Ability Needs Winter Q1 2023

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Peacock

The Liquick X-treme catheter system is a readyto-use catheter for intermittent catheterisation that is designed to be intuitive and simple to apply virtually anywhere you need – for X-treme independance and comfort. The new Liquick X-treme Plus catheter system has a preconnected urine bag making it convenient to use whenever you need to catheterise yourself. For further information or for free samples, please contact us. www.teleflex-homecare.co.uk

Holidays - Visiting Australia – Four years after his last visit, John is back in Australia and recounts his problems experienced flying there and shares some wonderful places to see

DOOR OPENERS

By using our Access Control systems you can make any door accessible via our Door Opener or alternatively be alerted by someone at your door, establish who they are and the purpose of their visit and then let them in, if required via one of our many styles of Door Latch Release

WINDOW/CURTAIN OPENERS

METHODS OF CONTROL

Royal Borough of Greenwich launches new internship programme for young people with SEND

ANEW programme has been launched in Royal Greenwich to help young people with learning disabilities and autism take their first steps into employment. Through our Supported Internships scheme, we’re funding a year-long programme to help students with an Education, Health and Care Plan get a foot on the working ladder.

Partnering with Berkeley Homes, DFN Project Search, Shooters Hill College and Unity Works the programme will help young people aged 18 to 24 get vital experience in the workplace, helping them build confidence and learn new skills.

The unique programme has already helped eight interns into placements with Berkeley, with more roles opening in the coming weeks between Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and Newhaven School. The interns will gain experience in office positions with Berkeley and other businesses at the Royal Arsenal Riverside. Box Cleaning is offering hands-on roles maintaining the development and interns will help

property management company Rendall & Rittner in their customer service team. Each of the interns are supported by a job coach from Unity Works, as well as a tutor from Shooters Hill College.

In previous schemes run by DFN Project SEARCH, students have achieved a 60% employment rate for jobs with over 16 hours of work per week, in an integrated setting.

Councillor Matt Morrow, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “Young people with learning difficulties are often excluded despite offering so much; we want to show employers that there are a generation of hard-working and capable young people ready to hit the ground running in Royal Greenwich. Supported Internships provide real, meaningful work and experience to young people and give them a great platform to gain full-time employment later down the line.”

Karl Whiteman, Divisional Managing Director for Berkeley East Thames, said: “At Berkeley, we’re always keen to invest in our community and provide opportunities for local people. I am pleased that we’ve been able to organise this programme and give local young people the experience and skills that can only come from the working world. We are looking forward to mentoring these interns over the coming year at Royal Arsenal Riverside and grateful to the Royal Borough of Greenwich for asking us to be partners in the project."

Emma Lord, London & South East England Programme Specialist at DFN Project SEARCH, commented: “We are delighted to be working in such a great partnership to launch this new DFN Project SEARCH supported Internship programme. This is an exciting opportunity for these young adults in Greenwich to learn competitive and meaningful skills within Berkeley.”

Supported Internships will last for about a year, with the opportunity for three different placements on rotation. To find out more contact 0208 921 5974.

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W E L C O M E T O S C O O T E R S T O R E L I M I T E D

Scooter Store Limited is an established company with over twentyfive years’ experience, which has become very popular especially with the elderly and disabled community nationwide.

The concept of a small, easy to use store for securing mobility vehicles has been extremely well received by many local authorities. Housing Associations, County, City and Borough Councils as well as charitable organisations have installed Scooter Stores throughout the country with great success; whilst thousands have been exported to Europe. This has solved storage and independence issues for many people.

In our experience we have found that many people who use mobility scooters find it very difficult getting their scooter in and out of their property without help or assistance. Storing them in living rooms and hallways is not always ideal as they take up a lot of room and can cause fire hazards.

The scooter store itself is simple and was designed in response to a demand from the public. The standard unit is 1525mm long x 1220mm wide x 1070mm high and made of 2mm steel the store comes in a green finish. Bespoke scooter stores can be manufactured to different sizes to suit your specific mobility scooter requirements. Our Scooter Stores are delivered flat packed for installation to inaccessible places and are installed by our fully trained engineers. Our scooter stores are all push button controlled and fully lockable. A socket for charging the scooter is provided within the store. The Scooter Store requires very little maintenance.

The Scooter Store is such a marvellous alternative which is secure and theft proof, and because it is so easy to use independence can be greatly improved for mobility vehicle users.

Our contact details are: Scooter Store Limited, Unit 11 Riverside Business Park, Cambridge Road, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2HE. Tel: 01279 453565. www.scooterstoreltd.com

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www.classiccanes.co.uk

Classic Canes supply retailers across the UK with their 500strong range of elegant and fashionable walking sticks and folding canes. The Somersetbased family business is run by Charlotte Gillan, who also designs many of the exclusive patterns for which the company is so renowned. New designs at present include this cat print cane, based on the resident cats at Classic Canes, as well as hedgehogs, puffins, dragonflies and a host of other British flora and fauna. Charlotte explains, “We believe walking sticks should be every bit as beautiful as they are practical. Many people enjoy making a fashion statement with their cane and want something special that they don’t see everyone else using. Matching a cane to an outfit is great fun and good for morale too.”

Stockists’ details: www.classiccanes.co.uk

visit

to view our full range and find a stockist. Trade enquiries welcome.

Providing independence & comfort through standing

Designed and developed in the Midlands over the past 15 years the Genie V2 is one of the most advanced wheelchairs available. Combining advanced engineering and practical design, the Genie provides independence and comfort for all levels of dependency.

At Genie Wheelchairs we pride ourselves on developing practical and affordable solutions  that make your day to day life that little bit easier! Appropriate for all levels of dependency  from our basic model through to a complete care system tailored to each individual.

The Genie V2 has been designed with your everyday needs in mind, providing upper and lower body support to allow washing, air circulation and relief from pressure pain. The ability to stand opens up many possibilities such as access to previously inaccessible places or even getting back into the workplace as many of our Genie users have, whilst providing everyday health benefits such as aiding circulation and digestion. Standing is an important part of maintaining good health. The Genie can aid in the prevention of bladder problems and assist with bone development and pressure management.

The Genie V2 is incredibly easy to manoeuvre, light and compact when stored. It is easily folded away  into a cube which is ideal for transportation on  planes or in non converted vehicles, enabling you to  do more and go further in comfort. Providing  independence for yourself and your carer is our  main aim.

With its range of control options from the attendant  control system, which allows a carer or family  member to drive, stand and manage comfort to our  unique head control system allowing you to use all  functions of the Genie just by head movement  alone. The Genie V2 comes complete with hygienic,  easytouse toilet facilities that can revolutionise your  quality of life. All features are removable depending  on your needs. When you can sit, recline, stand up  and be mobile in safety without leaving the chair the  possibilities are endless.

Everyone’s needs can change. All the Genie’s facilities and functions can  be added or removed easily at any time to  suit your requirements as an individual.   Our base unit is easily adapted to  accommodate a wide range of additional features, from vehicle docking systems to our unique head control system. And when  it comes to one off customization at Genie  wheelchairs nothing is impossible, from ventilator shelving to customised seating if  you have any special requirements let us  know. Nothing is too much when it comes  to your comfort and independence.

The Motability Scheme supports families in staying mobile by offering a unique, allinclusive leasing package for brand new cars from all the major manufacturers. If you care for a child or someone who doesn’t drive, you can be added as a named driver instead. And as well as standard cars from a range of manufacturers, adaptations, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles, scooters and powered wheelchairs are available too.

If anyone in your household is in receipt of a higher rate mobility allowance such as DLA or PIP, they can exchange this to lease a car or scooter. As a carer, you may be able to do this on their behalf—for example, as a parent of a disabled child. There are three ways carers can help: as a named driver, appointee or nominee.

Some Scheme customers don’t drive or simply choose to have their spouses or friends as named drivers for convenience, so they can take a break

from driving once in a while! Up to three named drivers are included as part of the lease.

Appointees are assigned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or Veterans UK and are solely responsible for collecting benefits for the disabled person, as well as deciding how they are used. An appointee can apply to join the Motability Scheme on a disabled person’s behalf and will then be legally responsible for the lease agreement. It’s the appointee’s responsibility to ensure that the Scheme car is used for the right purpose and that the disabled person has full access to it.

A nominee is one or more persons nominated to act on behalf of the customer. Nominees can make minor changes to customer details, such as changing the address, but they are not legally responsible for the lease in the same way an appointee is.

For more information about carers, visit www.motability.co.uk/about-the-scheme/info-for-carers

Sensory Seating Range

Lalloo is a medical device that o ers an alternative to the ordinary sitting position. It’s an ergonomic seat in 6 sizes from baby to adult and can be used with legs crossed or outside of the seat. Due to its form, it’s encompassing, reassuring and allows the user to be more calm by inviting them to relax in a comfortable secluded seat.

A variety of accessories are available for those who need a little assistance to nd a bene cial posture in their Lalloo.

Lalloo brings a real inclusive solution and integrates into many environments such as Schools, Sensory Rooms, Respite Centres, Day Centres, Nurseries and at Home.

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A l o o k b a c k at o u r c am p ai g n s u c c es s e s i n 2 0 2 2

IN2022, together with our amazing supporters, RNID achieved great success in several campaigns, which are already having a huge positive effect on the deaf community and people with hearing loss. Thank you to everyone involved in helping us campaign for change.

Here are a few key wins:

• BSL Act Now!

By working collaboratively with other deaf organisations, led by the British Deaf Association, we successfully campaigned for the BSL Act 2022, to give legal recognition to British Sign Language (BSL).

The Act will create greater recognition and understanding of BSL, and inclusion and equality for BSL users by:

•Legally recognising BSL as a language for England, Wales, and Scotland.

•Requiring government departments to report on how they are promoting and facilitating the use of BSL.

•Providing guidance to government departments and public bodies on how to meet the needs of people who use BSL as their first or preferred language.

Now that we have the BSL Act 2022, we will continue working with the other organisations involved in the campaign to ensure the Government meets their commitments to the Act.

• 999 BSL

Since June, people needing support from the emergency services across the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) have been able to call 999 using British Sign Language (BSL) via a free video relay service. This means that BSL signers will have equal access to the fire, police, ambulance and coastguard emergency services.

Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, believes this will save at least 2 lives per year, and we’re continuing to work with SignHealth and Ofcom to ensure it is meeting the needs of our community, and with organisations across the deaf sector to ensure that VRS is widely offered, including in key public services used by BSL signers.

• Hands off our hearing aids

After 8 years of campaigning, we’ve successfully kept hearing aids free on the NHS for everyone who needs them.

• Subtitle it!

In July, with RNIB we handed in a joint petition with over 25,000 signatures, calling on the government to introduce legally binding subtitle, signing and audio description quotas to show it’s time to make on-demand TV accessible. Because so many people signed the petition we have recently met with the relevant Government Minister, Julia Lopez MP, and made the case that these quotas need to be imposed as quickly as possible.

We’re continuing to campaign for subtitles on programmes and more accessible content so that everybody can enjoy watching TV.

• Ear wax removal campaign

Many people in our community have told us it’s difficult to access NHS earwax removal services, so we’re campaigning to make this vital service free to anyone who needs it. If you’ve been denied wax removal on the NHS then you can take action now and contact your MP to ask that they fight for a local service.

For more information visit www.rnid.org.uk

N I B r e s p o n d s t o g u i d a n c e f r o m t h e E l e c t o r a l C o m m i s s i o n f o r

R e t u r n i n g O f f i c e r s

THE right to vote independently, and in secret, is a cornerstone of our democracy. Yet blind and partially sighted people continue to face unacceptable barriers.

As a result of our ‘Blind Voters Count’ campaign and the tireless work of Conservative peer Lord Holmes, the Government backed changes that strengthened the legislative wording of the Elections Act. It also introduced new responsibilities for the Electoral Commission, including one to create guidance for Returning Officers on their requirement to deliver an independent and secret vote for voters with sight loss and other disabled voters.

Eleanor Thompson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) said: “Following the publication of new draft Electoral Commission accessibility guidance for Returning Officers, we’re seriously concerned that it’s not fit for purpose when it comes to making the voting experience accessible for people with sight loss.

“The proposed guidance fails to address the fundamental barriers that blind and partially sighted people face at the polling station when it comes to accessibility. It doesn’t provide clear advice on what equipment would facilitate a private vote, nor information about how to support blind and partially sighted voters in the polling station, nor advice on how to reach blind and partially sighted voters using their preferred formats like braille or large print before the election. How can Returning Officers enable an independent and secret vote if the very guidance written to support them fails to recognise the barriers blind and partially sighted people face?

“Additionally, there’s no acknowledgement that the Tactile Voting Device, a plastic template that can be placed over the ballot paper to help voters with sight loss locate the voting boxes, doesn’t create an accessible voting experience on its own.

“The successful implementation of the Elections Act is dependent on the quality of the Electoral Commission’s guidance. It’s vital that the experiences and needs of people with sight loss are taken into account. Given the visual nature of voting, blind and partially sighted people face a unique set of challenges.

“We urgently call on the Electoral Commission to take stock of our concerns, rethink its approach and work with us to improve its guidance as a matter of urgency, so that all blind and partially sighted people can exercise their right to voting independently and in secret.”

For more information visit www.rnib.org.uk

Google.org announced their support for learning disability charity Mencap, granting the charity an incredible £500,000 to help it support people with a learning disability as they navigate the internet. Mencap is thrilled to receive this grant, that over the next year it will use to create better information and resources for the learning disability community online, building the next generation of digital citizens.

Mencap know that being online and using social media can be a great way for people with a learning disability to connect with others and build positive friendships and relationships which can often be difficult in a society where sadly many can be quite isolated. However, people with a learning disability face a range of online harms such as financial scamming, harassment and even threats of violence, often heightening the stigma and discrimination they already face every day. For too long people with a learning disability have not been included in conversations about online safety, leaving them vulnerable.

This generous grant will allow the charity to create a range of inclusive content to support people with learning disabilities to make the most out of the digital world. It will also deliver wrap-around care and support, including mentorship and in person classes. Mencap will invest in community engagement, working with people with a learning disability to create peer learning opportunities, and create accessible communications.

The money will also allow Mencap to fund robust research in this area and create content for young people, families, carers and teachers, to help them understand how people with a learning disability interact online. This will involve creating content and materials which can be used in schools as well as to help shape policy around online harms for young people with a learning disability.

Mencap hope that this project will be a game changer for young people with a learning disability, enabling future generations to develop new skills, shop, work, make new friends and feel part of society, helping them access all the positives that can be found online. The funding comes alongside the opening of the first dedicated Accessibility Discovery Centre outside of the US. This facility will drive research and development in accessible technology.

Edel Harris OBE, Chief Executive of Mencap said: "We are thrilled to receive this funding from Google.org to create accessible online harms content and delivering training for young people with a learning disability to stay safe online. There are 1.5 million people in the UK living with a learning disability and we know that while being online and using social media can be a great way for them to connect with others, build communities and tackle loneliness it can also be a place where they receive bullying, abuse or are victim to scamming.

“Mencap has been campaigning around online harms to ensure that some of the most vulnerable people in society have accessible support and resources to be safe online. This funding will enable us to do muchneeded research and deliver accessible co-produced resources so that young people with a learning disability will be able to develop new online skills, shop, work, make new friends and feel part of online communities – just like everyone else.”

Rowan Barnett, Director of Google.org EMEA said: “When people have equitable access to information and opportunities, everyone wins. We know that technology — and working directly with people with disabilities themselves — are key to helping us achieve this goal. I am delighted that we are able to support Mencap with funding for their critical work to deliver digital citizenship and online safety education for young people with learning disabilities in the UK.”

Mencap receives £500,000 funding from Google.org to deliver accessible online harms training, to help support people with a learning disability online

Vapor Ricon Europe is a well-known name when it comes to accessibility solutions and its range of lifts and ramps have helped wheelchair and scooter users in their thousands over the years.

Its range of vehicle access solutions cater for a variety of needs; whether it’s a smaller scale split folding ramp or a more robust option that can accommodate the ever popular all terrain wheelchairs the team, at its Loughborough headquarters, are on hand to offer advice and guidance to ensure the right solution is found for each customer.

It is this commitment to the highest levels of

service combined with the quality of its products that has seen the team achieve the highest standards in a recent quality audit to retain its ISO 9001: 20015 certification.

This is hugely reassuring for its customers and means that anyone choosing Vapor Ricon Europe for their vehicles access solution can be confident that they are dealing with one of the best in the business.

“We have been developing solutions to assist those with limited mobility access transport services and vehicles for many years now and have a portfolio of renowned products,” said Michael Dickinson, Sales Manager, Vapor Ricon Europe. “This audit accreditation highlights to our customers, both existing and prospective, our commitment to not only developing market leading products, but also doing this in a responsible way, where all our business operations are carefully managed.”

Vapor Ricon is proud to offer a wide range of domestic and commercial products to aid vehicular access for those with limited mobility.

To find out more about the company visit https://vaporricon.co.uk/

ADAPT ABILITY

We asked one of our customers about the impact the Omeo has had on their life, and how it has a ected their view of their disability...

If the Omeo has improved your quality of life, could you describe the sort of improvements that you are experiencing? The Omeo has given me back my independence! I am able to go out on my own without having to think about whether I can navigate the terrain and the footpaths. I can go shopping independently and I can now take the dogs out, across elds and beaches. Facilities without disabled access are easier to navigate, with the Omeo being narrower than a manual wheelchair and I have the ability to turn 360 degrees in a very small turning circle without issue. It is a magni cent piece of equipment!

Has the Omeo made any impact on how you view your disability? My experience of being disabled up until I purchased the Omeo, was upsetting. When out with my family, I found people would not talk directly to me, as if they either thought I didn't exist, or believed I was incapable of speaking for myself. While I have a physical disability, I have a mind of my own and want to be seen as a 'normal' person with my own decisions, ideas and capabilities. This was not the case, which left me feeling isolated. The Omeo is a trendy piece of equipment, which is fascinating to all ages. I recently took a weekend to Butlins in Bognor Regis, with friends and was stopped on many occasions whilst people asked me questions about the Omeo, or simply admired it. I no longer felt like a disabled person in a wheelchair, but a person riding a state of the art engineering masterpiece.

What are some of the things that you are looking forward to now that you have purchased an Omeo? I have a holiday booked for next year to Cyprus and this is the rst holiday, since being disabled, that I will be able to go to the beach and ride along the sand, which I am very much looking forward to. I will be returning to Covent Garden, where I will be able to negotiate the cobblestones and I am generally looking forward to be able to access attractions/locations, without the worry of whether I will be able to get in. I have already enjoyed days out with my dogs and the family, and it is a wonderful feeling not having to rely on someone else to help.

If there is one word you would use to describe your experience using an Omeo, what would that word be? This is a particularly tough one, because there are many, but for me the word that stands out the most is INDEPENDENCE!

If you think the Omeo could have a positive impact on your life, why not contact us via our website or call us to BOOK A FREE TRIAL and give it a try!

‘I no longer feel like a disabled person in a wheelchair, but a person riding a state of the art engineering masterpiece’

S u p p o r t i n g a d i s a b l e d c h i l d : r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e f o r p a r e n t s a n d c a r e g i v e r s

IF you’re a parent or caregiver of a disabled child, there are several resources available to help support you. It’s important to know what you can access, to help you to give your child the best care possible

Become familiar with your local council

Firstly, it’s worth contacting your local council and requesting a needs assessment from the social care team They can help to guide you on the support available for the disabled child you care for. This could include some financial aid to help with everyday costs, at-home care, some home aids and adaptations, play schemes in the school holidays and even short break services

Take a well-deserved break

Also known as ‘respite care’, there are some shortterm services that can help you take a break from caring for a disabled child – for example, local clubs and activities for children with disabilities Your local council will be able to tell you what options are available in your area There’s a postcode search on the Government website (www gov uk/apply-shortterm-care-for-child) to help you find what support is available

Accessibility support when out and about

If you don’t already have one, consider getting a Blue Badge to help you find accessible parking when you’re out and about The scheme is there to help disabled people park nearer to venues so that they are able to go places more easily – and the badges are £10 in England, £20 in Scotland and free in Wales.

