Vision Rehabilitation and Specialist Assessments

Vision Rehabilitation Services

Focal Point UK is a leading private sector provider of vision rehabilitation (rehab) services to all sector organisations – statutory service providers such as social services departments, education departments and Employment Services, or their agents acting on their behalf.  We also voluntary sector organisations who provide or require vision rehab services and support.  These rehab services can be offered as a long term contract, a locum basis or on a ‘spot’ contract basis with an agreed service level agreement, whereby a purchaser or commissioner of a service will only pay for individual one-off input on a ‘sessional’ basis.

Additionally, vision rehab services are available that can be purchased directly hy vision impaired people, which will enable them to buy in the service individually on a private basis. This would take the form of an agreement directly between Focal Point UK and a service user. The high quality service standards provided to statutory agencies would still apply and visually impaired people purchasing a private vision rehab service in this manner could still expect to receive the same level of input and care as received by a ‘contract’ provider. Payment for these services is made by the individual purchaser of a service to Focal Point UK. Some people who receive funds from the personalised budget payment scheme (which was formally known as the Direct payment scheme) from social services use these finances to privately purchase their own personal rehab service. (Contact your local social services for details about personalised budget scheme)

Vision Rehab services provided by Focal Point UK include:

  • Full specialist visual rehab assessment & report.  Provision of individual rehab ‘action plan’ – recommendations for rehab identifying vision rehab training and equipment need

A full assessment would include the main domains of vision rehab interventions:

 

  1.  Functional vision and low vision
  2.  Orientation and Mobility
  3. Independent Living skills
  4. Communication skills

Plus general health, lifestyle and social needs as appropriate.

Specialist Assessments

Specific areas/domains can be assessed separately if required, and needs/goals identified:

  • Independent living skills assessment training – food preparation and kitchen skills, personal care and taking medication, general household management
  • Orientation and mobility assessment and training – cane and route training
  • Communication skills assessment training – using IT / AT solutions and using accessible formats
  • Low vision therapy assessment training – training how to make the best use of vision, low vision aids and magnifiers and other low vision devices
  • Recreation and lifestyle – any social activities, hobbies, interests and sports, could include gardening and lots of other activities.

Legal case work – Expert Witness reports

Focal Point UK has for many years provided expert witness reports for legal cases involving sight loss.  We have provided

vision rehab reports with full recommendations outlining all current and future needs in support of a clients case.

 

Legal case work – vision rehab therapy interventions

Focal Point UK have provided ‘vision support’ to clients as part of their on-going rehab therapy.  This support is generally as part of a ‘legal rehab team’ and is overseen by a case manager working for a case management company.  The vision rehab therapy interventions Focal Point UK have been able to provide in previous cases has been on a ‘stand alone’ vision basis, or in support of other professionals within the legal rehab therapy team.  Our vision rehab interventions may involve direct one-to-one support, or provision of specialist equipment.

 

Supporting Education Services 

For many years, Focal Point UK has provided specialist assessments to a range of Sensory support teams in Education depts. and agencies.  These services may include Visual Impairment Services to and behalf of local authority education departments, and Further and Higher Education establishments who work with young and working age vision impaired people. These specialist assessments would normally assess the general vision rehab, and orientation and mobility needs of individual vision impaired people of all ages.  As part of the Disabled Students Allowance Scheme, support services are also available to vision impaired students studying at university.  For example, this may involve providing Orientation and Mobility training on campus to university students.

Supporting Employment Services

Focal Point UK also provides support services to the Dept. of Work and Pensions, as part of the Access to Work Scheme, providing specialist assessments and training packages.  Workplace assessments can be supplied to vision impaired workers in any company / business as required.  On conclusion of the specialist assessment, a written report is forwarded to the commissioning agency with specific recommendations to meet individual needs.  This may be on behalf of occupational health and HR depts.

Pease contact Focal Point UK for further details