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Hertfordshire County Council


Blind or visually impaired

 

If you need some help, we can have a chat with you to understand your day-to-day life and offer advice and support. This might include:

  • vision rehabilitation specialists who'll support you with living independently following sight loss.
  • special equipment and teaching you to use it.
  • training and handy tips to make life easier at home and outside. This could be orientation and mobility training (white cane training) as well as skills to maintain your home.
  • making sure the lighting and layout in your home is right for you.
  • Information on services like meals on wheels or the blue badge parking scheme.

We call this chat an assessment.

Get an assessment

Support services for the blind or visually impaired

Herts Vision Loss
Herts Vision Loss (HVL) is a local charity providing a wide range of support for visually impaired individuals, their families, and caregivers. Services include:

  • emotional support, advocacy, counselling, and home visits
  • registration for a Certificate of Visual Impairments (CVI)
  • accessible information and assistive technology support
  • community forums, social groups, and events
  • a minibus service.

 


Deaf or hard of hearing

 

We can help make life easier for adults, children and their families with services and special equipment like:

  • loop systems.
  • flashing smoke alarms.
  • TV amplifiers.
  • flashing door bells and telephones.

We can also give you information and advice and help you find courses, get into work or access other services in the local community.

We'll need to have a chat with you to work out what you need.  We call this an assessment.

Get an assessment

Support services for the deaf or hard of hearing

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service
A charity supported by audiology departments and adult care services that offers:

  • practical help and advice for those with hearing difficulties and their caregivers
  • hearing aid maintenance
  • support with everyday tasks such as using the telephone
  • a postal service to bring care closer to home, particularly aiding older individuals with dexterity or sight issues.
  • support with British Sign Language (BSL)
  • signposting to various deaf clubs, BSL support groups and signing cafes in Hertfordshire via the @accessherts Facebook page.

 

Citizens Advice - BSL advisory service

Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB) offer specialist advice in BSL, supporting people with:

  • benefits
  • debt and money concerns
  • housing issues
  • employment. 

 

Action Deafness (AD)

A deaf-led charity offering personalised assistance for D/deaf, hard of hearing, deafened, and deafblind individuals across Hertfordshire. The AD team provide support with:

  • Personal Assistant (PA) provision
  • decision-making
  • enhancing day-to-day living skills for a happier life
  • facilitating access to education, training and leisure activities
  • flexible one-to-one support to promote independence, confidence, and the development of life and social skills.

 


Deafblind

 

We have specially trained deafblind workers who can help with things like:

  • special equipment
  • independent living skills
  • orientation and mobility training
  • exploring one-to-one support options, from communicator guides to intervenors, and even volunteers.

Help from communicator guides, intervenors and volunteers >

  • Communicator guides work with people who acquire deafblindness, helping them with everyday tasks such as shopping, going to the doctors and going to the gym. The guides are trained in safe guiding skills to support with mobility.

    They will help the Deafblind person to adjust to life as their eyesight and hearing gets worse.  For example, they might train the person to use hands-on signing or the Deafblind manual alphabet.

  • Intervenors work with children and adults who have had deafblindness from birth. Their role is similar to  a communicator guide but they will also help to develop a special communication system.

  • Volunteers generally work with older people who need help reading mail or just need a cup of tea and a chat.

We can meet with deafblind adults and children, and their carers, to understand their needs and how we can help. 

We call this an assessment.

Get an assessment

Support services for the deafblind

Action Deafness provides one-to-one support for individuals who are deafblind or have complex disabilities enabling individuals to access creativity, sports, and wellbeing opportunities to promote active participation and fulfilment, and supporting decision-making, independent living, and social skills development.

Services include:

  • Communicator guides
  • Intervenors
  • Personal Assistants.

Sense offers personalised, creative and flexible support for disabled people with complex needs including;

  • Day services activities for adults with complex disabilities
  • Free specialist support for children and young people up to the age of 25
  • Specially-designed free play sessions for disabled children with complex needs up to age 8, to communicate with their families and develop new skills
  • Support groups for families and siblings
  • Sense College independent specialist college for disabled people aged 16-25 with complex needs
  • Supported living and Residential Care homes for adults with complex disabilities.

 

 


Carers of people with sight or hearing loss

 

You might be able to get extra help from us if you care for someone with hearing or sight loss.  We can talk with you about your caring responsibilities and work out what we can do to help.  Even if that's just giving you a break every now and then.

We call this an assessment.

Get a carers assessment

 


Contact a sensory link worker

 

If you have sensory needs, you can reach out to a HertsHelp sensory link worker. They can provide free support and guidance to individuals experiencing:

  • social isolation
  • problems finding housing
  • financial issues
  • difficulty managing their health or wellbeing
  • uncertainty on where to go for help.

 

Text hertshelp to 60060

Email info@hertshelp.net

Communicate in BSL? Ask for Robert Hobbs if you prefer to use BSL via Skype, Zoom or Whatsapp.

 


Contact the Sensory Services Team

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