Hypocrite Harpers office inaccessible to wheelchair users

Having bleated on about how all shops and restaurants around the UK should improve access to wheelchair users, it must have come as a bit of an embarrassment when Mark Harper was accused of hypocrisy when it was found his own high street constituency offices were not accessible by wheelchair with a lack of suitable ramps and door ways wide enough.

His office in Cinderford High Street invites all including the disabled however the large stone step outside his front door provides a bit of an obstacle for wheelchairs. having launched a survey only last week stating that a fifth of shops were excluding wheelchair-users, this must be a tad awkward for him.

You can see the survey here@ http://www.disabledgo.com/blog/2014/12/disabledgo-study-shocks-the-government-with-evidence-of-inaccessible-british-high-streets/

That confident, Mr Harper told businesses that they were “missing a trick by not doing more to tap into this market” and that improving accessibility was “a no-brainer”. He was the one who launched the Accessible Britain Challenge where he challenged all communities to make accessibility easier for all disabled including improving wheelchair access.

To be fair, Mr Harper went on to say "If any wish to meet me to discuss an issue in person at a surgery, then I hold these on a regular basis in accessible venues around the constituency. A small proportion of constituents call at the office in Cinderford in person. If a wheelchair user was to do so, then we do have a ramp available.”

However, his constituency team has repeatedly refused to answer key questions from DNS about the access arrangements in the office.

This lead to Mr Liam Proudlock, a disabled access consultant to interfere, stating that he was not too happy about this. Having looked in to it further he assessed the access and states it could be possible to use a temporary ramp to allow access for some wheelchair-users, but because of the slope it would need to be “quite a specialist ramp that has a wedge at one end, and turning through the narrow doorway and over the threshold would in fact be very difficult”.

“In fact, the Disability Discrimination Act required physical adaptations as long ago as 1999 and ‘reasonable’ adjustments including physical alterations to premises should have been complete by 2004. So Mr Harper really doesn't have a leg to stand on ! and needs to sort our wheelchair access real soon.

Rightly or wrongly Bus companies are not required legally to force parents with babes in buggies to make way for wheelchair users in designated bays on vehicles, senior judges ruled on 8th December 2014. Having experience of both we can see it from both sides and agree that people should vacate designated spaces for disabled users if they are able to.

This all kicked off about 3 years ago when Doug Paulley a 36 wheelchair user was denied access to a First bus going to Leeds when a woman with a pushchair refused to move because her baby was asleep. Paul who wanted to board the bus in Wetherby to visit his parents in Leeds in February 2012 was told to wait for another one. At that time First Bus, the operator concerned, had a policy of "requesting but not requiring" non-disabled travellers, including those with babies and pushchairs, to vacate space needed by a wheelchair user.

In September 2014 during a court hearing the county court judge said the firm's policy was in breach of the Equality Act 2010 and so Mr Paulley was awarded £5,500 in damages and Lord Justice Lewison commented: "The judge seems to me to have thought that the needs of wheelchair users trumped all other considerations".

So is this reasonable ? Mr Pauleys lawyers don think it is and are already trying for appeal in the supreme court, being the highest in the land to try to overturn this ruling which is of course of paramount importance to many of us wheelchair users.

A friend recently travelled to Australasia taking his wheelchair with him and was very impressed with the help and service he received from Air New Zealand. They seem to cater for wheelchair users and their travelling companions better than most airlines and provide a range of graded packages to match your dependence on your wheelchair, ranging from total dependence on your wheelchair for mobility to wheelchair use for long distances only plus your requirements for transfer to the seat.

Manual and electric wheelchairs are catered for - read more here

It would be good to think that other airlines could get as accommodating when it comes to booking options for people with wheelchairs. They also publish some excellent material on their services for wheelchair users and seem to have a very well organised policy for those who would require assistance in the case of an emergency.

Read more here

Using SSR codes, that is Special Service Requests they seem to have move eventualities covered and certainly make wheelchair users feel very welcome. Although all airlines use these codes to help identify just what level of assistance you require Air New Zealand seem to provide the most detailed service including catering for electric wheelchairs although they do point out that powerchairs that do not fold cannot always be accommodated on certain smaller aircraft types.

For some time some taxi operators have been charging more for carrying wheelchair users than they would for others.

There is now a call for a ban on taxis charging wheelchair users more being headed up by Ian Austin the MP for Dudley, backed up by disability groups who say that equality law needs to be strengthened to tackle this seemingly widespread practice of overcharging of passengers with wheelchairs.

