Philip's Feedback on Communicator-Guide Service
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Section 7 Guidance was introduced to make sure that deafblind people can receive support and services they require from local authorities. Typically, this might consist of providing a communicator-guide service for a set number of hours per week which might be delivered under contract on specified days and times.
The downside with this approach is the lack of flexibility that is offered to a service user. For instance, during one week, I may have plans to spend a whole day attending a conference and have some shorter days for the rest of the week to do things like taking my dog out for a walk and doing shopping. The big advantage of this 'ad hoc' approach is that the service user can buy in some communicator-guide hours to enable him/her to achieve plans without being restricted by contractual obligations. It also works the other way round for communicator-guides in that they are able to work when it fits in with their commitments.
My experience of using communicator-guide services based on the ad hoc support model from Deafblind Enablement has been a very positive one. It has been a truly enabling experience for me in terms of exercising choice and control of who provides support and how that support is delivered. One of the important things that has been achieved was for me to re-establish face-to-face contact with family and friends, which would not have been possible without communicator-guide support.
With regard to medical appointments, Deafblind Enablement fully understands the importance of allowing the service user to have choice over who provides support. This can be for several reasons, the first one being that it makes more sense for a service user to use a communicator-guide who has already established a working relationship with him/her. For instance, if a service user has speech difficulties, it takes a significant period of time for a communicator-guide to 'tune into' the service user's speech patterns. This acquired experience can make all the difference between bad and good outcomes at hospital appointments. On the whole, I have found it a very reassuring experience using Deafblind Enablement as the main support service provider for attending medical appointments.
Deafblind Enablement has a great depth of knowledge and experience on deafblindness as well as of the issues facing deafblind people. This includes the provision of some specialist services. They were able to step in and provide me with speech-to-text transcription services when I recently attended a weekend conference. Their support at this conference was much appreciated in terms of enabling me to take a fuller part in the discussions that took place.
On the whole, in my dealings with Deafblind Enablement, I have always found the staff very helpful and understanding. They do have the essential quality of having a real empathy with deafblind people and are open-minded to suggestions and ideas to improve ways for enabling deafblind people to access support services.