When my wife and I visited Cornwall to do some research for our website, www.disabledholidayinfo.org.uk we visited several attractions including the very wheelchair friendly Eden Project and Falmouth Maritime Museum which was particularly accessible. However it was some unexpected kite-buggying with the Mobius Disability Kite School on Perranporth Beach that gave me my most memorable day.

Another younger researcher (I am 64!) was due to test the kite-buggying, but couldn’t make it so I had to be the guinea pig for the day. I was very nervous beforehand and was not looking forward to the experience. However once I had met the team of instructors who reassured me that I could do as little or as much as I felt safe with, I felt more confident.

The first thing I had to do was transfer, with their assistance, from my own wheelchair to a beach wheelchair. This is a chair with balloon like tyres that I needed to sit in, in order to get onto the sandy beach from the car park. This in itself was a novel experience, to be pushed across deep sand on to and across the wide beach area.

Up, up and away!

An area on the far side of the beach was designated by the life guards specifically for kite sports so that no one was mown down! The instructor explained the safety procedures and I had to sign a disclaimer. He then drew a plan in the sand and explained about flying the kite and power zones. I thought this first stage of just flying the kite without the buggy was going to be child’s play, but how wrong I was!

At first I struggled to keep the flexi-foil kite in the air but after a while I started to get the hang of it. I was then introduced to a more powerful kite which, after a few minutes struggling with, actually pulled me out of the beach wheelchair. I had been advised that if you have problems to just let the kite go and it will drop onto the sand .But for some reason I hung on resulting in me being dumped on the beach, much to the hilarity of my wife and the instructor.

Eventually I began to get it in the air for a reasonable amount of time and was then able to try the buggy. This is a four wheeled buggy that is totally hand controlled with a steering wheel instead of foot controls. The only one of it’s kind in the country, it is very difficult to overturn. I was helped into it and my legs strapped so that they couldn’t get caught up in the wheels. I was given the kite which I got into the air and then there was a sudden surge and off I went down the beach.  I managed about one hundred yards before the kite hit the sand.

If you fancy having a go at this I would wholeheartedly recommend it. The kite flying in itself is enjoyable (although you have to have good upper body strength) and I fancy getting one just to play with. The kite-buggying however is absolutely fantastic!

Check it out

You can see kite-buggying in action by visiting the Mobius website (see contact details below) and watching the short film on their news page. Mobius told me that they are thinking of producing a tandem buggy for people who cannot do it solo. If they get enough enquiries I’m sure it will hasten this.

Every wheelchair user will have different capabilities so prior consultation about the suitability of the activity for you is essential. This activity could be classed as an extreme sport and can involve an element of risk. Although the providers carry appropriate insurance, before taking part you will be asked to sign to say that you understand this. Adverse weather conditions can affect when this activity can take place so you may need to be flexible when booking.

For more details contact the Mobius Disability Kite school at http://tinyurl.com/lexw7w or telephone 08456 430 630. Lessons start from £35 per hour.

This article first appeared in the September 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

For accessible holiday cottages, adapted vehicles and mobility vehicles see our classifieds

Even though I see many British mainland registered cars during my frequent trips to the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland, I think many more of us, especially disabled drivers, could enjoy the Irish travelling experience. From Cork to Donegal and from Belfast to Bangor, there are some wonderful people to meet and truly dramatic scenery to enjoy in the land of my ancestors.

Yes, there are practical problems travelling if you’re a disabled person, but my own experiences illustrate what can be achieved. As an arm amputee with spinal arthritis and diabetic neuropathy, (meaning I can’t feel much below my knees), sitting and walking is difficult and I drive a specially adapted car, a Toyota Yaris Verso, equipped with hand controls.

Hiring a car in Ireland is not an option for me as I require hand controls – plus I’m large, very tall, and can’t bend my neck very well. Hence, the high headroom Yaris Verso, in which I drive everywhere!

There’s not much difference in ferry prices between different operators. However, I think that other factors, including customer care, come into play for disabled people when choosing which ferry company to use. My own favourite ferry operator is Irish Ferries, particularly on the Pembroke Dock (Pembrokeshire, West Wales) to Rosslare (County Wexford) route. There are two sailings a day in each direction by the Isle of Inishmore ferry.