Get help with extra costs

If your child is under 16 and meets all eligibility requirements, you could apply for the Government’s Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children. It can help with the extra costs of looking after a child As of December 2022, the rate is between £24 45 and £156 90 a week – the amount awarded depends on the level of help the child needs

You could also be eligible for Carer’s Allowance, which is up to £69 70 a week as of December 2022 This allowance is for someone who cares for a child for over 35 hours a week, where the child is in receipt of certain disability benefits – such as the middle or higher rate care component of DLA

Enjoy worry-free motoring

If your child receives DLA, you could consider applying for the Motability Scheme on their behalf. The Motability Scheme provides worry-free access to a brand-new car, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV), scooter or powered wheelchair, in exchange for your qualifying weekly mobility allowance

With over 640,000 people across the UK already on the Scheme, it can be a great help in giving you and your child a greater sense of independence and freedom. You can find out more information at www motability co uk/how-it-works/

Have more choice and flexibility with a Personal Health Budget

With the agreement of your local NHS team, you may be able to agree upon a Personal Health Budget to access the support your child needs This is essentially an opportunity to redirect spending, giving you more choice on how you wish money is spent when it comes to your disabled child’s care.

Seek out social groups and forums

It goes without saying that as a carer, you also need to look after your own personal health and wellbeing. Talking to other parents of disabled children through online forums, Facebook groups, or in-person group activities can be reassuring No two caring experiences are the same, but talking to someone who can relate can help to lighten the load and boost your confidence.

Take the time to talk

Lastly, it’s important to be open and honest. Talk to your family, friends and healthcare providers about how you’re feeling – and if you need it, ask them for support

Interested in joining the Scheme?

The Motability Scheme offers an all-inclusive package. If you receive a qualifying mobility allowance you can use it to lease a car, scooter, powered wheelchair or Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle. The Scheme provides flexible and hassle-free access to a brand-new, reliable vehicle of your choice Request a free information pack at w w w.m o t a b i l i t y.c o .u k / h o w -i t - w o r k s / s c h e m e - i n f o r m a t i o n

YET AGAINthere have been stories in the media about disabled people having a really poor experience of flying. What has at times appeared to be one off stories in the press, the poor level of performance has been confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Their recently published interim airport accessibility report listed a number of British airports that needed to do better, but also criticised Heathrow Airport. The report states that many passengers missed flights, but did not give a number

The latest example is of eight-year-old Tony Hudgell, a double amputee who had been on holiday with his family. His wheelchair, when it was eventually returned, was damaged When I was an athlete flying was always a

Tanni’s View

Baroness

Grey-Thompson DBE writes for Ability Needs

nervous thing to do. Worrying that my racing chair might not arrive was only equalled by the worry that it might be damaged and impossible to repair. My day chair was only occasionally lost or damaged, but the one time it went missing it was really bad. The airline originally tried to say that the item that I was missing was a sleeping bag. They arrived with it at my house and tried to hand it over even though it had a tag on it with someone else’s name and going to a different destination. My chair came back several months later cut in half. The person who delivered this back to me actually asked if I could fix it by using some duct tape. Now duct tape is incredible but I am not sure that it was going to fix my day chair.

Tony Hudgell’s chair was apparently put on the conveyor belt and that was also a massive

fear that my chair would come out this way rather than through oversize baggage. And it has been reported that this year several athletes missed the Peachtree 10km road race because their chairs didn’t arrive. World number 1 Marcel Hug was one of the athletes to be affected. The race is in Atlanta, home to Hartsfield-Jackson airport, which is the biggest airport in the world. This should not be an excuse. On the back of Covid there are challenges, and I am told that it has not been easy to get staff. However, it does appear to be worse than it used to be or perhaps it is more that there are more stories in the press than there used to be. Social media has undoubtedly helped get the stories out there.

It is easy to list all the problems, but much harder to find solutions. A number of airports were listed as very good, which is good to know. One of them, London City, is one that I would choose to fly from if I could. It is not a big airport so there isn’t a long way to walk. The downside is that there is not much to ‘do’ there if a flight is delayed, but I have always been boarded in a timely way and never really had to wait to get off.

There is a really good blog online by Rebekah Taussig about what it is like to fly as a disabled

person, but also flying with her child. How hard it can be to fly with a toddler but then the relief when she gets off and her wheelchair is there.

We have come around again to looking at whether there should be an option of disabled people flying in their own wheelchairs. This is not something that I would wish to do because my chair is not set up in a way that would make it work, but I can see why people would want to. I can’t see this happening anytime soon as if they can’t get it right for people in a manual chair to fly, I don’t see how they can get anything else to work. That doesn’t mean to say that we shouldn’t try to make it happen. I at least hope that the airports take this latest report seriously and take meaningful action.

In researching for this article, I somehow managed to get on to disaster planning from around the world (the internet is a marvellous thing) and found many articles saying that disabled people are ignored. The UN have some interesting articles about how disabled people are treated in humanitarian contexts. It is not happy reading, but it is insightful and gives some interesting context about the value that is placed on disabled people. That debate is for another time.

Crelling Harnesses Ltd.

Crelling Harnesses manufacture a full range of special needs harnesses suitable for use on all kinds of equipment including wheelchairs, buggies, scooters, shower chairs, bathing equipment, stair lifts and seats in cars, buses and aircraft etc.

The vehicle harnesses are designed to be worn in conjunction with the existing safety belts to provide additional postural support and/or to offer a certain degree of restraint when used for those passengers with behavioural problems or learning difficulties.

We are Through Floor Lift Company, a small family run business. We are based in Cheshire but cover all the UK. We specialise in installing reconditioned lifts and also supply and fit new lifts too, and repair and remove them for you. We can sometimes purchase your old unused lift that you may no longer require.

A review from our Facebook page: Huge thanks to Sam and through floor lift company for their fabulous product and exemplary services. They have just fitted a lift into the home of my good friend who has lost a leg due to cancer. They made it possible for her to stay in her own home. www.facebook.com/throughfloorlift

Through Floor Lift Company, Unit 10 Wallace court, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 3PD Tel: 07703055447 www.throughfloorliftcompany.co.uk

Having installed approaching a million stairlifts globally, Acorn is a dynamic industry leader in innovation and design. At the forefront of Acorn’s sustained growth has been its unique FastTrack® modular rail system for curved staircases.

This pioneering system enables Acorn engineers to fit a bespoke curved stairlift in just a few hours by assembling ready-made rail sections on site to precisely follow the contours of a customer’s staircase. A survey of each staircase determines which rail sections are needed, meaning Acorn can fit a curved stairlift within days of a customer inquiry – even next day if urgency is key.

Acorn has wholly-owned subsidiaries operating in Italy, Germany, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, where it is the market leader for stairlifts. Its UK-made stairlifts are exported to around 80 countries worldwide so that somewhere in the world, an Acorn stairlift is installed every eight minutes.

Evolution of Acorn’s stairlifts through research and development is an ongoing process, with refinements and improvements continually being made. Their build

quality has been recognised by several awards and commendations, including the Arthritis Foundation's prestigious Ease-of-Use commendation.

The way Acorn operates as a responsible business has also been officially recognised, first through the Government-endorsed 'TrustMark' award and more recently through membership of the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) and the Trading Standards Approved 'Buy With Confidence' scheme.

Valued customer feedback continues to guide product development and customer service procedures, with Acorn maintaining an ‘Excellent’ rating on leading independent online review site Trustpilot.

Because stairlifts are all that Acorn does, its aim is simple – to be the best provider of stairlifts in the world.

Mrs. Taylorson,

Eddie

Keep young and beautiful

Ij u s t s a w A u n t i e B a r b a r a . Sh e i s n o t a c t u a l l y m y a u n t b u t o n e o f t h o s e s p e c i a l l a di e s w h o i s s o c l o s e t o t h e f a m i l y t h a t t h e y be c o m e p a r t o f i t We l l , a s I s a i d , I j u s t s a w h e r i n o u r f r o n t g a r d e n s o r t i n g t h e w e e d s f r o m t h e f l o w e r s a n d g e n e r a l l y t i d y i n g u p . T h i s m i g h t n o t s o u n d m u c h t o y o u , b u t A u n t i e B a r b a r a i s o n e r e m a r k a b l e l a d y. Sh e i s a n a v i d g a r d e n e r w h i c h , o n i t s o w n i s a d m i t t e dl y n o t r e m a r k a b l e . I t i s e xt r e m e l y h a n d y f o r u s a s n e i t h e r m y w i f e n o r I a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y k e e n I n m y c a s e , m y l a c k o f e n t h u s i a s m i s m a t c h e d o n l y b y m y f r i g h t e n i n g l e v e l o f i n e p t i t u d e .

certainly not be deterred by the vagaries of our climate.

Winter is now upon us, and this inevitably drives us indoors and onto that comfy settee in front of the TV. Whilst this is a pleasure it inevitably makes us less active. Our muscles become stiff, and it is just human nature to snuggle up indoors. I suggest that it is also time to pay attention to ourselves.

We have a responsibility to look after our minds and bodies. There are plenty of seemingly humdrum tasks that we can attend to. There is a known progression in later years in which we gradually lose our capacity to look after ourselves. If we don`t pay attention, the road to needing care can be worryingly short.

I just saw Auntie Barbara. She is not actually my aunt but one of those special ladies who is so close to the family that they become part of it. Well, as I said, I just saw her in our front garden sorting the weeds from the flowers and generally tidying up. This might not sound much to you, but Auntie Barbara is one remarkable lady. She is an avid gardener which, on its own is admittedly not remarkable. It is extremely handy for us as neither my wife nor I are particularly keen. In my case, my lack of enthusiasm is matched only by my frightening level of ineptitude.

When we moved here many years ago Barbara asked if we would mind if she “looked after” our front garden. It was frankly a disaster area as the previous owners had demonstrated a clear loathing of things horticultural.

There are numerous activities which provide a clear measure of decline and the earlier these are addressed, the better for everyone. This extends eventually to include the highly stressed NHS workers.

There are many ways to stay active and more subtle. It is not necessary to take up running marathons, roller skating or cycling up Ben Nevis (is that even possible?).

