Aug/Sept 2018
MAGAZINE
Nothing is Impossible...
THE EDINBURGH Fringe
DISCOVER THE FUNNY SIDE OF DISABILITY AT THE
WORLD'S LARGEST ARTS FESTIVAL
Head stateside for history, culture, great food and family fun
POWERCHAIRS Breaking down the stigma around mobility aids
ALSO FEATURED... Laurence Clark | Wimbledon | Products | Kids' Section FC_POS_Aug_Sept_FINAL.indd 1
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WELCOME August/September 2018
Editor: Rosalind Tulloch Staff Writers: Colette Carr, Katie Campbell Designer: Abbie Bunton Marketing: Sophie Scott Sales: Val Speers
CONTRIBUTORS Considering the weather we have been experiencing in the UK recently, you would be forgiven for wondering why we would encourage you to leave the country for a holiday. But we don’t know how long this sunshine run will last so perhaps it is good to have a back up. There may be one big reason not to visit the USA at the moment (that reason may be sitting in the White House right now) but it should not be a reason not to experience everything that America has to offer. This vast country has something for everyone, no matter what age or ability, whether you are looking for a romantic getaway, an action-packed family adventure or a solo sightseeing trip, you will find something in the states. Travel blogger Jay Abdullahi shares her experience of just four of America’s cities on page 26.
Pippa Stacey is 23 years old and she uses a powerchair, however, she only recently made the switch to powered mobility because initially she was very put off by the marketing of the products. All the advertising and marketing portrays older people using these products and it can have a detrimental effect on young people looking for mobility aids. On page 43 Pippa breaks down this stigma to talk about the independence she now has from using a powerchair and introduces an army of young women who are confidently celebrating their mobility aids for the freedom that they offer them. We hope you enjoy this issue and that the sunny weather continues!
Pippa Stacey, Paul F Cockburn, Jay Abdullahi, Jane Hatton, Mark Davidson, Sarah Alexander, Sam Renke, Mik Scarlet, Dan White, Rio Woolf
DISCLAIMER
PosAbility Magazine is published by 2A Publishing Limited. The views expressed in PosAbility Magazine are not necessarily the views of the editor or the publisher. Reproduction in part or in whole is strictly prohibited without the explicit written consent of the publisher. Copyright 2018 ©2A Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved. ISSN 2049-2251
Contact Details: Caledonia House, Evanton Drive, Thornliebank Ind. Est., Glasgow, G46 8JT Tel: 0141 465 2960 Fax: 0141 258 7783 enquiries@2apublishing.co.uk www.posabilitymagazine.co.uk
Meet the coolest 14-year-old in the world, Lily Rice is trailblazing her way through the wheelchair motocross scene, performing backflips and scooping medals. She spoke to PosAbility about her passion for dangerous stunts and what she hopes for the future of the sport.
Aug/Sept 2018
Ros
MAGAZINE
Nothing is Impossible...
THE EDINBURGH Fringe
Editor
DISCOVER THE FUNNY SIDE OF DISABILITY AT THE
WORLD'S LARGEST ARTS FESTIVAL
Head Stateside for history, culture, great food and family fun
POWERCHAIRS
The young faces breaking the stigma around mobility aids
Like us on Facebook Search for ‘PosAbility Magazine’
Follow us on Twitter ALSO FEATURED... Laurence Clark | Wimbledon | Products | Kids' Section @ PosAbilityMag
SUBSCRIBE TODAY...
For only £15 for 1 year or £25 for 2 years Call
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0141 465 2960 today!
To find out more about subscribing to PosAbility Magazine turn to P82
ALSO FEATURED... Laurence Clark | Wimbledon | Products | Kids' Section FC_POS_Aug_Sept_FINAL.indd 1
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Cover image: The United States Capitol (aka the Capitol Building), Washington DC
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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018| ISSUE 44
CONTENTS FEATURES
07 FYI
News, stories and updates from around the world
13 FEAR OF EVERYTHING?
Mik Scarlet laments fear as a tool for bravery
15 THE TAYLOR SWIFT EFFECT Columnist Sam Renke opens her heart
22 60
Powerchair user Pippa Stacey introduces her army of young and stylish powerchair users
46 WIMBLEDON 2018
19 THE FUNNY SIDE OF DISABILITY
GB’s ladies lead the way in the 2018 Anniversary Games
Edinburgh Fringe comic Laurence Clark on trolls, parenting and audiences
Gear up for the largest arts festival on the planet – the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
22 ENJOY YOUR FLIGHT
We speak to the UK’s first wheelchair motocross superstar
50 HERE COME THE GIRLS
53 CEREBRAL PALSY SPORT
CP Sport lift the lid on their organisation dedicated to providing sport to people with cerebral palsy
55 SWEET MUSIC
25 COMPETITION
Meet the BBC Relaxed Proms bound orchestra
26 COMING TO AMERICA
Meet the ten-year-old published author, lose yourself in a sensory POD and read how children are being encouraged to ask about disability
Win a day on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway for four
Discover Hoe Grange Holiday cottages
33 HOT STUFF
A look at the most innovative, must-have products on the market
37 COLOURS OF MEMORIES
See the world through the eyes of a woman with dementia through new game, Before I Forget
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43 THE POWER OF A CHAIR
Mark Davidson reports back from the All England Club
31 HOLIDAY PROFILE
P25
Inside the world’s first dedicated archive of disability art
16 AN IRRESPONSIBLE FATHER
Find your place in the Land of the Free
Check out
40 THE ART OF STRUGGLE
59 KIDS CORNER
77 JANE HATTON
Jane looks at the importance of seeking out inclusive employers
78 PUZZLES Keeping the mind active
WIN!
A DAY OUT FOR FOUR ON THE WELSHPOOL AND LLANFAIR LIGHT RAILWAY WITH A DELUXE HAMPER OF FOOD TO EAT ON THE JOURNEY!
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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TOYOTA C-HR ICON £95 ADVANCE PAYMENT *
On the Motability Scheme
Fully insured for two drivers Servicing, maintenance and repair included Full breakdown assistance Tyre replacement and windscreen repair included
EXPLORE MORE. ENJOY MORE. Visit: toyota.co.uk/motability for more information C-HR Icon 5 door Coupe FWD 1.2T VVT-i Manual. Official Fuel Consumption Figures in mpg (l/100km): Urban 38.2 (7.4), Extra Urban 53.2 (5.3), Combined 47.1 (6.0). CO Emissions 135g/km. All mpg and CO figures quoted are sourced from official EU regulated laboratory test results. These are provided to allow comparisons between vehicles and may not reflect your actual driving experience. From 1 September 2017, certain new vehicles will be type-approved using the World Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), which is a new, more realistic test procedure for measuring fuel consumption and CO emissions. From 1 September 2018 WLTP will fully replace the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC), which is the current test procedure. Due to more realistic test conditions, the fuel consumption and CO emissions measured under the WLTP are in many cases higher compared to those measured under the NEDC. More information can be found by visiting www.WLTPfacts.eu *Model shown is C-HR Icon 5 door Coupe FWD 1.2 VVT-i Manual at £95 Advance Payment. Subject to availability. Available as part of the Motability Contract Hire Scheme. Please note that a total of 60,000 miles over three years are allowed on the Motability Contract Hire Scheme. Off er valid between 20th July and 30th September. Motability Scheme vehicles are leased to customers by Motability Operations Limited (Registered Company No. 1373876), City Gate House, 22 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9HB. To qualify you must be in receipt of the Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), the Enhanced Rate Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS) or the Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) and applications must be made with participating dealers between 20th July and 30th September. Prices are correct at time of print, are subject to availability and may change.
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FYI
News and stories from around the world
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
FYI
CAMPAIGN FOR BSL AS GCSE Image: Daveynin/Flickr
UNLIMITED TALENT Unlimited festival returns to Southbank Centre from 5-9 September to showcase extraordinary new work by disabled artists. The bi-annual festival brings together music, performance and art across five days at London’s riverside arts centre. Highlights include blind sitar master Baluji Shrivastav and his Inner Vision Orchestra, comprised of 14 blind musicians, joining forces with dancers, storytelling and film in a spectacular performance. Theatrical events include Samuel Beckett’s intense dramatic work Not I performed by Jess Thom (aka Touretteshero), and new writing from playwright Kaite O’Reilly, And Suddenly I Disappear, which examines difference, disability and what it means to be human. Plus, comedian Laurence Clark shares what it’s really like to be a parent with cerebral palsy in his wry show, An Irresponsible Father’s Guide to Parenting. Tickets on sale now. Visit goo.gl/cahiHV for more information.
12-year-old Daniel Jillings has set up a campaign to have British Sign Language (BSL) included in schools as a GCSE subject. Daniel, who is Deaf, wants to give himself and others the chance to take BSL as a GCSE. Daniel is campaigning to raise the £4000 required for a lawyer to take his case, which they require to take the case to court. Lawyers who Daniel and his family have spoken to feel that the inability for Deaf children to learn a foreign language due to the GCSE requiring them to both speak and listen to the language, and the lack of a BSL GCSE, is tantamount to discrimination per the Equality Act 2010. It also breaches the Human Rights Act 1998 and represents a failure by the Secretary of State to regard the welfare of disabled children. While the government have agreed to consider a BSL GCSE, the introduction of the course is not definite, and is at least four years away from being introduced, which Daniel does not think is fair. Daniel surpassed his target and reached £6,155 in his crowdfunding campaign.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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ESPRESSO YOURSELF
WHIZZ-KIDZ SCORE LOTTERY FUNDING Whizz-Kidz, the disabled children’s charity has just been granted funding from The Big Lottery Fund, which will enable them to increase their services for young wheelchair users in Scotland. The £343,114 grant will support WhizzKidz’s Wheeling for Change project, which will empower young wheelchair users in Scotland through a dynamic programme of youth clubs, camps, wheelchair skills training and work placements. The project ultimately aims to help young disabled people increase their confidence, build connections within local communities and prepare them for an independent adulthood.
Washington DC’s large Deaf community and the wider world have welcomed the news that Starbucks is to open its first US store entirely staffed by employees with knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL). The cult coffee chain’s DC store will open in October with the promise that all members of staff will be proficient in ASL and will be completely designed with Deaf and hard of hearing customers in mind in an effort to “drive greater connection,” according to Starbucks’ statement. The move, which spells promise for its international stores to follow suit is set to promote both greater accessibility and offer employment and career opportunities for ASL users.
“COFFEE CHAIN’S DC STORE WILL OPEN IN OCTOBER WITH THE PROMISE THAT ALL MEMBERS OF STAFF WILL BE PROFICIENT IN ASL” 8
so I have first-hand experience of the impact these services can have for young wheelchair users. Whizz-Kidz has drastically improved my confidence and self-esteem and given me the opportunity to take on leadership roles, and I’m really excited to see how these services can now have a similar impact on even more young disabled people.” whizz-kidz.org.uk.
Rian Hiney, 18 from Falkirk, is Vice Chair of the Whizz-Kidz Kidz Board and representative for Scotland. He said: “I have been attending the Whizz-Kidz club in Glasgow since 2013
YOUNG ACTRESS ADDRESSES GLOBAL SUMMIT Maisie Sly, star of Oscar winning short film The Silent Child, became the youngest delegate to address the Global Disability Summit after she spoke to a packed room of attendees about sign language in schools. The film was screened to delegates from all over the world before Maisie and co-star and writer Rachel Shenton spoke about access to education for Deaf children and making provisions for BSL to be taught in schools, while Maisie discussed her experiences at school, why she is achieving the same as her hearing friends, and teaching her friends sign language to ensure they can communicate.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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FYI FYI
ALL CHANGE AT CENTER PARCS Center Parcs has recently completed the installation of Changing Places units at all of its villages across the UK, ensuring that all families can now fully enjoy the Center Parcs experience. KingKraft was the chosen supplier selected to work alongside the Center Parcs team on each project at its Sherwood, Elveden, Longleat and Whinfell Forest villages. Clare Winsor, Center Parcs Project Manager commented: “We believe that every guest should be able to relax and enjoy their break and make a conscious effort to ensure that our facilities meet the needs of all families.” In addition to the installation of the Changing Places, Center Parcs has also invested in extensive signage throughout each village and the company is currently looking to further invest in making several of the Changing Places dual purpose. This will involve the units being accessible from both the pool side and dry side. centerparcs.co.uk
APP TO HELP ALEXA GIVE A VOICE TO DEAF USERS Developer Abhishek Singh has created an app with the target of allowing Deaf people to access the Amazon Alexa, the tidy piece of tech users can command with their voices. Asking, “if voice is the future of computing, what about those who cannot speak or hear?” Abhishek has developed a programme which uses a camera-based system to recognise signs and interpret them as text and speech. Adding that future home devices should be designed with Deaf users in mind, his development responds to ASL. He said: “If these devices are to become a central way we interact with our homes or perform tasks, then some thought needs to be given to those who cannot hear or speak.”
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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FYI
HISTORY MADE AT BRITISH GRAND PRIX
SUPERHEROES SET FOR SUCCESS
Disabled racing driver Nathalie McGloin, made history on Sunday 8 July at the Silverstone Circuit as she presented the third place trophy to Kimi Räikkönen at the Formula 1 2018 British Grand Prix. This is the first time in history that the trophy has been presented by a disabled sportperson. Nathalie is the only female tetraplegic racing driver in the world to be racing at a professional level, she is the founder of the charity Spinal Track that gives disabled people the opportunity to try out track driving in a specially adapted car. She was also made President of the FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission at the end of last year. Nathalie was appointed the honour by David Richards, chairman of the Motor Sports Association (MSA), who passed the baton to Nathalie in the hope that it will help raise the profile of the participation of disabled people in motorsport.
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The Superhero Tri is taking place on 18 August at Dorney Lake in Windsor and everyone is invited. Powered by npower, Superhero Tri invites people with any kind of disability to go solo or unite with family and friends to take on unique challenges with as much or as little time and support as they need. Gismos and gadgets, from floats and boats to adaptive bikes and trikes, are positively encouraged on the course – as are masks, capes and pants over tights. The emphasis is very much on fun. Over 2,000 ‘Everyday Superheroes’ have already signed up for this year’s event, and thirty Celebrity Team Captains will be showing their support and their sporting prowess as they lead their teams through the competition. These include, Billy Monger, the double amputee racing superstar, military Superhero David Wiseman, one of the architects of the Invictus Games, Menna Fitzpatrick and Jen Kehoe, the ‘Golden Girls’ of the 2018 Winter Paralympics, Jonnie Peacock, Adam Hills and Kadeena Cox, among many others. To find out more about Superhero Series and register for a place visit superheroseries.co.uk and @superherotri on twitter.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Converting Wheelchair accessible vehicles to meet your individual requirements Full European Type Approved
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Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the All-New Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.0T EcoBoost 100PS: Urban 48.7 (5.8), Extra Urban 68.9 (4.1), Combined 58.9 (4.8). Official CO2 emissions 110 g/km. The mpg figures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results (EU Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EC) 692/2008 as last amended), are provided for comparability purposes and may not reflect your actual driving experience. For more information and most up-to-date data, please see the price list at www.ford.co.uk/motability. Data correct as of 13th June 2018. *£95 Advance Payment available only on All-New Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.0T EcoBoost 100PS Manual. SYNC 3 DAB Navigation System and Driver Assistance Pack are subject to availability. No cash alternatives are available. This programme is subject to the standard conditions of the Motability Scheme hire agreement. Full written details and quotations available on request from a Ford Authorised participating Dealer of Motability Operations Limited. Motability Scheme vehicles are leased to customers by Motability Operations Limited. Motability Operations Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference number 735390. To qualify you must be in receipt of the Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), the Enhanced Rate Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS) or the Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) and applications must be made with participating dealers between 1st July and 30th September 2018. Prices are correct at time of print, are subject to availability and may change.
