Enhancing Health Equity for Sensory-Impaired Communities

1. Reaching Sensory Impaired (Blind & Deaf) Communities – Research Findings Marie Coughlin Cheshire & Merseyside June 2008

2. Prevalent Health Inequalities • Sensory Impaired (blind & deaf) • Learning disability • Black & racial minorities • Mental health • Physical disability • Low literacy

3. Research Study • Commissioned by national office, £24.5k • Look at the processes from invitation to receipt of completed FOBt kit

4. Disability Discrimination Act (1995) • DDA gives disabled people important rights of access to everyday services • Under DDA it is unlawful for service providers to treat disabled people less favourably • As a result, service providers now have to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ • Take up of preventative healthcare amongst disabled people is low (Disability Rights Commission, 2007)

5. Vision Impairment • Approximately 300,000 people in England are registered blind or partially sighted (DoH, 2003) • Up to another 75,000 who are eligible are not registered (DoH, 2003) • Approximately 2 million people in UK self-define as having sight problems (Government Disability Survey, 1997) • 85% are aged 65 and over (Government Disability Survey, 1997)

6. Hearing Impairment • Approximately 213,000 people in England are registered deaf or hard of hearing (DoH, 2004) • Approximately 9 million people in UKself-define as having hearing problems (RNID, 2004) • 75% of these people are aged 60 and over (RNID, 2004)

7. Additional Disabilities • Some suffer from both impairments • Low literacy levels

8. Some of the Barriers • Information not usually developed or produced in appropriate formats • Staff not adequately prepared or trained to interact with these groups • Buildings, equipment and facilities not organised with their needs in mind • Communication is biggest barrier • These issues likely to be important influencing factors on screening uptake

9. Aims & Objectives • Collaborative working across Cheshire & Merseyside with local sensory impaired groups • Identify barriers for participation • Make recommendations for strategies which would address barriers • Peer reviewed publication

10. Approach • Steering group with representation from: • Health promotion • Primary care • Public health • Patient & carer • Blind & deaf societies • RNIB • RNID • Equality & diversity • University

11. Methodology & Evaluation • In partnership with University of Chester, Centre for Public Health Research • Literature review • Data collection via focus groups/interviews • Provision of key recommendations

12. Key Findings • Engage support organisations to ensure wider dissemination of information • Consider training ambassadors within deaf community • Screening staff to work closely with staff in health care, social services & voluntary sector • Establish text phone and email helpline • Target isolated individuals to promote screening

13. Key Findings • Simplify language used • Include more pictures and diagrams • Consider a re-design of the test kit • Provide participants with larger envelopes • Provide participants with sampling pots

14. Next Steps • National office to review research findings • Develop any strategies from the research findings • Develop research proposal to test out any such strategies

15. Questions