Diner wins damages from restaurant that refused guide dog entry

Mark Glasgow — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:23:13 +0000

A charity trustee has been awarded damages from a restaurant that refused his guide dog entry.

Leonard Cheshire Disability Trustee Jon Prashar, who is registered blind, was denied access to the Indigo restaurant in Carlisle this August with his dog, Mr T – despite informing staff that ‘T’ was a guide dog.

Mr Prashar, who is from Wakefield in Yorkshire, brought the case at Birmingham County Court, on the grounds that the restaurant had discriminated against him. The court issued judgement in October, as the restaurant failed to file a defence, and found the business in breach of the Equality Act 2010 (1).

Today, Mr Prashar was awarded £1,500 and costs.

Mr Prashar comments: “I’m delighted that such a clear message has today been sent to businesses, that access is a legal right and not a luxury for disabled people.

“Disabled people make up 18% of the population and are a valuable source of income to businesses. I hope that this judgement will help change wider attitudes amongst businesses, so that I can eat where I choose to as every paying customer should be able to.

Jack Klar, of Jack Klar Solicitors in Halesowen, West Midlands, who represented Mr Prashar throughout the whole of these proceedings, said: “I have worked with many local businesses advising them on how to comply with the Equality Act 2010. However, there are some businesses that still unlawfully discriminate against disabled people. I hope that this judgement will make it clear to such businesses that discrimination is unacceptable.”

Access and the Equality Act 2010

Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses must make reasonable adjustments – within the scope of their resources – to ensure disabled people are able to use their services and are not discriminated against. This includes a duty to anticipate the sort of issues that might arise and to plan in advance, meaning that all businesses should be thinking about whether they are properly accessible.

Compliance with the law is not formally enforced or monitored by any official body, but relies on individual cases, such as Mr Prashar’s being brought to court, which can be time-consuming and costly for the individual.

Action for Access is Leonard Cheshire Disability’s campaign, which works with local businesses and disabled people to build a UK that everyone can be part of. For more information such as practical guidance on how to make adjustments and to talk through the equality act, visit www.actionforaccess.org

#iamspartacus: Twitter’s gesture of solidarity returns to fight the #NHSbill

Mark Glasgow — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:33:37 +0000

Once, tweeters used the hashtag to support a man who joked about an airport – now they’re defending the NHS It all kicked off with Paul Chambers .

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#iamspartacus: Twitter’s gesture of solidarity returns to fight the #NHSbill

Jo Whiley talks about disability: transcript

Mark Glasgow — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:48:41 +0000

The broadcaster tells blogger and campaigner Nicola Clark about how her family has been affected by her sister’s learning disability Jo Whiley I don’t think that people have an idea what caring entails, I really don’t, because, you know, it is utterly exhausting. Someone probably like yourself or like my mum and dad, they have Frances 24/7 so just little things like she does not like them to watch television. So the new Sherlock is on or something like that and everyone else goes “great, let’s watch Sherlock”, and you will have Frances going, “No don’t watch telly, no not watch telly, don’t watch telly”.

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Jo Whiley talks about disability: transcript

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Funding older people’s care: there’s no ‘sticking plaster solution’

Mark Glasgow — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:56:26 +0000

Michelle Mitchell, charity director general of Age UK, is calling on the government to embrace radical proposals on paying for elderly care Any day now, David Cameron will decide on Dilnot. The verdict on whether the government is to go ahead with reform of long-term care funding, as recommended by a commission headed by economist Andrew Dilnot , rests formally with the coalition cabinet, but the key to that will be the prime minister’s instinct

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Funding older people’s care: there’s no ‘sticking plaster solution’

Better Life project allows older people to tell it like it is

Mark Glasgow — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:56:20 +0000

New initiative aims to counteract the stereotype of older people as dependents or burdens by putting their testimonies online When it comes to the lives of older people we don’t have to look far for repeated references to troubles such as how to fund adequate care in later life, neglect within the health service or financial struggles.

