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We're open to Ideas
Sir - As director of events for the Mobility Roadshow, I welcome the chance to respond to two letters published in your September and October editions of the magazine.
I find it worrying that some of your members did not see any publicity for The Mobility Roadshow Scotland. We advertise where we hope to reach our target audience. However, we are always open to suggestions about publicity and would be delighted to hear readers' ideas.
The show was publicised in tandem with the Donington Park event in a variety of disability, regional and national press on a regular basis from November/December 2003 - including Disabled Motorist. In addition the Edinburgh event was advertised in a variety of Scottish national press, and a twoweek radio campaign ran on Radio Forth. Over 100,000 fliers were distributed nationwide for both events, to regional disability groups and other organisations such as Shopmobility, The Mobility Roadshow newsletter - Ideas into Action - was mailed to 27,000 individuals, companies and organisations, including all DDMC members.
I concur absolutely with Ms McLean's views on the lack of motor manufacturers at the event. We too were disappointed that more motor companies did not choose to exhibit in Edinburgh. We hope there will be more support from this sector next time.
In response to the reader who commented on grouping similar exhibits together in one area, we tried this approach some years ago but it is very difficult to co-ordinate. The Mobility Roadshow attracts over 200 exhibitors and the mix of products and services can be unpredictable. One year there may be a larger number of wheelchair and scooter manufacturers, another year there may be more conversion specialists.
Consequently it is very difficult to allocate areas of the exhibition to specific products or services. Feedback from visitors indicates the show is most popular in its current format but we appreciate your comments.
Jacqui Jones, Mobility Choice (registered charity & organisers of the Mobility Roadshow)
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Letter of the month
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EUTHANASIA IS NOT A MOTORING ISSUE
Sir - I was very disappointed to read in the October 2004 edition of Disabled Motorist the prominent article and editorial comment on the issue of Disability Now sending out a pro-euthanasia postcard.
I noticed that in the article on page 5, you quoted only Tom Shakespeare, who is in favour of euthanasia, and who thus agreed with the postcard being sent out with the newspaper. Yet many disabled people are not only opposed to euthanasia, but find it personally terrifying. I am one of these.
I have spina bifida, hydrocephalus, emphysema and osteoporosis, and I use a wheelchair full time. I have severe spinal pain which cannot always be controlled even with morphine. 19 years ago my doctors thought I was terminally ill. At that time I wanted to die due to a combination of factors. It was a settled wish that lasted ten years, and during the first five of those years I attempted suicide seriously several times. I was saved only because my friends intervened and got me taken to hospital where I was treated against my will.
Had euthanasia been legal then, I would have requested it. Under the rules which pro-euthanasia groups propose, I would have qualified for it. I would have been killed, and thus denied the chance to experience the last 19 years. I object to euthanasia being discussed in Disabled Motorist for two reasons. First, it presupposes that this is an issue of particular interest and importance to disabled people. This is how it is promoted by pro-euthanasia groups. They suggest that what they call "strict safeguards" should apply to any law allowing euthanasia, and one of these criteria is always that the person requesting euthanasia must be "incurably" disabled or terminally ill, as if these sort of people are "right to want to die" and should be helped to die, while others are "wrong to want to die" and should be helped to live. The implication is clear - disabled and sick people's lives are not really worth living.
Second, what on earth has euthanasia to do with motoring for disabled people?
Alison Davis, via email
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Don't be so quick to judge
Sir - I have read several letters over the years in Disabled Motorist complaining about apparently non-disabled people using blue badges. I have been moved to write by the letter in the October issue from Tony Wyer who thinks you have to be "virtually unable to walk" to have a blue badge and assumes that, otherwise, you must be illegally using someone else's.
I am a disabled person who appears perfectly mobile at first sight, but I can only be on my feet for short periods at a time. As such, I am entirely reliant on my adapted car and Blue Badge for work, shopping and anything else involving travel as I cannot use public transport. An onlooker would not know this on seeing me get out of my car, but having a disability that is not immediately apparent is hardly unusual. (My visually impaired mother has a blue badge too).
Obviously it is reasonable to expect a certain amount of public ignorance on this matter, but I am saddened and disappointed to find other disabled people being so quick to rush to judgement.
A Morgan, London
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Crazy Badge Policy
Sir - Your Edinburgh traffic wardens story raises an issue I have tried to get Leeds City Council to see sense about. Leeds CC have now stopped Leeds's disabled citizens from calling into any council office and collecting or exchanging their Blue Badges. Everything has to be done via the postal service. I work where I cannot park without my badge. It also does not seem unreasonable that on Saturdays and Sundays I might need my badge to shop or simply to get out. So, like many others I must have it 365 days a year. My badge is an able-bodied person's legs!
