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Sensory Support Team in Newcastle summary of Plans for 2008/9:

To maintain or increase the number of service users in developing a multi - agency action plan and actioning the following:

Sensory impairment:

Funding issues:

Deaflink to find alternative funding Newcastle City Council provided funds to enable us to provide a basic service until March 2009.  Deaflink are currently looking at options to try to continue this essential project in Newcastle.

A good range of low level preventative services in the city, however consultation has shown that much work is still to be done.

People with sensory impairments more likely to:

• live in poverty,
• to have fewer educational qualifications
• to be out of work
• experience prejudice and abuse
• experience poorer services

Low Vision Service

The Low Vision Service would benefit from a redesign to provide a centralised,  integrated low service for the following reasons:  

Compared with non-disabled people, disabled people are:

The Sensory Support Team in Newcastle provide support to deaf, hard of hearing, blind, partially sighted and deafblind people in Newcastle. This includes: assessments, social work support, support for carers, communication support e.g. access to Braille, sign language or lip reading classes, local BSL interpreting and lip speaking services, help with technical and practical aids to help daily living e.g.

The Improving the Life Chance of Disabled People, Jan 2005 sets out a vision for improving the life of disabled people: 'By 2025, disabled people in Britain should have full opportunities and choices to improve their quality of life and will be respected and included as equal members of society'. Future strategy for disabled people should seek to realise this vision through practical measures in four key areas.

Personal Social Services Physically Disabled and Sensory Impaired User Experience Survey (May 2004) asked the views of physically disabled and sensory impaired Social Service users aged 18 - 64 (excluding those with learning disabilities) on services they received. 220 out of 347 individuals responded: