We have a range of provisions in place to ensure assessments are accessible to all claimants, in line with the standards under the Equality Act 2010.<\/p>
<\/p>
Both Assessment Providers will provide on request, materials in alternative formats to meet the needs of claimants with a wide range of health conditions and impairments. This includes, but is not limited to, the provision of communications in large font material, Braille or audio format.<\/p>
<\/p>
Before attending a consultation, claimants are given the opportunity to alert the Assessment Provider to any additional requirements they may have. The Assessment Providers will endeavour to meet any reasonable requests.<\/p>
<\/p>
All assessment centres are fully accessible and the needs of all claimants are considered, including proximity to public transport routes and access to suitable parking. Where a face-to-face consultation is required, claimants are encouraged to bring a companion who can provide help and support.<\/p>
<\/p>
Both Assessment Providers regularly engage with a variety of stakeholders including sight loss charities, to review and improve the service they provide to all claimants.<\/p>
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The PIP assessment is not a medical assessment requiring the assessor to diagnose a condition and recommend treatment options. The focus is on ensuring Health Care Professionals (HCPs) are experts in disability analysis, focusing on the effects of health conditions and impairments on a claimant\u2019s daily life.<\/p>
All HCPs receive training on a wide range of conditions including sight loss and visual impairment. This includes detailed modules covering all aspects of sight loss and how the condition impacts on a person\u2019s ability to undertake the activities in the PIP assessment. Both Assessment Providers employ Sensory Impairment Champions who are available to provide support and advice to HCPs at any point during the assessment process. In addition, DWP and the Assessment Providers engage with medical experts, sight loss charities and relevant stakeholders to strengthen, review and update their training programmes.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4071", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sarah Newton"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Truro and Falmouth"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Sarah Newton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-03-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-03-28T13:04:52.063Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-03-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Personal Independence Payment: Visual Impairment"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that personal independence payment assessors understand sight loss.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4615", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lloyd Russell-Moyle"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Brighton, Kemptown"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lloyd Russell-Moyle"} ], "uin" : "134112"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 2, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }