To support our vision of “A Scotland aware of the needs of people with sensory impairment, that includes them as equal participants in community life and offers them the opportunities available to all”, NESS delivers Sensory Awareness (visual awareness and deaf awareness) Training, raising awareness of the practical and emotional impact of sight and/or hearing loss.
The training will give you greater awareness as well as the skills, knowledge for you to feel confident supporting someone with a sensory impairment. It will also introduce ideas about making services more accessible, particularly thinking about communication and information accessibility.
The training is suitable to anyone working in health and social care, whether it be in day care, residential care, home support, in hospital, in community-based settings – wherever you are working with people who need support. The training is also suitable for anyone working in a customer facing role, when you will be in contact with a wide range of people with different communication needs.
By the end of the training, you will:
- Be aware of the range of ways vision is affected by sight loss.
- Be aware of the different degrees of deafness and the different ways these impact on communication.
- Be aware of the practical and emotional barriers that affect people living with a sensory loss day to day.
- Understand the different mobility techniques that someone who is visually impaired might use to get out and about independently.
- Understand basic sighted guiding skills.
- Be able to communicate more effectively with someone with a hearing loss.
- Understand what British Sign Language is and who uses it.
- Understand the communication and information needs of people who are visually impaired, living with a hearing loss or who use British Sign Language as their first language.
- Be aware of some of the daily living aids and technology that someone with a sensory loss might use to maintain their independence.
How is the training structured?
There are two parts to our Sensory Awareness Training.
- The first part is e-learning. The e-learning provides you with all of the background information about sight loss, hearing loss, deafness, and deafblindness.
- The second part is the face-to-face part of the training. The face-to-face training will explore the practical and emotional impact of sight loss and hearing loss using interactive activities, looking particularly at communication and sighted guiding skills. Lunch will be provided as an integral part of the training.
Places can be booked by completing the booking form.
Dates for face-to-face training in 2025
Aberdeen – at NESS Resource Centre, 21 John Street, Aberdeen AB25 1BT
- Wednesday 19th February 2025
- Wednesday 19th March 2025
- Wednesday 30th April 2025
- Wednesday 18th June 2025
- Wednesday 17th September 2025
- Wednesday 8th October 2025
Elgin – at NESS Resource Centre, Elizabeth House, Victoria Crescent, Elgin IV30 1RQ
- Thursday 13th March 2025
- Thursday 8th May 2025
- Thursday 26th June 2025
- Thursday 4th September 2025
- Thursday 2nd October 2025
Angus – at Friockheim Hub, Eastgate, Friockheim, Arbroath DD11 4TG
- Thursday 27th March 2025
- Wednesday 4th June 2025
- Thursday 28th August 2025
- Thursday 25th September 2025
You can book your place on the e-learning by completing the Booking Form (opens in a new window).
Cost of Training
If you work in Aberdeen City, in the public or third sector, or in the private health and social care sector, you can attend the training for free. We have funding from the Aberdeen See Hear Strategy Fund to deliver the training. Funding is limited,
If you work for Angus Health and Social Care Partnership or Moray Health and Social Care Partership, the training is also free for you to attend, as it is funded as part of our contract with those partnerships. If you work for another third sector or health and social care organisation, the training costs £65 per person. If you work in the private sector (not care related), the training costs £85 per person.
If you work in any other health and social care partnership, health and social care or third sector organisation in Scotland (e.g. Aberdeenshire or Dundee), the training costs £65 per person and £85 if you work in the private sector (with the exception of private health and social care organisations e.g private care homes – you would pay the £65).
Sensory Loss in Care Homes
For staff working in Care Homes, we have a programme designed for you! Sensory Loss is far more prevalent in Care Homes than we might think and is often one of the factors the affects the decision for someone to go into care however it also often goes unrecognised and unsupported.
Our Sensory Loss in Care Homes training consists of a two-hour Visual Awareness session and a two-hour Deaf Awareness session. These are designed to explore the practical and emotional impact of sensory loss in Care Home residents in particular. The shorter sessions are designed to make it easier for Care Homes to organise staff attendance.
This training is free in Aberdeen, as we have funding form the See Hear Fund to pay for it.
If you work in a Care Home and would like to find out more about our Sensory Loss in Care Homes training, please get in touch .
Tailored Training and Talks
We can tailor our training to meet your particular needs and deliver it at a time and place to suit you. We can also deliver the training at a time and place to suit you and your group – please get in touch to discuss your training
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