[Report 1969] / Medical Officer of Health, Barnsley County Borough.

  • Barnsley (England : Unitary authority). County Borough Council.
Date:
1969
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1969] / Medical Officer of Health, Barnsley County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    82/160 (page 78)
    Arrangements are made for such persons who are ‘not blind' within the definition of blindness laid down in the National Assistance Act, 1948, but who are nevertheless substantially and permanently handicapped by congenitally defective vision or by an injury or illness affecting the eyes, for them to be included in a special register under the classification of “Register of Partially Sighted Persons.” Such persons are provided with the same welfare services as those available for blind persons. Classification in age groups of the partially sighted persons is given below as reproduced from the Form B.D.9, which is the Annual Report submitted to the Department of Health and Social Security. Training and Rehabilitation One registered blind person was sent for industrial training at the Rehabilitation Centre at Torquay. Placement of Blind Persons in Open Industry The Department of Employment and Productivity continued during the year to provide the placement services for blind persons in Barnsley and district through their blind persons' Resettlement Officer. Types of Employment of Blind Persons e.g.:— Social Welfare Officers for the Blind Machine Knitters Masseur Labourer Craftsmen and Production Process Workers Telephone Operator Typists Matmaker Machine Operators Home Teaching Service The social welfare officers visit blind persons in their homes, to discover and ascertain the needs of new cases, teaching Braille and Moon, organising social activities and other activities, arranging and teaching pastime handicrafts and providing general welfare services for the blind. Similar welfare services are provided for partially sighted persons and as many partially sighted persons are subsequently certified blind, the social welfare officer is already well aware of the needs of these people. The registration of a person as blind within the meaning of the act, involves additional financial assistance from the Department of Health and Social Secunty. This immediate financial benefit does not, of course, apply to persons who are classified as ‘partially sighted.’ During the year a total of 1,683 visits were made to individual homes in Barnsley and 2,147 visits in the West Riding area. In view of the fact that the majority of registered blind persons are over the age of 65 years anc many of these persons are living alone, the domiciliary visits paid by home teachers to such cases are extremely valuable.