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Better Life project allows older people to tell it like it is

Nicky Clark: the accidental activist battling disability hate crime

Mark Glasgow — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:34:38 +0000

She took on Ricky Gervais on Twitter and won. Now Nicky Clark’s new films show disabled celebrities fighting stigma Nicky Clark came to activism by chance, and discovered a knack for it. Had life turned out differently she might have been an actor, rather than a carer and an articulate disability rights campaigner: “It’s been very organic, but I suppose I have always been someone who got cross,” she says

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Nicky Clark: the accidental activist battling disability hate crime

‘I own five silver medals and loath every single one them – Gold should be the only medal there is’

Mark Glasgow — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:49:37 +0000

Sainsbury’s-sponsored Paralympic films to be launched on Channel 4

Blind football Team GB captain David Clarke believes there should only be gold medals in sport as
winning is the only thing that should matter. Each one of his five European Championship silver medals,
he says, reminds him of what should have been done and mistakes that were made.

Speaking in a unique short film which premieres on Channel 4 on January 30th, Clarke describes how he
feels that coming second at this year’s Paralympic Games will be a bitter disappointment.Clarke is one
of ten Paralympic athletes who are starring in an inspirational series onChannel 4 in which they openly
discuss their dedication to their sport and the sacrifices they are making in their journey to this year’s
Paralympic Games.

The series of ten short films is the second jointly commissioned by Channel 4 and Sainsbury’s, the first
Paralympics-only sponsor, and produced by IMG.

The beautifully shot90-secondfilms also feature Paralympic gold-medalist and record-breaking
swimmerEllie Simmonds, Paralympic gold medal-winning cyclistJody Cundy, Paralympic gold medal -
winning archer Danielle Brown, World Champion sprinterHannah Cockcroft,wheelchair rugby player
MandipSehmi, wheelchair basketball player Helen Turner, field athletics competitor Stephen Miller and
world no. 2 table tennis player Will Bayley.

The films will air daily on Channel 4, the official broadcaster of the London 2012 Paralympic Games,
at 7.55pm from January 30th and at 7.30pm on Friday February 3rd and February 10th’. Theywill
subsequently be repeated in a range of slots across the Channel 4 schedule and on the Channel 4
Paralympic website.

“These thought-provoking films highlight the utter determination and focus of our Paralympians as they
prepare for this year’s Paralympic Games. By sharing their innermost thoughts on camera about how
much that ultimate gold medal means to them and what they are prepared to sacrifice in the hunt for
it, these athletes are being held up as a true inspiration to Channel 4 viewers,”commented Deborah
Poulton, Channel 4 Sports Editor, Paralympics

Jat Sahota, Sainsbury’s head of sponsorship, said: “The truly incredible athletes featured in these films
have fantastic stories to tell, which embody everything that is great about the UK’s Paralympians. The
Paralympic Games are an ideal platform from which to talk to customers about our commitment to
promoting healthier, more active lifestyles for all ages and abilities, and we hope these films will inspire
the nation as we head towards London 2012.”

These films form part of Sainbury’s sponsorship of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The
sponsorship, which they share with BT, includes a variety of programme broadcast across the Channel
4 network leading up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games as well as the live coverage and highlights
shows broadcast during the Games themselves.

Reader Offer for the New Blue Badge Guide for London

Mark Glasgow — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:33:58 +0000

The PIE Guide, in association with London Councils, is pleased to announce the launch of the latest Blue Badge Guide for London. The new guide provides essential updates required by Blue Badge holders detailing the changes to parking regulations, bay locations and the complex parking rules within London.

With the 2012 Games being a truly inclusive event, we hope this unique experience will provide a catalyst to improve the accessibility of transport networks across London. Access improvements can help many people travel more comfortably, such as people with small children and even passengers carrying luggage. For some disabled and older people, however, these improvements may mean they can use public transport for the first time, unlocking a host of new travel opportunities. The new guide includes all the mapping and accessibility information around the Olympic Park. We hope that it will help empower disabled people to make full use of public transport and the blue badge scheme both during and after the games.

Accessible options
Recommended by The Department for Transport and sponsored by London Councils, the guide contains vital information for the registered blue badge driver i.e. parking bays, car parks and petrol stations along with additional content highlighting the accessible tube stations, taxi ranks, accessible toilets, shopmobility centres and a useful directory of services. The PIE Guide is also in partnership with SOLT (Society of London Theatres) and has incorporated their access information for all London theatres within the guide. Parking options for disabled drivers at the main London hospitals and sporting venues will also be included, making this an indispensable guide for London’s disabled community.
Readers of Able Magazine can claim free p&p (worth £2.50) for every order of the new guide. To order your copy please visit www.thepieguide.com, navigate to the shop and add the Blue Badge Guide for London to your basket. Press checkout and you will then see a box marked discount code. There, add the code lg12dm. Alternatively, you
can call us on: 0844 847 0875. You can also send a cheque, made payable to The Pie Guide, for £5.99, to: The Pie Guide, Caledonia House, 223 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9NG.

