community

The Community Development Department within [sonus] provides support for D/deaf people in Southampton, Hampshire, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight, as well as surrounding areas.

Our aim is to enable Deaf, deafened, deaf-blind and hard of hearing people to maintain their independence by providing high quality support.

We feel it is important to ensure that people continue with their individual routines in their own homes and that their specific requirements are addressed within a structured support plan. This support can be physical, emotional or social; focus on personal requirements alongside emotional and spiritual needs.

We recognise that it is vital to work with all those involved in the individual’s life, including family and friends.

Our community support service is set up to ensure that the person engages in social interaction supporting “everyday” activities. This may include support with life skills, housing related issues, shopping to encourage healthy eating, paying bills and budgeting, collecting pensions, telephone calls, leisure and recreational activities and assistance with reading and writing letters or just a chat.

Our specialist staff are trained to support Deaf, deafened, deaf-blind and hard of hearing people whilst maintaining and promoting their sense of identity. As well as supporting people in their homes and within the community, we can also offer communication support, sign language trtaining and Deaf Awareness courses.

We are also available to assist people with their support needs using their personalised budget.

If you would like further information, please contact:

Paul Kirby

Community Coordination and

Development Manager

 Tel: 02380 220225

SMS: 07766 503985

E-mail: p.kirby@sonus.org.uk