Paperwork Without Barriers: A Deafblind Resident's Guide to Leeds City Council Services

Council services are part of everyday life, but they are not everyday for everyone. A deafblind resident trying to sort out council tax support, report a housing repair, apply for benefits or make a complaint can find that the standard route assumes a phone call, a standard online form and a quick exchange of spoken information. When those assumptions do not fit, the process can become a second job, one that often falls to a relative, friend or support worker. This piece argues that Leeds City Council services should be designed so that deafblind residents can use them directly, and it sets out a practical checklist for anyone who needs to navigate them now.

Why the standard route fails

Many council processes are still phone-first. A resident may be told to call a contact centre, even when they have already explained that they cannot hear or speak on the phone. Online portals may time out, rely on visual CAPTCHAs, or ask for documents in formats that are not accessible. Paper letters may arrive in standard print. Appointments may be confirmed by a phone call that the resident cannot take. None of this is necessarily intentional, but the effect is exclusion. A deafblind person can be pushed into relying on someone else to make the call, read the letter and explain the outcome. That is not a reasonable way to access essential public services.

Start with your access requirements

The first step is to state your communication needs clearly and ask for them to be recorded. Say that you are deafblind and explain how you prefer to communicate. You can ask for correspondence in large print, braille, audio, easy read or by email. You can ask for a named contact or access coordinator. You can ask for reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. For adult social care services, the Accessible Information Standard also applies. Keep a record of what you asked for, when you asked, and who responded. If you are passed to another team, repeat the request and ask for your communication preference to follow you.

Council tax support and benefits

For council tax support, ask for the application form in an accessible format and ask whether help is available to complete it. Provide evidence by email where possible and ask for confirmation that it has been received. If an assessment is needed, ask for it to be conducted by email, text relay or with a guide communicator. Do not accept a verbal assurance that everything is fine; ask for written confirmation in your preferred format. The same principles apply to benefits and discretionary support. Ask what evidence is required, how long the process should take, and what happens next. If a letter arrives that you cannot read, request it again in an accessible format and ask for the deadline to be extended if the delay was caused by the format.

Housing repairs

Housing repairs are often urgent, and urgency is where phone-first systems cause the most difficulty. Ask for a way to report repairs by email, web form or text, and ask for a job number and appointment confirmation in writing. If the council or contractor needs to call, explain that you need text or relay contact instead. Ask for the name of the person attending and what will happen if they cannot gain access. If a repair is not completed, keep the job number and ask for an update in your preferred format. A deafblind resident should not have to rely on a neighbour to chase a repair because the system only works by phone.

Complaints and escalation

If something goes wrong, the complaints process should be accessible too. Ask for the council's complaints procedure in an accessible format, submit your complaint in writing, and ask for an acknowledgment. Explain any communication adjustments you need at each stage. If the complaint is not resolved, ask about escalation and, where appropriate, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The point is not to encourage conflict. It is to make sure that a deafblind resident has the same route to resolution as anyone else.

Relay, text and guide communicator support

Relay UK and textphone services can help with phone contact, but staff need to know how to use them and must not hang up because of a pause. Email and webchat can be useful where they are monitored. Guide communicators can support appointments, form-filling and meetings, but they should be booked in advance and paid for as an access cost, not treated as a favour. Councils should accept relay calls, train staff in deafblind communication, and publish clear information about what support is available.

A checklist before you start

• Write down your communication needs and preferred formats.
• Ask for a named contact or access coordinator.
• Request accessible formats and confirm the deadline.
• Use email where possible and ask for acknowledgments.
• Keep a log of dates, names and reference numbers.
• Ask for reasonable adjustments at every stage.
• Ask for confirmation in writing, in your preferred format.
• Escalate through the complaints process if needed.

What should change

Leeds City Council should publish a clear deafblind access offer for its main services. Forms should be accessible and should not time out without warning. Phone-only routes should have text, email and relay alternatives. Communication preferences should be recorded and shared across teams. Staff should be trained to ask, not assume. Deafblind residents should be involved in testing services, not consulted after the design is fixed. None of this is beyond reach. It is basic public service design. A deafblind resident should be able to sort out council tax support, report a repair or make a complaint without having to fight the form first.