[Report 1957] / School Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council.

  • Dorset (England). County Council.
Date:
1957
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1957] / School Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    44/88 (page 42)
    Normal College. Of the twenty cases registered between 20 and 64 years of age, a man aged fifty-eight has returned to his own work following a successful operation, and one aged fifty-four who had previously been an agricultural worker has been rehabilitated, trained, and employed as a factory operative with the co-operation of the Ministry of Labour. A young man in his twenties has been away for rehabilitation and it is hoped that he will go for training shortly when work can be found for him which he can do in view of his other physical disabilities. Six persons are not available for work owing to domestic responsibilities and eleven cannot work at present owing to additional severe physical handicaps. One of these, aged twenty-six, was deaf and dumb on registration and had not received any form of education. The home teacher has succeeded in breaking down the antagonism of the parents and has made contact with him, teaching him several handicrafts and also a little speech. Steady progress is being made and it is hoped that he will ultimately be able to go away for specialised residential rehabilitation. Home Teaching and Visiting The work is carried out by the same five qualified home teachers who travelled 51,605 miles in the course of their duties. They paid 6,612 visits to blind cases; 423 to the partially sighted and 1,818 to hospitals, doctors, etc., to ensure follow-up of treatment recommended. In addition, they gave 669 home lessons to the blind in handicrafts and embossed type, 107 to the partially sighted, and held 160 classes. In conjunction with the Dorset County Association for the Blind they have held 59 socials, organised nine outings’ and four sales and exhibited at three shows with great success. Workshop Employment As this authority has no sheltered workshop, arrangements are made with the following bodies who each employ one worker on our behalf, payments being on the national scale subject to the standard of work and earnings reaching the minimum laid down in the recommemdations of the County Councils Association after consultation with the National Association of Workshops for the Blind:— Bristol Royal Blind Asylum Workshops; Royal School for the Blind, Leatherhead. Home Employment Nine men and seven women are supervised by the Bristol Royal Blind Asylum Workshops Home Workers Scheme on behalf of this authority and the National Library for the Blind supervise two copyists on the pastime scheme. Marketing The flood of cheap imported goods continues to make it difficult to dispose of the products of both trained and pastime workers but every effort is made to open up new markets on the strength of the quality of the goods produced. Employment in Open Industry Thirty-four men and six women were employed in this sphere at the end of the year, three being newly employed, but the national increase in the number of unemployed has added to the difficulty of finding suitable openings. The Royal National Institute for the Blind continued as agents for the county council in this respect and are most helpful. Full co-operation is maintained with the Ministry of Labour and the welfare officer for the blind serves on the Disablement Advisory Committees at Poole and Weymouth. Persons in Hospitals, Homes, etc. At the end of the year there were ninety-four blind persons over the age of sixteen living away from home, forty-three in the care of the Regional Hospital Boards, twenty-four in homes for the blind, twenty-two in other homes provided under Part III of the National Assistance Act, 1948, and the remaining five in privately run homes. Every effort is made to promote their welfare in co-operation with the managing bodies. Registers of Blind and Partially Sighted This department has co-operated with the Western Regional Association for the Blind in providing data for a national research survey on various aspects of the problems of blindness and partial sight. Deaf or Dumb Administrative Arrangements The Dorset county council administer their functions for the provision of welfare services for the deaf and/or dumb through an arrangement with the Wilts and Dorset Association for the Deaf, to whom they give an annual grant. All cases applying or referred for assistance are investigated by the Association’s staff prior to registration. The council have representation on the committees of the association. Social Welfare The social welfare services provided by the association include interpretation in deaf sign language; advice in domestic subjects; and in legal, health and family matters. Sick visiting is undertaken at home and hospital as well as routine visiting and supervision, while negotiations are undertaken on behalf of the individual for work finding when the question of employment arises. Social Centres Social centres are provided for the deaf at Sherborne and Weymouth. Through an arrangement between the county council and the association premises attached to the Poole occupation centre are used in the evenings and at week-ends for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Clubs. There are also hard of hearing clubs at Dorchester and Bridport. Lip Reading Classes Instruction in lip reading has been given by a worker of the Association at classes at Bridport, Dorchester, and Poole. Additional classes are given at Gillingham, Sherborne and Weymouth as and when the need arises. Individual tuition is also given at home to those prevented from attending by reason of ill-health, age or distance of their homes from classes.