Gain independence with Prep For Life at Wirral Met

ARE YOU aged 16 – 24 and looking to develop skills to progress into further education or employment?

Wirral Met’s Prep for Life and Work offer young people aged 16 to 24 with learning difficulties or disabilities the opportunity to develop independence and skills to progress in life and work

Courses run throughout the year and offer supported programmes tailored to your needs

Explore: l Independent living skills l Supported employment opportunities l Progression to vocational courses

A holistic package of support: l A thorough assessment of your needs l Support to develop your own person-centred plan l One-to-one support and specialist equipment l Fully accessible facilities l Purpose built new Independent Living Suite l Highly trained care staff l Close partnership working with other agencies (incl physiotherapy, occupational therapy and healthcare )

If you would like to find out more or to arrange a visit wmc.ac.uk/prepforlife or call 0151 551 7777 who say about 400,000 wheelchair users in England alone are living in unsuitable accommodation

The failure to plan for fully accessible homes was uncovered by BBC Freedom of Information requests to hundreds of local councils, underscoring what the Equality and Human Rights Commission has called a “hidden crisis” in housing for disabled people

Local councils can require housebuilders to ensure a percentage of homes meet higher standards of accessibility, ensuring that bathrooms and kitchens are usable and that all rooms offer enough space for wheelchair users to move around

But the FOI responses revealed cities such as Sheffield, Coventry and Bradford currently have no quotas After the FOI request,

Coventry introduced an “optional requirement” which applies to some affordable homes

Leonard Cheshire and Habinteg are calling for the Government to honour its commitment to make all new homes accessible and adaptable (known as category 2) n Liverpool City Council is one of the few local authorities that has introduced strict rules on accessible housing through its local plan

This means all new homes in Liverpool must be built to be more accessible and adaptable for those with mobility impairments, and 10% of them must be wheelchair-accessible and adaptable