It is estimated that there are around 10 million disabled people in the UK today. Disability can be caused by the effects of illness, accident or medical condition resulting in the impairment of one or more ways in which a person functions. Such impairments might be physical or sensory, or a learning disability.

The Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005 introduced and extended laws aimed at ending discrimination against disabled people and gave them new rights in relation to areas such as access to facilities, employment, education and transport

The Adult Learning Disability Service is part of Central Bedfordshire Council's Social Care, Health and Housing Directorate. People with a learning disability should have the same opportunities as everyone else, and we are guided by the principles of the Valuing People Now national strategy which are:

We provide information and support to adults with a learning disability living in Central Bedfordshire to help them to achieve their goals and to stay safe in their local community. We do this by working in partnership with people who use our services, family carers and other departments and services that may be able to offer support.

Please visit our Family Carer Support pages

For further information visit the Valuing People Now website.

The young person, their carer, parent or current social worker, should contact the Duty Worker for the Physical Disabilities Team so that a worker can be allocated to support the transition.

An adult services assessment can be completed prior to the young person’s eighteenth birthday.  Adult Services cannot provide a service until the  young person on has reached eighteen. Children’s Services end their involvement on the date of the 18th birthday. 

The Physical Disabilities Team provides support to adults in line with the FACS criteria. [Fair Access to Care Services].  If a young person meets the criteria for care and support, a financial assessment will be completed with them. This is to establish if there is a need for the young person to make a customer contribution towards the costs of their care.

People in Central Bedfordshire now access care and support via what is called a Personal Budget.  A personal budget enables people to have more choice and control over how their care and support is arranged and managed.  Following the adult services assessment the young person will be given an Indicative Budget which is the estimated cost of their care.  A support plan is then completed.  A support plan helps the person plan for the best way to meet the outcomes they need to achieve to live the life they want with the type of support they need. 

A personal budget can be taken as a direct payment for a personal assistant, a direct payment for an agency or other purpose or as a service purchased or commissioned by the Council.  A personal budget can also be taken as a combination of all of these three ways.    

The young person may want to complete the support plan with the help of their family, friends, school, social worker or support worker.  The young person can choose who they want to help them with completing the plan.  A support plan can be produced in any format that suits the young person.  The important thing is that the plan sets out what is important to the young person; what outcomes they want to achieve; how they plan to use their personal budget; how the money will be spent; how the budget will be managed; how they will stay in control of their lives; and what actions need to happen in order to make the plan work

When the support plan has been completed, it will need to be agreed by Central Bedfordshire Council.  Following this, the young person’s budget becomes an actual budget. 

For further information regarding transitions, support planning and personal budgets please contact the Physical Disabilities Team Duty Worker or the Personalisation Team.

Specialist services for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or are visually impaired.

Hearing impairments

We can advise and support people of all ages with hearing problems on a range of issues including:

• equipment assessment to improve your access to TV, doorbell, telephone etc
• advice on deaf issues such as equal access to services
• support and equipment for deaf children and their families
• information on all aspects of hearing loss including deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, dual sensory loss and mental health needs related to deafness.

The Deaf and Hearing Impairment Team are a specialist service providing support across Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire - for initial advice and information, or to make a referral, please contact:

Deaf and Hearing Impairment Team
Bedford Borough Council
Borough Hall
Cauldwell Street
Bedford   MK42 9AP 

Tel:  01234 276124

Fax: 01234 276186

Minicom: 01234 228219

Mobile:  07748760192

Sight impairments

You can contact us if:

• you are registered as blind or partially sighted
• you have sight problems which are severe enough to cause problems in your day to day life.

We can advise on:

• living skills such as cooking, lighting, organising
• means of communication such as audio, enlarged print, high and low-tech equipment
• adjustment to work or pre-work skills
• mobility and orientation around the community, work or school, for instance, using specialist canes.

We can also direct you to other local and national organisations which may be able to advise or help.  The VI team are a specialist service hosted by Bedford Borough Council, but remain a shared service covering both Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire. The Team are based in Bedford, with one member based in the Dunstable area.

How to contact us: For initial advice and information, or to make a referral, please contact:

The Visual Impairment Team
Bedford Borough Council
Borough Hall
Bedford
MK42 9AP

Tel:  01234 718318

Fax: 01234 276563

Email: visualimpairment@bedford.gov.uk

Useful external links:

• Action for Blind People
• British Deaf Association
• Guide Dogs
• Hearing Dogs
• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
• Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID)
• Sense
• SignPost BSL