Understanding Sensory Loss

Understand the importance of a person centred approach when working with individuals with sensory loss.

Learners need to understand the meaning of a 'person-centred' approach. This may include:

• empowering individuals to make their own decisions and be in control of their own life
• respecting their opinions and values and individuality
• involving individuals in decision making and ensuring active participation
• empowering individuals to be as independent as possible

Examples may include:

• talking with the individual to find out what challenges they have and finding practical solutions
• making resources available so that the individual can decide when and where they can use them
• being supportive when they need to understand , question or challenge decisions that have been made by others
• giving information about complaints procedures

Assessment Criteria

• 1.1

  Explain why it is important to recognise and value an individual with sensory loss as a person first.

• 1.2

  Describe person-centred practices that can be used when working with individuals with sensory loss.

Understand sensory loss.

Sensory loss can be a result of:

• medical conditions - e.g. macular degeneration, glaucoma, Diabetic eye disease, cataract.
• Conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss
• environmental factors
• noise in factories, loud music
• accidents e.g head injury
• genetic condition - e.g. Ushers syndrome, Otoscelrosis

Learners should be able to give examples for each of the above.

Learners need to give examples of how different types of sensory loss impact on everyday life including the differences that could result between congenitial and acquired hearing loss e.g.

Hearing loss – affecting face to face communication. Unable to hear TV, radio, door bell. Traffic risk

Sight loss – affecting face to face communication. Unable to read written information, signs

Social isolation issues, anger and frustration.

Mobility issues

Social and emotional issues from acquired sensory loss – loss of security, loss of control, inability to negotiate environment

Congenital loss – sensory loss from birth – e.g. affects on learning and development, societal attitudes, identity. Deaf culture

Assessment Criteria

• 2.1

  Describe different types of sensory loss.

• 2.2

  Outline different medical and genetic conditions which can cause sensory loss.

• 2.3

  Outline other main causes of sensory loss.

• 2.4

  Explain the potential impact of sensory loss on the day-to-day living of the individual with the loss.

Understand effective communication for individuals with sensory loss.

Factors to consider when communicating with individuals:

a) sight loss e.g. may have no vision or restricted vision so they cannot read body language

b) hearing loss e.g. may use lip reading so positioning will be important, aids need to be working effectively, understanding of words may be in the literal sense

c) deaf blindness e.g. may have difficulty understanding concepts, need to use other senses to help with understanding.

The benefits of effective communication may include:

• social e.g. making friends, getting out of their own environment, being part of the community
• emotional e.g. expressing feelings, sharing opinions
• cognitive e.g. challenging thinking, increasing vocabulary

Making information accessible may include:

• information technology and other digital products
• audio and visual aids
• braille, Makaton, sign language
• using advocate who can sign.

Environmental design

• Bigger, Brighter, Bolder RNID
• use of different colours to highlight contrast
• clear large print
• Loop system
• aids and adaptations
• reducing obstacles
• organising clothing or food, medicines in a specific way.

Assessment Criteria

• 3.1

  Describe the key factors to be considered when communicating with individuals with

  a) sight loss

  b) hearing loss

  c) deafblindness.

• 3.2

  Describe different ways of communicating with individuals with different types of sensory loss, including ways of making information accessible.

• 3.3

  Explain the benefits of effective communication on the lives of individuals with sensory loss.