Peter Bennetts is RNIB's Volunteer Campaign Co-ordinator in South Tyneside. He recently secured commitments from his local council to improve the assessment and support of blind and partially sighted people.
Peter was one of the first blind and partially sighted people to go through the council's assessment process. He found it hard to navigate and eventually successfully challenged a decision to not meet his need for a specific piece of access equipment.
With the support of Sight Service and RNIB, Peter has been working with council officers to make sure blind and partially sighted people get a better deal in the future
Improvements to Services
The council have made two commitments which Peter has welcomed:
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The Supported Assessment Questionnaire that is used to determine individual needs for support will now include a particular prompt that considers requirements for equipment or telecare.
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If the council's existing stock of access equipment does not effectively meet an individual's needs they will consider acquiring alternative products.
Peter will be continuing to work to ensure South Tyneside council provides appropriate support to all blind and partially sighted people with significant or critical need.
Now that he has the equipment he needs, he hopes the council's new approach will help other people in the area living with sight loss to get the support that they need to live independently.
If you want to get involved to help improve access to personalised budgets in your part of the North East, call us on 0191 234 5409 or email henri.murison@rnib.org.uk