Martin Rowson on welfare cuts – cartoon

Mark Glasgow — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:25:45 +0000

Civil service document reveals government policy proposal to make disabled people work unpaid for an unlimited amount of time Martin Rowson

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Martin Rowson on welfare cuts – cartoon

Martin Rowson on welfare cuts – cartoon

Mark Glasgow — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:25:45 +0000

Civil service document reveals government policy proposal to make disabled people work unpaid for an unlimited amount of time Martin Rowson

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Martin Rowson on welfare cuts – cartoon

Video games improve sight in adults born with a rare eye disorder

Mark Glasgow — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:20:55 +0000

Study challenges view that video games are bad for sight and suggests the brain can be trained to overcome some conditions Doctors have treated people born with a rare eye disorder by prescribing a course of gun-toting video games. The surprise results challenge the view that computer games are necessarily bad for sight. Researchers found that adults who played the games for 40 hours a month improved enough to read one or two lines further down a standard eye tests chart.

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Video games improve sight in adults born with a rare eye disorder

Department for Work and Pensions presentation

Mark Glasgow — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:20:49 +0000

Civil service document that reveals the government’s policy proposal to make disabled people work unpaid for an unlimited amount of time

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Department for Work and Pensions presentation

Disabled people face unlimited unpaid work or cuts in benefit – the documents

Mark Glasgow — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:20:43 +0000

The civil service documents that reveal the government’s policy proposal to make disabled people work unpaid for an unlimited amount of time We’ve had a lot of interest in our story on disabilities published last night .

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Disabled people face unlimited unpaid work or cuts in benefit – the documents

Attend the launch of the British Wheelchair Basketball (BWB)

Mark Glasgow — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:27:53 +0000

With a longstanding history of dedication, determination, and success, British Wheelchair Basketball truly understands the life-changing impact of sport: not only beneficial socially, physically and mentally, sport has the power to provide individuals with means to achieve a much-cherished independence.

As the world prepares for the London 2012 Games, Wednesday 22 February will see the stunning launch of the British Wheelchair Basketball (BWB) London Development Programme at the capital’s magnificent City Hall.

Starting at 12.30pm, the afternoon will feature a variety of fantastic treats in celebration of the brilliant support from the Mayor of London’s Legacy Fund (Participation), The Lord’s Taverners, and SportsMatch (Sport England), all of which is enabling BWB to assist in the building of a more inclusive and accessible city for the Capital’s seven million plus inhabitants.

Through the creation and continued development of new and pre-existing wheelchair basketball clubs, the LDP aims to create a sports and workforce development legacy that will last far beyond this year’s Games, providing the means for current and future participants to excel in all areas of their lives.

Attending this stunning launch event will be representatives from Pro-Active London and new and pre-existing clubs who have already benefited from the LDP, while testimonials will be heard from the RT Hon. Kate Hoey, The Lord’s Taverners C.E.O. Matthew Patten, and BWB Chief Executive, Charlie Bethel.

Additionally, the afternoon will provide a fantastic opportunity to experience a taste of this ultimate Paralympic sport with two of BWB’s 2012 Paralympic hopefuls, using four of the 40 specialised sports wheelchairs generously donated to LDP by The Lord’s Taverners and The Hearn Foundation.

As we count down the return of the world’s greatest sporting event, the launch of the London Development Programme serves as a first glimpse into the positive impact the Games will leave in their wake.

Join British Wheelchair Basketball and its partners in this celebration of their journey towards providing both individuals and communities with a pathway to a limitless London, starting on the city’s basketball courts.

More: www.gbwba.org.uk

Disabled weddings: how to plan an accessible day

Mark Glasgow — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:54:02 +0000

Wedding planning can be stressful, and when the bride or groom uses a wheelchair it is even more of a challenge. Carrie-Ann Fleming offers tips on everything from the venue and the dress to the flowers and the first dance In November 2009, my boyfriend Darren surprised me with a romantic proposal over a candlelit dinner

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Disabled weddings: how to plan an accessible day