Preventative Services: Visual Impairment Service and the Visual Impairment Register - WNC

The Visual Impairment Service supports adults to live their best lives. It provides:

• registration
• rehabilitation
• advice
• assessments
• support

The Visual Impairment Assessment

The service offers an assessment to establish your needs. Assessments usually take place at home but can also be at work, a day centre, or another residential establishment. They consider your physical, social, and cultural needs (and those of your carer).

Information will be gathered about the background of your sight loss and the difficulties you could be having.

The information is used to agree on a person-centred and strength-based plan.

Individual Rehabilitation Programmes

Rehabilitation programmes can enable people with visual impairment to develop confidence and independence.

The programmes cover daily living activities, communication, technology and orientation, and mobility.

Specialist Visual Impairment Equipment

• Orientation and mobility aids (such as a 'symbol cane' to raise awareness of visual impairment)
• Guide canes and long canes (which help people walk and navigate the community more safely)
• Liquid level indicators (which prevent people from overfilling cups or mugs)
• Bumpons (which help people mark different equipment around the office or home, such as the settings on a washing machine or microwave)

Specialist Visual Impairment Adaptations

• Lighting strips (long tubular lights which illuminate the room without glare or shadow)
• Yellow/white line edging to external steps (painted lines to prevent people with visual impairment from falling)

Deafblind Assessments

The visual impairment service works alongside specialist deafblind organisations to assess and support people with dual sensory loss.

The Visual Impairment Register

The Visual Impairment Service maintains a register of people with visual impairments. This is in line with statutory requirements. The register allows the team to gauge local demand for support and plan services.

There are two levels of registration: sight impaired (partially sighted) or severely sight impaired (blind).

How To Get This Service

You can request an assessment using this online form:

• Make a referral to a Preventative Service (Therapy, Visual Impairment, Assistive Technology)