DISABILITY NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 DISABILITY NEWSLETTER Issue 108 April 2015 Reg Charity No Company No MAKING THE MOST OF SPRING THIS MONTH PLEASE DON T MISS: Page 2: CDAF fantastic news Page 2: Motability event Manchester Page 3: Family action grants Page 4: Naidex national 2015 Page 4: Tryb4uFly Page 5: Travel assistance Page 6: DLF loan library Page 6: ACT grants Page 7: The undateables Page 7: National key scheme

2 FANTASTIC NEWS The Corporate Disability Access Forum (CDAF) a council led partnership of over 20 disability organisations across Cheshire West and Chester was the winner in the Improved Mobility category at the first Accessible Britain Challenge Awards which took place in March in the House of Commons. The award was presented by the Minister of State for Disabled People, Mark Harper MP. The awards publicly recognise organisations that are making an outstanding contribution towards communities being accessible and inclusive. The judges praised the work of the Forum in involving disabled people and their representative organisations in the design of major new public buildings and spaces, such as Chester s new Theatre and Library Project and Chester Bus Interchange. During the awards ceremony, CDAF was cited as an example of best practice for other councils to follow. Pictured L to R: Mark Harper MP, Minister of State for Disabled People; Graham Garnett, Senior Access Officer, Cheshire West and Chester; Christine Pickthall MBE, Chair, Vale Royal Disability Services; Cllr Charles Fifield, Chair, Corporate Disability Access Forum. LATEST DISABILITY NEWS ON FACEBOOK We all know that things can change very quickly, making it all the more important to get the latest disability news from VRDS. To meet that need we shall soon be starting to operate the VRDS Facebook page as a Latest News service. What do you need to do to access the service? As usual, go to (or use the App) and log in. If you are new to Facebook, sign up from the same page. When logged into Facebook, search for Vale Royal Disability Services to find the VRDS Facebook page. At the top of the VRDS Facebook page, there is a button to Like the page. Click it to Like the page. You should get a friend request that you accept, then whenever a news entry is added to the VRDS Facebook page, you can receive a notification in your Facebook newsfeed. We are also developing a Twitter account more to follow. MOTABILITY BIG EVENT IN MANCHESTER On Friday 8 th and Saturday 9 th May, Motability is holding an event at Event City in Manchester. The event will host the UK s largest display of vehicles available through the Motability Scheme, including: over 100 cars from 27 different manufacturers, over 40 scooters and powered wheelchairs, adaptations from a wide range of adaptation companies and over 25 Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles. You can also test-drive adapted and non-adapted cars. You can chat to Motability advisors and get advice from The Forum of Mobility Centres and Disabled Motoring UK. Also there's a free hot or cold drink for every visitor, plus children's entertainment including Billy the Bear, and a chance to win an ipad mini in a free prize draw. For more information about the event go to: Page 2

