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Sensory Impairment Archives · Independent Living

Vision

Conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts and diabetes can all lead to visual impairment, in addition to the common effects of increasing age on the ability to read small print and process fine detail. In this section, you’ll find information about eye care, eye tests and common eye problems, as well as a range of low vision aids, from a simple magnifying glass to a talking clock, big button phones to voice-activated diallers.

Hearing

Hearing problems also often increase with age, and can also be caused by a range of conditions including tinnitus. Deaf and hearing impaired people can find the latest assistive technology products, including amplified phones, hearing aids, loops, alarms and alerts for those with hearing loss.

Speech

Loss of speech, or aphasia, can be due to a physical or learning disability, a condition such as cerebral palsy or autism, or as the result of a stroke. AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) refers to the various means of helping communication without speech.

The pages here are about eyesight, hearing, and speech loss, including services to look after you and a range of products to help if your sight, speech or hearing is impaired:

Eyecare, eye tests & common eye conditions

Aids to assist with poor eyesight and blindness

Aids to assist with impaired hearing and deafness

Speech aids

High-tech communication aids

Low-tech communication aids

A Word in Your Ear – Calibre Audio 0 comments

Celebrating 50 years of Calibre Audio The acclaimed podcast Talking Point marks a significant milestone in “A Word in Your Ear,” celebrating 50 years of Calibre Audio. This special episode [...]

Newcastle United fans David Wilson and Ryan Gregson wearing Sela’s haptic shirts

Wearing the stadium! 0 comments

Wearing the stadium – haptic shirts for inclusivity I love this story! Even though I’m not a football fan, I don’t think anyone can be immune to the emotional impact [...]

Image of brain illustrating article on sensory and spatial awareness

How’s your spatial awareness? 1 comment

Sensory and spatial awareness to make sense of the world Independent Living subscriber Philip Francis Anderson is known for his thought-provoking articles on a range of topics around disability, accessibility [...]

Young audio describer Eleanor Stollery and Roz Chalmers in the audio description booth

Young visually impaired audio describer 0 comments

Eleanor’s trailblazing role as audio describer 12-year-old Eleanor Stollery, pictured here with professional audio describer and mentor Roz Chalmers, has become the first young, visually impaired person to audio describe [...]

Low Vision Aids 0 comments

Fortunately, the range of low vision aids available to assist with day to day activities if you have less than adequate sight is improving all the time. Here is an [...]

High-Tech Communication Aids Comments disabled

VOCAs (Voice Output Communication Aids) produce spoken words, either synthesised or pre-recorded, which are selected by the user from a stored vocabulary of words and phrases. The vocabulary can be [...]

Low-Tech Aids Comments disabled

Low-tech communication aids, based on pictures, symbols and imagery, can help improve communication by removing language as a barrier. This alleviate problems in both transmitting and receiving messages. • Transmitting: [...]

Speech Aids Comments disabled

AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) is a means of helping people to communicate when they have severe difficulties with speech and language. This may be due to a physical or [...]

No support after sight loss 0 comments

RNIB finds inconsistent support after sight loss diagnosis More than 115,000 blind and partially sighted adults across the UK have been left without the crucial support they are entitled to [...]

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