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Columnist Mik Scarlet
T
Follow Mik on Twitter
@MikScarlet
FEAR OF EVERYTHING? omorrow I am off to the dentist. To say I am
afraid of the dentist massively underplays my concerns with this profession. As a child I had a dentist who was eventually struck off for carrying out unnecessary work and for charging the NHS for anaesthetic he did not give. I was one of those patients who had so much work done that was not needed, and all of it was done without any anaesthetic! He told my mum that children could not have anaesthetic because it was bad for them. Nice. Tomorrow I have a load of fillings needed, not because my lack of dental care but because of the damage done to my mouth as a child. I even have to visit a specialist in nervous patients, because when I think of the dentist all I see is the scene for the Marathon Man. Is it safe? Now why have I given you all an insight into my personal psyche? Well it struck me that this traumatic childhood experience is similar to things disabled people can experience everyday. I know I used to love flying. I didn’t mind the mucking about in airports, the being bundled about like a piece of meat, the being left on the plane or even the broken wheelchairs because I loved the actual flight. Then two years ago I broke my leg on a flight when being “assisted” to the toilet by cabin crew. In an instant I developed a fear of flying, and haven’t flown since. I turned down work, and used the train more, which was amazing but took much longer. Now work demands I fly again, and I am bricking it. I feel just like I do before a dentist visit, in fact I’m more scared. There’s no airline for
people who are terrified of flying because they nearly died on a previous flight. Instead I will have to suck it up, and hope I don’t freak out. I definitely won’t be asking to use the loo on any flight that’s for sure! But us disabled people can have one of these nightmare experiences at any moment. We can be refused service, treated badly, manhandled or injured, or just ignored when trying to do things most people take for granted. In an instant a person who was confident and outgoing can find themselves afraid of being treated that way again. I have lost count of the number of things I once loved and after one too many awful experiences I now don’t do. I used to live in nightclubs for example. This was way before there was
“TO BE REJECTED OR MISTREATED OVER AND OVER FOR BEING WHO YOU ARE CUTS DEEPER THAN ANY BAD DENTIST ” any legal requirement for them to let me in, so instead you’d find security staff and management would bend the rules to make sure you had a good time. Then we finally got an equality law, and that weekend I was turned away from five nightclubs, all ones I regularly frequented. Some even took access provision out because it didn’t meet building codes. My world shrank, and to this day I find going out less fun because I’m waiting to be told, “sorry mate, fire regs”. Last weekend I was nearly turned away from a pub by a bouncer, so I know it’s still a real problem.
Typically, I now spend a lot of my professional life training customer facing staff on inclusive service, which includes how to ensure disabled people get an equal experience of the business they are working for. I know what should be done, yet I see all too often these basic standards of good service being flouted. For the business it’s just the loss of custom, maybe a reputational hit if we complain on social media, but for the disabled person it can be life changing. For a newbie it reinforces their fear that life is now over for them, that they’ll never be able to do all the things they used to do. For the old hands, it can crush a confidence that took years to build up and it takes a constant toll on our mental health. To be rejected or mistreated over and over for being who you are cuts deeper than any bad dentist. It leads you to start hating yourself. On occasion it’s done this to me, and if you look in the medical dictionary and look up narcissism there’s a picture of me. It’s time that all businesses started training their staff to provide good customer service and saw disabled people as a customer base that will benefit their bottom line. They need also to see the real damage they do to us by not doing so. So as I lie in that dentist chair tomorrow, I may take my mind off the scream of the drill by plotting how to make our voices heard on bad service and mistreatment by businesses. One thing’s for sure, we need to tell our stories. No more quietly going away. We need to scream as loud when we’re treated badly as I did when I was having my teeth filled as a child!
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Free UK-wide home demonstrations call 0800 916 3053 30/07/2018 12/07/2018 15:14 12:37
Columnist Sam Renke
Our favourite teacherturned-actress, Sam Renke, brings you her take on life and the colourful experiences it throws her way.
THE TAYLOR SWIFT EFFECT Dear diary, I’ve recently been dumped (sad face emoji)! Although the relationship only lasted a few months, it hurt all the same. It’s common practice after any breakup to start to pick apart what went wrong and question why it ended. So, in true Taylor Swift form I have decided to share my dating experience with my PosAbility family.
“WE COULD SHARE OUR HOSPITAL STORIES, WE COULD LET ONE ANOTHER KNOW WITHOUT FEELING AWKWARD WHEN WE WEREN’T FEELING OUR BEST AND WE COULD LAUGH ABOUT ALL THE SILLY THINGS NON-DISABLED PEOPLE SAID TO US”
You can follow Sam on @samrenke
I’ve had a number of relationships over the years however none of my partners have ever had a disability. You may think this is totally hypocritical given I have a condition and also call myself a disability campaigner, but before you get your pitchforks out I want to say that nothing is ever black and white and my relationship with dating has always been a complex and highly emotional one. My past has impacted my dating tremendously as it stems back to my childhood, one significant moment in high school stands out in my mind. I remember a new boy starting in my year who sometimes used a wheelchair, the other kids in my class would tease and mock me by saying, “look Sam now you can have a boyfriend!” Clearly this affected me much deeper than I would like to admit and for many years I rejected the idea of dating someone with a disability because I didn’t want to do what society expected of me. I also didn’t have the disability pride I have now and my self-worth was at times non-existent growing up. I too had prejudices and demons I had to tackle. I had been brainwashed into thinking disability was something undesirable, so why would I date someone disabled? Through my charity work I started to meet more and more people ‘like me’ and my self-
worth and body positivity grew, which made dating someone with a disability less scary and I simply didn’t care what others expected from me anymore, I did what I felt was right for me. A few months ago I started dating someone who had recently become disabled through health reasons. It didn’t take long for me to realise why some people had suggested I date someone with an impairment. We could share our hospital stories, we could let one another know without feeling awkward when we weren’t feeling our best and we could laugh about all the silly things non-disabled people said to us, but most importantly we had bags of empathy towards each other. Although we had much in common we had two very different experiences of the disabled world. I was born with my condition and had never known anything else and had come to love my disability and made peace with it many years ago. I didn’t feel sad about it or feel as though anything had been taken away from me. I didn’t know a life without my condition. For him I suspected it was different, I felt like he was still mourning the life he once had and even felt bitter and angry at a life that in his eyes had been snatched from him so quickly and without warning. He had lost many friends after becoming disabled as they couldn’t cope with the new ‘him’ and that fear of having people walk away actually stopped him from letting people including myself get close and it’s what eventually pushed me away. What have I learnt? Love is love and you should never let society dictate who you fall in love with just because they feel more comfortable with it. Just because two people are labelled by society as ‘disabled’ doesn’t mean they are soulmates.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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PosAbility caught up with renowned comedian Laurence Clark ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe where he will debut his anticipated new show based around his ‘irresponsible’ parenting. Words by Ros Tulloch
L
aurence has been performing at the Edinburgh Fringe for 15 years and this year is no different. He will once again take to the stage at The Box at the Assembly George Square Theatre and perform nightly for the duration of the festival and this time his kids will also make an appearance in his show. The inspiration behind his latest show is taken from the comments of internet trolls who felt the need to have their say on the BBC One documentary that Laurence and his wife Adele made a few years ago called We Won’t Drop the Baby. The documentary followed Laurence and Adele, who both have cerebral palsy, throughout Adele’s second pregnancy and dispelled a lot of preconceptions that many non-disabled viewers may have had about disabled parents. Inevitably the world of ignorant internet users found this documentary last year when it
was added to YouTube and despite Laurence’s best efforts not to read the 400 plus comments on there, curiosity won the better of him and he devoured them in one fell swoop getting angrier and angrier with each misinformed and callous remark. However, in true comedic style Laurence decided to turn them into a show that this time includes his two sons, Jamie, 7 and Tom, 13: “The first thing that comes into my head was one that said “you shouldn’t be allowed to have kids”, “this is sick”, someone said we should have been “fixed” as they put it. There were people saying it was unfair on our children, that our children miss out, that we couldn’t look after them etc. “So I picked about 10 – a representative sample of users opinions and based the show around them and then let the kids read them and I filmed their reactions to what people say about us! So throughout the show we have got
An Irresponsible FAT H E R
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little videos with the comments and then the kids have their say and that leads into some stand up for me. So that’s the show basically. “One of the comments was that it was “irresponsible” for us to have kids – hence the title of the show – An Irresponsible Father’s Guide to Parenting.” Laurence gave us a small spoiler from the show as his son Tom responds to one of the comments in the honest way only a child could: “On the comment about our kids missing out, Tom’s response in the video is “that’s rubbish because we went to Sea World and we got to skip all the queues”. Well who can argue with that.
PAYING YOUR DUES As with all comedians, Laurence has endured bad shows with minimum laughs and not many people, he recounts a particularly awkward show: “One of the worst shows I ever did, it was being filmed by Channel 4, it was in a club and I got there and there was a little stage about a foot high and there was no ramp. They had made this makeshift ramp so that I could get up onto the stage but when it came time for me to go on I had someone behind me because it was so steep that even in my powerchair I had to have someone push me up the ramp. When it came time for me to go on and they pushed me they ended up pushing me and my wheelchair which then pushed the stage because it wasn’t fixed so they actually pushed the stage into the audience and the ramp collapsed and it then took me about five minutes and I think they had to lift me onto the stage in the end! By that point I had completely lost the
YOU CAN SEE LAURENCE AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL PERFORMING HIS SHOW ‘AN IRRESPONSIBLE FATHER’S GUIDE TO PARENTING’ FROM 2-26 AUGUST 2018 (NOT 14 AUG) AT 5.40PM AT ASSEMBLY GEORGE SQUARE - THE BOX. BOOK TICKETS AT EDFRINGE.COM OR CALL
0131 226 0000
“THERE WAS ONE NIGHT WHERE I HAD FOUR PEOPLE IN AND IT WAS MORE LIKE A CONVERSATION THAN A SHOW! THEY WERE VERY KIND AND THEY LAUGHED AT EVERYTHING, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY LONG HOUR, BUT IT WASN’T!” audience! I was on a loser even before I said a word because they had watched this fiasco.” Even 15 years of returning to the Fringe can’t secure you a perfect audience every night as Laurence has discovered: “Every Fringe you always get one or two shows where, for whatever reason, you only get a handful of people in the audience – it can be the weather, it can be something as arbitrary as that, it could be a football match or there is something on at the Olympics! For years I have tried to understand why sometimes you get a big crowd and then all of a sudden you get a small crowd, there are so many factors. “My last one we had sold out quite a lot
INTERVIEW
of nights, but there was one night where I had four people in and it was more like a conversation than a show! They were very kind and they laughed at everything, it could have been a very long hour, but it wasn’t! “I think it’s part of it and obviously you do your best to stop these things happening and it happens a lot less with experience. It can even be the layout of the room – often at conferences or after dinner speaking they put you in a ballroom with a dance floor and you are on a stage at one end of the dance floor and everybody is sat at tables at the other end and it never works – you try to tell the organisers but sometimes they just don’t listen – if there is a big space between you and the audience it totally affects the dynamics. “I do those sort of things a lot and I do the exact same material but the layout of the room would just cause me not to connect with the audience and it just dies.” Laurence’s wicked sense of humour becomes more apparent the longer he talks as he divulges his favourite show to perform: “A few years ago now I did a show called Spastic Fantastic which was about reclaiming that word and I loved that show. I liked watching people go to the box office and try to buy a ticket for it without saying the title. “I think comedy is at its best when it deals with slightly uncomfortable subjects or things that we don’t normally talk about. “I guess that’s what my new show does as well, you don’t really hear a lot about disabled parents, it always seems to be from the child’s perspective but I thought it might be nice to have both.” WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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FRINGE FESTIVAL
The Funny Side
OF DISABILITY The annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the largest arts event in the world – has long prided itself in being “open access”—after all it originally began, in part, as a protest by several theatre groups that had been refused entry to the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival in 1947. Seven decades later, this core principle of the Fringe remains unchanged; anyone can put on a show in Edinburgh (be it theatre, dance, circus, physical theatre, comedy, music, musicals, opera, cabaret, variety, children’s shows, free shows, exhibitions, events, spoken word or simply indescribable) as long as they can find a venue. Yes, the whole thing is supervised by a small organisation called the Edinburgh Fringe Society, but its role is purely administrative; every single one of the 2018 Fringe’s 3,548 shows (across 317 venues) is in Edinburgh because they want to be, not because someone in the Fringe Society allowed them to come.
A MORE ACCESSIBLE FRINGE? That’s not to say the Edinburgh Fringe
Society is totally passive; in addition to ensuring a smoothly operating ticketing system, and a range of participant-targeted events, current Chief Executive Shona McCarthy and her team are working hard to redefine what an “open access” festival actually means, not least in terms of “protected characteristics” such as disability. A new Fringe Blueprint, published earlier this year, has identified “new approaches to ensure anyone can participate, regardless of their background,” she says. “We want the Fringe to be the greatest festival on earth at which to perform, run a venue, develop a career, see shows and discover talent.” As part of this goal, the Fringe Society has this year appointed disability-led Birds of Paradise Theatre Company – itself marking its 25th anniversary with a new show on this year’s Fringe – as the Fringe’s official Disability Equality Trainers. “We’ll be working with a range of festival and venue staff, building on their existing knowledge and providing best practice top tips around accessibility and
Edinburgh in August continues to attract disabled performers as the world’s largest arts festival provides a platform to wider society. Words by Paul F Cockburn
The Flop is a historical romp that explores impotence in 17th century France
inclusivity for disabled patrons,” says Mairi Taylor, BOP’s Executive Producer. “We are excited to work with the Fringe to make the largest arts festival in the world even more accessible.”
WHY COME TO EDINBURGH? Of course, there’s still much to do; BSL performances and audio description options remain a tiny proportion of the overall total, while physical access to some temporary venues can still be “challenging”. WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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FRINGE FESTIVAL
Disabled performers, too, are still relatively rare, which is significant given the Fringe’s reputation as a showcase for new talent and stars of tomorrow. Yet is it just the possibility of discovery that ensures so many people – disabled people included – invest time, energy and thousands of pounds coming to the Fringe? No, according to Ben Pettitt-Wade, Artistic Director of Welsh inclusive theatre company Hijinx: “As an inclusive company it’s important that we are able to test our work in a competitive market place like the Fringe, where an audience comes to the work with no preconceptions and judges it only on whether it has entertained them, on whether it has been worth the price of the ticket.”
“DISABLED PERFORMERS, TOO, ARE STILL RELATIVELY RARE, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANT GIVEN THE FRINGE’S REPUTATION AS A SHOWCASE FOR NEW TALENT AND STARS OF TOMORROW”
BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live 2018
BBC Big Blue Tent, George Heriot’s School: 20:00; 9 August. Hosted by Lost Voice Guy, this special edition of the BBC’s Ouch podcast enables disabled people’s stories to be shared with Edinburgh and the nation.
Dangerous Giant Animals
Underbelly Cowgate - Delhi Belly (Venue 61) 12:00; 2-26 (not 8, 13-14, 21) August Also Underbelly, Bristo Square Buttercup (Venue 302) 13:15; 8, 14, 21 August “Middle-child” Christina Murdock explores growing up with a disabled sister and how she learned “to find her own voice amidst her sister’s screams”.
The Flop
Summerhall, 1 Summerhall (Venue 26) 15:40; 3-26 (not 13) August. Wales’ pioneering inclusive theatre company Hijinx Theatre returns with a new co-production with clown supremo Spymonkey; a historical romp telling the incredible true story of impotency trails in 17th Century France.
Grace The Former Child: The Bi-polar Express
Heroes @ The SpiegelYurt - Spiegel Yurt (Venue 327) 14:30; 9-13 August. Grace was diagnosed at 14 with bipolar disorder. Luckily she saw the funny side. Now 15, she shares her surreal journey through adolescent mental health services.
Lost Voice Guy: Inspiration Porn
My Left/Right Foot - The Musical is a must see at this year’s Fringe
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TO WATCH
Gilded Balloon Teviot – The Turret (Venue 14) 16:00; 1-12, 14-26 August. Also Gilded Balloon at the Museum – Auditorium (Venue 64) 19:30; 14 August Gilded Balloon Teviot – Debating Hall (Venue 14): 19:30; 15 August. Fresh from his Britain’s Got Talent victory, the BBC New Comedy Award winner explains how he has become “an
unintentional porn star because of the inspirational memes that are everywhere these days”.
My Left / Right Foot – The Musical
Assembly Roxy – Central (Venue 139) 18:10; 1-27 (not 8, 14, 21) August. Scotland’s award-winning, disability-led Birds of Paradise Theatre Company celebrates its 25th anniversary with this hilarious new musical, in association with the National Theatre of Scotland.
Paul Mayhew-Archer: Incurable Optimist
Underbelly, Bristo Square - Friesian (Venue 302) 17:15; 1-26 (not 13) August. Paul – who has co-written or worked on many much-loved comedy shows including The Vicar of Dibley – shares the therapeutic power of comedy when it comes to his Parkinson’s.
Prophets of Imperfection
theSpace @ Surgeons Hall - Theatre 3 (Venue 53) 17:10; 3-11 (not 5) August. Inspired by Star Wars and superheroes, two Dutch comedians return to the Fringe to analyse the past, present and future of disabilities— fighting for an honest place in society (with or without crisps).
Statements
Gilded Balloon Teviot - Wee Room (Venue 14) 12:45; 1-17 August. An acclaimed one-man show about three boys with Asperger’s, Down’s syndrome and misunderstood emotions, and how they make their way in the world.
