Privacy notice

What is a privacy notice?

At Deafblind UK, we are committed to keeping the trust and confidence of everyone who comes into contact with us. So, it is important that you know how we process your personal data when you do things like become a member and use our services. We want you to trust us with that information. 

What’s in this policy?

Who we are
Why we collect your data
What types of information we collect
How we collect this information
How we use your information
How we share your information with others
How long we hold your information for
Your rights and how you can access your information
Updating your preferences and stopping communication from us
Making changes to your information
How we store your information
CCTV and call recording
Webinars, virtual groups or video call
Test and trace
Our use of cookies (we will explain what these are)

If you have any questions, comments, or wish to receive this Privacy Policy in an alternative format, please email [email protected] or call 01733 358100. 

The Deafblind UK is registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office and our Registration Number is Z5842389.


Who are we?

The Deafblind UK Group is made up of: 

Deafblind UK Registered Charity Number: 802976.
Company Registration Number: 2426281
Registered Office: National Centre for Deafblindness, 19 Rainbow Court, Paston Ridings, Peterborough PE4 7UP. We have services throughout England, Northern Ireland and Wales. 

Deafblind UK Trading Registration Number: ZA316890
Company Number: 05082057 

These are wholly owned subsidiaries of ours which trade on our behalf. This means Deafblind UK Trading are part of Deafblind UK, and we own them – we are their ‘parent’. Within the context of this privacy policy, ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’ or ‘Deafblind UK’ refers to Deafblind UK Group, Deafblind UK, and Deafblind UK Trading. 


Why we collect your data

Members and Carers 

  • To ensure we provide the right services to you 
  • To improve the way we communicate with you 
  • To use in writing funding applications and evaluation 

Care and Support Customers 

  • To ensure we provide the right services to you 
  • To improve the way we communicate with you 
  • To compile with Local Authority contract requirements 

Staff Recruitment 

  • To process you application 
  • To update you with regards to future positions 
  • To complete safer recruitment checks 

Volunteers 

  • To ensure we provide the right services to you
  • To improve the way we communicate with you
  • For use in writing funding applications and evaluations
  • To complete safer recruitment checks
  • To create an account on our LMS platform
  • To maintain regular contact regarding all aspects of your volunteer role

If you volunteer for us or apply for a job with us, information necessary for us to process these applications and assess your suitability (which may include things like employment status, previous experience depending on the context, as well as any unspent criminal convictions or pending court cases you may have). 

Trusts 

  • Make contact with you to discuss potential funding applications 
  • Submit an application for funding 
  • Identify those trusts who’s objects and policies match the need for which the grant is required. 

Donors 

  • To process gift aid declaration 
  • To communicate and manage our relationship with you 

Supporters and followers 

  • To provide you with the information you have requested
  • To communicate and manage our relationship with you

Webinar and training delegates 

  • To give you access to the training session or webinar requested
  • To collect your feedback on the sessions you have attend
  • To process payment for the above
  • To create an account on our LMS platform

What types of information do we collect?

Personal information 

This means any information that may be used to identify you, such as your name, telephone number, postal and email addresses, and your bank details if you are supporting us financially or provide these to make a payment. 

Where you take up our counselling services, in order to enable and facilitate these services we will collect additional personal information to support the assessment of this service 

Special Category Data 

Certain types of personal information are in a special category under data protection laws, as they are considered to be more sensitive.  Examples of this type of sensitive data would be information about health, race, religious beliefs, political views, trade union membership, sex life or sexuality or genetic/biometric information. We will collect this type of information if you make it public or volunteer it to us. 

Members and Carers  

We will ask you for information relating to your medical history which includes sight and hearing loss to ensure we can support you. We may also ask for information on sexual orientation, ethnicity and religion. 

We process special Category Data under Article 9 (2) (d). Processing is carried out in the course of Deafblind UK legitimate activities with appropriate safeguards by Deafblind UK on condition that the processing relates solely to the members or to former members of the body or to persons who have regular contact with it in connection with its purposes and that the personal data are not disclosed outside that body without the consent of the data subjects. 