When we moved here many years ago Barbara asked if we would mind if she “looked after” our front garden. It was frankly a disaster area as the previous owners had demonstrated a clear loathing of things horticultural. What makes Auntie Barbara so exceptional is that she is 91 years old. I can reveal that she not only tends to her own garden expertly, but she also keeps an eye on ours and her daughters. Her daughter lives 60 miles away and Barbara still enjoys travelling there using her bus pass through at least 3 different counties. It takes all day, but she enjoys the views from upstairs and the people she meets. The point in sharing this anecdote is that Barbara is living testimony to longevity. It`s no accident that she is so impressively active. She has had her share of medical problems, but despite these and her age, she is a very active elderly lady. Gardening is just a reflection of her busy and engaging approach to life. She will certainly not be deterred by the vagaries of our climate. Winter is now upon us, and this inevitably drives us indoors and onto that comfy settee in front of the TV. Whilst this is a pleasure it inevitably makes us less active. Our muscles become stiff, and it is just human nature to snuggle up indoors. I suggest that it is also time to pay attention to ourselves.

What makes Auntie Barbara so exceptional is that she is 91 years old. I can reveal that she not only tends to her own garden expertly, but she also keeps an eye on ours and her daughters. Her daughter lives 60 miles away and Barbara still enjoys travelling there using her bus pass through at least 3 different counties. It takes all day, but she enjoys the views from upstairs and the people she meets. The point in sharing this anecdote is that Barbara is living testimony to longevity. It`s no accident that she is so impressively active. She has had her share of medical problems, but despite these and her age, she is a very active elderly lady. Gardening is just a reflection of her busy and engaging approach to life. She will

Such efforts have their benefits, but for most of us they are both undesirable and impractical. Simple acts such as housework, hoovering and dusting keep the mind and body in

Eddie Peacock has worked in the mobility industry for “rather a long time”. He enjoyed a challenging career having started by selling wheelchairs, scooters and stairlifts for Sunrise Medical, eventually working his way to the position of UK sales manager. After a period as a self-employed consultant he was invited to manage movingpeople.net, then Handicare Ltd, in

We have a responsibility to look after our minds and bodies. There are plenty of

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better shape.

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Biscuits and chocolate are good for the soul but don`t overdo it.

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os ustgnomadnretnom ohots tsiivdnas ot rseuoevigotemit oreauoyfI?steteyeta !seuohr uoyotemco oh,ydobr uoyfodner e bixelfr uoyforesuaemy evahlufseuebdlucoti

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Peacock

One common trend amongst us oldies is the ability to fall over. Falls contribute broken bones and visits to hospitals and these lead to even further complications.

Now is a good ahtgnivah conevelliw

tetubr itncos llaFr.evoll noitcailpmcor ehrtufnev bawoH.TOMfortsoa onwoknllewenodnae

Now is a good time to give ourselves a quick once over, a sort of MOT. How about having that eye test? If you are old enough, they are free and one well known will even come to your house!

Athtoeht yrlaenas i lanrsoep

evahlufs euebdlucoti dnagnkilawr oflufseut r.eihtlaehpekedna

oynaC?teefr uoyreawo otytciapcadnaytilibre ca stidoproichehtottsiiva

lianeotnwor uoytcuuo rofr e.flrseuoyithout beingW st wlayllanrsoepevahI ithout ,lanrsoep teefdnuof ahtgnres t

At the other end of your body, how are your feet? Can you cut your own toenails? is an early measure of your flexibility and capacity to care for yourself. Without personal, it could be useful have a visit to the chiropodist. I have personally always found feet useful for walking and taking a regular stroll is one simple way to build strength and keep healthier.

We should make sure that we eat properly. My mum always made sure we ate plenty of vegetables. Mums are always right, although I still can`t stand brussel sprouts. We need calcium to keep our bones strong. Milk, cheese, yogurt, and eggs will do the trick. Biscuits and chocolate are good for the soul but don`t overdo it.

One common trend amongst us oldies is the ability to fall over. Falls contribute to broken bones and visits to hospitals and these lead to even further complications.

Now is a good time to give ourselves a quick once over, a sort of MOT. How about having that eye test? If you are old enough, they are free and one well known optician will even come to your house!

rtaehymotseocls icte htiwk lofss eltnucotem dnareehttuos seaseide

stidopr oichehtottsiiva r alugreagnkia tl lros ts i .s twlayllanrsoepevahI iubotyawelpmsienos ejbs us ihT evahdna emsoerug

overcome dreadful disadvantages through determined efforts to keep as mobile as they possibly can. Their physical efforts have fed their mental approach leading to an amazingly positive outlook.

wrs aeytnespevahIs a achlcasiyhpfos rtsolla neseyrlalugreevahId

This subject is close to my heart as I have spent years working in the mobility and have met countless folk with all sorts of physical challenges. There are some gruesome diseases out there and I have regularly seen people overcome dreadful disadvantages through determined efforts to keep as mobile as they possibly can. physical efforts have fed their mental approach leading to an amazingly positive

htnignrkiown iytilibome ms oreareehTs.egnella daredemrcoevoelpoep tnavds aid elcasiyhp enir metedhgurohts egat emr iehtdefevahs rtoe pek eots rtoed ea o ms tgnidaelcharoppalatne ylbssiopyehts aelib oca o tan g nziamae vitsiopyl r iehT.nc

At the other end of your body, how are your feet? Can you cut your own toenails? This is an early measure of your flexibility and capacity to care for yourself. Without being personal, it could be useful have a visit to the chiropodist. I have personally always found feet useful for walking and taking a regular stroll is one simple way to build up strength and keep healthier.

This subject is close to my heart as I have spent years working in the mobility industry and have met countless folk with all sorts of physical challenges. There are some gruesome diseases out there and I have regularly seen people

the UK. In recent years he held the post of Marketing Manager for Mobility which also involved supporting and working with the BHTA.

He has now retired and is looking forward to finding the time to perform useful tasks in the industry, playing drums in a blues band, travelling and most important, being silly with his grandchildren.

Thinking of this led me to the internet and the discovery of a piece of research called “The Life Curve”. This is a concept introduced by a Professor Peter Gore and it makes for very interesting study. If you have access to the internet just pop “The Life Curve” into Google and watch his 10-minute video. If you do not have access, ask someone who does, or take a walk to the library and use their computer. Don`t be shy, they will help you if your IT skills are not quite up to speed!

The thrust of this video and this article is very straight forward. As we get older, we become less mobile or, put another way, more sedentary. That`s obvious, but rather than just accept this as fact, Professor Gore has presented us all with a clear vision of how we can slow down this progression and the importance of staying active longer.

We owe it to ourselves and to everyone else to keep as healthy as possible. If you have any doubts about this, you should ask Auntie Barbara! She is just going for a 20 mile hike…. Only joking, but she is walking into town…

To c o n t a c t E d di e s e n d a n e m a i l t o a b i l i t yn e e d s @b t i n t e r n e t c o m o r w r i t e t o h i m a t A bi l i t y Ne e d s , 7 M o n t g o m e r i e Te r r a c e , Ayr, K A 7 1J L

R e v e r s i n g t h e t r e n d i n e m p l o y m e n t

o f p e o p l e w i t h s i g h t l o s s

BUSINESS, education, and charity sector professionals came together at Belfast City Hall recently for the launch of a key piece of research, entitled ‘Eye Work With You Too’.

Only one in four blind or partially sighted people are in paid employment. A statistic that has not changed in a generation. Alarmingly, blind and partially sighted people with a degree, or higher, still only have the same chance of getting a job as a sighted person with no qualifications. This is despite a noticeable sector-wide push on improving diversity and inclusion practices in recent years, and major developments in technology that enable employees with a visual impairment to work effectively alongside their peers.

The ‘Eye Work With You Too’ research, carried out for RNIB by Dr Rachel Hewett of the Vision Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research at the University of Birmingham, received funding from the UK Community Renewal Fund, to address why this is happening. Dr Hewett interviewed blind and partially sighted people both in work, and not in work, as well as employers, parents and education specialists across Northern Ireland.

The new research revealed that attitudes towards employing someone with sight loss is the biggest barrier people with sight loss here face – due largely to misconceptions of ability, leading to inaccessibility of recruitment practices and inadequate employee support.

RNIB, the UK’s leading sight loss charity, is urging organisations to ‘see the employee, not the sight loss’to ensure those with disabilities, particularly those employees or applicants with sight loss, are included in their efforts to ensure a truly diverse and inclusive workforce.

18-year-old ambitious grammar school student Georgia from Belfast has been registered blind since birth due to a condition called oculocutaneous albinism. Georgia was keen to share her experiences: “A barrier I have faced throughout my life has been the assumption that I cannot do things without being given a chance to try. I am a lot more capable than many would assume.

“I think employers, teachers and careers advisors alike should take time to improve their understanding. People with sight loss are a lot more than a diagnosis on

paper would suggest. We work hard to overcome barriers every day.

“We need to ensure as a society that we are encouraging young people, whether born with a visual impairment or who experience sight loss later in life, that they will be welcome in workplaces, and their varied experiences and skills will be valued alongside their fully sighted peers. You are the people raising, guiding, and employing the next generation of doctors, accountants, politicians and more, so it’s important to remember that your words and actions hold a lot of power to pave the way for future generations.

“I can only hope that universities, careers advisors and employers can see my potential past my challenges and I’m hopeful that my involvement in this research can help educate in the ability beyond disability.”

Robert Shilliday, Director of RNIB Northern Ireland said: “We are an ageing population that stays in work longer, so the prevalence of sight loss is set to rise among working age people. By our estimates, we believe that by 2050 there will be twice as many blind and partially sighted people in the UK than there are at present.

“Employers need to be prepared to support employees who may develop a condition affecting their sight in the future, and to ensure their recruitment practices are fair and accessible. There is the need and opportunity for change.”

RNIB provides advice, support and training to employers wanting to make sure they are prepared for blind and partially sighted applicants and employees who experience sight loss.

Email EmploymentTeamNI@rnib.org.uk or visit www.rnib.org.uk/employers for further information on RNIB’s free eLearning and opportunity to become a ‘Visibly Better Employer’ and enter our 2023 See Differently Awards. Education professionals can find out more about guidance and training in supporting visually impaired learners at rnib.org.uk/education-professionals.

A flourishing network

We’re delighted to share the news that our network of support for spinal cord injured people continues to grow, moving us ever towards our goal of giving every SCI person access to the support they need for all aspects of their mind, body, and life.

December 2022 marks two years since the launch of our business membership scheme, and we’re thrilled to be joined by two fantastic organisations.