Tim Renkow Tries to Punch Down
Monkey Barrel Comedy Club Monkey Barrel 2, (Venue 515): 20:00; 2-26 (not 8, 15, 22) August. Comedy’s one rule: “no punching down”. “Crippled, redneck, Mexican Jew” Tim Renkow tries to find a social group that’s off-limits and so prove he’s not the bottom of the social ladder.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Image
The UK’s first WCMX star Lily Rice took the world by storm with the viral video of her performing a backflip in her wheelchair. Now she’s trying to bring the sport to a wider audience up and down the country.
©An dre wH ors ley
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR 14-YEAR-OLD LILY
Words by Katie Campbell
y rsle Ho rew d An e© ag Im
Ima ge © Car a Ga skel l
L
ily Rice is the coolest 14-year-old you will ever meet. Barely into her teens, Lily is already a star on the worldwide WCMX – Wheelchair Motocross – scene, as the second woman in the world, and the first in Europe and Britain, to land a backflip in her wheelchair. In her first foray into the WCMX World Championships, she picked up a silver medal in the women’s category. But what is WCMX? It’s an upcoming disability sport, combining aspects of skateboarding, scootering and BMX. Lily takes her wheelchair to the skatepark and carves up the bowls and ramps, like a young Tony Hawk. Lily fell in love with the sport when she discovered a video of Aaron Fotheringham, aka Wheelz, the WCMX world champion. It absolutely captivated her. One day, he put up a joking post on his Instagram of an old WCMX chair with a caption saying how the chair was on sale with a few too many miles on the clock, and Lily asked, “if it is for sale, could I have it?”
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Aaron said the chair was in no fit state to ride and went one better – he got her a better chair. Before that, she had been zooming around her homemade ramp in an NHS standard wheelchair, and those just aren’t fit for purpose in the skatepark. Getting a chair is one of the primary barriers to entry in WCMX. You need a specialist chair to take the bumps and knocks that you’ll inevitably pick up in the skatepark. “A WCMX chair is different because it has suspension, and overall it looks cooler as well,” Lily said. “It has shocks like a mountain bike on the back, and it has skateboard wheels, bike wheels, and forks on the front which also have suspension. You can customise it, too.” Before Lily got involved in the sport, the chairs had to be imported from the United States. Lily had asked her parents for one,
but they were hesitant to commit to it as so much could hypothetically go wrong with providing measurements – and the price! The price was a staggering £6000. When Lily asked her dad for one, he gasped, “oh my God, that’s the price of a second-hand car!” But now Lily’s partnered with Welsh sport wheelchair manufactures Roma Sport Wheelchairs, who produce chairs for the Welsh wheelchair rugby team, basketball, and tennis. She’s been working with them since Christmas to create a series of WCMX chairs for the UK market. One is an entry level chair for young kids which can take knocks and test the water, while the other is
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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INTERVIEW kitted out for professionals like Lily. Growing the sport is something Lily – and her whole family, because as her Dad says, it takes a team – is hugely invested in. In five years, they’d love to have enough people competing in the sport to have a national competition. Lily’s all too aware that the UK is just starting to recognise sports like skateboarding as a fun pastime, so that means that little money is being invested in creating skateparks around the country. There’s an ignorance to the benefits, socially and physically, to the presence of skateparks in communities. There are even fewer accessible skateparks – Europe just got its
ENJOY YOUR
first, but it’s not in the UK. “In the skatepark, everyone is on wheels,” Lily said. Adding WCMX into the mix in skateparks opens it up to inclusivity. Teenagers and young people just want to belong, and belonging to a group of skateboarders, scooters, BMXers and WCMXers gives these kids a place to belong. You’re all on wheels, in the skatepark, and riding together. Lily practices with her friends at the skatepark three times a week, but the Welsh weather doesn’t always accommodate for it, and recently, it’s been too hot to get out. For Lily, embracing WCMX also gave her confidence in her wheelchair. Starting secondary school, she loathed her wheelchair, and her Dad was painfully aware
“IN THE SKATEPARK, EVERYONE IS ON WHEELS” of it. She saw having to use the chair as returning to a massive stroller to be pushed around by others. Getting her WCMX wheelchair had a hugely positive effect on her mental health. “All of a sudden, you ride the wheelchair,” Mark pointed out. Not having Aaron around to guide her has meant Lily has cut her own path in the skate community, but she’s found it welcoming. At a recent event, legendary British BMXer Mark Webb towed Lily around an event, showing her around the skatepark and spending loads of time with her. Lily’s parents were astonished and grateful by the way everyone at the skatepark encouraged her. Lily’s national profile was raised again when she appeared in the music video for Tom Fletcher’s Christmas song, Afraid of Heights. “The music video is based around my story, and it’s more realistic too,” Lily said. “All the people riding on skateboards and BMXers at the skatepark are my friends. It was filmed at my local skatepark and shows my story.” The family were so excited to see the video, and Lily laughs when her Dad talks about how much he likes the video. “He cried at it!” she shouts. Mark was on night shift the day it came out and was so excited to see it that he couldn’t sleep. An actor portrays him in the video: “They typecast a dad because they needed someone who could reach those emotional highs,” he laughs. Before Lily got into WCMX, her dad wondered: “Like every other parent of a disabled child, we thought ‘I wonder what milestones are going to be achievable?’” Now she’s reaching lofty heights, smashing records and brimming with talent and confidence. The only way from here for Lily Rice is up.
Image ©Cara Gaskell
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Pop in and see us | Visit mitsubishi-cars.co.uk to find your nearest dealer. The Motability Contract Hire Scheme is administered by Motability Operations PLC (Registered Company No. 1373876), City Gate House, 22 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9HB. To qualify you must be in receipt of the Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance, the Enhanced Rate of the Mobility Component of the Personal Independence Payment, War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement or the Armed Forces Independence Payment which will be taken in lieu of the four weekly rental. Models shown are the Outlander 3 2.2 diesel manual, Mirage Juro CVT petrol automatic, Eclipse Cross 2 1.5 petrol manual and ASX 2 1.6 petrol manual. Terms and Conditions apply. Please ask the dealer for full details. Rentals valid for applications placed between 1st July and 30th September 2018. 1. Please note that Mitsubishi cannot guarantee compatibility with all mobile phones and Bluetooth devices with the handsfree system fitted to this vehicle. Please check with the mobile phone manufacturer for further information on compatibility. Fuel figures shown are official EU test figures, to be used as a guide for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results.
Mirage CVT Auto fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Urban 57.6 (4.9), Extra Urban 72.4 (3.9), Combined 65.7 (4.3), CO2 emissions 99g/km. ASX 2 fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Urban 38.2 (7.4), Extra Urban 57.6 (4.9), Combined 48.7 (5.8), CO2 emissions 135g/km. Eclipse Cross 2 fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Urban 34.4 (8.2), Extra Urban 49.6 (5.7), Combined 42.8 (6.6), CO2 emissions 151g/km. Outlander Diesel 3 fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Urban 40.9 - 45.6 (6.9 - 6.2), Extra Urban 54.3 - 58.9 (5.2 - 4.8), Combined 48.7 - 53.3 (5.8 - 5.3), CO2 emissions 139g/km - 154g/km.
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30/07/2018 25/06/2018 15:15 12:34
COMPETITION
Good
luck!
WIN!
A DAY OUT FOR FOUR ON THE WELSHPOOL AND LLANFAIR LIGHT RAILWAY WITH A DELUXE HAMPER OF FOOD TO EAT ON THE JOURNEY! The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway was opened in 1903 to link the market town of Welshpool to the rural community of Llanfair Caereinion, this 2ft 6in narrow gauge steam railway now provides a tourist service for all the family and a welcome change from the rush of everyday life. Built as a light railway to avoid some of the costs of railway construction, the narrow gauge allows for tight curves and steep gradients, enabling the line to follow the contours of the countryside. Most of the trains are steam hauled, either by one of our unique original locomotives or one from abroad. The carriages too are special; those in regular use being from Hungary and Austria with big opening windows, a
great way to watch the world go by. The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway is delighted to announce enhanced disability access to the charming historic steam trains. The combination of modified carriages and lifts from platform to train, together with helpful and experienced staff, allows seamless and stress-free travel for more visitors. See the online access statement at wllr.org.uk/access-statement or call 01938 810441 to discuss any requirements. *Postcode for sat nav is SY21 7LT (Raven Square Station, Welshpool)
If you would like to be in with the chance of winning this great prize, simply answer the following question correctly: The railway has carriages from which countries? GERMANY & FRANCE HUNGARY & ICELAND AUSTRIA & HUNGARY PLEASE TICK THE CORRECT ANSWER
Email your answer and your contact details to posabilitycompetitions@gmail.com or visit www.posabilitymagazine.co.uk to enter online. Or post to the address below: The WLLR Competition PosAbility Magazine Caledonia House Thornliebank Ind. Est. Glasgow, G46 8JT
Name: Address: Postcode:
Terms & Conditions The prize is a day rover ticket for four people to ride the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. The prize includes a hamper of food to enjoy on the journey. Prize must be taken by 31 August 2019. Suitable accessibility must be checked by the winner prior to booking. No cash alternative can be offered and the prize is non-transferable. Subject to availability. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Closing date for entries is 30 September 2018.
Tel: Email: The WLLR would like to send you more information about their railway. If you would like to receive this please tick the box. By ticking the box you are consenting to us providing your details to Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway. Please tick box to accept the Terms & Conditions WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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T
he great thing about the
United States is that there is so much to see and do across this vast nation. However, this variety of options can sometimes make deciding where to go even harder. If you decide to embark on a journey through the Eastern Coast of the US, there are a large number of accessible sights for you to take in. During a recent four city tour of the East Coast, travel blogger Jay Abdullahi of jayonlife.com, experienced some highlights these cities had to offer.
Words by Jay Abdullahi
Baltimore’s Inner Harbour has plenty on offer for families
Baltimore is not the first city people think of when planning a trip stateside, but skipping this charming coastal city means missing out on a lot of fun and delicious food. Getting around the city’s highlights is both easy and free. The Charm City Circulators provide a pocket friendly route to the city. The different colour coded wheelchair accessible circulators visit Federal Hill, Fort McHenry, as well as the historic Fell’s Point, former home to Frederick Douglass. Coincidentally, 2018 is the bicenntenial year of Douglass who was a Baltimore native and abolitionist. His contributions, as well as his former home, may be visited in the Fell’s Point 26
neighbourhood. Of course, no visit to Baltimore is complete without a trip to the Inner Harbour. It has something for all the family, including attractions such as the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, and Port Discovery Children’s Museum, all of which are wheelchair accessible. Port Discovery also provides a wonderful experience for children with special needs, as well as those that have reduced sight. For the art inclined, the Baltimore Museum of Art provides an opportunity to take in contemporary art for free. Until 28 October, the BMA will exhibit Black Art that was originally shown in 1939. The BMA was one of the first museums to exhibit works by
“BALTIMORE IS IDEALLY LOCATED FOR VISITORS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EXCEPTIONAL SEAFOOD VARIETY, ESPECIALLY THEIR FAMOUS CRAB CAKES” African American artists, and their contributions to the art world. The museum and the Sculpture Garden are wheelchair accessible, and loan wheelchairs are available free of charge on a first come, first served basis. Baltimore is ideally located for visitors to take advantage of the exceptional seafood variety, especially their famous crab cakes. From the high-end restaurant fare to more humble diners, there’s a seafood option for every budget. Mo’s Seafood restaurant is known for their crab cakes and have five handy locations within Baltimore. They even offer a shuttle service from two of their locations for those that are staying in downtown hotels.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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USA
COMING TO Philadelphia, known as the city of ‘Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection’ is rich in attractions that tell the American story, including the little-known fact that Philadelphia was the former capital of the United States. In order to get a feel for the city for a great price, use the Philly PHLASH. The PHLASH has 20 convenient stops visiting a number of the city’s best attractions and landmarks. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the site of the famous ‘Rocky Steps’ from the film’s franchise. There is an accessible entrance to the museum from the back, but the views are nowhere near as stunning. Once inside the museum, they do provide loanable wheelchairs for those less able to walk for long periods of time. Even for those
them, and they also reduce the lighting. No trip to Philadelphia is complete without tucking into a Philly cheesesteak. However, for those that may not be fan of this local dish, you need look no further than Reading Terminal Market. While it sells other things, most people come for the food. Dishes from all over the world housed under one accessible roof. The market also has free wifi available so you can plan the next part of your day. Philadelphia provides a glimpse into the past and future of the United States. This is most evident in Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. There’s so much to see and do in this city, that you will likely need another visit. Museum encourages
who are short on time, or interest in art, while there you could take a photo with the Rocky Statue. The Please Touch Museum in West Philadelphia is fully wheelchair accessible, and as the name suggests, encourages children to touch the displays. From water themed exhibits to a usable carousel, this is the ideal museum for children of different abilities to experience. They have a dedicated programme that allows children with developmental disabilities and those on the autistic spectrum to enter earlier than the general public. This provides a calmer experience for The Please Touch
kids to touch displays
The Rocky Statue stands proudly outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Visit the iconic Lady Liberty
Take in the city’s beauty from dizzying heights
The mere mention of New York City can be incredibly daunting. Between skyscrapers and a 24-hour sleepless cycle, how can you expect to conquer this metropolis? Especially for those that have specific accessibility needs. Depending on length of time, it may be worth using one of the city’s sightseeing buses, such as BigBus New York that has wheelchair accessibility. For those with more time, it is possible to use public transportation. A large number of subway stations have lifts and ramps, for those with limited mobility. And all New York buses are wheelchair accessible. To truly appreciate all that New York has to offer, you have to go to the top. With a dizzying number of skyscrapers, it is difficult to choose which one. Both the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock provide stunning views of the Big Apple’s skyline, from morning to evening and are both fully accessible. It would be impossible to visit New York without seeing a few museums, especially as they have the ‘Museum Mile’ that is dedicated to all things arts and culture. The famous Met Museum is currently exhibiting pieces from the recent Met Gala. The lesser known Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum has an exhibition (until 3rd September 2018) called ‘Access+Ability’ that showcases the influence that disability has on the
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“BOTH THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING AND TOP OF THE ROCK PROVIDE STUNNING VIEWS OF THE BIG APPLE’S SKYLINE, FROM MORNING TO EVENING” world of design. From the famous wheelchair logo, crutches through the ages, to futuristic appliances that can assist with different needs. The Statue of Liberty is the landmark that is immediately brought to mind when New York City is mentioned. This gift from the French was seen as a symbol of liberty and freedom for all that ventured to its port. It is possible to visit Liberty Island and the inside of the statue with a wheelchair, however, there are only stairs to get up to the Crown of the structure. A visit should also be paid to nearby Ellis Island to get a feel for the journey migrants had to go through to enter the United States. Even though New York is a concrete jungle, it does have a lot of green space. Central Park takes up a large section of Manhattan and houses the Belvedere Castle, Central Park Zoo and a pond. If you would prefer a less well-known park, you can check out the High Line. The High Line park was built on a former freight rail line that is elevated above city streets. And there are a number of accessible entrances to get up to the park.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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USA
The capital of the United States has an abundance of buildings and attractions that you have likely seen in different television shows and films. From the State Capitol building, the Supreme Court, to the White House itself. The easiest way to get around the hotspots of DC is using the DC Circulator, costing only $1 per ride. All buses are wheelchair accessible, and they have free wifi and USB charging available onboard. The Red Circulator is most popular with visitors as it takes you through the many different stops along The Mall. From the Lincoln, Washington, MLK Jr Memorials, to the various museums along the way. DC has a large number of museums dedicated to the history and the different people of the nation. The latest addition to the capital is the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This large complex is home to the struggles, triumphs, stories, music and accomplishments of black Americans. It dedicates itself to their story from before the slave trade, to the present day. The building is wheelchair accessible, and different parts of the ‘black journey’ are reachable via ramp leading to different
Drop in on the leaders of the Free World
“THE BOTANICAL GARDENS OFFER A GORGEOUS ESCAPE AWAY FROM THE POLITICS, COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE” floors and different time periods. The State Capitol building is a stone’s throw away from the Supreme Court, and you would be forgiven for moving on after these two monuments. However, there is a green little gem tucked away nearby, the United States Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens offer a gorgeous escape away from the politics, completely free of charge. The conservatory and outdoor gardens are wheelchair accessible, and you can access the overhead jungle canopy via a lift. For the garden enthusiasts, this is one you definitely won’t want to miss.
There’s something for everyone of all abilities and both New York and Philadelphia are CityPASS destinations, so you can enjoy iconic sights while saving money. All you have to do now is book.
