Our Aim: A society in which deafblind people have the permanent support and recognition necessary to be equal citizens.
Scottish Charity No. SC 031167
Company Reg. No. 216974
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Did you know that deafblind people living in England and Wales have the right to a specialist guide/communicator service but those living north of the border don’t enjoy the same privilege? On 9th March 2005 Deafblind Scotland lobbied the Scottish Parliament to try and change this. This was a landmark moment when the needs of dual sensory people were finally put on the political agenda.
Calls for legislative reform amongst deafblind people in Scotland has been growing since guidance was issued in England and Wales in 2001. Under Section 7 of the Local Authorities Social Service Act 1970, English and Welsh councils are required to identify, assess the needs of, and provide 1:1 communication support to deafblind people. The foundations for this legislation were laid in 2001 with “Yes to Access” campaign. A joint venture between Deafblind UK and Sense Scotland, the ‘Yes to Acess’ campaign involved a simultaneous lobby of both the Westminster and Scottish Parliaments. They demanded that each deafblind person receive at least a minimal guide/communicator service, as they would in all of the Scandanavian countries. The UK Minister for Disabled People rejected this request and it was referred to John Hutton in the Department of Health, where responsibility for social work services lay.
John Hutton promised to issue the necessary guidance if the evidence was compelling. After examining this over a six month period - together with representatives from Deafblind UK, Sense, RNID, RNIB, Welsh organisations and social services - new guidance, commonly known as Section 7, was issued. As a result England and Wales have witnessed significant increases in the numbers of deafblind people identified, the number of hours of communication and guiding support provided to them, and the number of professionals trained in deafblindness.
Deafblind people in Scotland want the same access to a guide/communicator service as their counterparts south of the border and their years of fighting for this has been a long, arduous and emotional journey. Until last year the Scottish Executive refused to create similar guidance north of the border. However, that was to change with Margaret Mitchell’s, MSP for Central Scotland, Private Member’s Motion. She put forward an “Urgent Motion on Deafblindness” for debate after being approached by John Smith, one of her constituents and a member of Deafblind Scotland. He was able to exercise his democratic right to visit his MSP with the support of a Guide/Communicator. The motion below was signed by 64 MSPs, with good cross-party support:
“That the Parliament recognises the European Parliament Declaration of Rights of Deafblind people which was formally adopted on 1 April 2004 and recognises deafblindness as a distinct disability separate from hearing or sight impairment; considers that more should be done to identify, correctly assess and provide appropriate services for this unique group who cannot automatically benefit from mainstream services or services for people who are either blind or deaf, and further considers that councils should make appropriate provision for this uniquely disadvantaged group, ensuring that they have the same provision of services as outlined in the guidance issued under section 7(1) of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 for England and Wales. ”
This motion was the subject of a Members' Business debate. You can read what was said during this debate in the Official Report of the meeting, which you can access here.
50 deafblind people, together with 50 Guide/Communicators, family members and friends, all dressed in red and white, descended upon the Scottish Parliament for the debate. This was a huge step for our members who cannot fully participate in their local club committees far less the government of Scotland. A number of deafblind people were given the opportunity to meet with their local MSP, an enlightening and rewarding experience for both parties.
Rhona Brankin, the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, promised that the Scottish Executive would issue guidance which will require local authorities to report on progress made annually on a whole range of services, not only for those who have a dual sensory impairment, but also for those who have a single sensory impairment. This is being drawn up by a Sensory Impairment Action Plan Group, in which Deafblind Scotland plays an active role.
The lack of mental health service provision for deafblind people in Scotland was the subject of a Public Petitions Committee meeting of the Scottish Parliament on 23rd February 2005. Deafblind Scotland’s Resources Manager, Drena O’Malley, accompanied representatives of the Scottish Council on Deafness to call for a specialist in-patient mental health unit and better mainstream services for deaf and deafblind people.
Even more importantly, Drena stressed the need for all health boards to implement NHS MEL 1998 (4) Management Executive Letter) and the measures required within the “Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland.” The former is a document issued by the Scottish Office. According to this:
“All Health Boards and NHS Trusts should be aware of their responsibilities in this area [recognising deafblind people as the most disadvantaged of its user groups] and have appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that deafblind people are afforded the services of a guide/communicator when they attend hospital or GP surgery.”
The “Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland” aims to ensure that those with a single or dual sensory impairment and a mental health problem “gain access to the same range of health, social and other care services as anyone else in Scotland.” Drena stated that Deafblind Scotland is anxious to assist any health board who wishes to comply with these two publications. The Public Petitions Committee ended with a request that more information be sought from various sources.
You can read what was said during this debate in the Official Report of the meeting, which you can access here.
A motion for debate on the mental health of deaf and deafblind people was
lodged by Adam Ingram, MSP, Convener of the Cross Party Group on Mental
Health on 20th February 2006. We are waiting to find out the outcome
of this. Furthermore, Adam Ingram tabled seven parliamentary questions.
You
can access the response to the written questions here (pdf).
Rhona Brankin, the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, promised that the Scottish Executive would issue guidance which will require local authorities to report on progress made annually on a whole range of services, not only for those who have a dual sensory impairment, but also for those who have a single sensory impairment. This is being drawn up by a Sensory Impairment Action Plan Group, in which Deafblind Scotland plays an active role.
Kenneth Macintosh, MSP for East Renfrewshire, enquired as to the progress the Scottish Executive was making with this piece of statutory guidance in February this year. He asked some written parliamentary questions, the responses to which stated that the guidance is expected to be issued in the summer. Click here to view.