SIA shares with these companies’ passion, enthusiasm, and the vision of a fulfilled life for everyone affected by spinal cord injury. Each firm has committed to support our work by joining this thriving network, providing services for SCI people, their families, friends, healthcare professionals, anyone and everyone affected by SCI.

We know just how overwhelming it can be to find the right services to meet your needs, and we passionately believe that every single person affected by SCI should have access to the support they require. That’s what drives us to work with our fantastic business members – complimentary to our trusted partners –who are experts in their sectors, and well aligned to SIA’s ethos.

Our ‘Association for All’ model works on the fundamentals of commitment and collaboration and seeks to benefit the whole SCI community. Working closely with our network of support, we pull together expertise, raise awareness, exercise influence, and deliver fundamental support services fit for everyone affected by SCI.

Our business members are an increasingly important part of the association, and as well as giving funding support for our services, they also bring with them a wealth of specialised skill and expertise, underpinning our services, and raising the profile of the charity and everyone we represent.

Most of our business members have been supporting us for some time, so it’s wonderful to have their ongoing commitment, and we’d like to say a special thank you to the organisations which have renewed their membership for another year this December.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to further our collaboration with organisations, both new and old alike, which share our ethos and values, and thank them all for their tireless commitment to the SCI community.

We’re proud to announce details of the latest organisations who joined our business membership scheme in December.

“Prestige Nursing & Care is delighted to be an SIA member. This membership gives us the opportunity to access research and innovation to be able to provide the best possible service to the people who we support. We have accessed the training provided by SIA in the past and found it to be of a high quality. We look forward to being able to support SIA this year with the variety of events and activities that they have planned.” Dr Sue Jones, Nurse Manager, Prestige Nursing & Care

“I am delighted that Elysium Neurological is joining SIA’s business membership scheme. A number of our specialist in-patient services provide active rehabilitation and support for men and women who have suffered a spinal injury. It is important for us to work closely with external agencies so we can provide the very best, allround service to people who need our services and their families. Our support for SIA and collaborative working will ensure that we can share best practice, information and specialist knowledge to improve the clinical care and outcomes for people with a spinal injury. SIA is recognised as an authority in this area of healthcare, and we are looking forward to achieving more together.” Trevor Irwin, Operations Director –Elysium Healthcare, Neurological Division

Want to join our network?

If your organisation provides services for SCI people and you’d like to support SIA with our vital work, please contacts us to find out more. Details are available on our website (www.spinal.co.uk) and you can get in touch with Reema Goldsmith, business membership coordinator, T: 01908 732132 E: r.goldsmith@spinal.co.uk.

INDUSTRY INSIGHT Improvements

Angus Long

In h is la t e s t m i n i -bu dg e t , t h e ne w c h a nc e l lo r, J e r em y Hu nt , a f o r m e r H ea l t h Sec r e t ar y n o l e s s , a nn o u nc e d t h a t t he NHS w as o ne o f t he f e w p ub li c s ec t o r s e r vi c es t h a t w o n ’t be f a c i ng f un di n g c ut s . I n f a c t , it w i ll b e r e c ei v i ng e xt r a f un di n g t o t he t un e o f £6 6bi l l i o n o ve r t he ne xt t w o ye a r s .

This, Hunt said, was to help address the unprecedented A&E and ambulance pressures as well as record-high backlogs to treatment. His budget also indicates that the social care sector will receive increases in funding of up to £2.8 billion next year and £4.7 billion the following year.

Many will view this as positive. However, without significant reform in the health and social care system, I fear it will do little to address the key problems.

Certainly, the Covid pandemic increased pressure on the health service and still does. But then the principle problems were there before covid and still remain. Fact is, if they are not seriously addressed then things won’t improve.

Two of the biggest problems facing the health service is bed blocking and the delays to ambulances and A&E. I’ll try and explain what I think the main problems are and how they can be addressed.

Firstly, emergency healthcare. There has been much reported recently of people falling seriously ill having to wait ages for an ambulance and even longer to be seen in A&E. The delays to ambulances are mainly down to the huge delays at

A&E, the paramedics can’t leave until they have discharged their patients into the care of the hospital. The delays at A&E are down to unprecedented numbers of people who are there waiting to be seen. Then there are also delays to patients being admitted as there are not enough beds with bed blocking being one of the main causes. (See below).

I think it was the Blair government that decided to close local A&E hospitals in favour of larger regional ones. The reasoning was that the smaller hospitals did not have the equipment and clinical

skills to treat the likes of severe heart failure and strokes. This was true, but the vast majority of people attending A&E don’t suffer from these particular conditions. So unsurprisingly, the larger regional hospital A&E departments are now congested with people who could have been treated much more quickly in the local A&E’s and thus easing the pressure on the regional A&Es. Sadly, despite this being overtly obvious, not a single Health Minister since has made any effort to reverse this insane policy. Hunt being one of them.

Now bed blocking, the common term for ‘delayed transfer of care’. Bed blocking is one of the biggest issues facing the NHS. It’s been estimated that the problem is so bad it costs the NHS around £3billion a year and cancelled operations, due to bed blocking, are thought to cause around 8,000 deaths each year. Bed blocking is when a patient is ready to be discharged but can’t leave hospital because their social care circumstances are not in place. For example, if an elderly person falls at home and breaks their hip, they’re treated for the break in hospital but can’t be discharged until their home environment has been adapted, with the installation of a stairlift for example, to reduce the risk of the fall repeating.

However, it is social services that manage the procurement and installation of home adaptations, not the NHS. Despite both the NHS and social services having a direct impact upon each other, they still operate with a silo mentality.

This is, in my view, probably the biggest problem with healthcare procurement per se. Currently, when the NHS or local authorities

evaluate tenders for equipment or services, the evaluation criteria is restricted to the organisation or department whose budget is funding the purchase. This is wrong, because the health service is a large, multi-structured organisation of many differing departments all impacting upon each other.

This was illustrated a couple of years ago when Durham County Council chose not to award a regional community care contract to a local company. The reason being that it felt the cost benefits to the NHS of being able to discharge patients back into the community three weeks earlier than previously wasn’t a consideration the council could take into account, as the cost savings would not be reflected in their budget. Understandably, the company from Newton Aycliffe, that lost the tender, were left frustrated and wondering why they should bother developing cost effective solutions to homecare if they can’t be considered or realised.

To address this, contracts and tender evaluations need to include an “external added value” component where suppliers and service providers will be available to detail how their products or services can offer wider value to the procurer. This added value element in the procurement process will stimulate bidding companies and organisations to invest in products, technologies and processes that will deliver added value and will encourage them to identify how the health service can benefit. However, until the scope for the benefit evolution is extended beyond the responsibility of the individual budget holder, then there is no incentive from industry to provide it.

Presently, public sector procurement strategy is placing much emphasis on "cost effective procurement of goods and services," when perhaps they should be looking at "cost effective delivery of goods and services." There is a small, but significant, difference between the two and if they focus on the latter, we could get a lot more healthcare for our taxes.

Angus Long is owner of Writers4U Ltd

Motability’s Powered Wheelchair and Scooter Scheme now supports 20,000 customers

Back in July 2020, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Powered Wheelchair and Scooter Scheme being run by Motability Operations Ltd. We’ve now reached another big milestone by providing over 20,000 people across the UK with a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair.

When we first took over the Powered Wheelchair and Scooter Scheme in 2010, there were only 5000 customers and a smaller selection of products to choose from. Since then, we’ve increased the number of manufacturers we work with and have expanded our dealer network to nearly 300 sites across the UK. There are over 500 products to choose from on the Scheme, giving customers plenty of choice to find the right product for them.

One Scheme customer, Ryan, talked about the “incredible freedom” his powered wheelchair gives him:

“As soon as I tried [my powered wheelchair], I felt in a world of comfort and safety. I didn’t have to tell someone where I wanted to go… I can definitely do

things I couldn’t do before.”

We’ve also used technology to give customers more flexibility. Along with our useful ‘Find a Dealer’ and ‘Product Search’ tools, we updated our website with a new ‘Find a scooter or powered wheelchair’ tool – this helps you to discover which product would suit you best, based on your needs.

We rolled out the Motability Scheme online account for powered wheelchair and scooter customers too, so you can flexibly manage your lease from the comfort of your home.

We asked Jim Wood, who looks after the Powered Wheelchair and Scooter Scheme, for his thoughts on reaching this milestone. Here’s what he said: “I am delighted that, together with our dealer partners, we’ve now achieved the milestone of having more than 20,000 customers on the Motability Powered Wheelchair and Scooter Scheme. We have significantly increased our range of products to meet our customers’ needs – and are proud to be supporting so many people with our worry-free package.”

For more information visit www.motability.co.uk/whats-available/scooters-wheelchairs

BT SPORT LAUNCHES ‘SIGN UP’ TO SPOTLIGHT

THE DEAF COMMUNITY AND ENHANCE ACCESSIBILITY

BTSport has launched Sign Up, a new initiative that aims to raise the profile of the deaf community within sport, help make its programming accessible to all, and create new opportunities.

Kicking off on 26 December, BT Sport has teamed up with Premier League players and managers to guide viewers through the letters of the British Sign Language (BSL) alphabet to promote and destigmatise the use of BSL among the public. From "A for Antonio" through to "Z for Row Z", the series will allow everyone to get to grips with the basics of BSL, and features the likes of Joe Cole, Jack Grealish and Jurgen Klopp.

On 6 January at 10pm on BT Sport 1, BT Sport premieres the first episode of its new series, Deaf Away Days. The series, produced with Signpost Productions, follows deaf brothers, Marios and Memnos Costi, as they visit some of the biggest

sporting events in the UK including rugby, football and track cycling seen through the eyes of the Costi brothers. This is a travelogue around various venues as Marios and Memnos see some of the best and biggest fixtures and events. The Costi brothers represented Team GB in Deaf football and futsal but will now trade their boots for a seat in the stands to show off their Deaf Away Days.

Sign Up continues in 2023 with New Signing, the BT Sport initiative, supported by EE, to spotlight disability football on and off the pitch, as well as to provide the resources to provide more visibility for British Sign Language. New Signing will provide two BSL commentators or presenters with a first-of-its-kind opportunity to train up with BT Sport so that they can sign at some of the biggest BT Sport football games next season, including the FA Disability Cup 2023. The first of a new series documenting the new BSL presenters’ journey with BT Sport will air on BT Sport from 3 February.

