Deaf and Visual Impairment Support

What does the service do?

The Schools and Families Specialist Services comprises of specialist Teachers and Teaching Assistants with additional qualifications and experience in working with children and young people with a range of special educational needs aged 0-19. The service comprises of four specialist teams, which include a Sensory Team – Hearing and Visual Impairments. The Sensory team consists of qualified teachers of the deaf and visually impaired, two Habilitation Specialists, Specialist Sensory Teaching Assistants and a resource technician. 

Support can include home teaching, providing advice and support to parents on a range of issues, transition support, providing advice and training for staff in schools and early years setting, and liaising with other agencies to ensure that support for the child and family is coordinated and effective.

Age Range

0 - 19

Who can refer to the service?

SFSS accept direct referrals from parents/carers and professionals for children with complex SEND below school age e.g. from Early Years settings or health visitors.

Contact Details

Name: Joy Summerell

Tel: 0115 8041 232

Email: joy.summerell@nottscc.gov.uk  

Further Information

Find out more on the SEND Local Offer website.

All newborn babies in Nottinghamshire will have their hearing tested in hospital either before they leave or as an outpatient very soon after birth. To find out further information on this please click on the following link: Newborn Hearing Screening You can also find out further information on hearing tests for children as they get older by clicking on this link: Hearing Tests for Children

However, if you are worried about your child’s hearing as they get older, see your Health Visitor, School Nurse or GP: a hearing problem can affect a child’s whole development so it is important to pick it up as soon as possible. To find out where your nearest GP is located please click on the following link to access the NHS search facility: GP Search

Healthy Family Teams are part of the Healthy Families Programme, an integrated service for children, young people and families which includes health visitor and school nursing support. 

What does the service do?

There are two Habilitation Specialists working within the Sensory Team as part of Nottinghamshire County Council's Schools and Families Specialist Service (SFSS).

The Specialists works with families, babies, children and young people who have a significant visual impairment and who are resident in Nottinghamshire.

Any Nottinghamshire school/setting where a young person with a visual impairment is on roll can also seek advice and support from the Habilitation Specialists.  

The Habilitation Specialists offers advice to families on paediatric mobility, sensory development and the development of physical skills.

They can offer advice and training to young people and students on:

• Personal independence skills
• Travel Training
• Social Skills
• Mobility Skills.

Age Range

0-19

Who can refer to the service?

Teachers of the visually impaired will usually make a referral to the service but referrals can also be made by young people, parents/carers, medical staff and school settings. 

Contact Details

Name: Joy Summerell

Tel: 0115 8041 232

Email: joy.summerell@nottscc.gov.uk  

What does the service do?

The team provides specialist assessment for disabled children and young people resident in Nottinghamshire up to the age of 18, who have a permanent and substantial disability which has an adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities within the home environment.

Occupational Therapy aims to provide support and intervention to help children and young people with disabilities develop to their full potential, taking in to account the stage of development the child/young person has reached. It can assist with overcoming practical problems and maximising a child/young person's independence in their own home, as well as supporting parents/carers to care for their disabled child/young person safely.

Following assessment, the support from Occupational Therapy could include:

• Assist in arranging minor alterations such as grabrails and second stair rails.
• Assist in arranging essential major adaptations such as ramps, lifts or larger scale works. Funding of the adaptation work will depend on who owns the home - the OT worker will explain this and make any necessary recommendations to the relevant agency.
• Support and advice on moving to a more suitable property to meet long-term needs.
• Offering advice on managing everyday tasks, such as managing personal care and safe mobility around the home.
• Assessing transfers and providing plans to promote safer moving and handling.
• Providing specialist equipment on long term loan such as specialist cots/bed, bathing equipment and toileting equipment.
• Specialist equipment on long term loan for children/young people who are Deaf/deafened/hearing impaired, blind/visually impaired, or have dual sensory impairment.

Age range

0 -18 years

Who can refer to the service?

Parents/carers and professonals (with consent) can make referrals to the service.

Contact Details

Name: ICDS Occupational Therapy Duty Officer

Tel: 0115 8041273

Email: childrenot.duty@nottscc.gov.uk

Referrals requesting an assessment are taken directly through the Occupational Therapy Duty point which operates daily 08:45-16:30 (excluding Bank Holidays).

What do I need to do if I need ongoing help with equipment/adaptations at home?

If the Integrated Children's Disability Service (ICDS) Occupational Therapy Team is currently working with you, they will make a referral to the Adult Occupational Therapy Service 28 days before your 18th birthday and a worker from both the Children's and adult's team will work together to help you have as smooth as transition as possible. 

What does the service do?

The Adult Deaf and Visual Impairment Service (ADVIS) provides specialist support to people with a sensory impairment. ADVIS has specialist workers who understand the impact of deafness, visual impairment or deafblindness and can communicate using British Sign Language (BSL).   

They can:

• provide information and advice about your situation 
• provide specialist equipment to help you manage everyday living tasks 
• assess your rehabilitation or care and support needs. 

The team support people who live in Nottinghamshire. If you live in Nottingham City please contact Nottingham City Council to find out about the services available from them.

Age Range

18+

Who can refer to the service?

Anyone can make a referral; which could be a person with a deaf or visual impairment, a professional (with consent), or a family member/friend (with consent).

Contact Details

Nottinghamshire County Council Customer Services Team.

Telephone: 0300 500 80 80

Text relay service:  18001 0115 9774050

If you are Deaf or hard of hearing read about contacting us using the Relay UK service

Sign relay service: Connect to SignVideo below or download the SignVideo app 

Further Information

Find out more on Nottinghamshire County Council's website

What is the process to be registered with a vision impaired?

If your vision has deteriorated to a certain level, you may choose to register as visually impaired. Depending on the severity of your vision loss you'll either be registered as sight impaired (previously "partially sighted") or severely sight impaired (previously "blind").

Your eye specialist (ophthalmologist) will measure your visual acuity (ability to see detail at a distance) and your field of vision (how much you can see from the side of your eye when looking straight ahead).

These measurements will help your ophthalmologist determine whether you're eligible to be certified as sight impaired or severely sight impaired. If you are, they will complete an official certificate with the results of your eye examination. In England and Wales this certificate is called the Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI), 

Your ophthalmologist will send a copy of the certificate to you, a copy to your GP and a copy to your local social services department. Upon receiving the certificate, your local social services team will contact you to ask whether you want to be added to its register of visually impaired people.

Do I have to be registered as visually impaired?

Registering as visually impaired isn't compulsory, but it can entitle you to a range of benefits, which includes:

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - tax-free benefits to help with any costs relating to your disability or illness
• a reduction in the TV licence fee
• a tax allowance
• reduced fees on public transport
• parking concessions

The County Council can issue you a registration card that proves your registration status. Having this can help to prove your entitlement to concessions, including when you’re visiting places of interest. For children this is issued by the Children's Disability Service and for Adults this is issued by the Adult Deaf and Visual Impairment Service (ADVIS). 

Further information

The RNIB website has more information about registering your sight loss. You can also read more about registering vision impairment on the Government website. 

To access details of deaf support organisations and services listed on the Local Offer website please click here Deaf Support or by clicking on the icon below:

To access details of visual impairment support organisations and services listed on the Local Offer website please click here Visual Impairment Support or by clicking on the icon below: