Jump to content | Jump to navigation | Sitemap

Disability Advice & Information Service - Cambridgeshire

Home | About us | Our services | Contact us | Join us/volunteer | Sitemap

Also on this website:

Newsletters 2006: Issue 11 January 2006

Contents of this page: Cambridge City Council Heat Project | Cold feet? | Help the Aged – standing and walking aids | Motability – the leading car scheme for disabled people | Get Motoring | Communication aids for children – at risk | Parent Partnership Service – forthcoming events | The National Autistic Society – new publication - ‘Going to the shops’ | SCOPE  ‘Know your rights’ workshops for parent carers | Attention all treasurers... | SKILL: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities | Free volunteering workshop | Leisure Time: Days Out | Card playing made easier | Scrabble made bigger! | Top crime books boost for blind | Independent living - telephones | Occupational therapists – how can they help? | Disability Forums - Cambridge Forum of Disabled People | Disability Forums - South Cambridgeshire Forum of Disabled People Sawston Branch | Disability Forums Cambourne Forum of Disabled People | Disability Forums - East Cambridgeshire Access Group

Cambridge City Council Heat Project

If you live in the City and are in receipt of income support, housing benefit, disability living allowance or attendance allowance, you are entitled to free insulation works (subject to survey). 

For more details call free on :0800 093 4050 or check on-line at www.heatproject.co.uk

Cold feet?

Specialised socks from Cosyfeet have a 2 mm thick gel inside and are ideal for those with arthritis and diabetes. They cost:  £31 a pair and you can get them from this website: www.cosyfeet.com

If funding for these is a problem – we (at Directions Plus - now Disability Cambridgeshire) may be able to help with funding through our Funder Finder.

Help the Aged – standing and walking aids

Help the Aged have an online shop, offering a comprehensive range of high-quality, affordable items for independent living, including a selection of walking aids.

This includes a 3-wheel rollator, which can help with shopping trips or just getting out and about.  It is ideal for indoor or outdoor use, folds for easy storage and transportation, and has solid balloon tyres for better manoeuvrability and ease of use over rough ground. For further information Tel: 0870 770 0441 or see their website: www.helptheaged.org.uk

Motability – the leading car scheme for disabled people

Did you know that simply by using your higher rate mobility allowance, you can get a brand new car, powered wheelchair or scooter?

Every day, Motability helps thousands of disabled people and their families to get on the road.  And, because they take care of the practicalities, you can relax and enjoy affordable, convenient and hassle-free motoring.

The scheme is open to anyone who receives one of the following benefits, and has at least 12 months’ of award length remaining when they apply:

  1. Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance
  2. War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement.

Non-drivers can still obtain a car as a passenger. They need to propose two other people as their drivers. Parents or carers can also apply on behalf of a child aged three years or older.

Get Motoring

RADAR has published ‘Get Motoring’ a new guide for disabled motorists to finding and financing a car.  The 26-page booklet is available without charge from RADAR although a contribution towards the cost of postage and packing would be appreciated.

Contact: 12 City Forum, 250 City Road, London. EC1V 8AF
Tel:  020 7566 0117         Fax: 020 7250 0212
Email: Aimee.Godfrey@radar.org.uk
Web: www.radar.org.uk

Communication aids for children – at risk

Campaigners fear thousands of disabled children could lose access to communication aids, if the government stops funding a national scheme. 

The Communication Aids Project (CAP) has provided £20 million to fund communication aids for more than 4,000 school-age children since 2002.  But funding runs out in April 2006, and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has yet to indicate whether it will be renewed.

The disability charities Scope, RNID, RNIB and Mencap have joined the CAP centres that deliver the project, to warn that losing the funding could have a drastic effect on disabled children.

Ruth Scott, external affairs manager at Scope, called for the DfES to maintain funding of at least £5 million a year and expand CAP to include pre-school children and adults.

A DfES spokesman said:

“We are aware of the time pressure but the case of the extension will be considered in due course.” 

He said the project was designed to help school-age children and so would not be extended to other age groups. Why not write to your MP about it?

Parent Partnership Service – forthcoming events

The Parent Partnership Service regularly runs training and events for parents and carers and professionals.  They currently have two courses for parents during the Spring Term in 2006.  They are ‘Behaviour Management’ and ‘Makaton’.

The Behaviour Management course is a free one-day course to help parents and carers spot situations where their child may feel threatened or become angry and as a result become confrontational or possibly injure themselves or someone else or cause physical damage. The ‘Behaviour Management Course’ will take place on Wednesday 22 February 2006 at Upper Pendrill Court, Papworth Everard and run from 9.30am to 4.30pm. There is plenty of on-site parking at the venue.

Makaton is a language of signs (as used in British Sign Language), gestures and pictures to enable children and adults to communicate, where for whatever reason speech is not yet developed or not possible.  It is an internationally recognised language and taught and used in Cambridgeshire pre-school and school settings.  The course is free.  It will take place on Wed. 1 February 2006, 9.30am to 3.00pm at The Windmill School, Cambridge Road, Fulbourn. CB1 5EE.  There is parking on site and in adjacent roads.

If you would like to attend either of these training sessions please contact Telephone: 01223 717 400 E-mail: Robert.Wilson@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

The National Autistic Society – new publication ‘Going to the shops’

‘Going to the shops’: a guide for parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders. Catriona Hauser, NAS Autism Helpline. The NAS Helpline gets so many calls on shopping that one of their team wrote this helpful booklet.  Full of useful tips and coping strategies.

Details: ISBN   1 899280 87 1; Code NAS: 608; Cost: £1.00 (plus p and p); Published by The National Autistic Society, 2005.