Memnos and Marios Costi with Ugo Monye

POSTHUMOUS ALBUM

LIZZIE EMEH

THE glorious posthumous reggae album Listen

To Lizzie, by learning disabled artist and icon Lizzie Emeh, is due to be released on Friday 27th January 2023.

Lizzie was an immense talent and a trailblazer. From collaborations with the likes of Mat Fraser (American Horror Story), to being the first artist with a learning disability to release an original full-length LP, Lizzie Emeh was a pioneer.

She won two national awards for her achievements in music, performing alongside Beverley Knight at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and collaborating with a number of top musicians, many who appear on the album. Her studio partners include contemporary string composer Bobbie Jane Gardner, Grace Jones’s musical director Charles Stuart, jazz-legend Courtney Pine, drummer Robert Fordjour and Tongue Fu keyboard player Arthur Lea.

This final LP is a celebration of Lizzie’s unique voice and her talent and passion for songwriting. Through Listen to Lizzie she takes us on a journey of empowerment and love, with her inimitable ear for a hook weaving through every track. The album brings together brand-new music recorded pre-lockdown, with songs created during the pandemic and previously unreleased tracks.

Lilting reggae rubs shoulders with punchy girl power anthems and hypnotic jazz in an album which sits comfortably alongside other artists celebrated for their distinctive voices, from legends like Amy Winehouse and Tracey Chapman, to modern artists like Tems and Greentea Peng.

Speaking of her influences Lizzie said: “I was born and bred in Notting Hill, west London, with the Notting Hill Carnival right on my doorstep. My childhood was spent surrounded by music, but my hearing wasn’t great (in fact in 2011 I was diagnosed as deaf.) So I felt the music from the carnival; I heard the vibration and the beat, and I’d sing and dance in the street.

“Being brought up in an Irish-Nigerian household, there was always a diverse range of music being played. We had folk, reggae and Afrobeat but also Duran Duran and the Dubliners. My late mum taught me about the blues. She introduced me to soul – from Aretha Franklin to Otis Redding, to Sam Cooke. Mum would play old Motown records, she had so much vinyl.”

In 2009 Lizzie made history with her debut album, ‘Loud and Proud’, becoming the first person with a

learning disability to release an album of original songs in the UK. The album was a rallying call for people with learning disabilities.

Lizzie wanted to educate the non-disabled community and to defeat ignorance. She used her platform, creativity and talent to turn negative comments on their head, using them to generate new material.

Lizzie said: “What they say gives me lyrics for my songs...please say silly stuff, because then the laugh’s on you, not me.”

Music was a key part of Lizzie’s childhood: “One day, when I was seven or eight, I was in the bath and my mum was singing a 1980s acappella song, Only You, by the Flying Pickets. I joined in. Mum turned round and said, ‘I’m going to do something with you, with this - I’m gonna take you to Ireland – to your nan in Dublin.’ My nan was an amateur jazz and blue singer so mum took me home to Ireland and (Mum) said to my nan ‘she’s got this wicked gift, what shall I do with it?’. Nan said, ‘leave her with me for a year. I will teach her everything she needs to know’.

Her career really started to develop in 1999 when she joined Heart n Soul, a creative arts company in Deptford who believe in the power and talents of people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

From 1999 - 2007 Lizzie performed with the Heart n Soul touring company in shows across Europe, at Glastonbury festival and Heart n Soul Unplugged, in Asia. A personal highlight for Lizzie during this time was meeting Nelson Mandela.

She also became a role model within the learning disability community and inspired a number of learning disabled artists to develop careers in the music industry.

The album ‘Listen to Lizzie’ is released by Heart n Soul on 27th January 2023. It will be available on Spotify, Bandcamp and other streaming platforms.

UK Civil Aviation Authority calls out unacceptable levels of airport accessibility performance despite improvements

AFTERa challenging summer for the aviation industry, and despite signs of improvements in recent months following action taken by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, a number of airports have provided an unacceptable level of service to disabled people and passengers with reduced mobility. This was over a seven-month period between 1 April and 31 October 2022.

The aviation regulator’s Interim Airport Accessibility Report, which assesses 16 of the largest UK airports, details those airports that have succeeded in making improvements, as well as those that need to put in place further improvements to ensure that in 2023 disabled people and people with reduced mobility receive the standard of service to which they are entitled.

Earlier this year, the regulator wrote to airports informing them that the experience passengers received was unacceptable and told those who were underperforming that it expected them to do more to improve the quality of assistance throughout the rest of the summer. The UK Civil Aviation Authority required several airports to put in place action plans, together with airlines, which saw marked improvements in performance.

The regulator also produced guidance which encouraged airports to make assistance services more passenger focussed and effective, as well as spending considerable time at UK airports this summer to better understand the challenges facing airports and offer advice and support as appropriate. This drove improvements towards the end of the summer period, but overall, the regulator ranked London Luton as the worst-performing airport having failed to reach performance targets and for failing to make significant improvements to the assistance it provided between 1 April and 31 October 2022.

Only Aberdeen, Belfast International, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London City were rated as ‘very good’ for the whole period under review. Liverpool and Newcastle were rated as a

mixture of “good” and “very good” across the period.

A total of eight airports were ranked as ‘poor’ in early months of the reporting period as too many disabled passengers and passengers with reduced mobility were waiting for unacceptably long periods for assistance on arrival. However, following significant progress, Birmingham, London Gatwick, London Stansted and Manchester were rated as either ‘good’ or ‘very good’ by the end of the reporting period.

Bristol, Leeds Bradford and London Heathrow are still deemed as needing improvement at the time of publication, as passengers have not seen sufficient improvements in the provision of service. Only London Luton airport continues to be ranked as poor.

The regulator’s report has praised those achieving a ‘very good’ rating and commended in particular East Midlands and Liverpool airports for introducing schemes which allow for personalisation of the assistance journey – for example requesting assistance only at certain required stages of travel.

Paul Smith, Director of Consumers at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “The aviation industry has faced unprecedented challenges, but too many passengers at UK airports have been waiting for unacceptable amounts of time for assistance on arriving flights on too many occasions. We strongly believe that everyone should have access to air travel, and we welcome the substantial improvements that airports have made for disabled and less mobile passengers.

“We will continue to consider whether we need to take further action where airports are not delivering an acceptable level of performance, and not showing sufficient and sustained improvements. We want to see immediate further improvements, as well as airports being well prepared to provide a high-quality service during next year.”

The UK Civil Aviation Authority Access to Air campaign continues to work with industry to make improvements, promote special assistance and improving the consistency of the service.

For more information visit www.caa.co.uk

Thousandsof people living with complex disabilities in England will have the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity thanks to major new funding announced. The national disability charity, Sense, has been awarded £2.2 million by Sport England to tackle the issue of ‘inactivity’ amongst people with complex disabilities, which has a negative impact on physical and mental health.

According to Sport England research, over half of disabled people are inactive – compared to a third of people without a disability. This inequality increases sharply as the number of impairments a person has increases.

The money awarded to Sense will enable the charity to expand its programme of sport and physical activity provision across England, and directly support an additional five thousand people with complex disabilities to become more active in their local communities. In addition, over the next four years, care staff and sport providers will be upskilled and supported to provide accessible and inclusive physical activity sessions to ensure more people can benefit longer-term.

Sense run sport and physical activity sessions for people with high-level support needs, aged 5 to 100, across the country, including London and the South East, West Midlands, East, South West, North West, and the North East.

Louis Wickett-Padgham, Head of Sport and Physical Activity from Sense, said: “Being active is vital for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, learning skills and making friends, and yet disabled people are almost twice as likely to be physically inactive as non-disabled people. The funding from Sport England will help us to support over 5,000 people to lead a more active life and further strengthen Sense’s strategic position to influence and lead positive change across sectors for people with complex disabilities.”

Sport England also announced funding for two other disability charities, Mencap and Special Olympics GB. The charities join over 120 organisations that Sport England has partnered with this year, chosen for their

unique influence and ability to level up access to sport and physical activity across England and create systemwide change.

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of Sport England and the Government’s Disability and Access Ambassador for Sport and Physical Activity, said: “The pandemic disproportionately affected disabled people and now the cost of living brings new and difficult challenges. Our strategy Uniting the Movement aims to help everyone play sport and get active – no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is. But disabled people are still far less likely to be active than other groups, and this is an inequality that we are working hard to address.”

C a s e s t u d y

Linda Wallace is 63 and lives in Rockbeare in Devon. She has Cerebral Palsy and is losing her sight, but supported by Sense, she is able to continue to participate in and enjoy the sport she loves – tennis. She says it benefits her hugely.

Linda said: “I’m in my sixties now and tennis is as important to me as ever. I remember when I first fell in love with it, watching the players on TV –I thought, I have to give that a try! My vision loss meant I had to find new ways to enjoy the sport, but the support from Sense has helped me to continue participating.

“I go to the gym twice a week, but at tennis I get to be outside and spend time with people I like. When I’m active I feel calm. It’s part of how I support my physical and mental wellbeing.”

Sense have produced a host of resources that will help sports practitioners, coaches, teachers and care staff to support people living with complex disabilities to be more active. For more information visit: https://www.sense.org.uk/information-and-advice/forprofessionals/sense-active-for-professionals/

T h o u s a n d s o f p e o p l e w i t h c o m p l e x d i s a b i l i t i e s t o l e a d m o r e a c t i v e l i v e s , a s n a t i o n a l c h a r i t y i s a w a r d e d £ 2 . 2 m i l l i o n b y S p o r t E n g l a n d

Linda Wallace (centre) stands with others during her tennis class. She is one of many disabled people who will benefit from today’s funding announcement.

Need a holiday…??

It is these dark winter nights and cold days that we all like to think of sunnier climates. It is also about this time of year we start planning for a holiday. If you are a wheelchair user it can be a military exercise from the front door of your house to your destination, whether that is a beach resort or a city break. I always look at the destination and establish how accessible that looks.

I had a recent visit to Israel as a guest of the advocacy group ‘Access Israel’ and I was pleasantly surprised how accessible Israel was. Our guide took us around Jerusalem, the whole of the city was an amazing experience. For anyone looking to see at first hand an historic city steeped in years of tradition and culture I expected the challenges to be insurmountable – this was very much not the case. If you can forgive the ancient, cobbled streets then it is very much a window into the times of an ancient city largely untainted by present day infrastructure, yet some simple tweaks made it accessible.