The ship is large, measuring 183 metres long and weighing in at over 34,000 metric tones. She was one of the largest car ferries in Europe when launched in 1996 and can carry 2,200 passenger and around 800 cars and many lorries on the journey of 60 miles or so. Importantly for reluctant sailors, she’s fitted with automatic stabilizers. From my own experience in a Force 8/9 gale during a November crossing, I know that these are very effective!

The Irish experience begins on board

Because of the welcoming nature of the Irish it used to be said – and this was certainly my opinion – that the ‘Irish Experience’ began as soon as passengers boarded the ship. However, in recent years Irish Ferries have registered the ship in the Cypriot port of Limasol, and replaced the vast majority of their traditional Irish crew with contract workers, mostly Eastern European nationals, with many originating from countries that have recently joined the European Union. These staff are effective and efficient, although there can be language problems. To overcome these, Irish Ferries very soon had all but non-standard announcements recorded by someone with the perfectly balanced light Irish accent we’re used to hearing on radio and TV. The ship’s Captains always seems to be from Ireland or the UK, as they talk to passengers with their brief departure and arrival announcements over the public address system.

What hasn’t changed on the route are the friendly welcomes at the drive-by check-in desks (these are a very helpful feature), in Pembroke Dock, or in Rosslare on the return journey. On checking in, if you’re a regular traveller like myself and they know of your disabilities, they will ask if you need any assistance before confirming your booking and issuing a boarding pass. Indeed, I think that the long-serving Welsh or Irish shore staff are a vital part of the service.

When it comes to boarding the vessel, a special lane is reserved for vehicles where passengers have notified the staff that they need help. As they drive on board, with hazard lights flashing as a signal, the energetic deck staff direct the vehicles to parking areas very close to the passenger lifts. For anyone who finds stairs difficult, this is immensely helpful. Once on the ship, I head for Deck 7 where the main reception desk is to be found, along with a Bureau de Change. Don’t forget the Irish Republic is in the Euro zone, although they accept Sterling and the Euro on board ship! On Deck 7 there’s a large disabled-friendly toilet almost right next to the Reception point. I then find somewhere, not far away in the middle section of Deck 7 to settle down for the trip – always better in rough weather! However, having served in the Royal Navy, I can say that for a roll-on roll-off ferry she’s a great ‘sea keeper’!

A truly beautiful route

It takes about an hour or so to sail down the truly beautiful Milford Haven, passing the modern oil refineries, the gigantic new natural gas plant, the historic Napoleonic War fortifications and the various islands off the Pembrokeshire coast. The scenery is one of the reasons I enjoy this trip so much, with its four hour crossing. However, ferries can be affected by tides and headwinds, often suffering delays.

The first sign that Rosslare is close by is when the Tuskar Rock lighthouse, operated by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, is passed on the port side. This means that within the hour, I’ll usually have left the ship and be driving from Rosslare Harbour towards Wexford City. Rosslare is an excellent entry point into the Irish Republic and there are relatively good roads to all points of the compass which are improving all the time, often being up-graded to dual carriageway. But beware, some of the National (N) and Regional (R) roads have a habit of going from an excellent surface to rough, sometimes with little warning.

Irish route distances are officially all metric nowadays, although I’m personally convinced that on some really rural roads the local signage has just been left in the old miles! Many modern vehicles nowadays can indicate miles per hour or kilometres per hour. If not, the ever helpful SatNav systems offer the choice. This could help you avoid speeding tickets. Yes, the Garda Siochana (the Irish National Police), do employ portable speed traps and the familiar roadside automatic camera is making an appearance, although the Irish, unlike the UK, don’t pretend that they’re ‘Safety Cameras’! They are there to enforce the law! However, like the UK, Irish speed restrictions are complicated. (See ‘More information’ for details).

Make sure you’re covered

Personally, I think it’s essential to have some form of extra breakdown protection that’s provided by motoring organisations. But, whichever motoring organisation you choose, make sure you’re covered as the Irish Republic, unlike Northern Ireland, is often classed as coming under European roadside assistance plans. So, breaking down on the Republic side of the border between Londonderry, Northern Ireland, and Buncrana, County Donegal in the Irish Republic could prove expensive!

Busy roads

For the first time visitor, Irish roads can be quite a surprise as they can be very busy, with the added hazard of slow moving agricultural vehicles liable to appear at any time. There may only be just over four million people living in the Republic but at times they can all seem to be on the road at the same time! Many small towns have kept their unique atmosphere and aren’t by-passed, so hold-ups can occur at peak times and disabled parking spaces aren’t as freely available as they are in the UK.

The traditional roadside lay-by, so familiar here in the UK is quite rare throughout Ireland. When they are found they’re often occupied by travelling families! Fortunately for the traveller though, Ireland seems to have pioneered the roadside-filling station-that-does-everything, years ahead of the UK. They make ideal stop-over points. In fact, literally everywhere I go in Ireland, even to places on the remote far West coast, there seems to be a filling station that comes with excellent facilities, including toilets suitable for disabled people. They often encompass good value for money delicatessens and mini-supermarkets. And, unlike the UK, they don’t charge the premium prices we often have to pay at similar sites. The ubiquitous Tesco store is also now appearing everywhere in Ireland, along with other chain stores. The advantage for disabled travellers is that these stores are always well equipped with disabled parking and toilets.

Finally, before you leave for Ireland don’t forget to take extra time with you – it will be essential. Even so, one visit will never be enough!

More information:

Irish Ferries website: www.irishferries.com

Isle of Inishmore deck plan: www.irishferries.com/ships-inishmore.asp

For Irish speed limit advice and information on Disabled parking regulations: www.citizensinformation.ie

Irish Ferries offer members of Mobilise a 5% discount on all cars and passenger fares including cabins when booked through the Mobilise National Office. Call us to make your booking on 01508 489 449. See our Concessions page for more information on the discounts we offer to our members.

This article first appeared in the September 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

The Red Wheelies Mobility Formation Team like many things came about by accident.   All the team members have  multiple sclerosis and ride mobility scooters and  wanted to race their scooters, after all even lawn-mowers are raced so why not scooters? After some initial trials and tribulations to be allowed to race they found a suitable venue.  It was while waiting to race that a couple of the girls started weaving in-and-out of each other and eureka the Red Wheelies were born.  A dressage choreographer designed the original  routine, a uniform was agreed on and as the scooters being used were all red the name Red Wheelies seemed just right. The Red Wheelies were born and took part in fun days raising money for local MS charities.

Two of the original team moved to the Kent coast where they became members of the Kent MS Therapy Centre. Realising some serious fund-raising was required, they resurrected the Red Wheelies team.  Notices were put up in the centre asking for volunteers from the users of the centre to join. A number did and were surprised how much they enjoyed themselves.  As not everyone had their own scooter, local mobility company UK Mobility was approached and agreed to supply additional scooters. Soon 8 ladies could be seen practicing on their scooters in the centre’s car-park to the strains of Shania Twain.

Performances were made at a number of local fetes and took part in the wettest Herne Bay Carnival ever.  Wet Weather conditions became synonymous with Wheelie performances to the point where wet weather is now known by the team as ‘wheelie weather’.

Realising a much bigger effort was needed by the team to raise the sort of money that could really be beneficial to KMSTC, the group decided upon the idea of a charity walk. Due to the teams shared condition charity walks are normally not an option but the group were set upon the idea of participating in one themselves.  After one of the team went to Cumbria on holiday she suggested the team ‘walked’ Hadrian’s Wall on their scooters, in effect the team’s second pair of legs.

An email was sent to David McGlade at Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, the company with overall responsibility for the trails, explaining the plan while asking for any help they could offer.  Their response was superb, leading to the company being instrumental in helping plan the route and introducing the Wheelies to people on the trail who could help.

Forever Active stepped in to offer the team ten Quingosports  scooters for the trek.  These scooters are fantastic, designed specifically for the terrain covered on the route.  Knowing the teams penchant for attracting ‘Wheelie Weather’ local firm Colmans of Herne Bay donated wet weather gear.