Care and Support Customers 

We will ask you for information relating to your medical history which includes sight and hearing loss to ensure we can support you. We also may ask for information on sexual orientation, ethnicity and religion to personalise your care and support. 

We process special Category data under Article 9 (2)(b). Processing is necessary for the purposes of carrying out the obligations and exercising specific rights of the controller or of the data subject in the field of employment and social security and social protection law in so far as it is authorised by Union or Member State law or a collective agreement pursuant to Member State law providing for appropriate safeguards for the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject. 

Supporters 

We only collect this type of information about our supporters to the extent that there is a clear reason for us to do so, for example asking for health information if you are taking part in a sporting event, or where we ask for information for the purpose of providing appropriate facilities or support. 

Volunteers, employees or those apply for work 

With your consent we also ask you for special category data as part of our Equality and Diversity Monitoring. We process some special Category data under Article 9 (2)(b) processing is necessary for the purposes of carrying out the obligations and exercising specific rights of the controller (Deafblind UK) or of the data subject in the field of employment and social security and social protection law in so far as it is authorised by Union or Member State law or a collective agreement pursuant to Member State law providing for appropriate safeguards for the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject. 

Where relevant and with your consent, we collect health information, including medical conditions, to comply with our health and safety obligations and enable any reasonable adjustments to be made.

Webinar and training delegates 

We will only collect this information in relation to accessibility needs to support with any training courses you enrol in.  We process special Category data under Article 9 (A) Explicit Consent. 


How do we collect this information?

Information you provide to us directly 

You may give us your information in order to sign up for one of our events, newsletters, register on our website, apply to be a member make a donation, register as a volunteer, completing a booking form, advertise a funding opportunity, list your details on the Charity Commission website and your details are made available to the public, complete a customer contact form, complete a contract request or apply for paid employment. 

When you use our website, we collect your personal information using “cookies” and other tracking methods. There are more details on the cookies and tracking methods we use in our Cookie Policy.
In addition, in accordance with common website practice, we will receive information about the type of device you’re using to access our website or apps and the settings on that device may provide us with information about your device, including what type of device it is, what specific device you have, what operating system you’re using, what your device settings are, and why a crash has happened. Your device manufacturer or operating system provider will have more details about what information your device makes available to us. 

Information you provide to us indirectly 

Your information may be shared with us by third parties, for example: 

  • from other organisations but only when you have given them permission. You may give these organisations permission to refer you to Deafblind UK for services and support. The data we receive depends on your agreement with the organisation 
  • if a friend or family member signs you up for one of our events 
  • independent event organisers, for example the London Marathon or fundraising sites like Just Giving or Virgin Money Giving 
  • if you sign up as a volunteer for us through a Job Centre or external volunteering website 
  • we also collect your data from the relevant Local Authority if they have referred you to us for support but only when you have given them permission to do so. 

You should check any privacy policy provided to you where you give your data to a third party. 

Information from other sources 

We also use information from the following sources: 

Social Media

Communication, engagement and actions taken through external social media platforms that we participate on are subject to the terms and conditions as well as the privacy policies held with each social media platform respectively. 

Depending on your settings or the privacy policies for social media and messaging services like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube, you might give us permission to access information from those services, for example when you publicly tag us in an event photo. 


How do we use your information?

We collect your information because we need it to help us to fulfill your requests, keep in touch with you, and offer you communications that are relevant to you. 

We will use your personal information to: 

  • provide you with the services, products or information you asked for
  • administer your donation or support your fundraising, including processing Gift Aid
  • keep a record of your relationship with us
  • respond to or fulfil any requests, complaints or queries you make to us
  • understand how we can improve our services
  • manage our events
  • send you correspondence and communicate with you
  • process applications for funding and for administration of our role in the projects we fund
  • monitor the appropriate use of grant funds, including expenditure on individual salaries, and consider any virement requests
  • administer our websites and to troubleshoot, perform data analysis, research, generate statistics and surveys related to our technical systems
  • display content to you in a way appropriate to the device you are using (for example if you are viewing content on a mobile device or a computer)
  • generate reports on our work, services and events
  • safeguard our staff and volunteers
  • monitor website use to identify visitor location, guard against disruptive use, monitor website traffic and/or personalise information which is presented to you
  • process your application for a job or volunteering position
  • conduct training and quality control
  • audit and administer our accounts
  • pay agreed expenses
  • meet our legal obligations, for instance to perform contracts between you and us, or our obligations to regulators, government and/or law enforcement bodies.

