The Multi Sensory Impairment Team

• Deaf/blind and have a combination of vision/hearing loss, which creates a unique pattern of learning difficulties or who have substantial developmental delay in responding to sensory stimuli.
• Pupils with a sensory loss and additional disabilities

The MSI team supports babies, children and students from birth to 19 years who are deafblind or multi-sensory impaired, their families and carers.

Our friendly team comprises a specialist teacher with an additional qualification for multi-sensory impairments, a qualified mobility officer with specialist training for working with children and young people, a team of trained interveners and an educational audiologist.

We support two main groups of children:

• deafblind children, where the combination of vision and hearing loss creates a unique pattern of learning difficulties that significantly impact on the development of communication, access to the environment and mobility
• children who have multi-sensory impairments who may not have a combined clinical diagnosis of visual and hearing loss but present as having substantial developmental delay in responding to sensory stimuli.

We have an open referral policy and will accept requests for involvement from parents/carers, medical professionals, professionals within Children's Services, nurseries and schools.  If you feel your child falls into the remit of the MSI Team, a Request for Involvement form and accompanying guidance notes can be downloaded at the top of the right hand column.

On receipt of a request for involvement, a qualified teacher from the MSI team will respond within 15 working days.  A period of assessment will follow culminating in a written report giving recommendations and a proposed level of involvement from the Team.

The MSI team can:

• identify and assess deafblind/multi-sensory impairments in consultation with families/carers, professionals and other agencies
• deliver formal and informal training
• provide early intervention in the home to develop specific skills
• offer support and advice by giving information about other agencies, support groups, specialist toys and equipment
• advise on school entry and phase transfer

We regularly work with early years settings and schools by:

• directly supporting multi-sensory impaired pupils through intervention
• providing ongoing assessment of visual, auditory and tactile functioning
•  encouraging a team approach to the assessment process adapted to suit the child's needs, including feedback from families and professionals involved
• providing ongoing audiological assessment of hearing aid users backed up by maintenance and management of hearing aid systems
• offering advice on specialist equipment, e.g. classroom or portable sound field systems, resources, modified materials and classroom management
• advising on the development of communication strategies
• providing specialist teaching of Braille, Moon and the use of access technology
• offering advice on specific environmental adaptations to promote inclusion 
• providing mobility training
• contributing to Statutory Assessment, reviews, Individual Education Plans and programmes of work
• giving details on special arrangements for examinations where appropriate.

	Request for involvement with the Integrated Specialist Support Services Request for Involvement Form  (226 KB) Guidance Note for the Request for the Involvement Form  (21 KB)
	Contact Information If you require further information, please get in touch: Telephone: 01905 765849 Fax: 01905 765739 Children's Services' Directorate Integrated Specialist Support Service – Multi Sensory Impairment Team Worcestershire County Council Children's Services County Hall (Perry Wood) Spetchley Road Worcester WR5 2NP