DC’s charm is in abundance at every turn
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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for ff o % 10 ty PosAbrilis!* reade
The holiday you deserve,
not just the care you need
Accessible excursions Live entertainment Wide range of activities 24h on-call nurse-led care Fully accessible facilities Full-board included Financial support available† Enjoy the comfort of our three accessible holiday centres: Jubilee Lodge Chigwell, Essex Netley Waterside Southampton Sandpipers Southport
Call 0303 303 0145 quoting PS185 Email bookings@revitalise.org.uk Visit revitalise.org.uk *Please contact our Bookings Team for full terms and conditions. †Subject to eligibility.
PLEASE SEND ME MY FREE REVITALISE HOLIDAY BROCHURE
Please complete the form below with your details and return in an envelope to: Freepost REVITALISE HOLIDAYS (No stamp or any other address details are required)
NAME: ADDRESS: POSTCODE: Registered charity number: 295072 PS185
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HOLIDAY PROFILE
BOOK NOW FOR 2019 BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!
HOE GRANGE HOLIDAYS Have you ever gone on holiday and found your supposedly accessible accommodation lacking? Have no fear multi award-winning Hoe Grange Holidays is truly accessible with a homely, tranquil feel. David and Felicity Brown offer four cosy and contemporary log cabins on a working farm with stunning views over the Peak District countryside. All the cabins have level thresholds and spacious roll in wet room showers and are rated under the National Accessible Scheme. It’s no surprise that Hoe Grange Holidays has won the Visit England Awards for Excellence Accessibility Gold Award twice and the prestigious Catey Award for Access.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED No need to overload the car as there is a wide range of specialist equipment available; from mobile hoist, electric profile beds, shower chairs and monkey pole to perching stools, portable hearing loop and more. There are no hidden extra costs and many added little touches included in a welcome pack of local goodies.
ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY You can relax on the decking and watch the wildlife, unwind in the log-fired hot tub, or if you are feeling more adventurous you can hire the Boma 7 off-road wheelchair to explore the countryside together with friends and family. In the evening you can hire the outdoor
Speak to David and Felicity in person on 01629 540262 or book direct online at hoegrangeholidays.co.uk
pizza oven and have fun creating and cooking your own pizzas.
HELP AT HAND Owners David and Felicity live onsite and have expert local knowledge of accessible attractions and places to visit so they can help you enjoy your holiday to the full. For a hassle free holiday you can order your groceries direct from a local supplier so that everything’s ready in your cabin for your arrival. There is a laundry and also a small shop onsite selling delicious local produce and crafts. If you are unsure the facilities will suit your needs you can take a 3D virtual tour of each cabin or organise an actual pre-booking visit.
RELAX AND UNWIND Hoe Grange Holidays has teamed up with Glo-Pamper so you can relax and enjoy spa and beauty treatments with professional qualified therapists in your own cabin.
DOG FRIENDLY Your dog is part of the family and will enjoy the wonderful walks from the door. There are many dog-friendly places to discover.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Smart Hygiene Solutions for all Generations
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INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS
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PRICE
£240
RELYNC SCOOTER This modern, stylish, folding scooter folds down easily to the size of a small suitcase. Ideal for travel, it can be stored easily in the boot of a car and when folded it rolls on its wheels making it simple to move. Its front-mounted motor keeps it rolling up to 30km. relync.com
PRICES
AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
GYENNO SPOON Designed to offset hand tremors through intelligent detection, this clever spoon can steady the users hand and offer a stable solution for mealtimes. By helping the user avoid spills, the spoon offers users a more independent and confident experience when enjoying a meal. 01743 245277 attainability.co.uk
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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PRICES
AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
QUICKIE SALSA Q100R This rear-wheel powered wheelchair is part of the new Quickie Q-range and is ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. It is ultra-compact, boasts a tight turning circle and the swing away legrest and controller allow users to get closer to tables and chairs for easier transfers. It can also climb kerbs of up to 100mm. 0845 605 6688 sunrisemedical.co.uk
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WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS
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ALINKER The bright and happy Alinker is a revolutionary new mobility assistance product that helps you move around easily and independently. Whether you’re quietly wandering through an art gallery or running down tree-lined paths, the Alinker keeps you active at your own speed. pyxisonline.co.uk
INDESMED CRUTCH These colourful aluminium forearm crutches are a great affordable option for users. Available in a range of different colours they will guarantee you will stand out from the crowd. Both comfortable and durable, the INDESmed crutch is an excellent stylish option.
PRICE
£10.50
bluebadgestyle.com
HYDRANT WATER BOTTLE PRICE
£65.00
This water bottle is a great solution for those who have limited mobility as it comes with a long drinking tube, a bite valve and a small clip that allows users to attach it to someone to allow easy access to fluids. Dehydration issues can be reduced as it negates the need for a carer to administer drinks and gives the user more independence. 03330 160 000 completecareshop.co.uk
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Nursing and residential care homes for older people
Making a difference Sussex Health Care provides quality nursing and residential support for older people including specialist support for people with dementia. Our homes in Sussex provide a safe, comfortable, homely environment and offer the people we support somewhere that they can make their home, as well as short stays and respite. The people we support are encouraged to maximise their physical, intellectual, emotional and social capacity ensuring that they continue their lifestyle with personal privacy and dignity.
Our services can offer:
RESIDENTIAL AND NURSING SUPPORT FOR OLDER PEOPLE
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FULL PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES
To find out more about our homes and the services we can offer, please contact: referrals@sussexhealthcare.co.uk
01403 217338 www.sussexhealthcare.co.uk
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r o u s o l Cof
M EM OR IES We spoke to Chella Ramanan and Claire Morley about the ideas behind Before I Forget, and what they hope to achieve with their beautiful and thoughtprovoking game.
COULD YOU GIVE US A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BEFORE I FORGET IN YOUR OWN WORDS? Chella: Before I Forget is a narrative exploration game about a woman with dementia. When we first meet Rashmi, she doesn’t know who or where she is. The world is in monochrome grayscale, but when players interact with objects around the house, colour comes back to that part of the world and it triggers a memory for Rashmi. Players slowly piece together elements of Rashmi’s life and solve the mystery of the story. But the game also sets out to confuse the player, in an attempt to represent some of the confusion and anxiety that comes with dementia, as well as the escape into happy memories.
DEMENTIA
Before I Forget is an upcoming game by 3-Fold Games which explores the life of Rashmi, a woman with early-onset dementia, and sees the player bring literal and metaphorical colour back into her life by jogging memories which she has lost a firm grasp of through her illness. Words by Katie Campbell
HOW DID YOU COME TOGETHER TO FORM 3-FOLD GAMES? Chella: We met at the XX+ Game Jam in Bristol in October 2016. We were thrown together to make a game in a very short amount of time and it worked out. Before I Forget won the Audience Choice Award - the game people most wanted to see finished. We’ve been working on it ever since. Luckily, we’ve shared the same vision for Before I Forget, from the start, in terms of the atmosphere and look of the game, as well as the type of experience we want to create. CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW YOU CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF BEFORE I FORGET? Chella: I write fiction in my spare time and have a preoccupation with memory in a lot of the stories I write. What is memory? How much of who we are is locked in our memories? What happens when we lose those memories? Do we become a different person or are we just a different aspect of ourselves? These are questions I try to explore all the time, so I’d had
an idea of writing something about a woman with dementia for a while. I hadn’t managed to write the dementia story in prose, but as soon as I thought about it in the context of a game, it just wrote itself. The story had found its ideal form and I’d met the right people to help me tell that story. THE MECHANICS SHOW A REALLY CLEVER AND AESTHETICALLY BEAUTIFUL WAY OF CONCEPTUALISING HOW REAWAKENING MEMORIES AND FEELINGS ADDS METAPHORICAL COLOUR AND TEXTURE INTO THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA – CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW YOU CAME UP WITH THAT AS AN IDEA FOR REPRESENTING DEMENTIA IN THE GAME? Claire: I’m really interested in games that use their mechanics to convey personal stories and in exploring artistic and mechanical ways of conveying emotion and perspective, especially when it comes to health issues. Dementia is really interesting to try to visualise within a game because of the disconnect between the player and character knowledge. We wanted to try and make sure that when you play as Rashmi, you see the world WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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DEMENTIA through her eyes. We wanted to convey how impactful it would be to walk around somewhere you don’t recognise, and then to interact with an object that suddenly brings back a vivid memory. This contrast from unknown to vivid detail is really important and powerful, and maybe at times confusing too, so we wanted to make those interactions feel important and as though they are literally painting her world around her. Something interesting that’s come up through playtesting is that people tend to want to ‘complete’ rooms by filling them with colour, and for this reason it’s always been really important to me that there are also gaps and areas that can’t be filled to represent that her memories are neither permanent nor complete. WHAT IS YOUR AIM IN TERMS OF PLAYER EXPERIENCE FOR BEFORE I FORGET? Claire: Our main aim with Before I Forget is to tell a story and create an experience of one woman’s life with early-onset dementia. In terms of player experience, I think the main focus is not just empathy and insight into how dementia affects Rashmi on a personal level, but also appreciating the full life she had leading up to that. Mechanically, we want the player to feel as much as possible as though they are acting and thinking as her to share her experience. We’ve already seen from demoing the game to people that it really opens up a conversation about dementia afterwards, which is fantastic. THE TRADITIONAL VIEW OF DEMENTIA IS SOMETHING THAT’S SAD AND A MENTAL “THIEF,” SO TO SPEAK, BUT BEFORE I FORGET IS SUCH A BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL GAME – WAS THERE A CONSCIOUS DECISION MADE TO MAKE IT A MORE POSITIVE GAME? Chella: I’m really happy to hear you use such positive words to describe Before I Forget. There was definitely a conscious decision to create a light, airy feel to the house. We really didn’t want to go down the horror route, which we could easily have done with a game about something as scary as dementia and the setting of a woman alone in a house. A lot of games in houses go for that horror feel and we wanted to set Before I Forget apart. Also, as you say, the traditional view is that dementia is all doom and gloom and there’s no happiness. As the player is Rashmi, I don’t think her experience is going
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The game begins in monochrome and as the player interacts with objects the colour comes back
The return of colour represents memories being triggered
to be one of sadness because she’s living in that moment and doesn’t realise that she’s lost anything of herself. I think dementia is sad for the people who are left behind - the loved ones and friends and colleagues who remember this person. We represent this aspect of loss and sadness through the letters and memories players find, but really we’re representing Rashmi’s experience. I think, rather than aiming for a positive game, we’re going for a bittersweet story. Sometimes the misunderstandings experienced by people with dementia are funny and sometimes they are just living in a happy moment in the past. We’re trying to represent all those aspects of dementia. I think we just wanted to tell the story of a woman. Rashmi isn’t just dementia. She’s lived a very full life with a successful career and a loving relationship with her husband, friends and parents. That’s how the positivity of Before I Forget comes through.
YOU EXHIBITED BEFORE I FORGET AS PART OF THE LEFTFIELD COLLECTION AT REZZED THIS YEAR, WHAT WAS THE RECEPTION TO THE GAME LIKE? Claire: Exhibiting at Leftfield has been a personal goal of mine for years, so I was so happy to have the opportunity to present our game there! The Leftfield Collection is fantastic because it showcases projects that are really innovating and experimenting with gameplay, so to be part of it was extremely exciting. The reception to Before I Forget was amazing, and we often had queues of people waiting to play it. Friday was very hectic as we had a few interviews scheduled as well, which was a new experience for me. I love talking to people about the game though, as everyone we meet is so encouraging about what we are doing. People seemed really excited about it, and often emotional or thoughtful afterwards too. There’s definitely a sense that people want to see stories and mechanics that increase the breadth of narratives found in games, which is exactly what the games at Leftfield do. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE A CONNECTION TO DEMENTIA IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER – WHAT HAS THE REACTION BEEN FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE A CONNECTION TO DEMENTIA BEEN LIKE? Claire: We took the game to Adventure X, in November 2017 and this was the first big show for us. The reaction to Before I Forget was overwhelming. Many people were emotional by the end of the demo, which wasn’t as polished as the one we have now. One player rushed off and came back to apologise, saying he’d had to go outside and cry because it reminded him of his grandfather, who’d had dementia. He thanked us for making the game and wished us luck, but said he might not be able to play it. That was really staggering, that something we made could create such an emotional response. Generally, people are really positive about the game and talk about the people they’ve lost to dementia and tell us that it rings true to their experiences. It’s really important that we get as close as we can to representing some aspects of dementia.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Circus Street,
Brighton A range of wheelchair accessible homes available for Shared Ownership COMING SOON Live at Circus Street - Brighton’s exciting new residential, social, cultural and economic quarter.
Contact us now to register your interest
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30/07/2018 15:23 24/05/2018 13:55
Image ©Heaton @the-NDACA.org
Image ©Willis @the-NDACA.org e-NDACA.o rg nd @th erla uth S © e ag
Image ©Cribbs @the-NDACA.org
Im
Image ©Hevey @the-NDACA.org
The art archived includes photography, paintings, programmes, buttons and much more
The ART of Struggle We speak to archivist Alex Cowan about a world first: a dedicated archive of disability art, the NDACA. Words by Katie Campbell
Image ©Raabe @the-NDACA.org
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rom theatre to art, music to protest, the NDACA archive is the world’s first built-for-purpose archive of disability art, which has sought to collect over 3,000 pieces which tell the story of disabled people’s struggle to be seen, heard and respected in all facets of culture. “The primary drive of the project has always been about the story,” said NDACA archivist Alex Cowan. “Whether that be the heritage story of a particular artist, or of a particular theme or campaign, or a movement. It’s never been about dusty boxes on shelves. The project is about lives, and experiences.” The National Disability Art Collection and Archive (NDACA) launched the online archive this year, aiming to provide an accessible repository which will house vital pieces from the disability arts movement, regardless of their
Some of the most striking art at NDACA is political in nature
Image ©Sutherland @the-NDACA.org WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Pieces can be booked out and carefully viewed, but unlike many other collections, and unusually for one based in a university, the archive isn’t academic. Alex said: “It’s always been intended that it should function with disabled people and their allies building themselves, rather than something that is academic, where a museum curates it for them. That’s right down to the choice of language we use in the catalogue. We’ve sourced it, come up with it, picked it based on the language of our depositors.” Down to the language used, and the accessibility, this collection is formed by disabled people and allies, who have directly shaped the culture of the disability arts movement. Sitting alongside t-shirts with the famed political slogan and rally cry “PISS ON PITY” are images of artworks by Adam Reynolds, and costumes from actress Liz Carr.
Image ©Hevey @the-NDACA.org Image ©Lomas @the-NDACA.org
The archive depicts the lives and struggles of many disabled artists, protesters and their allies
Image ©Sutherland @the-NDACA.org
Image ©Heaton @the-NDACA.org
format. It keeps a physical archive in Bucks New University in High Wycombe, led by Alex, who with a small team has been digitising the collection to store in the online archive. It was important to NDACA that the archive was in a digital form, ensuring it could be accessed by anyone, on any device, and was compatible with on-screen readers. It was also important to them that people who couldn’t access Bucks New University could access the archive, delivering it to a worldwide audience and allowing people outside of the UK to experience the powerful pieces which form the archive. As Alex says however, it’s not all dusty boxes on shelves: like any other collection, anything that people want to see can be seen.
Image ©Hevey @the-NDACA.org
THE ARTS The question of what the most important thing in the collection would be is a nebulous one, and Alex explains that each individual collection has its own “magna carta” item. “Some of them are moments. Some of the most important documents are significant to people’s careers, others might be pieces of artwork that we associate with great national moments, and that’s one of the most interesting things about working on a project like this. “If I had to single one out, it for me would be the more political ones, what I call the magna carta moments. We do have an original annotated copy of the Discrimination Act. One of our depositors, Jane Campbell, was heavily involved with getting it through parliament, so we have her copy of the white paper with doodles.” The archive offers an insight into the Golden Age of disability art, as it is known, when art and protest moved hand in hand, mostly through the streets of London to take up position outside Westminster. Protests for the Disability Rights Act, the Not Dead Yet movement – organised by Baroness Campbell – and many others took to the streets to protest for the rights of disabled people, bringing forward a new wave of art, politics and performance in the disabled community “Most of the disability we deal with is focused on art,” said Alex. “Sometimes art is part of a political protest or conflict, and sometimes it’s a representation of that. Sometimes it’s just something that ran in parallel, and disabled people began expressing themselves through politics, and claimed or reclaimed their rights. Art is an expression, and culture is part of that. “It’s intended that the archive will continue gathering material, even though the focus of the archive is very roughly 1980-95. It’s not a dead archive, it’s not one that will be closed to new material, so we’re looking to develop the archive with new collections, and new artists will become apparent. The story of disabled people’s struggle for rights is not finished, it’s ongoing and organic, and the archive will grow that way.” As Alex said, the archive is not a sedentary thing. It will continue to grow and collect, with new artists and modern protest brought into the collection. The website allows visitors to submit images, propose corrections and interact with the art, ensuring the collection is kept alive through the actions of both its curators and its visitors, which are one in the same. Visit the archive at the-ndaca.org to explore its vast collection. WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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18/07/2018 15:23 09:44 30/07/2018
POWERCHAIRS Shining a light on the stigma around powerchairs only being for older people. Surely young people use them too?