Deafblind Information Services 

We run services to provide support to individuals affected by a sensory loss, and their support network/Wecollect personal information in order to provide those services this includes accessing our helpline. When becoming a member, we process your data under ‘legitimate interest’. 

Volunteers and employment applications 

Details you provide in your application: 

  • will be held on our computer systems and may be downloaded by us
  • will be used to deal with your application
  • will be used for communication with you regarding the vacancy
  • will be used to satisfy legal requirements
  • Will be used for statistical analysis
  • will be held and may be used to contact you about other vacancies

When applying for job vaccines we process your data under ‘legitimate interest’. We use some automated screening tools as part of this application process. The answers you provide to one or more of the questions may result in your application being automatically declined. This technology is used to help us manage the high volume of applications we receive and can assure applicants the same outcome would occur if we manually reviewed your application. 

Complete a volunteer application form 

  • register your interest with Deafblind UK via our website and/or Networx will be made available to you in your candidate account 
  • communicate with you and manage our relationship with you 
  • personalise and improve your customer experience 
  • provide you with information you have requested 
  • support you in volunteering for Deafblind UK 
  • process your expense claims where relevant keep a record of any communications between us and you, for example emails and phone calls
  • keep a record of other interactions too, such as requests for leaflets or attending an event 
  • researching the interests, behaviours, demographics (for example, age, sex, income), and trends of the people who are using our information, and range of services 
  • we may from time to time use the experiences of our volunteers to explain the scope and impact of the support we provide. In these circumstances we will either anonymise any personal/identifying information or we will obtain full consent from you to use your information
    When becoming a volunteer we process your data under ‘contract’. 

Trusts 

We collect your information because we need it to help us identify funding opportunities. We rely on ‘legitimate interest’ as our basis to contact you. The information we hold on you will be used to: 

  • manage our relationship with you 
  • make contact with you to discuss potential applications for funding 
  • submitting an application for funding 
  • carrying out external research to identify trusts who’s objective and policies match the need for what the grant is required 
  • store on our system to ensure contact information available for applications
  • follow up communications, including thank you messages and keeping you informed on our progress with project objectives. 

We require your consent for you to receive Open Hand and surveys via email. We also require your consent to send you information on fundraising for Deafblind UK. 

Members and Carers 

We collect information when you do things such as: 

  • inform you about the services you have requested 
  • communicate with you and manage our relationship with you 
  • personalise and improve your customer experience 
  • provide you with information you have requested 
  • keep a record of any communications between us and you, for example emails and phone calls 
  • keep a record of other interactions, such as requests for leaflets or attending an event 
  • researching the interests, behaviours, demographics (for example, age, sex, income), and trends of the people who are using our information and range of services 
  • responding to complaints or queries 

We may from time to time use the experiences of our members to explain the scope and impact of the support we provide. In these circumstances we will either anonymise any personal/identifying information or we will obtain full consent from you to use your information. 

Employees 

We collect information when you do things such as: 

  • complete an employee application form 
  • complete a new starter form 
  • complete a equality and diversity monitoring form 
  • complete a payroll set up form 
  • provide us directly with personal data to start your employment with Deafblind UK 
  • register your interest with Deafblind UK via our website and or Nextworx 

We process your data as part of our legal obligation in relation to pensions. 

We collect your information because we need it to help us fulfil your requests, keep in touch with you, and offer you communications that are relevant to you. When becoming a employee, we process your data under ‘contract’ and ‘Legal Obligation’. 

