Louise: How one question lead to so much more

Meet Louise. Louise received support from Josh, our Enablement Officer for Salford and Trafford. Henshaws had a record of Louise, but she hadn’t been in contact with us for over two years. Josh contacted her to ask if she needed any support. Louise had some questions and wanted some advice, which Josh was able to support with.

Sight Impaired Registration

Louise was registered as Sight Impaired with Suffolk Council, as that is where she is originally from. However, she’s lived in Salford for the last four years. She wanted some advice on transferring her registration from Suffolk Council to the Salford Local Authority.

Josh contacted both Local Authorities, and Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, to research the process of transferring a registration from one local authority to another. Josh then passed this info onto her.

She then transferred her registration, which in turn would enable her to receive an assessment from the sensory team in her local area which she had never had before. She was pleased to now be on their radar and receive this help and assistance.

Access To Work

Louise is in paid employment. Josh asked her whether or not she was using Access To Work. Louise didn’t know what Access To Work is.

Josh went through some advice on the scheme with her, and she was keen to look further into this. Josh emailed more information out for her to look through and present to her employer regarding a potential application, which she was really grateful for.

If you want to know more about Access To Work, including the types of support it can fund if you have sight loss, you can read our blog.

Public transport

Josh asked Louise how she got around and whether she uses public transport. Louise uses public transport, but didn’t have a travel pass at the time of speaking to Josh. Josh told her how one worked. He mentioned that she’d ultimately be able to save a lot of money if she applied for one, as she would be able to travel for free most of the time. This would help her when travelling to and from work. Louise was really interested in this. Josh filled out an application form for her, and she now has her pass.

Louise also travels by train, going back to Suffolk to visit family quite often. She did not know that being registered Sight Impaired made her eligible for a Disabled Persons Railcard. Josh helped her apply for this card, which she now also has.

Leisure

Josh asked her about the cinema and going to gigs/theatres and days out. These are activities that she loves, but the cost sometimes would put her off. Josh explained how a NIMBUS Access Card and CEA Card could save her money on accessing these activities, which she was really intrigued about.

Josh sent her links to apply for both of these cards. He explained how the schemes worked. He explained that if she split the cost with someone, she could get two tickets for the price of one for a lot of cinema showings, concerts/shows and days out. Louise now has both of these cards, and is looking forward to using them.

Want to know more about accessing live performances if you have sight loss? We’ve put together a guide full of information about researching accessible performances, booking tickets, and accessing the performance itself.

A tailored plan for Louise

A simple question about her sight impaired registration lead to a conversation to create a comprehensive personalised plan of action. Louise can now save money on public transport and leisure activities, and is also on the radar of the Salford Sensory Team. She is very pleased with all the support.

It’s also an example of how we don’t just support people immediately after registration. Louise has been registered sight impaired for a number of years, but through her appointment with Josh, she has been able to find out lots of information, and put things in place, that she wasn’t aware of previously.