The trek should take approximately a fortnight to travel the 84 miles between Segedunum and Bowness-on Solway.  At the end there will be a lasting legacy of a trail that is truly suitable for all.  The team consists of 16 individuals – the nine actual Wheelies, plus seven long-suffering husbands acting as the teams support crew.   The team is treating it as their annual holiday, paying for their  own accommodation, travel and food expenses. As a result all money raised will be going direct to the charity.  Progress on the walk can be followed on both  www.redwheelies.co.uk and www.twitter.com/redwheelies.

The journey starts with  a Blessing from The Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, as the Wheelies move from one World Heritage site  to another – Hadrians Wall.  On the 11^th of May a  civic send-off from Segedunum by the Chief Executive of North Tyneside Council starts the walk proper, which concludes with a reception at the end of the walk with the Mayors of Allerdale and Maryport.

The Hadrian’s Wall Walk team are a diverse collection. Eight of the nine members are grannies, two celebrate their ruby wedding anniversaries this year, three will turn 60 before the end of 2009 and between them boast an impressive combined age of 542. The ninth member is an ex-wheelie who jumped at the chance to take part.

Planning the walk has been hard work but fun for the group.  Having done it all themselves, the team remain surprised at how much they have already achieved, beyond their own expectations.  The team hope to raise money for the charity, help create a trail suitable for use by disabled people, raise positive ms awareness – there is life with MS and to have fun and a memorable experience.

This article first appeared in the July 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

For some time museum staff in Norwich had been aware that the displays in museums often only represent a particular version or experience of the past, and therefore exclude some of the community. Our own Disability Access Advisory Group had told us that they did not see themselves in the displays, and felt that the stories of disabled people in the past were missing from our museums.

To address this we decided to find out what relevant objects existed in our collections. Why had they become hidden? We wanted to ensure that in future, anyone could discover these objects and the stories they told. With approximately 1.5 million objects and specimens in our store, we were excited about what we might find…

Missing treasure

Working with the Access Advisory Group, we developed a list of key search terms and questions that we wanted answered. We trawled through our computerised museum catalogue and interviewed curators in order to build a list of relevant objects. The results were both fascinating and surprising.

We discovered that there are many reasons why a museum object might become hidden – sometimes it was simply that mistakes had been made in how an object was recorded in the catalogue. But on other occasions curators in the past had been so sensitive about how to describe objects associated with disability, that the true meaning had become lost.

The actual objects that we discovered were varied and ranged from clothing to water colour paintings. We looked at collectors and artists as well as aids and equipment as we discovered the personal stories of disabled people in the past.

Some of most interesting finds were in the Decorative Art and Textile collections. A remarkable embroidered letter by a lady called Lorina Bulwer (pictured here) gives a unique insight into the experience of living with a mental health problem in the last century. Hand stitched in upper case letters, Lorina Bulwer has angrily stitched her thoughts, memories and testimony into the 15 foot by 1 foot length of fabric. What makes it especially remarkable is that Lorina stitched it in 1901 whilst resident in the female lunatic ward of Great Yarmouth workhouse.

The Toby teapot (pictured above), which is in the form of a man whose wooden leg forms the spout, provoked a mixed response. Considered pretty unsightly by some, this teapot was a favourite amongst others working on the project.

Through other objects we were able to make new connections between events, buildings and people. From a Braille pocket watch that we linked for the first time to other artifacts, we were able to piece together a glimpse of the life of a John Abbs, who was blinded in the First World War. John was given the watch by St Dunstan’s and traded as a boot repairer and mat maker. Interestingly he stated on his business card that he was blind.

Moving forward

It was very important to us that the research was used to improve the way that museums deal with objects associated with disability, and there have been many positive outcomes of the project, including an oral history project and school workshops. Museum staff continue to work on improving the catalogue descriptions for objects and updating the online exhibition of objects.

Perhaps the most significant achievement however, was to remove some of these objects from stores and to put them on display through a special Hidden Histories trail in Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery. Since then, more of these fascinating objects have been displayed at Norwich Castle – some as permanent fixtures and others in temporary exhibitions, bringing into view the experience of people with disabilities.