Donors 

We collect your information because we need it to help us fulfil your requests, process your donations, keep in touch with you, and offer you communications that are relevant to you. When fundraising for and donating to Deafblind UK we process your data under ‘legitimate interest’ and ‘compliance with a legal obligation’. We require your consent for you to contact you with regards to direct marketing via email and phone. The information you provide will be used to: 

  • communicate with you and manage our relationship with you 
  • personalise and improve your customer experience 
  • provide you with information you have requested 
  • process your donations 
  • keep a record of any communications between us and you, for example emails and phone calls
  • research the interests, behaviours, demographics (for example, age, sex, income), and trends of the people who are using our information, and range of services
  • respond to complaints or queries
  • keep you updated about our work
  • tell you about other opportunities to support us  

Care and Support Customers 

We collect your information because we need it to fulfill our contract with you, keep in touch with you, and offer you communications that are relevant to you. When becoming a customer we process your data under ‘contract’. We require your consent to send you information about fundraising from Deafblind UK. 

The information you provide will be used to: 

  • inform you about the services you have requested 
  • communicate with you and manage our relationship with you 
  • personalise and improve your customer experience 
  • meet our contractual and statutory responsibilities 
  • keep a record of any communications between us and you 
  • research the interests, behaviours, demographics (for example, age, sex, income), and trends of the people who are using our service 
  • respond to complaints or queries 
  • we may from time to time use the experiences of our customers to explain the scope and impact of the support we provide. In these circumstances we will either anonymise any personal/identifying information or we will obtain full consent from you to use your information. 

Supporters 

We collect your information because we need it to help us fulfil your requests, keep in touch with you, and offer you communications that you have requested. We only process your data with your consent. 

The information you provide will be used to: 

  • communicate with you and manage our relationship with you 
  • personalise and improve your customer experience 
  • provide you with the information you have requested 
  • keep a record of any communications between us and you, for example emails and phone calls 
  • respond to complaints or queries 
  • keep you updated about our work
  • tell you about other opportunities to support us  

Webinar and training delegates 

We collect your information to enroll you in your chosen webinar or training courses. The information will be used to: 

  • understand your specific needs 
  • collect feedback 
  • provide you will attendance certificates 
  • send you further information about our webinars and training courses

Profiling and automated decision making

We may conduct analysis for profiling and segmentation of the information we collect from  our donors, member and volunteers.


Sharing your personal data

Your personal data may be shared with other companies within our Group. We will not sell or rent your information to third party organisations, and we will not share your personal information for others to use in their marketing or fundraising. 

We use carefully selected companies to provide/host services on our behalf, including delivering postal mail, sending emails, data storage and analysing data. These companies are: Leadtec, Blackbaud, 360freedom/Arkflux, Survey Monkey, Snap Survey, Print for Business,  RNIB and our financial auditors and solicitors, Greenwoods, Enthuse and V.I.Tel. 

Volunteering and employment 

We use carefully selected companies to provide services on our behalf, including delivering postal mail, sending emails, data storage and analysing data. These are: Networx, IHASCO, Social Care TV, Me Learning, SAP, Access NI, Volunteering Now, Capita, Saphire, Skills for Care, CQC, Be Collective, Moorepay, PowerHouseHub, Pensions Trust. 

We will only provide these companies with the information they need in order to deliver/host the relevant service, and we make sure that your data is treated with the same level of care as if we were handling it directly. We disclose only the personal information that is necessary to deliver the service. We have contracts in place that require third party providers above to keep your information secure. 

Where applying for a specific volunteering role with our partner, Usher Kids UK, your personal details will be shared  with the required partner to enable you to carry out the role.

Holiday guests 

We are required to register the name, contact number and email address of anyone visiting our holiday homes, with Bourne Leisure. 

Care and Support Customers and employees 

We may also provide your details to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) when necessary in relation to inspections, or investigations and or relevant local authority. 

At this time, we do not share any data for planning or research purposes for which the national data opt-out would apply. We review this on an annual basis and for any new processing.