The Power
OF A CHAIR
M
y name is Pippa Stacey, I’m 23 years old, and I write about life with a rather inconvenient chronic illness over on my
blog, Life of Pippa. I’ve used a transit wheelchair for the last three years, and recently made the transition to becoming a powerchair user. I have to say, I’m loving the powerchair life so far, but today I wanted to talk about one of the biggest barriers that held me back from making this decision for so long: self-confidence. It was 18 months ago that I first started considering the possibility of a powerchair. However, it was whilst doing my initial research that doubt began to set in. Every design, every bit of equipment, every organisation, every little thing I looked at seemed to inherently make the association between powerchairs and elderly people. Through brochures and websites, I saw countless older people in these powerchairs, and try as I might, I just couldn’t imagine my young-adult self in their place. You could call it a vanity issue, but I couldn’t help but feel insecure about the fact that I would soon be using something so apparently marketed towards older people, I just didn’t want to be perceived in this way. Even though my need for one was clear, seeing mobility aids presented like this made me all the more reluctant to move forwards. In the end, it was social media that was my saving grace. It’s been so uplifting to see the #disabledandcute and
#babewithamobilityaid movement happening online lately, and it was hearing friends’ stories and seeing their photos that finally encouraged me to take the leap. My friends’ posts made me see that I wasn’t on my own, they were displaying their aids with confidence, looking fabulous, and most importantly, enjoying the degree of independence that I’ve been missing so badly. And although I’m still not quite there myself yet, I very much aspire to do the same. It’s certainly not just elderly people who need disability equipment. People can become disabled or chronically ill at any time in their lives, this isn’t breaking news. So where are the young adults in the marketing of mobility aids, and what can we do to encourage change? As a very small drop in the ocean, I decided to enlist the help of some of my wonderful friends whose own experiences had a significant impact on the decision I made. We’ve created a little ‘lookbook’ of our powerchairs and scooters, and I hope it gives just a small insight into the numerous options available, and how they’ve changed people’s lives.
Allow me to introduce…
NATASHA LIPMAN Rascal P321 from CareCo
“It took a really long time for me to become comfortable with the idea of using a wheelchair. When I was younger, my physio used to tell me that I was ‘too stubborn to end up’ using one, and I saw any decline in my health as a personal failure. But when I first sat down in my Rascal, I knew it was the chair for me. It has given me a level of freedom I hadn’t anticipated: the fact that I can get within a few seconds of my front door without wanting to cry, is huge. I can go out for a little bit and not have to spend days recovering. “Of course, living in London (which isn’t exactly the most accessible place in the world) still brings many challenges, but I feel so much freer. It feels amazing to fully accept that using a chair isn’t a weakness. It’s an amazing tool that has given me more options and opportunity. And most importantly, hasn’t made me feel like I’m bloody dying whenever I leave my bed”.
“THEY WERE DISPLAYING THEIR AIDS WITH CONFIDENCE, LOOKING FABULOUS, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, ENJOYING THE DEGREE OF INDEPENDENCE THAT I’VE BEEN MISSING” WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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CHARLOTTE GREEN Kymco Mini LS from Mobility Giant
“Having a scooter has made such a positive impact on my life. Before my scooter, I had to be pushed around in a wheelchair which was tiring for my husband and also made it hard for us to have a proper conversation. Now I can zip alongside him, or even scoot off by myself for a bit without having to rely on someone else to push me there. It has been so liberating and I wouldn’t be without it now.
SHONA LOUISE
Quantum Q6 Edge 2.0 from Manchester Mobility “Since I’ve received my newest powerchair, my life has become unrecognisable compared to just six months ago. I have independence, I can be out of the house all day, I don’t need to worry about finding somewhere to lay down to control my pain, it’s like a whole new world has opened up to me. In just five months I’ve already experienced so much, all things that were impossible last year. I feel like I’ve got my life back and I’m making the decisions now, not my body. There’s no doubt that it’s a scary step to take, but contrary to some people’s beliefs, my powerchair doesn’t hold me back, it lets me join in with life again”.
“It can be tricky to know which scooter to go for so I asked my chronic friends for recommendations. I bought a reconditioned scooter as it was much cheaper than buying new. I’ve had to have my scooter fixed once since I bought it – my brakes seized up over the winter months when I left it outside for too long without using it, so my advice is to make sure you either use it regularly or store it in a garage or shed during times you might not be able to do so”.
GEM TURNER
Permobil C500 from Permobil “I absolutely love my chair, it’s part of me and something I feel super confident in. People are shocked to hear that but it’s true. “If there is a fault with my chair and means I have to be out of it even for a couple of hours, not only is my physical independence gone but confidence and mental health is majorly decreased too”.
SIMPLY EMMA
Sunrise Medical Quickie Salsa R from NHS Wheelchair Services “After years of using a manual wheelchair, I began using a powerchair full-time at 18 years old when I was starting college. The decision to use a powerchair gave me the freedom and independence that I needed due to my decreasing ability to self-propel and complex seating needs. I’ve had my current powerchair for seven years and I love it. It’s extremely compact and great for travelling”.
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KATE STANFORTH
POWERCHAIRS
Salsa M2 with adaptations from Altonaids Mobility Ltd
“My wheels gave me my independence back. I took my first trip down the road by myself to the shop in over half a decade and cried the whole way because I felt so free. Now, it’s helped me achieve so many things and manage in situations I wouldn’t have managed due to extreme discomfort in my manual chair. “I’d recommend to anyone to jazz your new wheels up to make you feel a bit less self-conscious (battery powered lights are my favourite) and always make sure you have insurance!”
ROSIE HALSALL
Quickie Tango (with adaptations) from NHS Wheelchair Services “Beforehand, I used a manual wheelchair but was too weak to push myself. So, I needed my family and carers to push me around the house. “But, with the electric wheelchair I have so much more independence. And now, I can even think about (parttime) studying my A Levels at college. Simply, it has opened up so many new opportunities. “So, if there’s anybody out there in a similar position to myself, I really hope this goes some way in helping. Mobility aids are for everybody, and it’s nothing to be self-conscious about. There may not be a great deal of young adult representation in the marketing of powerchairs, but we’re here, and we’re valid. I really hope we see this change in years to come. And in the meantime, you’ll find me whizzing off to the Tesco Free-From aisle like some kind of speed-demon at a nifty 4mph, and living my very best life. Biscuits, anybody?”
SAKARA DEE
HANNAH WALLACE
PW-999UL (Lightest Power Wheelchair) from Foldawheel “This chair has been the best thing ever. My freedom. Suddenly I felt like my world had opened up. It feels more independent, I couldn’t have imagined before.
“I’d never considered a mobility scooter. When I thought of scooters, I immediately thought of older people. That all changed when someone offered me a ‘Shoprider’ scooter that she no longer needed.
“To wheel walk beside my family and friends is immense. To whizz to something in a shop, as simple as that, is a wonderful thing. To not need to rely on someone to push you. This has changed it all, for that I am truly grateful”.
“I’ve only had it a few months, but it’s given me an amazing sense of responsibility and freedom. The ability to actually lose my parents in a shop or say “see you later” and zoom off ahead is invaluable. I would definitely recommend hiring one if you get the chance, to see if having one of your own could work for you!”
You can follow Pippa’s blog at lifeofpippa.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @LifeOfPippa.
Shoprider Altea 4 Compact Scooter from Smart Scooters
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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F
rom strawberries and cream to step-free access, the tennis championships offer plenty for those who enjoy the Wimbledon fortnight, famous the world over. For two weeks, the entire area is bedecked in tennis memorabilia as fans camp and queue just to get a glimpse of their favourite stars, both past and present. It is historically an event for the world’s best non-disabled tennis players. However, since 2016 it now hosts the best wheelchair players during the last week of competition. Along with disabled competitors, there are plenty of spectators with mobility issues who wish to visit the entire tournament. Getting around the complex is very easy and all the courts, including Centre court, offer a number of spaces for wheelchair users and those with mobility scooters. In the museum there is access via a lift and there is plenty of space to navigate around the displays which take you through the history of the Championships, culminating in a chance to see both the men’s and women’s winners trophies. Each year, much of the excitement can be found on the Aorangi Terrace, more famously now known as ‘Murray Mound’. However, not to be left out, wheelchair users can be part of the excitement with a ramped and reserved area for those in need of extra access. For those who like to enjoy the world famous strawberries and cream along with a glass of Pimms to wash them down can find plenty of accessible kiosks selling food and drink and other merchandise to make your visit a memorable one.
ANDY LAPTHORNE The Brit on his journey to quad doubles victory
ANIEK VAN KOOT The Dutch woman lost the final to countrywoman de Groot
JOACHIM GERARD GORDON REID The flying Scot won the doubles with Hewett
The Belgian knocked Reid out in the opening stages
YUI KAMIJI The Japanese powerhouse won the women’s singles and doubles
Wimbledon
2018 46
The delights and defeats of this year’s Wimbledon Wheelchair Tennis Championships
Words by Mark Davidson
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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WIMBLEDON
GERARD AND OLSSON The duo fell at the doubles final against Reid and Hewett
LUCY SHUKER Veteran player Shuker returned to Wimbledon
LUCY SHUKER The Brit with her runner up doubles medal
ALL ENGLAND CLUB SW19 is becoming a leading showcase for Paralympic tennis
COMPETITION TIME After enjoying the history and atmosphere of an event that has been going since 1877, it was down to the small matter of the tennis. Aside from the likes of Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, there were a number of men and women competing in the wheelchair events, both in the single and doubles competitions, attracting impressive crowds for Paralympic tennis. Starting on the final Thursday and running for four days, there were competitions in both the men’s and women’s game, along with a new quad event featuring Great Britain’s Lapthorne. Despite the oppressive temperatures, the singles competition began with Gordon Reid of Great Britain facing Joachim Gerard of Belgium, with the British player unfortunately losing in straight sets 6-3 6-3. However, there was better news with Alfie Hewett beating the competition’s oldest competitor, 47-year-old Stephane Houdet of France 7-6 6-4. In other matches, GB’s Lucy Shuker lost in straight sets to Aniek Van Koot of the Netherlands 6-2 6-1. As the event progressed onto the next day, Hewett and Reid beat Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina and Shingo Kunieda of Japan 6-4 3-6 7-6 to reach the final of the men’s wheelchair doubles.
SHINGO KUNIEDA The world number one returning a serve
DIEDE DE GROOT The best Paralympic female player in the world lifted the singles title
STEPHANE HOUDET French veteran Houdet was the oldest player in the tournament
All images ©Mark Davidson
“AS THE EVENT PROGRESSED ONTO THE NEXT DAY, HEWETT AND REID BEAT GUSTAVO FERNANDEZ OF ARGENTINA AND SHINGO KUNIEDA OF JAPAN” WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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WIMBLEDON ALFIE HEWETT
LUCAS SITHOLE
Brit Hewett hunted more Wimbledon glory
South Africa’s quad singles finalist
HEWETT AND REID The boys made history when they sealed the first three in a row
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SABINE ELLERBROCK The German partnered Shuker in the doubles final
DYLAN ALCOTT The Australian in action in the quad doubles final
GUSTAVO FERNANDEZ The Argentine took away a singles and doubles runner up medal
DAVID WAGNER GOLDEN GIRLS De Groot and Kamiji after their doubles win
One half of the quad doubles winners duo
All images ©Mark Davidson
Unfortunately in his singles match, Hewett progressed no further, losing in straight sets 6-2 6-4 to Stefan Olsson of Sweden. With Saturday and Sunday traditionally being ‘finals day’ for both non-disabled and disabled players, the GB pair beat Fernandez Argentina and Olsson Sweden 6-1 6-4, making history as the first threetime winners of the event. When asked how this win measured up against the previous two titles, Hewett said: “I think they’re all special. Every year to come back and win it, it’s tougher each year. People kind of expect you just to win it. We know that’s not the case. There’s a lot of strong guys out there.’’ Reid followed: “We’ve been playing together for about four years now and we keep getting better every year as a partnership. We’ve got a strong bond on court and I think we make ourselves very hard to beat.” Elsewhere, Diede de Groot of the Netherlands beat Van Koot 6-3 6-2 in the women’s singles final and said: “It was my first time that I was defending such a big title and it was quite tough to get back here and make sure I did it again.’’ Lapthorne and David Wagner of the USA beat Dylan Alcott of Australia and Lucas Sithole of South Africa 6-2 6-3 in the first ever final of the quads wheelchair doubles, held at Wimbledon for the first time.
Lapthorne said: “It’s always important to win and to be the first two names up on the honours board is amazing. It’s special and I am just lost for words. It was a really special day, everything I dreamed of and more – just an amazing experience.” On the last Sunday, along with her doubles partner, Yui Kamiji of Japan, de Groot added to her singles crown by beating Sabine Ellerbrock of Germany and Shuker of Great Britain 6-1 6-1 in the women’s doubles final. In the last wheelchair event of Wimbledon - the men’s singles final, Olsson beat his doubles partner, Fernandez 6-2 0-6 6-3, becoming the first wheelchair tennis player to retain a singles title at the Championships. He said: “It’s still unbelievable to win twice. I was so nervous. I am still trying to calm down after the match. I can’t compare them at the moment, it is so big - the biggest thing in my tennis career, for sure.” It was a fitting end to a great tournament, both for spectators and players alike and it reinforced the view that wheelchair tennis has a big part to play in the annual calendar of the biggest tournament in the world.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Anniversary Games: Words by Colette Carr
T
HERE COME THE GIRLS
he Anniversary Games is one of the most anticipated dates in GB’s athletics calendar – a unique date in the Diamond League diary which celebrates and reignites the achievements and legacy of the London Games extending invitations to para athletes to compete in promotional events. And a host of British Paralympic stars took centre stage at the UK’s showpiece event ahead of August’s European Championships with the girls gunning for gold and flying the flag. The main headline grabbers came from wheelchair racer Kare Adenegan and visually impaired sprinter Libby Clegg. Sophie Hahn and Stef Reid also comprised the golden quartet of British women with Hannah Cockroft contributing a silver to the medal haul. Adenegan, who has had Hurricane Hannah Cockroft looking over her shoulder since she ended the Halifax hero’s undefeated run of over 300 in 2015, took the crown in this edition of the T34 100m. The teen’s showing saw Cockroft’s world record tumble to an astounding sub-17 seconds as she clocked in at 16.80, beating Cockroft’s
KARE ADENEGAN SCOOPED A WORLD RECORD IN THE T34 100M
SOPHIE HAHN Hahn smashed her own world record in the T38 200m
All images ©British Athletics/Getty Images
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ANNIVERSARY GAMES
HANNAH COCKROFT Cockroft had to settle for silver as her winning streak came to end
previous stranglehold time of 17.18, with the 25-year-old placing second with 17.55. VI sprinter Clegg’s preparations for the meet and the Europeans hit a snag as trusted guide Chris Clarke suffered an injury in the run up to the climax of the season. Stepping into the running shoes of her Paralympic title winning partner was Tom Somers, and with only two weeks of guide running under his belt, Somers and Clegg’s gold in their first race together seems even more impressive. The duo’s time of 25.29 seconds in the T11 200m placed them head and shoulders above the rest finishing a massive three seconds clear of silver winning Spaniards Lia Quintana Beel and Alonso Gutierre. There was another world record moment for the red, white and blue with 21-year-old Hahn’s victory as she continues to dominate the T38 200m circuit. Hahn’s effort of 25.93 seconds was enough to topple her previous world record of 26.11, which she set last summer. Stef Reid returned to the site of her World Championship win last year to repeat her glory in the T44 long jump, but her success came at fine margins.
Reid’s fourth leap was enough to secure her first place, but French jumper Marie-Amelie Le Fur forced the event to the end, with Reid’s 5.55m jump ending up being only a single centimetre more. Elsewhere, Richard Whitehead narrowly missed out on another gold for his cabinet as he was pipped by 16-year-old starlet Ntando Mahlangu. The South African teenager played second fiddle to Whitehead in 2016 and 2017 trumped the marathon man in the T61 200m, finishing in 23.56 seconds to beat Whitehead’s season best of 23.72. With ParalympicsGB sending a whopping 53-strong contingency to Berlin for the Europeans, medals are all but guaranteed. Watch all the action live from 20-27 August on twitter.com/paraathletics.
