What are the key inequalities?

Compared with non-disabled people, disabled people are:

• more likely to live in poverty - the income of disabled people is, on average, less than half of that earned by non disabled people.
• less likely to have educational qualifications - disabled people are more likely to have no educational qualifications.
• more likely to be economically inactive - only one in two disabled people of working age are currently in employment, compared with four out of five non-disabled people.
• more likely to experience problems with hate crime or harassment - a quarter of all disabled people say that they have experienced hate crime or harassment, and this number rises to 47% of people with mental health conditions;
• more likely to experience problems with housing - nine out of ten families with disabled children have problems with their housing;
• more likely to experience problems with transport - the issue given most often by disabled people as their biggest challenge.

(Improving the life chances of disabled people, Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, 2005)

What are the key gaps in knowledge/services?

Low Vision Service

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

• Existing services are fragmented
• There is a need for improved co-ordination and communication between the optometrists, social services and voluntary organisations
• Pathways for entry into the service are not clear or consistent for service users
• There is a need for improved communication between high street optometrists and GP's and the RVI
• Access to the RVI Low Vision clinic is difficult for some service users and the scale of the building is intimidating
• Domiciliary services are not provided
• There is a shortage of rehabilitation officers and lack of involvement at the assessment stage
• Availability and follow up support for the provision of Low Vision aids need to be improved and promoted
• The referral system between the respective agencies should be reviewed in the light of single assessment requirements
• Emotional support should be extended and should include carers
• Demands on the service are projected to increase in a sector of the population which experiences other age-related health problems in addition to failing sight

Newcastle Low Vision Services Sub group 2006 report

Ongoing needs identified by Deaflink include:

• Equal access to information
• Equal access to life chances in education and employment
• Good access to all services
• Information on support mechanisms, groups or equipment
• Services and people have deaf awareness training which is accessible to inform, empower and build confidence
• Advocacy, Advice and support
• Support for carers
• Social/focus groups

What are the risks of not delivering our targets?

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

Is what we are doing working?

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

What is coming on the horizon?

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.

Deaflink and the Community Food Initiative to research and develop an accessible healthy eating/ excercise information pack for the Deaf, Deafblind community has received extension funding from the Working Neighbourhood Fund. 

What should we be doing next?

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:

• To work with corporate Accessible Information group to achieve a corporate database of service users' preferred formats for correspondence & information.
• To deliver a training course to Council staff re making information accessible.
• To work with Newcastle College to develop an accredited course for sight impaired people to be trained as sight impairment awareness trainers.
• To run the Visual Impairment supporters' Awareness course (VISA)
• To work with Newcastle College to develop and produce Wylie cards
• To deliver Empowerment training to visually impaired people
• To explore opportunities to offer counselling to visually impaired people from
• Stage employment and post 16 education event for visually impaired people
• To continue raising awareness of sensory impairment such as the work being done with the University of Teeside to produce a DVD on sensory awareness for social and health care students. This arose from a consultation we facilitated for them with service users through Shaping Your Service

Hearing impairment:

• Run a hearing impairment awareness course for people newly issued with a hearing aid
• Continue working with the North of Tyne Mental Health Trust to dvelop their disability equality scheme for Deaf people.

• Working with the University of Northumbria at Newcastle and the Lead for Commissioning Model Development, County Durham PCT to pilot a Mental Health and Deafness course for mainstream mental health staff. This is a regional initiative in response to the Towards Equity and Access report.
• To continue the development of a Multi- agency planning group, including service users developing course for people newly issued with a hearing aid. To provide information about hearing loss, hearing aids, equipment, communication strategies and aids, peer support, information about services.

Deafblind Service:

• To engage deafblind people in addressing issues identified at consultation event, thorough action planning groups

BME:

• To continue our efforts to engage with BME community development workers to promote awareness of our service

Newcastle Low Vision Services Sub group 2006 report recommends the following actions:

• Awareness - raise awareness of the incidence of Low Vision, the need for regular eye care and the availability of existing services and support
• Primary Care - promote the role of all local optometrists as the first point of contact for sight problems
• Pathways for care - simplify the referral system to allow local optometrists to refer directly to the RVI, obviating the need for referral to and from GP's
• Low Vision Centre - establish a dedicated Centre where optometric, rehabilitation and voluntary support can be integrated in the form of a 'one-stop shop'
• Service users - involve service users in the development and monitoring of all the above proposals