Webinar and training delegates 

We use carefully selected companies to host our webinars and training courses/platforms, including PowerHouseHub and Zoom. We use 360freedom/Arkflux to provide email communication. 

Members and carers 

On occasions we will provide personal data to our funders who are working with us on a specific project for the delivery of specific services. These funders are: 

  • Royal Naval Benevolent Fund: Name and Service Number 

We may also pass your details to travel and accommodation companies if we are assisting you with transport to and from our groups or forums. 

Donors 

If you make a gift aid donation via one of Deafblind UKs charity shops your data will also be processed via Cypertill 


Changes

This policy may change, but we will always have the latest version available for you on our website. This policy will be reviewed at least annually. If there are any major changes, we will add a notice on our website or contact you. This policy was last updated on 21stFebruary 2022.


How long do we hold your data for?

We operate a Data Retention Policy to ensure that data is not held for longer than necessary. If you would like to request a copy, please email [email protected]. 

As a member or carer we will hold your information for as long as you have an active relationship with us. After this relationship has ended, your information is archived for three years and then deleted/destroyed. 

As a volunteer of Deafblind UK we will hold your information for the period you have an active relationship with us. After this period your information is archived for three years and then deleted/destroyed. 

As an employee of Deafblind UK we will hold your information for the period you are employed. After your contract has ended your information is archived for six years and then deleted/destroyed. 

As a donor to Deafblind UK we will hold your information for as long as you have an active relationship with you. After this relationship has ended your information is archived for five years and then deleted/destroyed. 

As a care and support customer we will hold your information for as long as you have an active relationship with you. After this relationship has ended your information is archived for seven years and then deleted/destroyed. 

As a purchaser of our training we will hold your information for up to 6 months. After this date your information will be deleted/destroyed. 

Supporters 

We will hold your information for as long as you have an active relationship with you. After this relationship has ended your information is archived for five years and then deleted/destroyed. 

Recruitment 

We will hold your application data for as long as we have an active relationship with you if your application is successful. After this relationship has ended your information is archived for six years and then deleted/destroyed. If your application is unsuccessful we will hold your application data for 12 months and then this will be deleted. 

Trusts 

We will refresh your data every two years. We will hold your information for as long as we have an active relationship with you. After this relationship has ended your information is archived for five years and then deleted/destroyed. 


Your rights

We are committed to upholding your rights. Under current Data Protection Regulation you have the following rights: 

  • To be provided with access to your personal data held by us 
  • To request the rectification or erasure of your personal data held by us 
  • To object to the collection of your data and request that we cease processing your data 
  • To request that we restrict the processing of your personal data while we investigate your concerns with this information 
  • To not be profiled and object to solely automated processing 
  • To request that your data be transferred to a third party (data portability). 

Accessing your rights 

To access any of your rights above, please write to Deafblind UK’s Data Protection Officer at: 

Data Protection Officer
National Centre for Deafblindness,
19 Rainbow Court  

Paston Ridings  

Peterborough 

PE4 7UP  

Or, email: [email protected] 

If you would rather speak to someone, please call 01733 358100. 

We try our best to respond to all enquiries within five working days of receiving them and will offer a full response to all access requests within one month. 

You are in control of how we contact you. If you would like to withdraw your consent of any of the services you receive from Deafblind UK, please email: [email protected] or call 01733 358100. 

Updating your preferences and unsubscribing 

If your personal details change or you would like to change your preferences, please email [email protected] or call 01733 358100. 


How we store your information

We ensure there are appropriate technical controls in place to protect your personal details, for example our online forms are always encrypted (this prevents other people from accessing them) and our network is protected. 

Where is my data stored? 

Your data is held in secure paper and computer files. These have restricted access. Where your data is held in paper format we have secure storage and processes for this. We have measures in place to stop unlawful access and disclosure. All of our IT systems comply with the security required within current Data Protection Legislation. This means that personal data is processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing. 

