Questionnaire about Sandwell Council Services for People who are Visually Impaired, Deaf or Hard of Hearing

November 2012

1 What is this survey about?

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) pays towards the running of Sandwell Deaf Community Association (SDCA) and Sandwell Visually Impaired (SVI). SMBC pays Ideal for All (IfA) to run the Deaf Equipment Service from the Independent Living Centre (ILC). SMBC also runs its own support service for visually impaired people, The Sensory Services Team, which is also based at the ILC.

SMBC has asked Linda Laurie Associates (LLA) to do an independent review to find out what Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Visually Impaired people think about these services.

SMBC wants to make sure that the services it pays for help you to make choices, stay in control of your independence and take part in community life.

Please fill in this questionnaire as your answers will help SMBC to check how well the services it pays for are working and help them to improve services by making changes where they are needed. If you would like help to fill in the form or need it in another format or language, including in BSL on DVD, please contact LLA at:

1 Portland Court, Sheffield, S6 3EW. Tel: 0114 225 8676. SMS: 07956 856060. Freephone: 0800 073 0405 (from a UK landline) Email: [email protected]

Please also send your finished questionnaires to LLA at the above address. If you want to fill it in online, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJK6JKZ

2 Make sure you send this questionnaire back to us by 5pm on Friday November 23rd. Thanks! Please fill in this section if you have used any of the services being reviewed. Please only answer questions about services that you know about because you use them or have used them in the past.

1. Deaf Equipment Service

This service is run by Ideal for All at the Independent Living Centre (ILC) and assesses people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing to help them live safely and independently in their home. The service provides information and equipment that helps people.

What do you think of the support that you have had from the Deaf Equipment Service?

1 5 4 3 2 Very Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor Poor

Why do you think this?

Comments

3 2. Sensory Services

Services for Visually Impaired people are provided by Sandwell Council’s Sensory Services team based at the Independent Living Centre (ILC). The team assesses people and offers information, training and equipment to help someone remain independent and safe in the community.

What do you think of the support that you have had from the Sensory Services team?

4 3 2 1 5 Good Satisfactory Poor Very Excellent Poor

Why do you think this?

Comments

4 3. Sandwell Visually Impaired (SVI)

Sandwell Visually Impaired is a user led voluntary organisation. The organisation offers information and support, advocacy, training and community activities to people with a Visual Impairment in Sandwell.

What do you think of the support that you have had from Sandwell Visually Impaired?

1 5 4 3 2 Very Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor Poor

Why do you think this?

Comments

5 4. Sandwell Deaf Community Association (SDCA)

Sandwell Deaf Community Association delivers specialist services to Deaf people and people who are hard of hearing. These services include: training, advocacy, youth activities, family services, welfare rights advice, a volunteer service and community groups

What do you think of the support that you have had from Sandwell Deaf Community Association?

4 3 2 1 5 Good Satisfactory Poor Very Excellent Poor

Why do you think this?

Comments

6 5. Please give us any other comments you have about the services you use which are described in this questionnaire

Comments

6. What else do you think the Council should be doing for people who are Deaf, hard of hearing or Visually Impaired in Sandwell?

Comments

7 Please fill in this section if you have not used any of the services being reviewed.

Why are you not using any of the services being reviewed at the moment? (Tick one or more boxes)

You do not know what any of the services are.

You do not need any of the services.

These services do not provide the support you need.

You’ve had problems when trying to use one or more of these services.

Why do you think this?

8 Comments

Please fill in this section to tell us about yourself. We are asking for this information so that we can make sure that a range of people who know about and use the services have told us what they think of them.

How old are you ?

16 – 30 31 – 50 50+

Are you ?

Male ? Female ?

Are you ?

White British ? British Asian ?

9 Black African ? Other (please specify)

I am a ….

Deaf person

Hard of Hearing Person

Hearing Impaired person

Visually Impaired person

Blind person

Person with multiple impairments

Person with no Impairments

Other (please tell us below)

Comments

10 Do you provide support or unpaid care to a person in Sandwell who is Deaf, Hard of Hearing and/or has a Visual Impairment?

Yes No

What is your postcode?

11