3 OH DEAR! The Minister for Disabled People has been heavily criticised for failing to ensure that his constituency office is accessible to disabled people. The doorway to his constituency office in Cinderford High Street is just 32 inches wide, and has a large step in front of the door. The entrance to the office is situated on a hill, which means that a standard temporary ramp would be unstable and potentially dangerous. The pavement outside the office is too narrow for any wheelchair-user or scooter-user to enter the office safely. There are also no parking spaces available outside the office. Only last week, he announced the winners of his Accessible Britain Challenge at the House of Commons! FAMILY ACTION Welfare Grants are available for clothing and general household needs such as beds and cookers but they can also help with more varied needs such as communication aids and medical adaptations. The latest programme will be open to new applications on Monday 13 th April When the programme reopens there will be changes to the eligibility criteria and the methods of grant payments. The details will be available on their website from Wednesday 8 th April See: Priority areas are: mental health, domestic abuse, older people, young people, sickness / disability. They also provide an educational grants advisory service offering guidance and advice to enable students, or would-be students, to secure funding for post-16 education and training. Contact: Grants Service, Family Action, Kingsland Road, London E8 4AU. Tel: (2.00pm to 4.00pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only). MORE THAN 100 A WEEK LOSING THEIR MOTABILITY VEHICLES More than 100 disabled people every week are losing their Motability vehicles after being assessed for the government s new disability benefit, the charity has confirmed. The figure appears to confirm fears that the replacement of working-age disability living allowance with the new personal independence payment (PIP) would see at least 100,000 disabled people lose their Motability car. Some estimates have suggested that as many as 180,000 DLA claimants could eventually be forced to give up their Motability vehicles after being reassessed for PIP. Only those qualifying for the enhanced rate of the mobility component of PIP or the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA are entitled to obtain a car through the Motability scheme. Of the 8,000 Motability customers who have been reassessed for their PIP eligibility so far, 3,000 have lost their entitlement to be on the scheme and have been told to hand their vehicles back. GARDENING FOR DISABLED The Trust gives grants to people in order that they may continue to garden a person of any age can apply. Those helped by the Trust include: a wide range of disabilities including visual, physical and mental; people who need to re-organise gardens because of health issues; or residents in long stay hospitals or nursing homes who share a garden. They can help by adapting private gardens, or help with the purchase of tools, raising beds, paving, improving wheelchair access and greenhouses, and help with special gardens in hospitals, centres and schools. The Secretary, Gardening for Disabled Trust, PO Box 285, Tunbridge Wells TN2 9JD. Web: Page 3

4 NAIDEX NATIONAL 2015 This event will be held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham from 28 th 30 th April It is the largest UK exhibition with over 360 exhibitors featuring the latest products and services to aid independent living. Naidex offers an opportunity to touch, test and compare all the latest new products and services Mobility & Transport; Bathing & Showering; Daily Living Aids; Children s Equipment; Access Equipment; Furniture; Communication & Telecare; Adaptation; Leisure & Sports; and Charity & Advice. Attendance is free. Visitor Enquiries: visitor.help@i2iassist.com Web: DISABLED LIVING FOUNDATION (DLF) SMART PHONE DATA DLF-data, the Foundation s professional database of daily living equipment / assistive technology is available as a web app for use on Smart Phones. This means people can find product details, suppliers contact details, retailers and organisations via their phones. Call the DLF Helpline: (Weekdays 10.00am 4.00pm). info@dlf.org.uk Web: TRYB4UFLY Tryb4uFly provides disabled adults and children the opportunity to try seating and transfer options in a realistic fuselage setting before they fly. With the guidance of a trained Occupational Therapist, they help you select and try equipment that is right for you to reduce your concerns pre-flight, and help you decide if flying is a viable means of transport for you. The Tryb4uFly assessment service offers a hire service for their support seating systems. So if the airline that you are flying with do not have the support seating you need then you can both hire and buy the items from QEF Mobility Services. The price you pay to hire the items is calculated at a daily rate plus an initial administration charge. Currently you can only use these items on UK registered airlines. You will always need to give the airline a minimum of 48 hours notice if you wish to bring equipment on board. It is best to organise this when first making the flight booking. Tryb4uFly assessments are available at QEF Mobility Services in Carshalton, Surrey and the William Merritt Disabled Living Centre in Leeds. For more information visit CHANGES TO THE ACCESS TO WORK SCHEME From October 2015, Access to Work will only provide awards up to a limit set at one and a half times average salary (a limit of 40,800 per person per year at October 2015). This figure will be uprated annually in line with the level of average salaries. Those in receipt of awards above this limit when the cap is introduced will be allowed to continue to receive their existing support until April Starting early in 2015/16, the Government will look to pilot contracted taxi services for customers across the largest towns and cities. From October 2015 eligibility for self-employed awards will be based on the Universal Credit rules. Personal budgets are to be offered to those with ongoing awards for travel or support. For more information see: Mark Harper s statement: and the DWP press release: Page 4