Even Masda in the south district of Israel was accessible. This is the once Jewish stronghold that sits atop an enormous, isolated plateau of rock in the Judean Desert that was once only surmountable by way of an enormous 375ft high ramp, built by the army of Roman governor Lucius Flavius Silva in the year 73. Now a system of chairlifts can take you to incredible views and the ability to navigate independently around the historic fortress.

When picking a beach resort, I can be quite dull. I like the ‘all inclusivity’ of a resort hotel, food and drink on tap and access to a swimming pool, or a beach. Finding an accessible swimming pool (i.e. ramp access) is difficult, the same can be said of beaches. I typically travel with friends so help getting in and out of a pool is on hand, a beach however is a different experience. Those of you reading this that have tried to move or even push a wheelchair in sand will know this is an almost impossible task. There are now many beach resorts around the world that offer a ramp to get to the beach and eliminates much of that journey. Wherever you plan to go, it pays to do your accessibility research. Google do a great city wheelchair mapping service. To access the “wheelchair accessible” routes, type your desired destination into Google Maps. Tap “Directions” then select the public transportation icon. Then tap “Options” and under the Routes section, you’ll find “wheelchair accessible” as a new route type. When you select this option, Google Maps will show you a list of possible routes that take mobility needs into consideration. This has been rolled out in major metropolitan transit centres around the world, including London, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City, Boston, and Sydney. Most cities have incredible accessible information on their websites. The world is full of exciting places, many I would never consider – Jerusalem is one of them.

Wood is the founder of

Christopher

Visiting Australia

by John Killick

Well, Covid19 it would appear, if not eradicated, is at least no more dangerous than a dose of Flu, provided you are vaccinated, so why not? Well, my new wife had not seen her grandchildren for four years and quite reasonably felt that that is long enough! We went online and discovered that our cheapest route was via Heathrow, then LA, and from there to Brisbane instead of Emirates from Newcastle via Dubai. Wrong! Heathrow and BA! That’s what was WRONG! Assisted travel was at best shambolic with staff more interested in talking to each other in a foreign language than moving passengers to their onward flights; almost cost us a missed flight on the way back in spite of having well over an hour to accomplish it! Food not loaded in time on the outward flight to LA causing a delay of two and a half hours, which meant that we missed our connecting flight to Brisbane and finished up hanging around LA for twenty-eight hours for an alternate flight to Sydney, which meant an internal flight from there to Brisbane. Next time we will pay the extra £200 and fly Emirates from Newcastle or Glasgow, thus avoiding going anywhere near Heathrow and BA’s inefficient service. Now to claim rather a lot of compensation! Report on how we get on with that in a later edition!

If you’re contemplating any long-haul flight, consider how you are going to manage. A flight to New York, for instance, takes around five hours. On board toilets are pretty small! A carer would struggle to get in to help you! A catheter is the obvious choice. Australia is probably one of the best countries in the world to visit. The facilities on the Gold Coast in Southern Queensland are both plentiful, clean and unrivalled, dropped kerbs at all road crossings, lifts in the shopping complexes, level access to the pubs etc. But first, as a Brit, you have to get there! For this trip, one hour Newcastle to Heathrow, ten hours Heathrow to LA. If that flight makes the connection, (ours didn’t), then LA to Brisbane, 14 hours. (Same to Sydney plus one hour to Brisbane after

twenty-eight hour layover in LA.) Now, once there how will you get around? Public transport – haven’t checked the busses but trains are cheap, GoCards cost us about $35 Australian each (including the initial purchase of the card which was $10, then you just re-load at a train station. You can use them on busses and light rail too) for a 100 mile return trip! They are comfortable with ramped access in a designated carriage, worked by the staff and pre-warning appeared to be unnecessary. Trains run from the coast to Brisbane about every half hour. They appear to be spending lots of time and money up-grading stations but all the ones we used had lift access from street level to platforms. OK, so if you consider the agro to get there worth it.Wwhat is

Well stocked shops in Robina

Fantastic beaches - in this shot from Kirra Beach you can see Surfers Paradise across the bay

Kirra Bay Promenade showing some very accessible public toilets

there to do and see?

Shopping: Ladies, since I know that for you this is important, shopping malls are as big as any in New York, Paris or London and the best stocked I have seen anywhere in the world. The first supermarket we went into we entered via the fruit and veg department and stood like a couple of idiots with our mouths open! Both sides of the aisle was stacked high with some of the best-looking fruit & veg I have ever seen. Problem, and beware, Australian cost of living has hit the stratosphere! Since we were last here about four years ago, prices have multiplied by well over 100%. I can recommend Robina Shopping centre, but there are quite a few.

Now Pubs for the menfolk: On this trip, we used the Robina Tavern almost exclusively. Their food was excellent, and for me I could get a schooner (about a pint) of Irish Bitter for about $11, £6 approx. A meal would average about $30, £25 approx. six bottles of Yellow Tail which last time we were here cost $18, now costs $24 for three bottles! And that’s from the bottle shops, which are by far the cheapest way to purchase wine. No alcohol is sold in supermarkets in Queensland, other states have their own laws.

What to see: To start with, that blue stuff is the Pacific Ocean not the North or Irish Sea. You can actually swim in it without risking anything vital freezing off! The yellow stuff is coral sand and you can hire adapted wheelchairs, which will traverse it. The yellow painted wooden tower is manned by lifesavers who control beach safety by the use of flags. If red flags are flying it is illegal to swim and only an idiot would try to swim in company with big white sharks or the fierce rip tides you can get on these beaches. Running alongside the beaches are promenades flanked with grass and shade trees. You will also find something almost

impossible to find in the UK, Public Toilets! These are both clean and kept in immaculate condition.

Next, during our months’ stay, we visited Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary! Spent a great day there and since the Australian National Trust recognise UK National Trust membership cards, the cost was absolutely nothing! I believe this is also applicable in Canada but have not checked it out. I will enlarge on this in my next article. Then, up in the hills inland there is the Hinze Dam, mentioned in my last article about four years ago. Stanley’s Motor Museum and Restaurant is in Upper Coomera, situated at the base of The Tambourine Mountains. The museum was not air-conditioned, which was a pity since it is an extremely interesting museum. You also have Surfers Paradise, helicopter flights, and float plane flights. That’s just a few suggestions; five minutes on your computer will show you many more! The Gold Coast is one of Australia’s famous playgrounds, go and play.

John Killick was the secretary of the Disabled Motorists Federation for over 20 years and was also the editor of 'The Way Ahead' magazine. He continues to be a freelance writer. He was born in Norfolk and brought up in Suffolk, married a Manx girl, and now lives in north east England.

An accessible miniature train runs right round Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary although the whole site is accessible by wheelchair if preferred

The Robina Pavilion - how is this for a great view to enjoy with one’s lunch?

Inside Stanley’s Motor Museum

Team BRIT - Britcar Champions and History Makers

Team BRIT – the world’s only competitive team of all-disabled racing drivers has made history in 2022.

Drivers Chris Overend and James Whitley were crowned overall winners of the Britcar Trophy Championship at the end of the racing season in October. This makes Team BRIT the first ever all-disabled team to win a national racing series.

The long-term goal of the team is to become the first all-disabled team to compete in the Le Mans 24 hour race. It has developed the world’s most advanced hand control technology which enables its disabled drivers to compete equally against able-bodied competitors.

The team fielded 4 pairs of drivers across three championships this year. Chris and James delivered consistently strong performances all season, despite it being the first ever year of racing for them both. Driving a BMW M240i, which is fitted with the hand control technology, they finished with a 53 point lead in their class and a 7 point lead in the overall championship.

At a special ceremony held on Saturday 12th November, the pair were presented with their championship trophy, alongside a trophy for finishing first in class.

A stunning rookie season

So how do two drivers, entirely new to the sport take away a championship win in their first ever year, driving a car that was completely re-built after being declared an insurance write off?

It's not easy and it doesn’t happen very often, but that’s exactly what Chris and James achieved.

39-year-old Chris from Southampton was born with development dysplasia of the hips and spent years from the age of 12 suffering with injuries and pain caused by an undiagnosed problem.

When he was 24, he was skiing in France when he suffered a severe back spasm undoing his boots. When he returned home a surgeon confirmed that during puberty his femoral artery became pinched, causing his left hip and pelvis to become deformed. The top of this femur had rotated 90 degrees from where it should be and his right hip was 30% bigger than it should be and was partially dislocated.

Prior to this, Chris had forged a successful career as a photographer, working with London Fashion Week and travelling the world on commissions for global titles. He eventually gave up the profession after other operations and became a technical instructor of photography at Solent University.

Chris went on to discover wheelchair tennis, in which he received a world ranking. He joined Team BRIT in August 2021, having discovered the team after looking for hand controls for sim racing.

24-year-old James lives in Eastbourne and is originally from Northern Ireland. He was born without fingers and has undergone more than 30 operations to improve his hand function, many which were carried out before he was five. At the age of six he was involved in a serious boat accident when on holiday with his family in France which resulted in multiple broken bones, internal bleeding and months in hospital.

After being in a wheelchair for almost a year, he was encouraged to contact the GB Paralympian ski team. He went along to a meeting of the development squad and by the age of 10 was invited to join the team. At thirteen he was promoted to the Senior GB Elite Squad and began skiing in World Cup events. In 2014 at the age of 16 he was ranked number two in the World U18s and was selected to represent Great Britain at the Winter Paralympics in Sochi, in 2018 at

Chris and James

Credit: Peter Markwick

the Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, and in 2022 in Beijing, where he secured his best ever finish of 6th in the Giant Slalom. He joined the team in Autumn 2021 and began racing this year.

Despite the pair’s lack of racing experience, they have delivered a stunning season of racing, taking multiple podium finishes, before ending the season as champions.

Chris says: “I found Team BRIT after researching what hand controls were available for my sim racing. I never dreamed that those initial conversations would lead to me getting a place on the team and to winning an overall championship trophy. It just goes to show that nothing is out of reach when you have the right people around you and a total dedication to doing the best you can.

“I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved as a team. None of this would be possible without everyone putting in 100% every race weekend. I’m so grateful for the support of our sponsors, our families and everyone that has come to cheer us on.”

