Disability rights

Deafblind children ‘need more support’

Nearly 90 per cent of deafblind young people do not receive specialist support to participate in out-of-school leisure activities, according to a national deafblind charity.

Local authorities are required to provide specialist assessments, one-to-one support, appropriate information and services designed to meet the needs of deafblind children outside school.

But the Sense report* says local authorities often fail to provide support, and deafblind young people must rely instead on their families to participate in activities like swimming, horse-riding and bowling.

Lucy Drescher, campaigns officer at Sense, said that more than 4,000 deafblind children and young people in the UK are legally entitled to support, and 83 per cent of families surveyed were under “significant pressure”, due to a lack of specialist support.

The mother of one deafblind child said: “When I approached my local social services for a section seven deafblind assessment to address my child’s needs, they said they hadn’t even heard of it.

“Even when I pointed out it is mandatory, they were still very resistant. It was a constant fight just to get what we were entitled to.”

Schools minister Andrew Adonis said: “We are committed to improving the life chances of disabled young people, including those affected by deafblindness.

“I know that my colleagues at the Department of Health are working closely with Sense to revise the guidance for local authorities setting out the services they should provide for deafblind children.”

* Breaking Out; for copies, visit www.sense.org.uk or ring Jim Lewis on 020 7561 3413

Rights ‘under threat’

By Elizabeth Choppin

Tightening eligibility criteria for services for disabled people could have long-term negative impacts on their human rights, a committee of MPs has heard.

Rob Greig, national director for learning disabilities and co-chair of the National Task Force for Learning Disability, was giving evidence to the joint parliamentary committee on human rights as part of its ongoing inquiry into the human rights of adults with learning disabilities.

Mr Greig said: “I appreciate the financial difficulties that local authorities are under, but it seems to me that a decision by an authority only to provide services to people who are deemed critical is going to have long-term financial impacts on [those people], let alone the impacts on the quality of life of the people themselves.”
People with learning difficulties and their families should be made aware of their rights “so they know what they can demand back out of services”, said Greig.

A human rights-based approach has led to some positive changes, he said.

He said the government has an important role in providing support frameworks, but the bulk of responsibility for securing change should fall on local services.

He said changes should include improved frameworks for health and social care, strengthened learning disability partnership boards across the country, and a robust delivery of the disability equality duty in employment, housing and healthcare.

The committee will publish a report in early 2008.