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The Home Teachers visit all blind and partially-sighted persons in their own homes,
hospitals and residential homes, advise on all problems relating to their welfare and keep
them in touch with available social services. Instruction is given in Braille and Moon
systems of raised type, in handcrafts and where appropriate, in the Deaf-Blind manual
alphabet. A handcraft class is held fortnightly at the King's Hall Methodist Church, South
Road, Southall.
Close co-operation is maintained between the County Council and Voluntary Organisations
including the Social Club for the Blind, which holds fortnightly meetings at the
Labour Hall, The Broadway, Southall, and the Middlesex Association for the Blind who
maintain a holiday home at Littlehampton, two Residential Homes for the Blind, and assist
individual necessitous blind people.
Blind persons are eligible for the loan of a wireless receiver through the British Wireless
for the Blind Fund, and the County Council has a scheme for assisting blind and partiallysighted
persons with the maintenance of wireless sets.
Other services are provided by the County Council either directly or through a registered
agency and these include facilities for the placement of blind persons in employment,
courses of residential rehabilitation, training courses for mothers with blind babies, the
supply of embossed literature, special equipment and handcraft materials, assistance in
the disposal of handcrafts and assisted holidays for those in need.
In 1959, there were resident in the Borough 101 blind and 15 partially-sighted persons.
One blind person was training, and xo were in full-time employment. Of these one was in
a Workshop for the Blind, and one was working as a Home Worker. Those employed in
Workshops or as Home Workers had their earnings augmented by the County Council.
The majority of blind persons are not available for, or not capable of, training and
employment owing to age or some other reason.
Welfare of Handicapped Persons other than Blind:
Schemes for the welfare of handicapped persons other than blind and partially-sighted
which are operated by the County Council's Welfare Department under the National
Assistance Act, 1948, provide welfare services for the deaf and dumb and hard of hearing,
and other persons who are substantially and permanently handicapped by disease, injury, or
congenital deformity.
Services to the deaf and dumb and the hard of hearing are provided by appropriate
Voluntary Organisations, to whom the County Council makes grants in aid.
The Borough of Southall forms part of Area 9 which includes also the Boroughs of
Brentford & Chiswick and Heston & Isleworth. Two Welfare Visitors and a Homework
Organiser are included in the staff which has been provided by the County Council's
Welfare Department for carrying out the social services required and who visit those suffering
from substantial and permanent handicaps. They work from the local Area Welfare Office
and the handicapped persons are visited in their own homes with a view to assisting them to
obtain services from statutory or voluntary sources (or both).
The County Council supplies aids and appliances not covered by the National Health
Service, carries out where necessary adaptations to a house to enable a handicapped person
to become more mobile, provides holidays, arranges for the disabled to take part in social
activities, attend handcraft classes, etc. Advice and guidance regarding personal problems
are given and membership of voluntary organisations catering for particular handicaps is
facilitated.
The Home Work Organiser endeavours to procure from Industry appropriate assembly
work and arranges for this to be carried out by handicapped persons where this is considered
to be suitable and of assistance to the individuals concerned.
Residents of the Borough needing any of the County Welfare Services briefly referred
to in this Report should apply to the Area Welfare Officer, at the Local County Offices,
Great West Road, Brentford.
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