To download a copy of the full project report, or to view the on-line exhibition, go to www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk. To request a copy of the report in large print, Braille or Audio CD please contact Ruth Burwood on 01603 493640 or email ruth.burwood@norfolk.gov.uk.

This article first appeared in the July 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

Councils across Scotland have told the Scottish Executive that soaring numbers of Blue Badge holders and increasing congestion mean the current rule which allows holders to park on yellow lines is making some roads unsafe.

Local authority bosses want ministers to ban badge holders from parking on double yellow lines and restrict access to single yellow lines to three hours.

Motorists who break the new rules would face fines of up to £100. 

There are now 270,000 blue badge holders in Scotland – nearly twice as many as a decade ago.

But there is growing public unrest over the level of Blue Badge fraud.

In Edinburgh alone it is estimated as many as 70 per cent of the 18,000 blue badges currently in circulation are being misused in some way.

In response, the Executive wants to beef up fines for misuse of the badges from £1,000 to £2,500, as well as introduce independent medical tests to verify disability claims.

The move to change the yellow line rules was  backed by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, which claims the ‘no parking on double yellows’ rule should apply to all road users.

But campaigners for the elderly and disabled warned the plans could unfairly hit genuine Blue Badge holders. Mobilise will be strongly opposing this proposal.

A public consultation on the Executive’s plan will run until October.  if you would like to respond to the consultation CLICK HERE

When people ask me why did I write Walking on Wheels, I have a stock answer.  “Because it was needed”, I say.  There was a complete dearth of information on barrier free countryside paths accessible to those of us requiring wheels for our mobility. That, of course, is only part of the story but the more I think about “why” the more confused I get.

Was it in my nature?  Was it my upbringing?  Would it have happened had I lived a century ago? Perhaps I was just part of our early 21st century, “go-for-it” attitude and saw an opportunity?

What I know for sure was that Walking on Wheels was part of my journey through life living with MS. It would never have happened had I not become an ‘MSer’, dependent on an assortment of wheelchairs and scooters for the past 10 years.  I feel very fortunate in my nature and my nurture.  I’m an optimist by nature and a problem solver by education.

But enough of soul-searching.  By the mid-1990s I took early retirement from my final post as a part-time typist.  Although I did not realise it at the time, this job was part of my journey towards becoming a published author. It gave me the basic computer skills.

Scottish Disabled Ramblers is born

Five years into retirement and I was becoming just bored enough to rise to the challenge of problem-solving my way back into the countryside but this time in my wheelchair.  I discovered there was a group in England called the Countryside Access Group run by the inspiring Dr Mike Bruton.  I soon found myself organising a similar group in Scotland.

First of all a group of service providers and disabled friends met together. In January 2000 we had an inaugural meeting and set up Scottish Disabled Ramblers (SDR) which was to be run by and for disabled people.  For nearly five years I lived, breathed, ate, slept and dreamt of all things pertaining to wheelchair countryside access.  I was, perhaps naïvely, very keen to promote an ethos of self-reliance and to encourage responsibility for oneself.  In an era of health and safety I felt I was walking a tightrope.  It was, perhaps, that tightrope that led to the demise of SDR but ironically it was also that ethos which allowed the growth and development of four autonomous disabled rambling groups in Scotland – all of which are still functioning to this day.

What next?  What to do with all this information I had collected? The next stage of my journey began.  I had new skills to learn, not least Multimap (a computer programme).  I had new funds to find and for this I am most grateful to Workability run by Leonard Cheshire.  I had a publisher to seek.

A eureka moment

Finding Bríd Hetherington, owner of Cualann Press, was the eureka moment.  And it all happened through serendipity.  I was looking in my local directory for a printer and after ‘printer’ saw ‘publisher’ listed.  There was only one publisher so I gave them a ring and left a message.  Several days later Bríd came to see me and took me on.  She turned my sow’s ear into a silk purse.

The journey has not stopped.  New paths open all the time and I mean that both literally and metaphorically.  New all-ability, countryside paths are opening up all the time.  And new paths on my journey through life as an MSer continually surprise me.  Having been asked to write this article is just one of many.