Transfer outside the European Economic Area (EEA) 

No data is processed stored or backed up outside the EEA. Data is stored outside of the UK 

CCTV and Audio recordings  

All Deafblind UK buildings are covered by CCTV. Signs are displayed and clearly visible in all locations where CCTV is installed. For more information on how long we store these recordings, please see our Data Retention and Deletion Policy. 

Calls to Deafblind UKs Helpline may be recorded for training and quality purposes to improve the service we offer to our beneficiaries.  

Webinars, virtual groups and video calls 

If you are an attendee or presenter at one of our events or video calls, we will need an email address from you to send you a link to the event or video call. 

We may record some events or video calls. If an event is being recorded, we will always notify you in advance. If you are an attendee, you may have the option of sharing your image and audio during the session. If you choose to do so, this will also be captured in the recording. 

Some events will feature Q&A sessions. If you choose to interact with the Q&A session, your comments may be published to others at the event and will also form part of the recording. 

Our purpose for collecting this information is so we can facilitate the webinar or virtual group and provide wider access to its content. 

We use your email address to provide you with the event details. This will include information about any recording taking place. For recorded events we will also email you a link to the recording once the event has concluded. 

For some events we may publish the recording on our website and/or or social media so that it is accessible to a wider audience. If an event recording will be published we will always notify you before the event. 

We don’t publish delegate lists for virtual groups, webinars but your name and email address may be visible to others in attendance during the event. 

We will keep your email address and any recording of the event for 12 months.
We use Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom and Apple and to deliver our webinars, virtual groups and video calls. These sites all drop non-essential cookies. 

We also use InSign Language to provide our video relay service. 

Test and trace 

Inline with government guidelines to comply with test and trace we will hold the name and contact number of those people accessing the services below: 

  • Care and Support 
  • Deafblind UK Holidays 
  • Deafblind UK Groups  

We will inform any parties if the above applies to their details. We collect this data under the legal basis of legitimate interest. 


Our use of cookies

What is a cookie? 

Cookies are small pieces of information sent to your computer and stored on your hard drive. These pieces of information are then used to improve your experience of our website. Cookies cannot be used to identify you personally. We use cookies to: 

  • remember certain information about users so they do not have to give the same information more than once 
  • recognise if users are already logged in to certain areas of the website 
  • measure how people use our website so we can improve the way information is provided
    You can find out more about cookies and how to delete or control them at: https://www.gov.uk/help/cookies 

Cookies set by third parties 

We also use Google analytics cookies (__utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmz), which are used to measure how people use our website. We look at reports to make sure that our website is providing the best possible service for our users. Google analytics does not identify you personally – it just collects data about your visit to our website. 

This Website uses Google Analytics’ instead? 

Our website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies. 

The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. 

Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. However, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. 

The information allows us to evaluate and improve the accessibility and content of our website. 

Facebook Pixel 

This Cookie is placed by Facebook. It enables Deafblind UK to measure, optimize and build audiences for advertising campaigns served on Facebook. In particular it enables Deafblind UK to see how our users move between devices when accessing the Deafblind UK website and Facebook, to ensure that Deafblind UK’s Facebook advertising is seen by our users most likely to be interested in such advertising by analysing which content a user has viewed and interacted with on the Deafblind UK web site. For further information about the Facebook Pixel please see:
https://en-gb.facebook.com/business/help/651294705016616 

IP Addresses 

When you visit and look around our website, we record things like your IP (internet protocol) address – the unique number of the device you are using to access our website, which pages you visit (on our website only), when they were visited, and the type of device you were using. This information helps us create a better experience for everyone who uses our website.
Examples of the type of information that can be collected using your IP address include the type and version of your browser, and the location from which you are accessing our site. This helps us improve how our page templates appear and change content to make it relevant to our website visitors. 


 

Let’s keep in touch!

Join our mailing list and we will keep you up to date about our projects and opportunities to get involved with Deafblind UK.

Prefer to talk?

Call us on 0800 132320 or text us 07903572885
Monday – Thursday 9.00am – 5.00pm and Fridays 9.00am – 4.00pm

Join our mailing list for regular updates

We would love to keep in touch with you to keep you up to date about our work.