QUICKIE Nitrum Frame Colours
Your sense of style is evident. It's heightened by our new colours. Whether you're bold, sophisticated, or edgy, these tints are sure to fit your style. Avoid following current trends. Put them there and show who you really are. Wheelchair perception was altered by QUICKIE.When they were dull, we added colour, turning wheelchairs into blank canvases for individual creativity. We're doing it again now, this time with carefully chosen colours that mirror, complement, and coordinate you. Examine looks based on actual personalities, such as bold, polished, outdoory, and more. Choose the style that best suits you. Have you thought of something yet? Utilise our colour visualiser to customise your wheelchair to your liking. Read More
Carbon Fibre Wheelchairs
Carbon fibres are tiny filaments made mostly of carbon atoms that are smaller than a human hair. Thousands of filaments are gathered and either used separately or woven together to create cloth. Since its discovery in 1958, carbon fibre has revolutionised a wide range of industries, including wheelchairs and high-end athletic goods and aerospace. One of the top 20 engineering feats of the 20th century, according to the National Academy of Engineering, is the development of composite materials, which includes carbon fibre. Why is carbon fibre used to make a manual wheelchair, and what clinical uses does it have? Your best option for manual mobility should be carbon fibre due to its numerous applications and the answers to these questions. Read More
Support for wheelchair and pushchair users as Solihull
In response to residents’ concerns about people blocking access to dropped kerbs, Solihull Council has decided to adopt new parking enforcement powers. From Monday 5 September, people who park in front of dropped kerbs and block access will be issued with a fine of £70. This will be reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days. The fines are being introduced following a review of the council’s parking services strategy, which took place in July. This identified that there was scope to issue a £70 Penalty Charge Notice to any motorist who obstructs a pedestrian dropped kerb where tactile paving is present. Read More
How flying could be improved for passengers who use wheelchairs
More wheelchairs are being damaged on planes. Travelers want action.
The Transportation Department has announced several new accessibility measures, but advocates say progress is too slow.
Jessica Dalonzo was worried the first time she flew with her power wheelchair last month. She’d heard horror stories from other travelers, and her manual chair had been damaged on previous flights.
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Alvaro Silberstein, co-founder and chief executive of Wheel the World, in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. (Joyce Silberstein/Wheel the World)[/caption]
But the 22-year-old entrusted the customized device — with careful instructions attached — to Delta when she flew from New York to Orlando for a Disney World vacation. It was damaged upon arrival, but fixable in about an hour. Things got much worse on the way home, she said.
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Family 'disgusted' amid claims wheelchair user was removed from flight and humiliated
A family claims a wheelchair user was removed from a flight and blamed for holding up other passengers.
Danielle Snowball, 27, was flying to Mallorca along with her brother Gary Scholes, 40, and other members of their family for a long awaited trip abroad when she says the humiliating experience happened. The family had arranged special assistance for Gary, who requires the use of a wheelchair, when they booked their flight with Ryanair weeks ago, and said they had never had any issues before.
But Danielle claims when they arrived at the departure gate at Manchester Airport on Saturday (August 20), Gary was told they didn't have an aisle seat and would be 'unboarding' him from the flight.
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Royal Ballet performance will have a dancer who uses a wheelchair
Exclusive: former ballet student Joe Powell-Main will take part in a duet at Greenwich + Docklands international festival
The Royal Ballet is staging a performance in which one of its dancers performs a duet with a disabled dancer, recognising that being inclusive is “not just about diversity of race, but also about diversity of physical ability”.
Joe Powell-Main, who uses a wheelchair and crutches to perform and describes himself as a “differently abled dancer”, will appear with the Royal Ballet dancer Isabel Lubach in a lyrical piece created for the Greenwich + Docklands international festival next month.
