High Peak MP Tom Levitt hosted a Parliamentary reception on 30 June held by Sense, the national deafblind charity to mark the reissue of the Deafblind Guidance by the Government. The Guidance affects 3,000 people in Derbyshire and up to 193,000 deafblind people in England.

Originally introduced in 2001, the Guidance places a number of legal duties on Local Authorities including identifying deafblind people and providing appropriate services such as a communicator guide (a person who aids communication).  The Government has now reissued the guidance and is reminding all English local authorities of their obligations.

Tom Levitt said “I want every deafblind person to get the high level of service and support this Guidance requires Local Authorities to provide. I will be writing to Derbyshire County Council to ask how they fulfil their legal obligations so every deafblind person is identified and gets the comprehensive service they deserve.”

Sue Brown, Head of Campaigns at Sense said “This Guidance can literally change someone’s life but too many people are not receiving what they are entitled to. This cannot continue, since the guidance is statutory and Local Authorities must implement it. We saw the impact of the Guidance in 2001. The reissue of the Deafblind Guidance must be matched by a similar increase in Local Authority services for deafblind people.”

Click here for more information on the Guidance