hearing loss.
Some organisations may offer you concessions due to your registration; this is entirely at their discretion.
Dual sensory loss (Deafblind)
There is one Deafblind register for Essex.
If you have both a sight and hearing impairment you can register by contacting our team or by calling the Contact Essex Team on Tel: 0845 6037630 or Text phone: 0845 7585592.
The degree of your sight and hearing loss does not have to be severe to qualify for registration.
The definition of deafblindness is:
‘A person is regarded as Deafblind if their dual sensory loss causes problems with mobility, communication and accessing information.’
So if you have problems with getting around, communicating with others and accessing print or audio information then you can be registered. There are no specific benefits or concessions linked to the deafblind register. Its main use is in providing Essex County Council with statistical data used for the planning and development of future services.