Nottingham, Hull, Middlesbrough, Manchester and a number of other places have been making this excessive charge. So Mr Austin has been on to the Equalities Minister Nicky Morgan asking that they try to ensure that wheelchair users pay the same fares as others.

Let's hope this can be legislated sooner rather than later. Whereas i can see that carrying a wheelchair may be a little more involved than your average fare, it does seem insensitive and suitable to increase the tariff for the user of a wheelchair.

Dogs are wheelchair users best friend in more than one way it seems. Many time have i heard the story that a wheelchair users dog is a social ice breaker and helps to encourage communication that may not otherwise occur.

We have experienced this too, whereby if we go out with the wheelchair we seem not to attract much in the way of passers by in the park or on a walk. Introduce the dog in to the equation and its a different ball game entirely. Suddenly we become dog owners who happen to need the use of a wheelchair.

Dogs are notably mans best friend and this is just one of the ways we can see why. I read a great article in the mail newspaper about a lady who is wheelchair bound and depends on her trained assistant dog for more and more including unlikely chores about the house, including washing, shopping and even collecting the post.

Formerly a teacher, Mrs Cornwall was left semi paralised following a climbing accident in the 1980's. She has continued to work most of the time since and aims to lead as normal life as is possible. So not content with getting her dog to fetch the post or her slippers she has managed to train basil her Bishon Frise Poodle cross to do much more.

Dog aid is a charity that provides canine help to disabled folk including wheelchair users. They do this by encouraging disabled dog owners to train their own pet dog to assist them with daily tasks. The training usually takes place at the client’s home and in their normal environment; occasionally it may be appropriate for the client to attend classes held by their trainer.

Mrs Cornwall, whose injuries included a collapsed lung, broken bones in her neck and back and a broken spinal cord, is heavily reliant on her wheelchair for much of the day both at home and out and about. She comments:

"Basil inspires confidence in me and gives me a lot of practical help as well as being very loving. Before I got him people would feel uncomfortable speaking to me because of my wheelchair, but now they open up"

Which is something we have heard many times from all users including those with electric wheelchairs. So why not read the article and see if a pooch can feature in your life, there are also some great photos !

'People see me as a dog owner who happens to be in a wheelchair rather than as a disabled person. Basil is delightful and very much a part of our family.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2909607/Basil-Bichon-Frise-helps-wheelchair-bound-owner-washing-collecting-post-doing-shopping.html

It's great to hear that someone is showing so much interest in technology and how it could help wheelchair users lead a safer life. The commitment of one such individual Tim Balz is fantastic and his aim is to help others through connected technology i.e. the web. Tim had an idea while still at school on how he could make a difference to other peoples lives and now as an Intel Intern he has the opportunity to make his dream come true.

As a mechanical engineering student in the US, Tim has lead a team of engineers to design a technology platform that can convert a regular wheelchair or a powerchair in to a data-driven machine.

Listed as one of the 'Coolest of Internet Designs' The Connected Wheelchair concept is proving very very popular. So how does it work and what does it do to help the average wheelchair user ?

Using an off the shelf Intel development kit, Tim and his team developed a wheelchair add-on that collects biometrical information from the user along with mechanical information from the wheelchair and analyses it to ensure that all is well. In addition to this the concept also has an app that allows wheelchair users to map the accessibility of locations to help other visitors to the same area.

Such is the interest in this invention that Dr Stephen Hawkin has shown interest and comments:"Medicine can't cure me, so I rely on technology. It lets me interface with the world. It propels me," says Hawking. "A wheelchair user can now monitor important information about their health, the status of their wheelchair, and the accessibility of the places they visit…Significantly improving their day-to-day life." Dr Hawkin also congratulated Tim and his team on how the Connected Wheelchair is a great example of how technology can greatly benefit the disable.

Tim Balz is already familiar with wheelchair technology and helping others. At a young age at school in Indiana, Tim restored discarded electric wheelchairs recycling them so they were fit for use by others and went on to form Freedom Chairs, a non-profit making organisation that continues this practice of supplying electric wheelchairs to others.

We do receive quite a few enquiries from people who want some form of breakdown cover for their electric wheelchair or scooter. Mainly, these enquiries come from people who have suffered a problem leaving them without a working powerchair and want to know if they can rely on assistance.

Most breakdowns occur because the electric wheelchair or powerchair runs out of battery power. This occurs because either the batter is old and no longer holds a full charge or the battery wasn't fully charges or the user failed to keep an eye on its status. Either way were keen to help, whether we supplied the wheelchair or not. So we have looked at what's available and what can be covered.

ETA offer a comprehensive rescue service should your powerchair or electric wheelchair break down through mechanical failure, road traffic accident, criminal damage or other unforeseen event which renders the vehicle immobilised or unsafe to operate. Wherever you are in Britain their team will come and assist you you and your chair be immobilised and this covers flat battery scenarios.

This is where their service stops however. They will get your wheelchair to the nearest suitable repair centre such as ours or alternatively deliver you and your powerchair to your home within a 15 mile radius. ETA will also get involved if you have had an accident but do insist that you liaise with your insurance company first as this service may be included in your existing policy as standard and might affect a claim if you do not.

So let's hope you are not caught out in your electric wheelchair and don't need their services but if you interested you can enrol in their scheme here:

Having written last week about one company who offer an electric wheelchair or powerchair breakdown service i learned from a colleague that there are a couple of other providers of this sort of cover and one in particular if you travel extensively including international travel in to mainland Europe at request.

First call motor breakdown offer a very competitively priced cover for electric wheelchairs an powerchairs that starts from just £59. This option covers roadside repairs wherever possible, a lift for you and your wheelchair to your intended destination or back to your home which ever you prefer as long as they are within 10 miles. This sum covers you for up to 4 breakdowns per year.

Please note that although they make best effort to repair your electric wheelchair, the fee does not include any labour charges for time spent fixing the chair nor cost of replacement parts or materials used. Either way this is an invaluable service at an affordable fee and is probably something that all disabled users should consider. Finally, this service is intended for breakdown of your electric wheelchair and not simply getting stuck in mud snow or ice!

To read more and see the policy wording click here

You have to smirk when folk make clangers like this one although its obviously not so funny by those affected.

Organisers of Australia's National Disability Summit in Melbourne have come under criticism - because the venue wasn't wheelchair accessible.

With just 7 disabled attendees, who paid upwards of $1,500 AUD to attend were allowed to attend and they were forced to share one small table at the back of the room with little visibility and very poor facilities.

Mobility-impaired speaker Deborah Haygarth was carried to the lectern as the raised stage had no ramp and was not wheelchair accessible. Who organises these events and how did they feel when they realised how badly wrong the go it?

"I watched as Deborah wheeled herself towards the stage and saw the four stairs up to the stage," activist Jax Jacki Brown said.

"I expected a ramp to appear from somewhere. When one didn’t appear I waited for apologies from the summit organisers into the microphone. None were forthcoming.

"Deborah was carried on stage by two people. She spoke eloquently about her experience of the NDIS in the Barwon trial site. Deborah was then carried off stage again at the end of the panel.

"This lack of access is a visual reminder that as people with disabilities we are not really thought of as important, that our needs are an afterthought, which can be remedied by a ‘sorry we forgot’. This is not good enough."

In addition to this, other criticisms included furniture that was not wheelchair friendly including the food at the vent being served on a table that did not allow wheelchair access ! plus the disabled toiled was used to store the spare chairs that were not required.

Following our recent meeting with our BHTA representative we thought it was good timing to confirm exactly what we have to offer here at UK-Wheelchairs.

In essence our service focuses on you and your requirements so we always aim to supply you with the wheelchair that meets your requirements, fits your body, allows you to achieve your goals and daily objectives.

We are your leading sales and service centre for your self propelled, transit, folding, paediatric and tilt in space (or reclining) wheelchairs. In addition we want you to be entirely comfortable so supply a range of accessories designed to make things better for you, whether its clothing, cushions or other wheelchair accessories.

We appreciate that finding your ideal wheelchair is a specialised process. Because each person is different, your chair needs to fit you and feel as though it becomes a part of you. We have one of the biggest ranges of wheelchairs in the UK. We work with many of the top brands to supply a full range and aim to make these available at competitive prices. To make this process easy we also offer our price match policy which gives you the confidence to buy from us.

Many of our customers come back to us time after time for advice and after sales care. Our wheelchair servicing department can keep your chair in tip top condition so that you're never let down. We can advise you on the best accessories for your chair and then fit, service and deliver your chair back to you in the shortest time possible and even lend you a replacement chair while yours is being serviced.

At UK-Wheelchairs we service hundreds of individuals & organisations but lets us remind you that we are always here at HQ to chat with you about your individual requirements. If you live in the South Devon area you are also welcome to visit one of our shops.