LIBBY CLEGG’S GOLD WAS AN IMPRESSIVE FEAT WITH NEW GUIDE RUNNER
“A HOST OF BRITISH PARALYMPIC STARS TOOK CENTRE STAGE AT THE UK’S SHOWPIECE EVENT AHEAD OF AUGUST’S EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS”
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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SPORT
CEREBRAL PALSY SPORT
C
erebral Palsy Sport is
the country’s leading disability sports organisation supporting people with cerebral palsy to reach their sporting potential. Our vision is that everyone with a physical disability is able to access a sport of their choice. Our mission is to improve the quality of life of people with physical impairments through the provision of appropriate sport and recreation.
OUR SUPPORT Cerebral Palsy Sport provide sporting opportunities for children and adults with cerebral palsy in athletics, bowls, football, junior sports, swimming and table cricket. To ensure these opportunities are inclusive for all levels of ability (particularly those with limited or restricted movement) adapted versions of these mainstream sports have been developed. These include polybat, frame/walker football, RaceRunning and other adapted athletic disciplines. We run a series of SportStart days around the country, that offer children and young people a chance to try a variety of sports in a fun, safe environment. Whilst these SportStart days are geared towards participation for young people with cerebral palsy, they also educate teachers, support workers and sport providers offering practical experience of inclusive sport and physical activity opportunities.
PARTICIPATION PATHWAYS Cerebral Palsy Sport offer a number of sporting pathways for people with cerebral palsy who want to develop their skills, participate regularly or compete in the following sports:
• ATHLETICSTART EVENTS AND ATHLETICS SERIES
An introductory programme of athletics including RaceRunning, plus a countrywide series of competitive athletics events leading up to a National Athletics Championship.
• KICKSTART FOOTBALL
We have developed an innovative CP KickStart Football development programme across the country in partnership with the FA, clubs and county sports partnerships for ambulant cerebral palsy players and those who use frames/sticks.
• JUNIOR SPORTSTART
A grass roots junior multi-sport programme delivered into schools and clubs across the country to provide opportunities to participate, play and enjoy sports.
• SWIMSTART SWIMMING PROGRAMME
A series of development swimming sessions introducing young people with cerebral palsy to water and build up to development galas and an annual National Swimming Championship.
• TABLE CRICKET
A national Table Cricket Community League running across the country supporting participation and coaching development. If you would like any further information about any sports programmes please visit cpsport.org or email info@cpsport.org.
Cerebral Palsy Sport organise coaching and training sessions in athletics, football, swimming and table cricket for people wanting to reach their sporting potential. We also offer a referral service for children and adults, signposting them to appropriate sporting competitions, mainstream opportunities and sports clubs.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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MUSIC
This year marked the debut of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s first disabled ensemble, Resound. We spoke to the ensemble before they make their national debut at the BBC Relaxed Proms on 27 August. Words by Katie Campbell
SWEET MUSIC COULD YOU EXPLAIN HOW YOU BEGAN PLAYING YOUR CHOSEN INSTRUMENT? WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO TRY PLAYING IT, THEN TAKE IT UP AS A PROFESSION? Matthew: Music has always been a large part of my childhood, while I initially started on piano I picked up the clarinet when I was about nine and at the time I actually wanted to learn the oboe. They didn’t offer the oboe at my school, and they explained it away to me at that age, that I didn’t have enough puff so I should start on clarinet. Then I sort of really gelled with the clarinet and never switched. Although we don’t have baroque on clarinet, there’s so much variety and repertoire for clarinet. I also had very bad asthma as a child but learning a wind instrument basically cured that, it teaches you to breathe properly. I actually have had a relapse
this past year because of a chest infection, but otherwise I have had no symptoms since I was nine. I was lucky to have a fantastic local music service, Bromley Youth Music Trust (BMYT). Alongside peripatetic teaching, they had this fantastic system of tiered wind bands and orchestras; so you’d hear the next orchestra or band up the ranks and it would inspire you to work hard and progress. Meeting every week during term-time, it’s a great way to inspire kids to improve and aspire to reach the next orchestra/band. I went to a normal all-boys state secondary school. While always a very high achiever academically, I never really fitted in with peers. But it was the music at BYMT, this was the one place I really felt at home; when you were playing in the group, you would fit into the group. Beyond that, at the point of leaving school, it was a choice between ‘pure maths’ or ‘music performance’ for me. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t at least try to pursue my music, and I was lucky enough to get offers from all four London colleges I applied to
and a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE BSO? Philip: I found out about the auditions through a website called Musical Chairs. My Dad encouraged me to apply, he told me that I should do this. I had just auditioned for another orchestra but I didn’t make it through, I had thought that was my chance out of the window and that I would have to wait another year. With my Dad’s support I started preparing for the auditions, finding the piece I would play. The people on the audition panel were all really nice to talk to, especially Alexander Campkin who was on FaceTime because he couldn’t be at the auditions. WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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MUSIC
I didn’t feel like I had stern faces from the audition table, other auditions I’ve done it’s felt like the people judging were very stern and just wanted to get it done as soon as possible. But with the BSO it was very open and friendly. As soon as I got in I felt like ‘yes, I’ve finally done something right!’ Through BSO Resound I’ve made some new friends, and I’ve learnt a lot more about other disabilities as well as mine and how we can communicate with each other much better. WHAT DOES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONSTITUTE WITHIN THE BSO? Siobhan: It’s a great place to start. I never thought at any point in my life that I would be playing in the Proms at the age of 21, it’s just not something that you anticipate to do. I also never thought that I would be going into schools and supporting such an important industry, young people need to be shown that there are lots of ways to play music that are approachable. To be able to do that at such an early stage in my career is amazing, it’s something that I intended to do later on in my career. So hopefully it’s just up from here. YOUR ENSEMBLE HAS GARNERED A FAIR AMOUNT OF ATTENTION IN THE MEDIA FOR ITS INCLUSIVITY. DOES THIS ADD PRESSURE TO YOU COME TIME FOR PERFORMANCES? Siobhan: Not really. Press is an important part of what we need to do in order to support and show the ensemble to the wider public. It’s important for us to get our message across about the work we’re doing to people who wouldn’t necessarily be aware, and make sure it’s approachable. When it comes to performances though, it’s our job and it’s what we’re trained to do. We’re professionals who have trained for this. I spend six hours of my day, every day, practicing what I need to do. It’s really exciting that we’re able to perform and get to share this with other people. WHAT HAS WORKING WITH CONDUCTOR JAMES ROSE BEEN LIKE? HAS THE EXPERIENCE BEEN POSITIVE FOR YOU? Philip: He’s very fun to work with. He’s 56
“IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO GET OUR MESSAGE ACROSS ABOUT THE WORK WE’RE DOING TO PEOPLE WHO WOULDN’T NECESSARILY BE AWARE” friendly to be around and he helps provide everyone with the chance to say what they want. He likes to tell us what he’s thinking and that’s helped me to understand where he is coming from. When we have a row of rehearsals, we get the chance to have dinner sometimes which is really nice. I think that James will go places and definitely achieve his ambitions of conducting. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE PERFORMANCE AS AN ENSEMBLE? WHICH PIECE IS YOUR FAVOURITE TO PERFORM? Philip: For me it’s I’ve Got Rhythm, George Gershwin. I did a lot of jazz in college, so I really enjoy playing it. I think the other piece for me would be Moonlight Sonata because it really puts my instrument in the forefront. In this piece, I have a really important part in terms of structure because I play duplets and people really rely on me to keep those duplets very strict and in time so that they stay in time.
PERFORMANCE? WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS TO PREPARE? Matthew: I’m particularly looking forward to performing as a part of the full orchestra in the Relaxed Prom! I wouldn’t say my preparation will be any different to normal though; I still have my other solo and chamber recital work, with the usual practise and rehearsals leading up to any performance, alongside my search for sponsorship to establish my own concert series, and continued efforts to get my foot into the freelance orchestral sector.
YOU’RE PERFORMING AT THE RELAXED PROMS AT THE END OF AUGUST – HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THE
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Kids’
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Kids are inquisitive little people, they question everything and soak up knowledge and experiences like sponges throughout their childhood. Sarah Alexander, a disability and lifestyle blogger, has shared her thoughts with us this issue on encouraging children to ask about disability. Sparked from an encounter with a curious child in a park, whose mother discouraged him from asking about her powerchair, Sarah realised how important it is to welcome kids’ curiosities so they don’t think disability is something scary or taboo. You can read her take on this subject on page 65.
PRODUCTS
68
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Are you looking for a safe and imaginative space where your child can unwind, read, play or do homework? Look no further than the Sensory PODS on page 60. These inflatable pods can be inflated in just 40 seconds in the room of your choice and they have a variety of different themes to suit each child’s interests – from spaceships to submarines. A great tool for inspiring imaginative play or simply providing a space your child can call their own. Frasier Cox is no ordinary 10-year-old boy, he is a published author with big future plans. He recently won an award for a bedtime story he wrote about two young boys, both who are alike in every way, except that one is a refugee and one is not. The insightful book is called ‘There’s a Boy Just Like Me’ and is testament to the talent of Frasier who has autism. Read all about it on page 70. You will also find the usual columnists and products on the next few pages, enjoy! WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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SENSORY PODS What child wouldn’t love their very own safe and magical space where they can relax, destress, read or play?
O
ne day they could be blasting off in a spaceship and the next diving to the depths of the ocean thanks to these fantastic inflatable sensory PODS that come with easily interchangeable themes.
Ideal for children with sensory impairments, autism, learning difficulties and those who require a calming space, these PODS can be inflated in just 40 seconds to offer an instant safe and calming space for a child. The sensory lighting creates a unique space and the user can change the colour, brightness, light changing speed and can switch them off completely by the use of a remote control. The fun themes include a magical princess palace, a galactic space adventure, an underwater theme and more are currently being considered for the range. The great thing about these PODS is that depending on what mood the child is in you can change the theme easily. This also makes it very appealing for use in a hospital setting and in nurseries or schools where it would be utilised by many different children with different likes and requirements. The PODS are so simply inflated and deflated that they can be moved from room to room with ease and even taken on holiday to ensure your child always has a safe and familiar sanctuary to escape to. These magical tents are also very conducive to encouraging imaginative play and stimulating learning, a great place to get lost in a book, to do homework or simply have a nap. It is important for children to have their own space where they can express themselves freely, feeling safe and unjudged, to destress from anxieties and pressures of the modern world where social media and celebrity gossip can take hold of young impressionable minds and often have negative effects on their self-esteem and mindset. All that is required is a 2m x 2m space and you simply plug in the POD and watch it inflate in 40 seconds. It can become a permanent fixture in your little ones room, in the living room or be moved as necessary without much fuss. To find out more visit podsplay.com
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The 2018
Conference & Awards
Music & Physical Disability: From Instrument to Performance 7th-8th SEPTEMBER at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire A major conference and Gala Concert exploring the barriers to music making faced by people with physical disabilities
The challenge to enable full and undifferentiated participation in music for people with physical disabilities is a subject only recently receiving attention. Hosted by the OHMI Trust, in collaboration with Birmingham City University and Queen Mary University of London, this conference aims to share knowlege and stimulate developments in instrument design and provision. Presentations range from practise-based experiences, neurological interfaces, sociological and pedagogical studies, instrument demonstrations, and perspectives on inclusive music-making. The event includes a Gala Concert and the 6th annual OHMI Competition Awards.
For details and tickets go to: www.ohmi.org.uk This conference is fully accessible. Discounts available
To find out more about OHMI visit: www.ohmi.org.uk or contact us at: admin@ohmi.org.uk
National Helpline 0800 917 7650 www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
Alcoholics Anonymous has over 4, groups throughout Great Britain dedicated to helping those with a serious alcohol problem learn how to stay sober. Groups are made up of people from all walks of life and all age groups. Through friendship and mutual support, members assist each other in coping which is made easier by meeting others with the same problem. There are no dues or fees for membership and anonymity is carefully preserved. Anyone who believes they have a drink problem can contact Alcoholics Anonymous by using the helpline number above or email; help@aamail.org Further information may be obtained from the web-site above or from the General Service ffice at the address below. For information: P.O. Box 1, 10 Toft Green, York. YO1 7NJ Tel: 01904 644 026
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Columnist Dan White
You can follow Dan on @DeptOfAbility
WHERE IS THE HUMANITY?
Dan White, creator of the amazing Department of Ability superheroes and dad to Emily, who is 10-years-old and has spina bifida, is a regular face in PosAbility as he shares his experiences of life as a family with a disabled child.
“CAST ASIDE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF DISABILITY WHICH COULD HAPPILY FIT ON THE BACK OF A POSTAGE STAMP AND SPEND SOME TIME IN THIS COMMUNITY RATHER THAN WALKING AWAY AND DOWNING A DRINK AT THE TAXPAYER’S EXPENSE”
A
usterity, the necessary evil of
unlicensed banking and lending gone mad. Sorry, but to me and many this idea is now morally bankrupt. I suspect some economists reading this will baulk at my wild stance, but as a parent to a disabled child, I see austerity being used as an excuse to break up the welfare state, cut benefits and more disturbingly punish parents of disabled children. I am not blaming a singular party for this state of affairs, I am blaming all of them. Watching Panorama recently, I saw families like ours struggling day to day with not only life, but keeping a roof over their heads whilst seeing their care packages and respite centres close faster than a barber shop run by Boris Johnson. ‘We are all in this together’ was the mantra spun to us. Well, when I next see a Russian oligarch wrapped in blankets outside Lidl I’ll start to believe it. Cuts are perplexing, especially in where they happen. Panorama sadly told me nothing new, only reigniting my inner rage as I saw parallels that affect not only us but thousands across the UK. Children, parents, carers all seeing society and politics turn on them and drain their lifelines like some sort of political vampire. Where is the humanity? I don’t see the Norman Bates’ of cross party politics offering self-imposed wage cuts or declining expenses. Services for disabled people are not a luxury, they are there because they
support life, support families and save lives. Do our elected leaders actually believe their own rhetoric that there are safety nets after safety nets? I’ve got an idea for them - cast aside your knowledge of disability which could happily fit on the back of a postage stamp and spend some time in this community rather than walking away and downing a drink at the taxpayer’s expense. They all say these cuts are essential for important things like the military, so when war breaks out we can defend a nation of starving families living rough, struggling with mental health issues, or for HS2 which like most train services will be about as welcoming and useful to disability as a Sooty lecture at a TED talk. Cuts in the right places would be welcome, taxing those who can afford it is ridiculously logical, but instead they target people in financial hardship and disabled people who obstinately refuse to function without food, water and help. Is the disabled community an easy target? Apparently, with so much of our time fighting for decent living standards and equality on all fronts, another fight may just be too much for our exhausted continuance. Ignorance is bliss and it seems to be the mantra of whatever party makes the decisions. There is one thing that cannot be cut or taken away and that is our love for our children, our sheer bloody mindedness in going on to give these important, essential lives the existence they deserve and our communal spirit which cannot be broken. WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Extraordinary work by disabled artists 5 – 9 September 2018
Unlimited House of Krip © Matt Wreford
Unlimited THE NEW ELECTRIC HI-LO BASE •
Our new electric hi-lo base allows for tool and stress free height adjustments, increased maximum user weight and is available on three of our most popular chairs; Brookfield, Indigo and Strato.
•
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The new base also facilitates excellent maneuverability for use between the classrooms and now being tool free it is easy to adjust to the different desk and working heights from room to room.