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Joe Powell-Main will perform in Sleepwalker in September at the festival. Photograph: Kate Green/Getty Images for The National Lottery[/caption]
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Life changing beach wheelchair given to family
Burnham-On-Sea Rotary Club has made a “life changing” donation of a high-tech wheelchair to a disabled local teenager to help make his family’s life a little easier. Bradley Bedford, 16, loves to visit Burnham beach with his parents, Ken and Michaela, but they have struggled to push him through the sand and along mobility ramps using a conventional wheelchair. When Burnham-On-Sea Rotary Club heard about the youngster’s plight, they stepped in to help and, this week, outgoing Rotary President Terry Spragg has presented the family with a new £800 wheelchair to help ease the mobility issues. Read More
New partnership with SVR puts disabled people in the driving seat
Specialist Vehicle Rental (SVR) in Birmingham has chosen Queen Elizabeth Foundation for Disabled People (QEF)as its new charity partner. SVR supply specially adapted lease and rental vehicles to people living with a disability across the UK. This new partnership will support QEF Mobility Services’ work providing driving assessments and driving lessons to disabled people; helping each person to be as mobile and independent as possible and providing unbiased information about the most suitable option of vehicle and adaptationsavailable to hire, lease or purchase.
Increase mobility and maximise their independence
Based in Surrey, QEF provides expert advice and life-changing services to almost 10,000 disabled children and adults every year, enabling people to develop key life skills, increase mobility and maximise their independence. The charity’s Mobility Services is one the UK’s largest providers of mobility advice and support for disabled people and those with age-related impairments. The charity has a specialist driving school with a team of qualified and experienced Driving Standards Agency Approved driving instructors who have been trained to the highest standards. QEF’s Mobility Services include rehabilitative tuition, driving lessons for confidence training – helping people to adapt to new methods of controlling the vehicle and driving lessons for new drivers up to test standard.
SVR was impressed by the charity’s unwavering commitment to ensure disabled people live as independent a life as possible and has pledged to give a 5% donation to QEF from every car supplied to a QEF client who uses the code ‘QEF’ as well as 5% off the cost of the rental, lease or purchase to the client themselves.
Leo Visconti, Director of Engagement and Partnershipsat QEFsaid: “SVR’s enthusiasm for our work was evident from the moment we spoke, and we are delighted to have been chosen by them. We are a small charity, but we have big ambitions to ensure that our services enable disabled people to maximise their mobility and independence, and that anyone who wants to drive has the opportunity to learn to drive, as it affords freedoms that everyone should have, and this partnership will help us reach that goal.”
Kumba Bockarie from Croydon, contracted Polio when she was just four years old which effects the stability in her legs and means she struggles to walk long distances. She used QEF’s Mobility Services to help her pass her driving test to give her independent mobility and reduce her reliance on public transport.
Kumba said: “I have triplets and previously I had to rely on public transport to get us all around. The everyday trips, such as getting to school, were stressful. I can’t run for the bus, so there were times when one of my triplets would run ahead to hold the bus until I could get there. I needed to learn to drive so I contacted QEF’s Mobility Services to organise an assessment. The Occupational Therapist tested my reaction times on a static rig using hand controls and then as I had a good response to this, I drove a car on their private track for the very first time – it was so exciting.
“QEF sent the results of my assessment, along with my doctor’s letter about my medication, to the DVLA and once I received my provisional license, I started driving lessons with QEF and I passed my driving test in May 2018. Since then, it has been fantastic – it has given me freedom – we can just get up and go and I can drive anywhere we want. There’s no stress and I can get the kids to school on time! Driving has opened up so much for me and has truly changed my life.”
JuggyKudhail, the founder and MD at SVR added: “We are absolutely thrilled to be supporting QEF. It is not just a relationship, it’s a partnership where we look forward to working closely with QEF and their clients whilst supporting the charity. We endeavour to help understand peoples ‘life objectives’ and find solutions for their specific requirements. We work in close collaboration to ensure that we meet if not exceed expectations for all involved. SVR will find an answer for a client who needs our help. Our team are passionate in what they do and will always look to go the extra mile to help achieve customer satisfaction.”
It is hoped that the partnership will raise a minimum of £5,000 to support QEF’s mobility services. For any QEF clients that choose SVR, motoring and mobility solutions will be developed that are tailored to aclients’ specific disability and within their budget. These include adaptive equipment from basic hand controls through to full wheelchair access and hoists in its new vehicles and used vehicles. It can also create adaptations to a clients existing vehicle.