5 #SocialModelMonday Have you heard about #SocialModelMonday? Start the conversation about the Social Model. What are the different barriers and what do we need to do to make sure they are removed? Join in every Monday on Twitter. NEW SPORT ENGLAND PERSONAL BUDGETS PROJECT Sport England has awarded Disability Rights UK, with 3 local Disabled People s User Led Organisations, 263,723 a year for three years, to raise awareness and develop practical ways for disabled people to take part in activity which is right for them. The project is taking place in Cheshire, Leicester and Norfolk. Contact: Cheshire Centre for Independent Living, Sension House, Denton Drive, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7LU. Tel: or office@cheshirecil.org Web: GREAT WITH DISABILITY Great with Disability is a new careers website designed for students and graduates with disabilities. As well as advertising events, internships and graduate placements with some larger employers, it takes you through the whole recruitment process and has good case studies and online forums. It includes a student toolkit with great advice on: referring to disability in applications & interviews making reasonable adjustments discussing mitigating circumstances sharing information with employers (including sample wording letters) highlighting positive aspects of disability. Visit: TRAVEL ASSISTANCE If you would like assistance when making a journey, such as help getting on or off a train, or ramps for a wheelchair, please contact the Train Company that manages the station you are starting your journey from. If you journey involves a Network Rail station please contact the Train Company you are starting your journey with. Please try and give a minimum of 24 hours notice before your journey as this will allow time for any special arrangements to be made. If this is not possible, the Train Companies will still do their best to help, but cannot guarantee to provide their normal level of service. Assisted Travel contact details are in the "Support and Information" section of the Train Company page. See: If you are unsure of which Train Company you need, look at the Stations and Destinations page and enter the name or three letter code of the station you are starting from. See: These pages also show details of the facilities available at a station. See: JOIN THE REFORM NHS PRESCRIPTION CHARGES CAMPAIGN The NHS prescription charge has long been a contentious issue. This charge has been abolished in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, leaving patients in England alone in the UK in having to pay for their prescriptions. Although there are many exemptions from the prescription charge, these appear illogical and unfair. Visit: to support this campaign. Page 5

6 UPDATED OVERVIEW OF CARE ACT 2014 This review of the Care Act and regulations and guidance has been produced by Luke Clements, the Cerebra Professor of Law at Cardiff University and solicitor with Scott- Moncrieff & Associates Ltd. A link to the PDF document is on the webpage: There is a briefer guide on the Disabled People Against Cuts website, which has been taken from the full document. You can find this alternative guide at: Care Act: summary of main points DPAC. DLF LOAN LIBRARY The Disabled Living Foundation has a library of simple electronic aids where you can borrow equipment for two weeks to see if they work for you. You have to pay a temporary deposit and the return postage to return the item back but otherwise the library is free to use! The library contains gadgets that can remind you of things you need to do; lists a range of magnifiers and devices that can give verbal feedback; alarms and sensors for where the user and the carer live together; and telephones with big buttons and picture buttons. Visit or call weekdays 10.00am 4.00pm. info@dlf.org.uk Web: DISABLED PEOPLE S PROBLEMS ACCESSING PRIMARY CARE A new Healthwatch England report says disabled people face major access problems using GP and dentist services from deaf people being expected to make appointments by phone, to poor or non-existent access for wheelchair users. Local Healthwatch is taking up these issues with Clinical Commissioning Groups in different parts of England. DESIGN FOR LIFE This is a competition to find an innovative product, idea or solution that helps disabled people to live independently and improve their quality of life. The winner is an invention to help people with hand disabilities open difficult packaging. The device helps those with hand or co-ordination disabilities, such as severe arthritis or brain injuries who are unable to grip strongly between their thumb and finger, to open tricky packaging with just a swipe of their finger. There are an estimated 2.3m people over 50 in the UK who suffer some form of hand disability. This solution will now go for more extensive research and development. ACT grants generally fall into the following areas: building (funding modifications such as stairlifts, bathroom adaptations and vehicle adaptations), equipment (provision of specialized wheelchairs, other mobility aids and equipment including medical equipment to assist independent living) and financial assistance towards the cost of respite breaks. They will not make grants which would replace statutory funding and/or which would pay for work that has already taken place or equipment already purchased or on order. Web: Page 6

