Essex Sensory Community Partners

The Essex Sensory Community (ESC) is an informal partnership of organisations delivering services on behalf of Essex County Council.
Essex Sensory Community logo

The purpose of the group is to ensure the fulfilment, delivery and implementation of the Vision for Sensory Services, which outlines:

Essex is a sensory friendly county where people with sensory impairments have their needs identified early and lead their lives with the same opportunities and aspirations as other citizens, can fully access and participate in their local communities, have the same access and information as other citizens to all public services, including; health, housing, employment, education, leisure and transport.

ESC members are:

  • BASIS
  • Deafblind UK
  • ECL Sensory Service
  • Essex Blind Charity
  • Hearing Help Essex
  • RAD
  • Support 4 Sight

The ESC reports to a Strategic Partnership Group made up of stakeholders including; Customers (also known as ‘service users’), Councilors, Operational and Commercial Colleagues, Essex County Council (ECC) Commissioners and CCG’s along with other representatives from health and the voluntary sector.

The Essex Sensory Community has a co-produced Terms of Reference and operates in line with agreed values and principles. The aims of the group are to raise awareness about sensory impairments, coproduce local services and solutions and to ensure referral pathways between organisations are streamlined and effective.


BASIS

BASIS supports adults with sight loss in South Essex, helping to reduce isolation, increase confidence and promote independent living. The areas of South Essex we cover are: Basildon, Billericay, Wickford, Thurrock, Benfleet and Canvey Island. Blind and Sight Impaired Society (BASIS) was formerly known as PAVIS Foundation for Visually Impaired People and was set up in 1998. We offer a range of services including a home visiting scheme, resource centre and social and activity based groups.


Deafblind logo

Deafblind UK

Deafblind UK is a national charity offering specialist services and human support to deafblind people and those who have progressive sight and hearing loss acquired throughout their lives. Our aim is to enable people living with this unique disability to maintain their independence, quality of life and to reduce the isolation that Deafblindness creates.


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Essex Sight

Essex Sight offers support, advice and guidance for people living with sight loss throughout the North and Mid-Essex areas. Our Sight Centre in Colchester town centre is open daily from 10 am to 2 pm, and we have drop in centres in many other localities throughout Essex, open at various times throughout the month. We can demonstrate a variety of aids available to help with daily living and our staff have a wealth of experience in offering support to people with sight loss. Our Sight Loss Advisors based in Essex County, Clacton and Broomfield Hospitals are able to offer support to people newly diagnosed with sight loss.

Our other services include home visiting, telephone assistance, counselling support groups, a bi-monthly newsletter and residential care (permanent and short stay) at our Care Home in Frinton on Sea.


Hearing Help Essex logo

Hearing Help Essex

Help Support & Guidance for those suffering with hearing loss. A quarter of a million people in Essex have some degree of hearing loss, nationally that amounts to one in seven of the population.

Hearing Help Essex exists to alleviate the isolation and loneliness that hearing loss can bring.


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Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD)

Founded in 1841, The Royal Association for Deaf people provides services to Deaf people in their first language usually British Sign Language and supports mainstream providers to be more accessible to Deaf people.


Support for Sight logo

Support 4 Sight

Support 4 Sight is a sight loss organisation providing assistance to blind and partially sighted people, and their carers, in Essex.

We are a registered charity which was founded in 1994 and we are very proud of our services to the local community.

Support 4 Sight Essex assists people in maintaining their independence and quality of life. Our aim is to support local people throughout Mid and West Essex to cope positively with their sight loss. Our team also works to prevent avoidable sight loss and to raise awareness of the reality of living with sight difficulties.

We have a fully-equipped resource centre providing demonstrations, support and advice. We also provide home visits, support at local eye clinics, coffee mornings and support groups, and social trips.