The success of my book, Walking on Wheels, of which 1400 have been sold, raising nearly £6,500, now means the Trust has the delightful task of distributing grants.  For years I have been applying for grants and now the table has turned and I am part of the team awarding grants.

More information:

For more information on the book see: www.walkingonwheels.org

Scottish Disabled Rambler Groups

Forth and Tay Disabled Ramblers  www.ftdr.com

Highland Disabled Ramblers        www.highland-disabled-ramblers.org

West Lothian Disabled Ramblers    Bathgate office : 07521320680

Angus Disabled Ramblers                Chairperson : 01674 830328

This article first appeared in the July 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

Before driving abroad you should always familiarise yourself with the driving laws of the country you are visiting, check your breakdown and medical cover and check your insurance. The following advice is intended to flag up some of the most common ‘pitfalls’ that await the unwary driver, but it is not comprehensive; if you are traveling abroad we would strongly suggest undertaking some further research on the exact legal requirements of the countries you intend to visit. Happy holidays – and don’t forget to cancel the milk!

Germany

Some German Autobahns have no speed limit. However, where speed limits are displayed they are rigorously enforced. Hidden speed cameras in residential and suburban areas are common (limit 50km/h) and the minimum speed on a motorway is 37 mph (60 km/h).

A warning triangle is essential equipment and headlights are compulsory during daylight hours if the visibility is poor. At night traffic lights are often switched off or flash amber.

Some city centres restrict cars depending on their emissions and these areas are indicated by a sign showing green, yellow or red. To enter you must display a sign available from approved garages on production of your car registration document and a small fee.

Italy

Most motorways are toll roads. Older green driving licences are not always accepted so it is recommended you update to a photocard licence. It is compulsory to carry a warning triangle and a reflective jacket in the vehicle.

France

All drivers in France must have one warning triangle and one reflective jacket in the interior of their vehicle (not just in the boot!) This regulation is enforced with on-the-spot fines of between €90 and €135.

In built up areas the use of the horn is prohibited except in cases of “immediate danger”. Overtaking stationary trams is prohibited when passengers are boarding/alighting.

Spain

If it is daylight and you aren’t in a built-up area you must sound your horn to indicate your intention to overtake someone. At night you should flash your headlights instead.

If you wear spectacles you must carry a spare pair with you.

You must wear a reflective jacket if you exit the vehicle on motorways or busy roads.

Cars towing a caravan must display a yellow triangle on a blue background at the front of the vehicle.

Advice for Motability Customers

If you drive a Motability vehicle and are visiting any EU country, Croatia, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland you do not need to contact RSA Motability before you travel. You will however need to contact RSA Motability if your total travel to an EU country or those additional countries detailed will exceed 90 days in any 12 month period.

You do not require a Green Card for these countries but you should take your Certificate of Motor Insurance with you as proof of cover. For other countries not listed you should contact RSA Motability at least three weeks in advance of your journey. Motability Operations advise that you obtain European breakdown cover before you take your car abroad.

Satnav / Radar Detectors

In most European countries it is strictly prohibited to use equipment that detects radar / speed cameras; many satnavs available in the UK have this feature built in.

In some countries you may be prosecuted for carrying a radar-detecting device even if the device is switched off, so check before you travel and if in doubt, stick to a map!

The following organisations offer useful advice:

The AA

Enquiries +44 161 495 8945

Minicom for hearing impaired members
0800 328 2810  (Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, weekends 9am–5pm)

Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM)

In all countries featured, the following are compulsory:

Original Registration Document

Motor vehicle insurance

Headlamp adjustment

GB Sticker/ Euro-symbol on your number plate

Useful items:

A spare set of car keys

Fire extinguisher, first aid kit, tool kit, spare bulbs

Your driving licence and passport – check if you’ll need an International Driving Permit

Your UK motor insurance certificate & Green Card (if issued)

Breakdown policy and contact numbers

Travel insurance documents

Emergency helpline numbers

This article first appeared in the June 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

“Excellent exhibition, well put together”

“I enjoyed seeing how disabled people used to be challenged to get about. Thank goodness for the progress we are now enjoying!”