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HI-LO PosAbility Mag Aug 18.indd 1
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30/07/2018 15:27
KIDS
Don’t Shush Your Child Letting children ask questions to disabled people encourages them to understand Words by Sarah Alexander
L
ast month I visited a local park
with my boyfriend and three-year-old nephew; as I watched the little guy whizz down the slide, I noticed another child eyeing up my powerchair. The boy, about six, began talking to me about an accident he’d recently had that resulted in a hospital visit, and kept engaging in conversation with me. He then pointed at my powerchair and candidly asked, “why’re you in that?” His mum’s face turned the colour of a tomato, she interrupted and shushed the boy, “leave the lady alone.” She was clearly embarrassed and had no idea
“I WOULD NEVER WANT THE LITTLE BOY TO THINK HE WAS IN THE WRONG OR BEING NAUGHTY FOR SIMPLY BEING INTERESTED IN MY WHEELCHAIR”
how best to remove herself and son from the, what she deemed, awkward situation. I exclaimed that it was fine, I reassured both parent and child that it was ok to ask, that I encouraged questions and was happy to answer anything about my impairment. I kept a smile on my face and tried to be as approachable as possible. I would never want the little boy to think he was in the wrong or being naughty for simply being interested in my wheelchair. I told him the reason I rolled instead of walked and he seemed satisfied with my response. This wasn’t the first occasion a child has been silenced or pulled away when curiosity had struck and interest shown as to why I use wheels instead of legs; every time I have explained that I am more than willing to WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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KIDS educate and am more often than not met by parents that allow it. Even though I don’t go into detail and recite my vast list of diagnoses (neither the child nor I have time for that), I give enough information so the child understands why I get about in a wheelchair. My go-to response for young children goes something like, “I have very sore bones and although I can walk short distances, it means I am in a lot of pain and get tired easily.” It’s really important to me, as an ambulatory wheelchair user that I mention that I can walk because it squashes the myth that all wheelchair users are
up. After all, we all learn things by questioning the unfamiliar. Unlike some adults that may feel awkward or uneasy around disabled people, children don’t have that. They see a person and want to know more about the aids they use, why they look different or how they communicate. When the parent hushes the child, pulls them away, or is apologetic, that’s where the
“A CHILD ASKS A QUESTION (OFTEN DIRECTLY AND BLUNTLY) OUT OF INNOCENCE AND SHEER CURIOSITY, THEY HAVE NO HIDDEN AGENDA”
making a difference to how disability is viewed by the next generation, you’re helping that particular child be more open-minded, inclusive and less judgemental of what they don’t understand.
paralysed. Usually by explaining this it not only educates the kid but also the adult that they are with. A child asks a question (often directly and bluntly) out of innocence and sheer curiosity, they have no hidden agenda; they do not judge or have a preconceived idea about someone’s impairment, they simply want to know why I drive around in a purple, electric machine with wheels. Personally, I would never miss a teaching opportunity and believe children should be encouraged to ask about things they do not understand. By asking questions it normalises disability and teaches young children that they shouldn’t shy away from disabled people. It breaks down the taboo of disabled people being different or alien and teaches them to have a healthy attitude and understanding of disability when they grow
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difficulty lies. They are inadvertently enforcing the idea that disabled people shouldn’t be bothered, we should be ignored, that we’re taboo. Kids adapt so quickly, they soak up knowledge like sponges and you are not protecting them by shying away from topics that you, as a parent, potentially find uneasy. Don’t punish disabled people or your children by discouraging certain subjects; even if you don’t know enough about it; let your child open a dialogue with a disabled person who is willing to respond. There are plenty of us that want to impart as much knowledge as we can. Obviously not every disabled person will feel comfortable with divulging information regarding their health and that is absolutely fine, but those of us that do and can, I encourage you to do so. Not only are you
Imagine the change we could make if we answered one question from one inquisitive child every so often. You’re doing your shopping and meet an interested kid? Use it as a teachable moment. The more the younger generation interact with disabled people and see them in mainstream media the more everyday it becomes, which can only be a good thing for society. Let’s make the next generation as accepting as we can. Let’s teach them that it’s okay to talk to disabled people and to see us how they see everyone else. Let’s encourage them to be as inclusive as they can. Let’s never chastise or make them feel embarrassed for asking about something they don’t understand. Let kids talk to disabled people. Let them learn.
You can follow Sarah @fromsarahlex on Twitter.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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30/07/2018 13:31
RISE 4 Disability 2018
FR
EE
TO AT TE
ND
Uniting Disability Services The Most Comprehensive Regional Disability Exhibition & Conference Within The UK RISE North- Leeds Ability & Advice
Sports & Activity
Networking Mobility
Housing
& Travel
& Adaptation
16/08/18- 9:30am- 4:00pm Royal Armouries Museum, Armouries Drive, Leeds LS10 1LT
RISE South East- Maidstone
18/09/18- 9:30am- 4:00pm Kent Event Centre, Kent Showground, Detling, Maidstone ME14 3JF
RISE National Partners:
100+
Media Partners:
REGISTER FOR FREE!
Exhibitors www.rise4disability.com
Brought to you by
info@rise4disability.com
01268 206111
Scotland’s largest independent living and disability lifestyle event returns! Inspiring care for older and disabled people
26 & 27 September 2018, SEC, Glasgow
Featuring: • 100’s of new & innovative products on show! • Alzheimer’s & autism sensory experiences • Carers reception • Consultation corner • Daily living aids • Energy advice
• Inspiration theatre • Lifting, moving & handling • Mobility and wheelchair accessible vehicles • Quiet room • Sports, wellness & lifestyle • Great on-site offers!
Bringing families, friends, carers, healthcare professionals and industry experts together, to see and buy the best products available, and learn about the latest innovations for the care of people living with a disability.
Innovations in Health and Social Care in Scotland Attend our CPD accredited programme and hear from Scotland’s leading healthcare professionals and visit the NEW OTAC Arena, the leading free adaptations and equipment-based event for Occupational Therapists!
REGISTER for FREE parking & FREE entry at independentlivingscotland.org Interested in exhibiting? Contact ilsscotland@sec.co.uk Partners & Supporters OT A C O C CUPAT I ONAL T HE RAP Y A DAP TAT I ON CONF E RE NCE
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Kids’ PRODUCTS
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We bring you a mix of the most innovative and helpful products on the market today
£18.95
UNDO ME MINI CUBE Children with delayed development in dressing can benefit from this bright colourful toy that can help them develop skills and get used to different fastenings at their own pace. The soft and light cube has different fastenings on each side - laces, buttons, zips, poppers, Velcro, clasps and buckles. welcomemobility.co.uk 0203 195 1278
SKINNIES SILK LONG SLEEVED VEST AND LEGGINGS Great for children with sensory disorders and particularly for those with sensitive skin, Skinnies’ silk range offers both comfort, security and calmness. “Better body fit, more comfortable, superbly soft and wearable,” these vests and leggings are made with antimicrobial treated silk, are seamfree and tumble dryer and machine washable. skinniesuk.com 01562 884 898
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WHEN SOPHIE GETS ANGRY AUDIOBOOK Audiobooks are a great escape for children with visual impairments, sensory or learning disabilities. When Sophie Gets Angry tells the story of an upset young girl who doesn’t know how to manage her anger but takes time to cool off and regain composure, allowing listeners to learn how to deal with anger.
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KIDS
TUBIEEGO PRICE
An innovative solution to tube feeding, TubieeGo holds the feeding pouch securely in a colourful fun rucksack and has a hole for the tube to come through. This handy solution is discreet and stylish and gives children their independence, allowing them to run around like any other. Available in a range of styles, they can also alter a child’s favourite bag. info@tubieego.com tubieego.com
£23.99
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£44.00
WET-STOP3 BEDWETTING ENURESIS ALARM This doctor recommended bedwetting alarm comes with the “The Complete Bedwetting Book” download, reward chart, sticker reward system and instructions. Variable alarms from sounds to vibrations waken and motivate a child to head to the bathroom to finish urinating. The wearable sensor clips to the outside of underwear while the alarm attaches to a t-shirt. amazon.co.uk
NEW HI-LO BASE Smirthwaite have launched their new stylish and simple electric hi-lo base that can be used with Brookfield, Indigo and Srato chairs. It uses a powerful actuator for a smooth lifting and descending motion to move the user to the desired working height. This powerful base also increases the max user weight on all three chairs. 01626 835552 smirthwaite.co.uk
PRICES
AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
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Not many children have as great an understanding of the world as Frasier Cox. And even less can turn it into a book. Words by Colette Carr
[Above] Frasier Cox won the nationwide competition with his emotional tale
Illustrations (C) Alison Brown 2018 from There’s a Boy Just Like Me, published by Little Tiger Press.
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There’s a Boy JUST LIKE FRASIER
F
or most parents, getting
their kids to settle down after a long day of school to do their homework is a battle they know all too well. Debates break constantly about whether too much homework is issued and its effectiveness, but for one bright schoolboy, a homework assignment may just have changed his, and thousands of other children’s lives forever. Frasier Cox’s poignant tale ‘There’s a Boy Just Like Me’ landed him the title of Book People’s second Bedtime Story Competition making him a published author at the tender age of just ten. Frasier, who has autism, entered the challenge to write about friendship, with his talent being rewarded with a deal with publisher Little Tiger and his book being sold exclusively by Book People. Staving off stiff competition from more than 1300 entries, the Brighton boy’s book tells the tale of a hypothetical friendship between two young boys. Both have brown hair, both eat too many sweets and both love climbing trees, but while one is happy, safe and comfortable, the other is a refugee. But the incredible story doesn’t end there, with international charity Save the Children receiving 35% of all sales. And Frasier’s genuine knowledge, understanding, excitement and kindness is infectious as he tells Kids’ Corner all about his new life as a published writer. “I quite like books about drama, have you ever heard of Private Peaceful? Its got drama in it and I quite like that!” the chatterbox explained when asked what kind of books he curls up with, explaining the 2003 Michael Morpurgo war novel to me, providing insight into his pull towards meaningful and powerful writing.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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BOOKS “My story started about a year ago as a piece of homework. I had to write a story about different kinds of diversity and refugees were the perfect thing to write about – my passion is for refugees, so I thought it was the perfect way to express it. I thought I could do better things and when I saw the story competition I leapt straight into it. “It all started with where I live. “At the moment, lots of donations for the camps are happening in my area. Mum was getting stuff together and I asked what was going on and why? She explained things really well and that sparked my passion,” the natural storyteller explained.
“I just thought it was unfair these people have to go through these things, so I tried to help them.” While his book breaks down and tackles tough topics too tricky for some children of his age, the schoolboy found himself living a fairy tale of his own, as the whirlwind adventure of his success began with the perfect day out before he was even crowned the winner. “My mum took me to the fancy hotel in London for it. We went to Frankie and Benny’s and they kept saying, “do not eat desert, do not eat desert,” and we were wondering why. But then they took us to Choccywoccydoodah’s flagship store in London and it was really, really
cool. We thought we get a couple of pieces of chocolate, but instead, they took us to a hidden bit upstairs. “It was like a scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! There were chocolates and sweets everywhere and that’s where Claudia Winkleman came in and told us she loved all our stories and announced that I was the winner. Mum looked like she was going to cry! “When it was announced, it all happened very slowly and I looked around and it was amazing. Everyone was clapping and it was the best moment ever. The other people in the competition had really good books too and I’ll stay in contact with them. It was a good day for all of us overall, whether we won or not and the fact that I was the winner added on that little bit of splendour,” he smiled. But the hard work was only beginning for the newly contracted novelist, who was then launched into a hectic schedule of editing, meetings and promotional fanfare. “I’ve been to different editing sessions and looked at the evolution and how the illustrations were going. We then went to BBC Breakfast and Sky News and what I liked was that so many people were interested in my achievement. “I love the illustrations! We got a bit worried at one point, because it is such a grown-up subject. How could we translate that into a children’s bedtime story? But Alison Brown has done it in the best way possible. The way she has incorporated that into illustration is
‘THERE’S A BOY JUST LIKE ME’, PUBLISHED BY LITTLE TIGER AND ILLUSTRATED BY ALISON BROWN IS AVAILABLE FROM THEBOOKPEOPLE.CO.UK/ BOYJUSTLIKEME. 35% OF ALL PROFITS WILL BE DONATED TO SAVE THE CHILDREN.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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BOOKS pretty much all I could ask for and it’s so satisfying to see it evolve. “I was on Newsround and I asked for a tour around CBBC and luckily the manager and producer was there, so she could get me everywhere and showed us everything. We saw the CBBC studio and the Newsround studio, and she said over her headset, could you turn on the music and it lit up like I was on it!”
[Above] Frasier celebrating his win with Claudia Winkleman and mum Carina
It’s clear to see that there is an old head on the young shoulders, and there’s no rest for the wicked, with the writing bug having well and truly bitten the switched-on wordsmith. “I’ve already started my next book!” he exclaimed. “I’m writing a book about this cat and it is a real cat called Larry. Now Larry, is a cat that lives on Downing Street and he is what they call the Chief Mouser. So, because they are such old buildings, he is in charge of getting rid of all the rodents that live there and I just thought what must it be like living in Number
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“IF HE SEES SOMETHING HE’S NOT HAPPY WITH, HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND WHY OTHER PEOPLE WOULD SEE IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY”
10 Downing Street and what adventures must he get up to? And then one day, I think it would be quite cool to meet him in real life if I did get it published!” Mum Carina, who has two other disabled children couldn’t hide her pride, not just for her son’s achievements, but also his disposition and deeper understanding of the world that many adults would be envious of. “We’re so proud of him,” she shared.
Illustrations (C) Alison Brown 2018 from There’s a Boy Just Like Me, published by Little Tiger Press.
“He’s so black and white with his thinking. If he sees something he’s not happy with, he doesn’t understand why other people would see it in a different way, so he has to do something about it because he doesn’t get it. “Having three children with disabilities, we’ve always spoken to him and said you wouldn’t want people to treat you differently or your brother or sister differently, so we’ve always tried to teach him that you just need to be kind and realise everyone is the same and disabilities or situations doesn’t change that you are human. “We’ve always done lots of charity work, but there was one collection for the Calais camp, and he just wanted to know everything. He wanted to know what and why it was happening and since he has been obsessed with helping. “He’s also hoping to go for the Youth Parliament which you have to be eleven for so he’s hoping to do that. He has all these grand ideas,” she laughed. “You know with a lot of autistic children, once they have their heart set on something there’s not much swaying them.” Could this ten-year-old workaholic be a future Prime Minister or next JK Rowling? Either way, the world would be a far better place for it.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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30/07/2018 13:35
Introducing DRINK: A debut product from ADDITION
Scooter, wheelchair or garden chair DRINK is an elegant solution to hands and hassle-free socialising
BUY FROM bluebadgestyle.com/ product/drink
A stylish glass holder that fits a drink of almost any shape or size and becomes completely hands-free with our smart fixing.
0208 568 7353
Smart Mobility Scooter Only £5000 (VAT free) Full Lighting front and rear Mirrors x2 Captains Seat Adjustable Windscreen Wiper Swing back doors Boot Lockable Storage
28
Mile Range
For more details call 01698 423888 See our demo video of Smart Mobility Scooter at ukmobilityhealthcare.co.uk
National Conference, Saturday 13 October 2018
Scottish Conference,
LAVENDER WALK
Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 2DA
Saturday 3 November 2018
Prices from £450,000 Two 3 bedroom wheelchair adaptable homes available to purchase through shared ownership. Set in an established community only 30 minutes from London Victoria*, Lavender Walk is an ideal opportunity for first time buyers, professionals and young families.
Get together and catch up on the latest news. Find out how we’re making every day count – book now! www.musculardystrophyuk.org/NatConf18 www.musculardystrophyuk.org/ScotConf18 Registered Charity No. 205395 and Registered Scottish Charity No. SC039445
ads_pos_aug-sep_18.indd 73
Contact us now to register your interest: Jade Skates | 078 0820 4790 Jade.Skates@clarionhg.com myclarionhousing.com/sharedownership Clarion Housing Association Ltd. *Journey times calculated from Mitcham Junction station using TfL.gov.uk and google maps and dependent on time on day. Prices correct at time of press. Three bedroom house priced at £112,500 for a 25% share of the full market value £450,000. Eligibility criteria may apply.
