The Care Act 2014, a pivotal legislation, came into force on 1 April 2015, specifically addressing the needs of deafblind people and their carers. This act is of utmost importance as it significantly impacts the support and care provided to this community.

I have been working with and for deafblind people for over ten years, delivering services since the 'Social Care Guidance for Deafblind Adults and Children' 2001 was initially issued by the Department of Health in partnership with Social Care and Health. This Guidance is now mandatory.

The regulations state that every deafblind person has the right to a specialist assessment facilitated by a person with specific training, expertise, and experience.

A Deafblind Care plan specialist looks at an individual's access to information and advice along with the market-shaping Guidance. These guidelines specifically mention communicator guides being available to address the issues faced by this unique, hidden, disenfranchised group.

There are an estimated 356,000 deafblind people in the UK (Sense of Urgency, 2010), and an estimated 1 in 6 older people (over 65+) have a combined sight and hearing loss.

I am proud to work within the deafblind community and have achieved the NVQ Signature Level 3 Award in "Evaluating the Needs of Deafblind Adults. The qualification focuses on two areas:

DK301 – Understanding Congenital Deafblindness Using a Person-Centred Approach.

DK302 – Insights into Mobility and Implications for Communication with Deafblind Individuals. 

In addition to the above, I also hold:

Signature Level 2 Award in Communicating and Guiding
Signature Level 3 Deafblind Manual
Signature Level 3 Working effectively with Visual Frame-Hands On

In line with the above Care Act regulations and Guidance – I assess a service user's immediate needs and future aspirations, followed by a comprehensive written recommendation report, which identifies the following:

Social Interaction
Communication
Movement, Orientation and Mobility
Emotional Wellbeing
Human Contact
Assistive Technology
Rehabilitation

We will also highlight any areas of Safeguarding, Mental Capacity and additional disabilities within our assessment.

The report will recognise the critical factors to maintaining independence for an individual using a person-centred approach. These are autonomy and the ability to make choices and control their life; health and safety; managing the daily routines of personal and domestic life; and involvement in education, work, family, social, and community.