“Beautifully laid out exhibition – spacious and thought-provoking.”

For more information on the show see our previous news item

Anyone who pays to put fuel in a vehicle can’t help but have noticed how fuel prices have rocketed in the last few months. For disabled people who are totally reliant on their vehicles to get around paying these prices is unavoidable although some members have written to me saying that they are stru

ggling to pay their fuel costs. One such letter came from Mr D R Rogers from Rainham who wrote saying;

Is this progress? I suffered a disability which has prevented me from working for the last 23 years. I am almost solely dependent on benefits. Some years back people with mobility problems were allocated a blue three wheel invalid carriage, with only one seat and were unable to carry their family. These vehicles were also (I am told) unreliable, then some dedicated people campaigned and Motability was created. Wonderful.

I joined the Motability scheme and have had five vehicles through them. All praise to Motability and the dealers involved in this wonderful scheme. However, this year, long term incapacity benefit has been frozen, my total raise in income is £1.60 per week whilst the cost of fuel is allowed to skyrocket unchecked. So for those of us unable to earn or sue someone for our problems and solely dependent on benefits it looks like it will be goodbye car and back to a one seat electric scooter with limited mileage. I repeat “Is this progress?”

Perhaps we should stop bickering amongst ourselves over who is the most disabled and in most need of a disabled parking bay and concentrate our efforts on fuel prices for I fear soon there will be more than enough Blue Badge bays for the few remaining still able to afford fuel for their Motability vehicle.

Mr Rogers does make a very good point in that fuel prices have increased significantly more than benefit payments. One suggestion to tackle this issue to some degree comes from Alan Lewin who is a motorised wheelchair user. He wrote saying “Can a case be made to grant us a discount on fuel tax when totally dependent for survival on the car? My hefty motorised wheelchair won’t be carried by taxis or buses.”

This is in fact exactly what happens in the Republic of Ireland where qualifying disabled drivers and passengers are able to apply for a repayment of excise duty on fuel used in either the vehicle they drive or travel in. The maximum amount that can be claimed is 600 gallons or 2,728 litres of fuel per year. This rebate would make an enormous difference to people who have no option but to use their own vehicle.

I have presented this suggestion to the UK government in the past but the response has always been that disabled people get Disability Living Allowance to cover the extra costs of living with a disability. It is interesting to know than people living in the Republic of Ireland also get disability benefit.

Although there have been no promises by the new government to reduce fuel prices Transport Secretary Phili

p Hammond, has claimed that the coalition government will “end the war on motorists” and has promised there would be no road-user charging for existing roads and the government would consult on a measure to try to keep petrol prices down if oil prices rise.

But even if fuel prices don’t increase much more they are still very high and Mobilise would like to know if fuel costs are restricting your mobility. Please let me know what journeys you are no longer doing or if you’ve decided to give up your Motability car. If this is something Mobilise decides to campaign on we need evidence of how this is affecting you and your mobility. Write to me at the usual address on page 3 or email editor@mobilise.info .

Hospital parking

I recently attended a Parking Forum meeting to discuss the problems people experience when parking at hospitals. The aim of the Parking Forum, which meets four times a year, is to create a platform for current issues facing the parking industry to be discussed. I attend these meetings on behalf of Mobilise to make sure the views of people with disabilities are represented.

Hospital parking is something which concerns a lot of people as it causes an awful lot of anxiety and stress. To try and help the situation the consumers organisation Which? have put together 10 demands for NHS hospital car parking and two representatives attended the forum to present the research. The British Parking Association (BPA) also have a charter for Hospital Parking which makes many of the same points as the Which? report. What is also good news is that one of the demands from the Which? report is that there should be priority parking for people with mobility problems, people attending for an emergency and women in labour and this is echoed by the charter.

By working together with other organisations making the same requests, improved hospital parking for everyone will hopefully be something we can achieve a lot faster. For further information on the Which? report visit www.which.co.uk/parking .

Helen Dolphin (neé Smith) is Director of Policy and Campaigns for Mobilise.

This article first appeared in the July 2010 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
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