Please send all orders to Central Books Ltd. 99 Wallis Road, London E9 5LN
Tel: 0845 458 9911; Fax: 0845 458 9912; Email nas@centralbooks.com
Or order online at www.autism.org.uk/pubs

SCOPE  ‘Know your rights’ workshops for parent carers

Free ‘Know your Rights’ workshops for parent carers are available across Cambridgeshire between January and March 2006.  Each workshop focuses on a different topic, including details about developing self-advocacy skills, negotiating for services and the formal complaints processes.

The workshops will cover the following subjects:-

  1. Accessing Social Care Services
  2. Education
  3. Transitions to adulthood
  4. Access to Health
  5. Benefits and funding
  6. Housing, access to equipment and housing adaptations

And will be held in:

If you would like further information about these workshops (dates and times) and a booking form please contact: Directions Plus (now Disability Cambridgeshire) Contact us

Attention all treasurers...

and anyone who looks after money for voluntary groups!

Free training is coming to a community centre near you. Cambridge CVS is offering free training in the basics of money management for charities and community groups with an income of under £50,000. The training is aimed at Treasurers and anyone thinking of taking on this role and will be held in locations around Cambridge and South Cambs at times to suit everyone. You don’t have to be a CCVS member to attend. Look out for details in your area, or else contact Cambridge CVS on:

SKILL: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities

Skill is a national charity promoting opportunities for young people and adults with any kind of disability in post-16 education, training and employment across the UK. Skill’s website is now Browsealoud enabled – it is free for users.

Simply by scrolling your mouse over the text that you want read to you, browsealoud will read and speak what you require, helping you navigate enabled websites more easily.

Free volunteering workshop

There will be a free volunteering workshop for disabled people and carers at Directions Plus (now Disability Cambridgeshire) on Tuesday 14 February, 2006. The premises are fully accessible but places are limited – please book via the Advice Line.

Details are as follows:-

Leisure Time: Days Out

RADAR  has published a new edition of ‘Leisure Time : Days Out’ giving information about a wide range of places to visit in the UK.

The guide concentrates on larger attractions and in particular those at which disabled people may face or anticipate problems. The purpose of the guide is to give information so that disabled people can plan and enhance their leisure trips.

Leisure Time : Days Out is available from RADAR price £5 + £2 postage and packing.

Card playing made easier

If you like playing cards but find holding or manipulating them difficult, Homecraft Ability One supplies a range of card holders, a battery powered card shuffler, and standard sized cards that are large print to make them easier to read.

Scrabble made bigger!

Many of the popular board games are available in a large version.  Nottingham Rehab have a version of Scrabble with a 43cmx43cm board and 2.5cm square tiles with bolder lettering.
www.nrs-uk.co.uk      Tel: 0845 120 4522

Top crime books boost for blind

A leading literary charity, National Library for the Blind (NLB) has today confirmed blind and partially-sighted people across the UK will once again have access to prize-winning crime books thanks to a continued partnership.

Charity chiefs at the NLB have received £12,600 from the Foyle Foundation for six books to be made into Braille, after winning accolades in the CWA’s annual awards scheme:

“Over 95% of books published every year in the UK are simply not available for them to read – and we are pleased to have the support of organisations such as the Foyle Foundation to enable us to produce as many books as we can.”

Independent living - telephones

RNID Typetalk is the national telephone relay service, which enables deaf, deafblind, deafened, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired people to communicate with hearing people anywhere in the world by telephone.

It is run by the RNID and funded by BT, a partnership that guarantees the very highest standards of service.

You can ask to receive further free information from RNID Typetalk by calling:
0800 500 888 (text) or 0800 7311 888 (voice)

RNIB and Vodafone recently launched the Nokia Communicator 9210 (mobile phone), with textphone software that allows you to talk on the move:

Occupational therapists – how can they help?

Many people who have a disability or long-term ill health and their carers can be helped by an occupational therapist (OT). OTs do years of training to qualify, and their broad knowledge equips them to work in many different settings, including your home. They work closely with other healthcare professionals and people who can help in your care.

An OT’s approach is client centred and holistic and their philosophy is to promote safety, independence and quality of life for both disabled people and carers.

If you have difficulty:

or are a carer

an OT can help with advice on:

Altering your home can be expensive and complicated and it's important that structural changes and equipment are right for you both now and in the future.

Grant funding may be available to help pay for alterations. Ask your local Home Improvement Agency before you start.

Contact:

Accessible Designs are specialists in adapting buildings, can provide Independent OT Practitioner assessments, a general design and build service and disability access audits.

Disability Forums - Cambridge Forum of Disabled People

Campaigning for equality of opportunity for people in Cambridge.

If you are interested in joining the Cambridge Forum please contact Gerri:

Disability Forums - South Cambridgeshire Forum of Disabled People Sawston Branch

Gerri Bird has set up a forum in Sawston with the help of local residents.

The forum, which meets once a month, has been running since February 2005.  If you have a disability, are a carer or are an older person or an organisation working with or for disabled/older people or carers and are interested in joining, please contact Gerri. One of the things the forum is involved with is campaigning for better access in all areas.

Contact:

Disability Forums Cambourne Forum of Disabled People

Coming soon: Cambourne forum – if you know an older or disabled person who may be interested – please contact Gerri.

Contact:

Disability Forums - East Cambridgeshire Access Group

The group looks at all issues to do with disability eg access to shops, buildings etc. They also have a sub-group for plan-vetting of new buildings and alterations to older buildings.  If you are interested in joining or would like more information – please contact Gerri.

Contact: