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Can background noise be taken into account for Activity 7 understanding communication?
Hi
I have a client who can has no problems hearing when there is not any background noise but does have problems hearing when there is background noise. Is there any chance of scoring any points under activity 7?
I was thinking of possibly
7(c) Has some difficulty understanding a simple message from a stranger due to sensory impairment. Score 6 points
Thanks
presumably your client has an audiogram indicating an impairment of hearing?
and presumably also you are thinking of the normal background noise that we are all subject to when out and about?
i doubt if you could get anything without medical confirmation of an actual hearing loss at the levels where such a disability would be expected.
presumably your client has an audiogram indicating an impairment of hearing?
and presumably also you are thinking of the normal background noise that we are all subject to when out and about?
i doubt if you could get anything without medical confirmation of an actual hearing loss at the levels where such a disability would be expected.
Thanks for your help
I have a note from a doctor saying that she has “sudden acquired moderate hearing loss with tinnitus”
Yes, I am thinking of normal background noise, such as light traffic.
Different benefit and different sensory impairment - but judge ruled that discriminatory to measure visual acuity on strict test that could only be done indoors when for some claimants the visual acuity was much worse outdoors - CSDLA/235/2013
For ESA you are looking at a person’s capability for work, and in a work environment I would have thought there is always likely to be some background noise.
presumably your client has an audiogram indicating an impairment of hearing?
and presumably also you are thinking of the normal background noise that we are all subject to when out and about?
i doubt if you could get anything without medical confirmation of an actual hearing loss at the levels where such a disability would be expected.
Thanks for your help
I have a note from a doctor saying that she has “sudden acquired moderate hearing loss with tinnitus”
Yes, I am thinking of normal background noise, such as light traffic.
is the doctor an ENT? because really they are the only people qualified on this, and one needs a proper audiogram and tinnitus matching
the other side of it is that the tinnitus might be masked by the relevant noise (depending on the frequency of the tinnitus and the frequency of the noise, frequency referring to whether the tinnitus matches the noise as opposed to the regularity or otherwise with which each occurs)
For ESA you are looking at a person’s capability for work, and in a work environment I would have thought there is always likely to be some background noise.
yes, and most people at work need to be able to hear what people are saying given the conditions of the workplace. Are there any where some communication is not required?
the sensory impairment can only be proved by way of audiogram, since otherwise your client is going to “seem” as if she has no problem (bearing in mind that the assessment will not be taking place in a noisy environment, and its an “inivisible” disability. and at that level hearing aids are no use as they increase the background noise as well as the person you are trying to talk to.
so i’d give it a whirl but with audiometric evidence.
in any event the GP should have referred her to ENT, since there has to be a concern about the reason for the sudden hearing loss. normally these things are not sudden bar standing next to explosions/whatever, and a sudden loss could imply some underlying condition that requires investigation.
and to put it another way round - prove the disability by way of audiometry etc, and then explain its effects (there’s plenty of research/papers out there about the effects of such hearing loss)