7 'betty' are making a fifth run of the acclaimed documentary series The Undateables for Channel 4. Once again they will be following disabled people and those with a variety of conditions through the highs and lows of their quest to find love. As with all previous series, they will explore and challenge some of the issues and barriers faced. 'betty' will work with one or more introductions agencies that find matches for their clients across the UK, based on what has been specified by that client in terms of common interests, likes, dislikes, and location. 'betty' will be closely involved with the matching process and work with the agencies who will seek to provide introductions with both disabled and non-disabled people. If you are interested in taking part please call Alternatively you can undateables@betty.co.uk WORKPLACE PENSIONS FACTSHEET Disabled People who are Individual Employers employing Personal Assistants will have to consider whether their Personal Assistants qualify to be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension. They will therefore have new obligations to take into account, similar to Income Tax and National Insurance. Disability Rights UK have produced a Factsheet: RADAR NKS KEY The National Key Scheme (NKS) offers disabled people independent access to locked public toilets around the country. Toilets fitted with National Key Scheme (NKS) locks can now be found in shopping centres, pubs, cafés, department stores, bus and train stations and many other locations in most parts of the country. Contact your nearest Shopmobility Service: Chester Congleton Crewe Ellesmere Port Macclesfield Nantwich Northwich Winsford PETITION AGAINST CHANGES TO MOTABILITY There are changes to the Motability Scheme. These changes mean that anyone who does not spend 12 hours a week in employment, volunteering, in education or caring will not be able to apply for a grant to help towards the cost of a vehicle that can be driven while staying in their wheelchair or a vehicle which allows a person to transfer from wheelchair to seat within the vehicle. A petition has been set up to show people s dissatisfaction with this change. You can find the petition at: Stop secret and unfair changes to Motability 3.9 MILLION BOOST FOR GREENER, MORE ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT A 3.9 million package to boost environmentally-friendly transport and improve accessibility for disabled people has been unveiled by Transport Minister Baroness Kramer. The money will be invested in improving journeys from door to door, including support for car clubs, an electrically-powered-cycle scheme pilot, and a campaign to increase the number of children walking to school. 12 mobility centres will also be revamped to help them meet the increasing demand for advice and support specifically tailored for disabled and elderly drivers and passengers. Page 7

8 THOUSANDS OF HOTELS ARE BREACHING BASIC ACCESS RULES Four disabled peers have called on the hotel industry to do far more to improve access for their customers. The debate in the House of Lords heard from disabled peers Baroness [Celia] Thomas, Baroness [Jane] Campbell, Baroness [Sue] Masham and Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson. Baroness Thomas, a Liberal Democrat peer, who tabled the question that led to the debate, said there was no doubt that thousands of hotels around the country were not meeting basic access requirements laid out in Part M of the building regulations. But the problems were mostly with smaller, independent hotels, rather than large chains. Where it is brought to the attention of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, it has legislative powers to investigate and, if necessary, take enforcement action against service providers who refuse and/or fail to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. THE ONLY DRIVE FROM WHEELCHAIR VW CAMPER IN THE WORLD The Panorama features a low floor giving unprecedented interior height overcoming the restrictions encountered by most drive-from-wheelchair designs. The low floor provides 53 of side access height and 57 of interior headroom; remote operated passenger side door; remote operated and powered side access lift; durable, easy clean floor with built in track system; interchangeable driver and passenger seats; option to travel as an up-front passenger; and electric handbrake. Adaptations are tailored to individual needs. Call: Web: VALE ROYAL DISABILITY SERVICES Hartford office Telephone: Northwich Shopmobility Telephone: Winsford Shopmobility Telephone: Sponsored by: If you have any news that you would like us to publish, or comments you want to make, then send them to us. To receive your personal copy of this newsletter, please refer to the newsletter page on our website or telephone us on or office@vrds.org.uk Published by: Vale Royal Disability Services, 4 Hartford Business Centre, Chester Road, Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 2AB. Editor: Christine Pickthall MBE. Registered Charity No Important disclaimer: Please note that much of the information in this newsletter is acquired from third parties. The views expressed may not in any way reflect the views of Vale Royal Disability Services. Page 8