To hire, lease or purchase a vehicle through SVR call 01922 624967, email QEF@specialistvehiclerental.co.uk or visit specialistvehiclerental.co.uk/contact-us Use the code ‘QEF’ to receive the discount
No wheelchair users on Zwift?! Ignorance or discrimination?
Zwift is fantastic, loved by millions of people all over the World and proving a lifeline for many during this current pandemic and series of lockdowns. It's an online platform started in 2014 where people connect and join together from their living room in what Zwift describe as the number 1 app in the World for "riding, running, and training with your community."
But you have to be able to use your legs to run or cycle as Zwift is only available for able bodied people.
This is of course a bit of issue for the 55 million plus wheelchair users in this World who'd love the opportunity to join.
To use Zwift it's super easy, they explain how in three easy steps you can connect and join. You just need to 'grab your bike' and connect your trainer to Zwift. You can then join your friends, socialise and have fun competing with people from across the World.
For this superb experience you pay of course, the membership is £12.99 per month and they have grown to become a multi billion dollar company, recently publishing in September 2020 that they will be investing another $450 million into the platform to "develop the core software platform". Yet no clear sign that they will become inclusive and welcome wheelchair users.
I have a set of rollers which I use daily from my wheelchair, yet I can only connect to Zwift if I pretend that I can run, but I lost my ability to run when I broke my back 20 years ago. Is this ignorance or discrimination, I'm not really sure!
1000's of wheelchair users already use equipment such as the Invictus Active Trainer
So why have Zwift not made themselves inclusive and open to wheelchair users?
It does seem a little strange to say the least that Zwift does not want to be fully inclusive. Being diverse and open to all brings huge gains commercially let alone morally. Maybe they just don't realise the true potential? Maybe wheelchair users don't fit the brand image they want to portray? The reason wheelchair users cannot use the software is not clear.
Hopefully it's just on the 'to do list' and something that is being worked on in the background. Time will tell but maybe one day wheelchair users will be able to join their friends and have fun via Zwift in a truly inclusive online World.
We'd love to hear your views, reach out to us here: hello@theaccessibleplanet.com
Wheelchair access and disabled rights gone 'out the window' due to COVID... outrageous?!
Another example of how COVID-19 safety measures are having a huge impact on disabled people.
• Disabled bays blocked for COVID-19 queues
• No additional spaces made available
• Restrictions and limited access for blue badge holders
If you are a wheelchair user or struggle to walk any distance then in the good old 'pre-covid' days you used to be able to go to a store and park near the entrance - in fact this has been the case since 1970 when orange badges were first introduced as part of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.
You'd place your blue badge on the windscreen and happy days, you got the wide space needed to get your wheelchair out of the car or you managed to park close enough so you could walk to the shop.
For a minute let us ignore the fact there are many people abusing the blue badge system and it's easy to get one...
Genuine blue badge holders need the space. If you are an independent wheelchair user who transfers to the drivers seat and puts their wheelchair across their lap and onto the passenger seat (which 1000's of people do daily) then you need the wide space to fully open the door. Just like if you use crutches and need to fully open the door or may struggle to navigate across the car park using sticks - or any one of the genuine reasons why blue badges and disabled parking bays exist.
But disabled parking spaces are becoming even more sparse as they are being blocked off to make way for 'COVID safe' measures, such as click and collect or store queues. It's as though the need for the spaces has just vanished without any consideration or extra spaces being made available. It would be easy to block off another area of the car park for blue badge holders and replace the original proper bays.
"It's not just car parking, wheelchair access and disabled people's rights seem to have just gone out the window since COVID, it's effecting people daily and it's outrageous"It appears there is nothing that can be done and disabled people who need the use of dedicated bays just have to take their chance that one of the very few remaining available spaces are free when they arrive at the store.
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Hopefully one day when COVID queues are a thing of the past disabled spaces will become available again and those who genuinely need the wide or closer parking will be able to go shopping again like everyone else.
Have you been effected by disabled parking or other access due to COVID-19? We are keen to hear from you - please email: hello@theaccessibleplanet.com
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