30/07/2018 16:28
BOOK NOW AND SAVE ÂŁ100 DISCOUNT CODE:
TDC18POSA 19 September 2018 One Great George Street, Westminster, London
Helping your business comply with the law The Disability Conference 2018 is an unmissable one-day event for anyone with responsibility for access, inclusion and equality in their organisation or business. The conference will focus on what YOUR businesses should be doing to meet its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 by raising awareness and improving access across the UK. Claim your early booking discount • Discount code: TDC18POSA
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30/07/2018 15:29
Rio's
KIDS
COLUMN
EVERY COOL KID WORTH THEIR SALT KNOWS HOW TO FLOSS
Words by Rio Woolf
T
his is my first column as a 10-year-old! It was my birthday on 28 May and I have lots of famous birthday twins including my ParalympicsGB hero Jonnie Peacock, and Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette! I was really excited to reach double digits and I had two parties - a Top Golf party with my friends and my cousin Trent, and a big family party at home! I also celebrated by doing the 1km at the Arctic One Tri and Para-Tri Festival on my birthday as I'm their Junior Sports Ambassador - it was the first run on my new Funkifabrics flames blade socket and I flossed at the finish line! Last month, WheelPower hosted a service at St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate the Paralympics' 70th Anniversary and I was very proud to read The Act of Commitment with Paralympic legend Caz Walton in front of 1000 people! Before the service I played wheelchair basketball and badminton with Team England Player Gobi Ranganathan. I've been working with scientists from UCL Aspire/RNOH Stanmore and Southampton University to design devices to help child amputees feel more comfortable in their liners and sockets they did a 3D scan of my residual limb - it was really cool! I've been doing drama this year with The Candice Conway Theatre School and in June we had our big show Alice in Wonderland. I was a hatter and a card - it was so much fun! It was the best school event of the year at the end of June, sports day, and my favourite event was the running! Being a football fanatic, I loved cheering on England in the World Cup - I was so disappointed it didn't come home
AT WHEELPOWER'S PARALYMPIC ANNIVERSARY SERVICE
RIO'S JAM-PACKED CALENDAR CONTINUED INTO THE SUMMER
but the boys did us proud! It was the biggest amputee children's sport event of the year on 23 June - The LimbPower Junior Games at Stoke Mandeville. I had so much fun playing wheelchair basketball, archery, cricket, tennis, football, sitting volleyball, hand-cycling and athletics! It was great to be reunited with my LimbPower friends and to meet other new amputee children. I was excited to be invited to the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run - I was inspired to run for Camp Simcha (a charity helping sick children) by Lucy, who won the Night of Heroes' Young Hero Award with me back in February. I really liked running with my Dad and I'm so happy I beat him! In July I went to Rome for the European Amputee Football Federation Junior Training Camp - it was great meeting lots of other footballers like me from all over Europe. It was very hot – 33°C! I went sightseeing in the afternoons with my mum - it was interesting to see The Colosseum after learning about The Romans at school, and I threw coins in The Trevi Fountain for good luck! We also went to a brilliant water park called Hydromania - it was so much fun going down the big slides! WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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www.calvert-trust.org.uk/exmoor
Does your child have learning difficulties? Do they have a genetic disorder?
Calvert Trust Exmoor enables people of and to experience exciting, challenging, and enjoyable accessible activity holidays with family and friends.
At our five star, fully accessible residential centre on the edge of Exmoor National Park all activities and facilities are specifically designed and equipped to cater for everyone. Stay with us for a few days, a week, or just for the day; however long you’re here you’ll discover CAN
-
Are they aged 4 or over? Images © Positive Exposure 2018
We need your help
Join our research project
www.imagine-id.org imagine.id@nhs.net 01223 254631 IMAGINE ID is funded by the Medical Research Council UK
Wheelchaircars.co.uk
• 8 accessible luxury lakeside lodges in Devon • 5 Caravan Club CL pitches with electric hook up • Well stocked 1.5 acre coarse fishing lake • Heated indoor pool (Seasonal) • Games Room and Free WiFi • Orchard and woodland walk • Dogs welcome
FREE NO OBLIGATION HOME DEMONSTRATIONS USED VEHICLES FROM £2995
Tel: 0161 793 5934 Full details on our website, www.wheelchaircars.co.uk
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01409 211140 info@blagdonfarm.co.uk www.blagdonfarm.co.uk
30/07/2018 15:29
Identifying
INCLUSIVE
Employers?
CAREERS Jane Hatton of Evenbreak shares her advice on the importance of seeking out inclusive employers Words by Jane Hatton
A
s we know, it’s much more difficult for disabled people to find work. There are many complex reasons for this. Many employers don’t yet understand the huge benefits of employing disabled people, and perceive us as a ‘risk’. As long as they have that narrow view of us, they won’t be interested in implementing accessible and inclusive recruitment practices. Their recruitment processes may be inaccessible, their buildings unsuitable, their employment practices inflexible. Their hiring managers may look at disability rather than ability. This is their loss, of course. They are inadvertently excluding people who could bring so much value to their organisations. However, no employer will advertise this fact. Most employers label themselves as ‘Equal Opportunities Employers’, and no job advert states “Disabled people will be discriminated against”! So how can we identify those employers who are enlightened enough to see the talent beyond (or because of) the impairment? Nothing can be guaranteed, of course, but there are some clues as to which employers are more likely to be positively receptive to applications from disabled candidates. The government has a scheme called “Disability Confident”, replacing the previous Two Ticks ‘Positive About Disability’ scheme. The scheme is voluntary, and employers can progress through three levels. Disability Confident Committed (Level 1), is the entry level. Employers commit to a number of actions, including ensuring their recruitment process is accessible and inclusive, offering interviews to all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria, and a number of others. Employers at Disability Confident
Employers (Level 2), are implementing actions to improve practice around attracting and recruiting the right people, and then retaining and developing them. However, the progress is self-assessed at this level. Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) is assessed by an external independent assessor. Employers who have become Disability Confident Leaders, such as Channel 4, Leonard Cheshire and Acas, are much more likely to have open and accessible recruitment processes and to welcome disabled candidates. Another indication that an employer will be more enlightened around disability is if they are a member of Business Disability Forum (BDF). This is a membership organisation which gives a wide range of support to its members to help them become more ‘disability smart’. Members are clearly interested in making sure their workplaces are inclusive and accessible. BDF also have a Disability Standard which members can measure themselves against. Employers with
this Standard will be very positive about disabled applicants. There are some awards for employers whose recruitment process is fair and accessible. The Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative hold awards annually in a number of categories. The awards are independently judged, and winners and finalists, such as John Lewis and Guidant, are ahead of the curve in terms of inclusive and accessible recruitment. Finally, employers who advertise their vacancies in media aimed specifically at disabled people (such as this magazine and the job board Evenbreak), including HS2, Gowling WLG and Citizens Advice are clearly keen to attract disabled candidates, and are worth applying to. Whilst nothing is guaranteed, using these indicators to evaluate the best employers to apply to gives you a better chance of success. For further tips, and jobs from inclusive employers who are looking to attract more disabled candidates, have a look on the Evenbreak website evenbreak.co.uk. WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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PUZZLES Puzzles are a great way to pass the time and keep your mind sharp. Why not take a break, make a cup of tea and give these puzzles a go? If you correctly complete the crossword and post it to us with your details, you could be in with the chance of winning £25. Good luck!
BRAIN TEASERS
CROSSWORD
WORD SEARCH
Test your eyes and find the words below from this issue of PosAbility Magazine A S K O O B L D Z T R N S S Q U W P N P T P I C S C O E F I S A N I B D M A R L E R N T S Y M M I F H T E E O E T E N K C S T L G H Y R G C Copyright © 2011 Peter G Sharp
R A P H C O U I E A
ACROSS 7 Perch (5) 8 Hug (7) 10 Poorly matched (7) 11 Infectious agent (5) 12 Shout of discovery (6) 14 Mistake (4-2) 17 Showy and cheap (6) 19 Hue (6) 21 Mistaken (5) 23 Small bag (7) 24 Cap attachment (7) 25 Fertile area in a desert (5)
DOWN
2 D-i-y beer (4-4) 3 Hit (6) 4 Exchange for money (4) 5 Two identical things (4) 6 Military dining room (4) 9 Chamfer (5) 13 Some (3) 14 Not sweet (3) 15 Foretell (8) 16 Render immobile (8) 18 Majestic (5) 20 Choice (6) 21 Small songbird (4) 22 Rowing levers (4) 23 Drinks slowly (4)
1 Altercation (8)
£25 PRIZE! Complete the crossword correctly and send to PosAbility Magazine, Caledonia House, Evanton Drive, Thornliebank Ind Est, Glasgow, G46 8JT to be in with a chance of winning £25. Closing date for entries is 30 September 2018. 78
Solutions to June/July crossword
O M F T S G O C I B E T E A Q X E A Q Q
BOOKS
FRINGE
ATHLETICS
ORCHESTRA
TENNIS
PODS
ARTS
EMPLOYMENT
AMERICA
BACKFLIP
DID YOU KNOW... EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL
Sales of tickets are only exceeded by the Olympics and World Cup The population almost doubles in Edinburgh from 500,000 to 1,000,000 It generates over £260m for the Scottish economy - the equivalent of 5,242 full-time jobs each year.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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HEALTHCARE
LONGFIELD MANOR A specialist care home promoting quality, happiness, health and wellbeing. Longfield Manor, set in the beautiful village of Billingshurst, West Sussex, provides nursing care for older people including specialist support for those with dementia. The home offers a safe, caring, home from home environment where people can take comfort in knowing that their everyday happiness is at the centre of everything they do. The quality of care provided means people living at Longfield Manor can focus on enjoying a fulfilling lifestyle that involves a variety of social activities to ensure quality
of life isn’t compromised. Jennie, the daughter of one resident said: “My mum has Alzheimer’s and has been a resident at Longfield Manor since December 2011. “When I could no longer care for her it was a very tough decision and difficult time for both of us; I knew all her likes and dislikes and wanted her to be cared for exactly as I had done. However, I was fortunate enough to be able to place her in the care of Longfield Manor. “The staff deal with my mum in a patient and caring way - they know her very well now and what needs to be done gets done, with time, dignity and patience. When I visit, I’m always greeted in a friendly way by all members of staff. “I can clearly see the many improvements that have been made in
staffing, equipment, furnishings, activities and the gardens and I’m sure that there are many more improvements going on behind the scenes too. The staff team care for my mum in a way that I can’t and that means everything to me. This sentiment not only extends to the carers and nurses but to every single member of the support team too. I am very grateful to you all and you will always have my support. “I continue to have nothing but praise for all that the staff at Longfield Manor and what they do for my mum and for all the other residents.” The Longfield Manor home manager commented: “We respectfully enhance the quality of life of our residents through communication, experienced staff teams and family integration. This is what makes Longfield Manor different and a very special place to live and I’m proud to be part of the ongoing work we do here.”
If you are looking for a care home or would like further information, please feel free to call us on 01403 217338 or email enquiries@sussexhealthcare.co.uk.
WWW.POSABILITYMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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30/07/2018 09:32
CLASSIFIED Holiday Cottage with Access for All Royal Deeside in the Heart of the Cairngorms National Park 4 accessible self-catering cottages overlooking Balmoral. These award winning cottages have been designed & equipped to the highest standard for disabled people, their friends & family to enjoy a holiday in this beautiful part of Scotland.
Tyddyn Môn Holidays
Holidays on the Isle of Anglesey 15, 8 or 7 bedroom property Fully accessible bedroom with en-suite wetroom 10 minutes away from an award winning beach Book or find out more:
All equipment available at no extra cost
facebook.com/tyddynmon holidays holidays@tyddynmon.co.uk 01248 410580 tyddynmonholidays.co.uk
Web: www.crathieholidays.org.uk E-mail: info@crathieholidays.org.uk Tel: 013397 42100
Scottish Charity No SC027590
TREBETHERICK, POLZEATH, CORNWALL
BREATHTAKING LOCATION
CORNWALL COASTAL GETAWAYS Fully accessible suites and rooms Self-catering villas and apartments Indoor pool with hoist On-site restaurants
TO BOOK YOUR STAY CALL 01208 862242 OR VISIT WWW.STMORITZHOTEL.CO.UK
Hill Lodge, Dorset
Accessible self-catering holiday let, 10mins from Poole Harbour 3 ensuite double bedrooms, with downstairs bedroom & wetroom Shower-chair & profiling bed provided Other equipment upon request Accessible kitchen and level access to outdoors Dogs allowed. Free wi-fi
Contact details: www.endeavour-uk.co.uk becky@endeavour-uk.co.uk, 01202 630075
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30/07/2018 16:05
CLASSIFIED Treworgans
ACCESSIBLE HOLIDAY COTTAGES
IN CORNWALL
Two specially converted wheelchair accessible detached cottages. • Ensuite wetrooms • Shower chairs • Air or pressure • Electric profiling mattress beds • Local care available • Hoists • Riser/recline chairs • Adapted kitchens We are only 15 mins from Truro and 30 mins from the Eden Project, making Treworgans the ideal place to explore this beautiful county.
01726 883240 / 07762 173860 www.treworgans.co.uk
Located on the stunning Exmoor Coast
EE
FR I
I-F
Lodges & Cottages
W
Self-catering
SELF CATERING APARTMENT Clober Farm, Milngavie, Glasgow G62 7HW
Set in 3 acre gardens on a quiet country lane on the edge of the Exmoor National Park yet within 1 mile of shops, pubs and the beach.
Near to Loch Lomond Sleeps up to 6 people Ensuite wetroom with shower chairs provided Hoist and profiling bed with airflow mattress
About
Single storey disabled access lodges, two with wet rooms, shower wheelchairs, ramped access and adjacent parking.
Accessible landscaped garden Pets welcome Open all year For booking and info visit www.woodcombelodges.co.uk call 01643 702789 or email woodcombelodges@outlook.com
0141 427 7686
or email info@sisonline.org
The classified section is a great way to advertise your business to over 156,000 people within the disability marketplace.
ads_pos_aug-sep_18.indd 78
Wi-Fi
To book your stay call
GET IN TOUCH NOW TO ADVERTISE WITH US
0141 465 2960 30/07/2018 16:06
ability MAGAZINE
Nothing is Impossible... TRAVEL REVIEWS
Expert travel reviews to help you make the best choice when booking your holiday.
PRODUCTS
An innovative mix of products to support you in everyday living.
EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION
Regular columns and features on getting your dream job. Providing advice on CVs, interview tips and much more.
PERSONAL STORIES
Inspiring tales from our readers.
COMPETITIONS
Exclusive competitions that give you the chance to win dream holidays, amazing products and once in a lifetime experiences.
HEALTH AND FITNESS
We look at sports and activities available for you to get involved in to help you lead a healthy lifestyle.
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29/07/2018 22:35
TAKING CHARITY TO THE NEXT LEVEL At Platinum Stairlifts we pride ourselves in ensuring the freedom to enjoy life. Our mission is to show that a stairlift is only a sitdown escalator: after all, getting a stairlift is only the beginning of a new and exciting life. On this occasion, our stairlift enables women to receive vital support from Monklands Women’s Aid in North Lanarkshire. We donated a Platinum Curve over two years ago and it has enabled the great people of Monklands to take their work to the next level. Read more on our blog www.platinumstairlifts.com/monklands
RECEIVE A FREE QUOTE TODAY… AND TAKE YOUR LIFE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. Hand-built in the UK Curved & straight stairlifts Ideal for narrow stairs Suitable for heavy duty Fast installation
CALL TODAY 0800 035 5591 WWW.PLATINUMSTAIRLIFTS.COM
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30/07/2018 16:23
The Ultimate Driving Machine
SMART, SPACIOUS OR SPORTY? FIND A BMW THAT FITS YOUR LIFE. THE NEW BMW 2 SERIES GRAN TOURER AND ACTIVE TOURER.
THE BMW RANGE. AVAILABLE FROM £249 ADVANCE PAYMENT.* • The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is available from £249 Advance Payment and the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer from £399 Advance Payment. • Range also includes the BMW 1 Series Sports Hatch (3-door and 5-door), BMW 2 Series Coupe, BMW 2 Series Convertible, BMW 3 Series Saloon and Touring and BMW X1. • Selected models are accessible to drivers under 25 years old. • Choose from manual or automatic transmission. • BMW Navigation and BMW Emergency Call come as standard, with metallic paint at no extra cost. • Get a brand new BMW every three years with insurance, service and maintenance all covered.
Let’s find the right BMW for you. Contact a Motability Scheme Specialist at your local BMW Centre. Alternatively, call 0800 325 600 or visit bmw.co.uk/motability. Official fuel economy figures for the BMW range available on the Motability Car Scheme: Urban 32.8–57.6mpg (8.6–4.9 I/100km). Extra Urban 50.4–70.6mpg (5.6–4 I/100km). Combined 42.2–65.7 (6.7-4.3 I/100km). CO2 emissions 153–114g/km. Figures are obtained in a standardised test cycle. They are intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not be representative of what a user achieved under usual driving conditions.
Models shown are the BMW 220i M Sport Gran Tourer (auto) from £1,999 Advance Payment, the BMW 218i Sport Active Tourer from £499 Advance Payment, the BMW 118i SE 5-door Sports Hatch from £299 Advance Payment, the BMW 320i Sport Saloon from £2,199 Advance Payment and the BMW X1 sDrive18i xLine from £1,499 Advance Payment. All models on the Motability Scheme offer optional metallic paint at no extra cost. Models featured may include options at an additional cost. Motability Scheme vehicles are leased to customers by Motability Operations Limited (Registered Company No. 1373876), City Gate House, 22 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9HB. To qualify you must be in receipt of the Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), the Enhanced Rate Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS) or the Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) and applications must be made with participating Retailers between 2 July - 30 September 2018. Prices are correct at time of publication and subject to availability and may change.
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30/07/2018 16:24