Durham County Council Adults Wellbeing and Health is proposing to make changes to the Home Independence Service which we at the Society feel will have a direct impact on the services on offer to people with sight difficulties. The proposal is to close down the existing Home Independence Service shops and incorporate them into one site at the Abbey Day centre until April 2011. After that date, the only service provided will be by telephone, with callers being encouraged to use a web-based self-assessment tool.
Those of you who have used the Home Independence Service specialist resource centre based at the Society will be aware of the opportunity to not only try out some of the equipment and aids but also to make use of the experience of Calvin Hedley who has no sight and Elaine Badrick who has dual sensory loss. We feel that the impact on people with sight difficulties of replacing this personal service with a phone based information point has not been fully taken into account when calculating the savings.
You have until the 13th September 2010 to respond to the consultation document which is available online at www.durham.gov.uk. Click on the link "council and democracy" and then "consultations". The consultation document is also available on CD from the Society. Please ring Elaine Badrick on 0191 386 8175 if you would like a copy or if you would like her help with completing the feedback form over the telephone.
The County Durham Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted offers services to the blind and partially sighted with the aim of improving the quality of life and reducing the sense of isolation often experienced by the visually impaired.
Our services include:
The Society can also offer Visual Impairment Awareness Training for a small fee and can provide transcription of information into Braille or Audio format. Please contact us for more information.
The Society is keen to promote its work for visually impaired people and now provides speakers to give presentations about the effects of sight loss and the work the society undertakes. There is no fee, but we do ask that in return a donation is made to the Society. Please contact us for more information.
