Members area

Loading...

Register

Don't have a login?

Join us

Become a member

  • Connect with others through events, workshops, campaigns and our NEW online forum, Your Community
  • Discover information and insights in our resource hub and receive the latest updates via email
  • Access one-to-one support and tailored services which help reduce barriers for deaf children
Menu Open mobile desktop menu

Supporting evidence to include in a Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claim

When making a claim to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for your deaf child it’s important to send in supporting evidence.

Supporting evidence should:

  • show how your child's hearing loss or deafness affects them throughout the day
  • back-up what you’ve said in the application form
  • show that your child's needs satisfy the tests for an award of DLA.

If your deaf child is under three years old and has hearings aids or cochlear implants, remember to include information about the dangers of swallowing or choking on button batteries. Use the Great Ormond Street leaflet Hospital Button battery safety advice from the Audiology department: information for families.

Evidence from professionals

You can ask any of the professionals who work with your child for supporting evidence. This can include things like copies of their audiograms or details of the extra support they get at school.

Make sure you read all the supporting evidence carefully to make sure it’s up-to-date (within one year of the claim if possible) and doesn’t contradict what you’ve put in the form.

Professionals you could ask for supporting evidence could include your child's:

  • audiologist
  • Teacher of the Deaf (ToD)
  • speech and language therapist
  • ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist
  • GP
  • teacher
  • social worker.

Other professionals

Your child may see other professionals because of a disability or health condition in addition to their deafness. Because you only fill in one DLA form for all your child's disabilities or conditions, ask these professionals to provide supporting evidence.

This should explain their care and supervision needs as a result of their additional need and could include the impact their deafness has on their ability to manage this additional need. Or the impact their additional need has on their ability to manage their deafness.

Template letters

Template letters for parents to use when requesting evidence from a professional.

Write your own supporting statement

You can write your own supporting statement to include in your DLA claim.

Here are some examples of what you could include. Talk about how your child:

  • needs you to gain their attention before starting to communicate
  • relies on lip-reading and so needs people to face them, make eye contact, not cover their mouths and not stand in front of a window
  • can’t lip-read a word unless they already know it or are given enough clues in order to make a good guess
  • needs you to speak slowly and clearly, using short sentences and giving contextual clues
  • needs you to use more body language and meaningful gestures and be ready to repeat, rephrase and to write and draw if necessary
  • needs someone familiar to interpret for them.

Also, explain what help your child needs with things such as:

  • waking up
  • taking off their hearing technology to wash
  • wearing or looking after equipment
  • using public transport
  • socialising
  • learning and education
  • communicating with others
  • recognising and avoiding danger.

Close family member or friend

Explain the affect the child’s deafness has on them throughout the day care and give details of any recent dangerous events that happened because of their deafness.

Holi's story

When Holi (3) was finally identified as profoundly deaf, after two and a half years of misdiagnosis, single mum Kate decided to apply for Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

Read Holi's story