James says: “I’m in shock over how well this first season has gone – we have literally made history. A special thank you to the crew, who are just exceptional – their hard work and quick thinking made it all possible.

“Chris and I have been lucky to have clicked so well as team mates. We share a real passion for racing and both constantly think about how our performance will affect each other and the crew. That’s meant that we’ve thrived from driving alongside each other and pushed on hard to get the best results we could.”

Team BRIT also had great success in their debut year of the British GT Championship. Drivers Aaron Morgan and Bobby Trundley were the first ever team of all-disabled drivers to compete in the hotlycontested championship.

A major step up from their racing in 2021, Bobby and Aaron competed in a brand new McLaren 570S GT4 and grew in confidence with every round.

Finishing P2 in the Pro-Am class, they were awarded their overall championship trophies at a black tie event hosted by championship organisers SRO Motorsport in November.

New rookie racing project launched

From 2023, Team BRIT will field 2 entries in the Citroen C1 racing series, beginning at Silverstone in March.

The low cost endurance racing series sees drivers compete in standard, first generation Citroen C1s.

The Team BRIT entry will consist of 2 teams of 4 drivers, one representing LGBTQ+ drivers, and a team of all-disabled drivers who require the use of hand controls.

The cars will be fitted with the team’s hand controls to enable disabled drivers to compete on equal terms. New rookie drivers are now being sought to sign up for the project, who will receive professional coaching, tuition, testing and support throughout the season, entering all eight races.

Team BRIT Founder Dave Player said: “We’re really excited about the launch of this project, which will add another step on our ladder of motorsport development for disabled drivers.

“Adding the C1 championship to our race calendar means that drivers who are just starting out in the sport can enter a professional and hugely popular championship at entry level, with the support and guidance they need to develop.

“We hope to attract some exciting new drivers to the team for some fun and competitive racing next year.”

The team is looking for new disabled drivers to join the project, who will benefit from the use of the team’s hand control technology. The cost to compete in the Team BRIT C1 team will be £10,000 per driver, which includes everything required to race including preseason coaching, race entry and pre-event testing.

For more information email info@teambrit.co.uk after reading the full information on the news page of the Team BRIT website.

Bobby and Aaron Credit: 938 Media

Barriers of travel for people with disabilities

Everyone is talking about travel, whether this is the frequent rail strikes in the UK, the many delays and flight cancellations due to the lack of staff or the travel chaos caused by issues at borders. This can be hugely frustrating and has a debilitating effect on all travellers.

Regardless of the post COVID build back, the consequential obstacles presented in travel and current politics, travelling is regularly a difficult and humiliating experience if you have a disability. Consider the 1.3 billion people with a disability of some sort - 80% of which are invisible - who regularly struggle with travel and so often have their dignity and independence challenged.

The fact is that we haven’t embraced inclusive design in the travel sector and therefore people with disabilities are excluded and denied the same customer experience or treatment as everyone else.

The inability for wheelchair users to use aircraft toilets or business/first class; the lack of accessible hotel rooms; the critical lack of accessibility of websites, and the recent uncertainty over blue disabled badges in the EU - where post-Brexit, eleven nations, including France, Spain and Portugal, remain “undecided” on whether they will accept the blue badge UK permit - reinforces negative perceptions of the disabled community as an inconvenience and afterthought.

We want an accessible and inclusive world but yet we have built it to be exclusive. It needs reshaping not adding on or as an afterthought and to achieve this we need disabled people to be involved in the design process‘Nothing for us without us.’

But many brands are waking up to this and making headway in providing inclusive and accessible travel services. At Hotel Brooklyn in Manchester, a Bespoke Hotel which has long been driving accessibility by pushing aesthetics higher up the agenda, special features can be hidden or detached, which means spaces are pleasing to the eye, whatever your needs. This is surprisingly rare. Roomy marble showers are free of steps, doorways are wide enough for wheelchairs, and some suites have hoists for people. Robin Sheppard, chair of Bespoke Hotels commented, “we call these our liberty rooms; some people won’t see much of a difference in these spaces –

we hope that for some, it feels like an upgrade.”

Skyscanner’s Accessibility Lead, Heather Hepburn, commented; “The travel industry has a huge opportunity to do better when it comes to accessibility. We are on a journey to doing our part. Through our Accessibility Programme at Skyscanner, we’re determined to continue to improve accessibility and inclusive design across all Skyscanner products, ensuring that digital accessibility is embedded into Skyscanner’s tools, processes, and ways of working. Alongside raising accessibility awareness and improving advocacy across the business, it’s our mission to make travel better for everyone.”

With a global platform that includes more than 20+ brands, Expedia Group is setting out to make travel more accessible by increasing its own capabilities, is making the needed investments, and taking action to create an equitable experience for travellers.

According to Peter Kern, Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Expedia Group, “We believe travel is a force for good that can strengthen connections, broaden horizons, and bridge divides. We support this belief by making travel more enjoyable and accessible for all, including people with disabilities. Through our relentless innovation, we put the needs of travellers at the center of all we do and aim to eliminate as many barriers as possible."

Inclusion is integral to the success of the travel industry, enabling individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, ability, gender identity or otherwise, to experience different cultures, perspectives, and opportunities. Travel strengthens connections and broadens horizons, yet historic, physical, and societal barriers often limit equitable access to travel. Making travel more accessible hinges on ensuring products are created to be usable by a full spectrum of people with the widest possible range of disabilities

Adding restrictions and barriers prevents customer buy-in. A simple breakdown of the purple pound shows it is worth around £265bn to the UK economy per year. Only 10% of UK businesses have a targeted strategy for this market. It is in businesses’ best interest to want to tap into this group of customers, as accessible tourism is worth $15.3 billion.

The Valuable 500 recently shared research they commissioned investigating the barriers faced when travelling, surveying 3,500 people with disabilities. The findings can be found on their website www.thevaluable500.com and the 10 most accessible destinations.

Credit: Tourism Australia

Registration for Naidex, the flagship event for the disability community is now live. The event will take place 2223 March 2023, at the NEC in Birmingham.

National Accessibility, Inclusion & Disability Expo (Naidex) is the largest, and longest running disability event in the UK, with the 2023 event celebrating 50 years.

Naidex is for everyone, and welcomes anyone who is living with a disability, as well as anyone caring for or supplying to the community. The event falls across two days so there is enough time for you to discover all that Naidex has to offer! With content, products and features covering mobility, employment and work, health & well-being, independent living, family, sports, rehab/care, relationships, entertainment, food & drink, there is something for everyone. Some of our exhibitors include Hidden Disability Sunflower, eFOLDI, Rollz, Neo-Walk, Cyclone Technologies, Therapy Gyms, Motability and many more. Additionally, Naidex are partnering with Disability Horizons to bring to you the Naidex Marketplace, where you can find smaller and affordable daily aids, tools, and resources to take home with you from the show.

If you wanted to experience the interactive features at Naidex, there’s a chance to attend the much-loved Village Green (which was new for the 2022 show) and join in with Mr Cookfulness’ cooking session. Try out the Mobility Test Track or take on the Adaptive Climbing Wall

Naidex features some fantastic speakers across the show, including Ellie Simmonds OBE (Five-time Paralympic Champion and fourteen-time World Champion), Tommy Jessop (Multi-award-winning actor, best known for starring in Line of Duty), Steve Thompson MBE (Former England Rugby player and World Cup winner) and Lauren Steadman MBE (Professional Athlete & Paralympic champion), who you can catch on the Main Stage.

The Accessibility and Care Theatre will feature seminars drawing upon lived experience of caring for loved ones and the newest assistance technologies and adaptations that are enhancing care and independent living. Speakers include, Charlie Beswick who is an Author and Blogger, and Sally Chalk who is CEO & Founder of Signapse. The Lifestyle and Leisure Theatre is designed to promote improvement of daily living and overall wellbeing, including sessions from sports to dating and sexual wellbeing, there is certainly something for everyone to enjoy in this theatre.

The Naidex team can’t wait to welcome you to the NEC once again for what is set to be a fantastic event, the team are pulling out all the stops!

Register for your free tickets at naidex.co.uk or scan the QR code with your camera phone.

The Flagship Event for the Disability Community

CROSSWORD CLUES

ACROSS

1. Glasses (10) 7. Yearning (7) 8. Tibetan capital (5) 10. Rowing Team (4) 11. Belief held in the face of all contrary evidence (8) 13. Pedestrian tunnel (6) 15. Excellent (6) 17. Way in (8) 18. Falling ice pellets (4) 21. Devout (5) 22. As a rule (7) 23. Betrothal (10)

Remember

All these events occurred in the same year but in which year was it? • Elvis Presley and Priscilla married • The first heart transplant takes place • The Bee Gee’s first single is released • ‘The Graduate’ film is released

Who Am I?

• An actress, I was born in 1937 into an acting family. • My mother, father, brother and sister were all actors. • I have starred in over 35 West End productions and appeared in many films including, Camelot and Deep Impact. Who am I?

DOWN

1. Sound practical judgment (5) 2. Cantona or Clapton? (4) 3. Labelled (6) 4. Branch of mathematics (8) 5. Scrutinise (7)

6. Disreputable relative (5,5) 9. Queen executed in 1536 (4,6) 12. Commonwealth country of south east Asia (8) 14. Digital currency (7) 16. Liverpudlian (6) 19. Dish out (5) 20. Enormous (4)

Quiz

1. What do coin collectors call each side of a coin? 2. Which Caribbean island is also the name of the pirate ship in 'Treasure Island'?

Nessiteras rhombopteryx is the scientific name for what?

The long held Aristotelian belief that all colour was a product resulting from a mixture of black and white was disproved in 1666 with the prism experiments. Who conducted those famous experiments?

5. The 'Rockhampton Rocket' was a nickname given to which superstar of sport?

6. Quasi-stellar radio sources are better known as what? 7. Cartagena was once the main naval and merchant seaport for the Spanish in the 'New World'. In which country is it found today? 8. The 'Pudú', the smallest known deer in the world, lives on the west coast of which continent? 9. Which three 'isms' were the main philosophical or religious teachings in 13th century China? 10. Name the four songs on the Beatles 'White Album' with an animal in the song title.

ShopMobility UK co-ordinates a network of local ShopMobility centres which hire mobility scooters, powerchairs and wheelchairs for everyone, of all ages, to enjoy independence.