We provide advice, information and aids for people who have serious difficulties with their sight and/ or hearing and for their carers. Whatever your age and circumstances, we can help you find the support you need.
You can also find help available from other organisations through our Community Directory.
In some cases we, or health services, can help with providing services for people with sight or hearing loss.
If you want to see if you are eligible for help contact us to arrange a needs assessment.
Arrange a Needs Assessment
What help is available?
The support we can offer includes:
- Advice, information and signposting to other services
- Needs assessments and carer’s assessments
- Daily living equipment
- Home adaptations
- Personal budgets, depending on your level of need and financial circumstances
Adults with sight problems
If you have significant sight loss in both eyes that can’t be corrected with surgery or glasses, we can provide training in independence skills to help with daily living, moving around and communicating.
You may be entitled to a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI). This will give you a registration card and information pack. If you have a CVI, we will register you with the Council. This may entitle you to some concessions, such as help with NHS costs and public transport. It can also help you with welfare benefits claims.
Alternative information provision
We can provide you with information in large print, if you need it. This website has a variety of accessibility options, including increasing text size, changing background colour, and reading the text aloud. We can provide your assessment information and other documents in audio format if you require.
Other support
It might be the case that If your sight loss is less severe, and you are not eligible for support from us. If this is the case, we can give you advice about support available from other organisations. We can also signpost you to other organisations that offer support beyond our remit, for example, guide dogs.
iSight Cornwall is a long-established local charity that works with people with all levels of sight loss. They offer support and activities, as well as a shop with handy gadgets.
Visit iSight website for more information
Adults with hearing problems
If you have hearing problems, we can help with:
- Learning to lip-read or learning sign language
- Communication support, including interpreters or voice-to-text
- Specialist equipment, such as visual doorbells and alarms
- Telephone equipment, such as text phones or amplified handsets
We will support you to live safely and independently, and to interact in social settings.
Alternative information provision
If you require information in a different format, please ask. For example, you may need a BSL interpreter, or may need subtitles to be displayed during an online meeting.
Other support
Hearing Loss Cornwall is a long established Cornish charity promoting inclusion and deaf awareness across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Hearing Loss Cornwall can provide information, advice, training and communication support, including British Sign Language interpretation services.
Find out more on Hearing Loss Cornwall website
Dual sensory loss
If you have both sight and hearing loss, then we will work with you to help you adapt and find solutions to help you live as independently as possible.
What help is available for carers?
If you’re a carer, you have a right to a carer’s assessment.
This looks at the support you need to look after someone else.
You can have a carer’s assessment even if the person you look after doesn’t receive support from us.
Additional information to support you
You can find a wide range of other information on our website to support you to live independently, including housing adaptation, equipment for your home, opportunities for activities and groups. You can find out more on our Adults with Disabilities page.