Great Britain

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

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. [caption id="attachment_15725" align="" width="691"] 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. Read More

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. [caption id="attachment_15714" align="" width="620"] Joe Powell-Main will perform in Sleepwalker in September at the festival. Photograph: Kate Green/Getty Images for The National Lottery[/caption] Read More

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

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