Deprive me of it and I am trapped. They claim this helps stop fraud. But surely by seeing people face to face they would have a better chance to protect us. Disabled legislation says that, wherever practical, access should be available. Leeds operates One Stop Centres to make all its services easily accessible to its citizens. Does it not seem strange that they have a department whose declared objective is to allow disabled people to get about and that it operates in a way which stops the very people it exists to help getting into its office.
I am convinced that nothing in the existing rules suggests that in administering the national scheme for disabled parking badges, Leeds or any other body should actually make parking impossible by depriving me of my permit for a week or more whilst it is replaced. It would appear that they care more about their own systems and less about the very reason they exist. Are other councils so uncaring ?
John Sidebottom, Thorner Nr Leeds
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DEVON CHARGES
Sir - I thought your members who holiday in Devon might like to know that as of October 1, Teignbridge District Council no longer allow free parking in their car parks for Blue Badge holders. However, Blue Badge holders can make an appointment with the council and apply for a parking permit; this costs £5 per year.
Our neighbouring council, Torbay, have always charged parking for Blue Badge holders, but they issue free permits to blue badge holders. The car parks affected are: Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Chudleigh, Dawlish, Moretonhampstead, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Starcross and Widecombe. I feel people should be aware of this before they arrive in the area.
S Butcher, via email
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HELPFUL SCOTLAND
Sir - I am writing about the piece on Scotland in Disabled Motorist. I wish to say how myself and my wife were over- come with help and hospitality by the people of the city of Edinburgh. Nothing was too much to help my wife with my wheelchair getting in or out of shops.
On August 22 myself, my wife and son and our friends attended the Edinburgh Military Tattoo at the castle. My friend had booked the seats but forgot I would be in my wheelchair. When we arrived we were escorted into the castle and I asked a member of staff if I could go in the disabled seating area. That was no problem; they just changed the tickets for myself and my wife.
Mr C R Smith Stoke-on-Trent
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HOTEL ACCESS
Sir - Looking at the article on page 17 of the October issue, entitled Hotel Awards reveal high standards of accessibility, prompted me to write. The article displayed a picture of a hotel room with a double bed and this reminds me of the experiences and discussions I have had with the Travel Inn Group.
I have travelled to visit relatives in various parts of the country with my daughter who has become disabled as the result of an accident over three years ago. Because of her disabilities it has proved impossible to stay at the homes of our relatives, so we usually seek accommodation nearby, usually at a Travel Inn as they are the cheapest. What we have found is that every room designated as suitable for the disabled has a double bed. This is also the case in the picture in your magazine.
Why is it that all disabled people are expected to have a partner to share their bed with? What if, as in our case, a disabled person travels with a carer?
I have no objection to sharing a double bed with my 27-year-old, but her disability requires her to wear leg splints at night and be closely surrounded by pillows to support her legs and body. An- other weight in the bed would cause her body to become unbalanced. Sharing a double bed is not an option. Our choices under the circumstances have been to stay in a twin bedded room, with difficult access to the bathroom facilities. Why not provide twin bedded rooms with easier access to bathrooms for the disabled? Also my daughter cannot access a bath or stand under a shower. She needs either a cushion or air-filled bath aid to lower her into the bath. She has problems sitting on any hard surface because of a broken pelvis.
To solve this problem, perhaps hotels, if they have a genuine desire to accommodate disabled travellers, could provide hoists, bath aids and/or commode-type cushions for hire if necessary.
Disabilities are specific and not every need can be catered for. If, however, general facilities exist, as they do at present, with the option to hire or use other aids if they are provided, this would go a long way to making the stay more comfortable and enjoyable. In my experience, though the facilities are lacking, the staff have always proved helpful and courteous.
I would be interested to learn of the experiences of others, who have had similar problems.
Pauline Pearson Newcastle upon Tyne
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BEEF ABOUT LAMB
Sir - I see that the Fat Lamb Country Inn advertises the fact that they have been recommended several times in the Disabled Motorist post bag. Having stayed there recently, I feel that your readers should consider my experience as I certainly couldn't recommend it. It's not cheap, and although access is good and our room was spacious, our bedding was smelly. One of our pillows was heavily stained brown. Our towels were worn and had several holes in them.
In the restaurant, the window where we sat during our stay had a cobweb containing four dead daddy long-legs! Surely not part of the decor? Neither was the food exceptional, as their advert claims it to be. I ordered lamb and chose the salad rather than the vegetables. The salad, when served, contained tuna fish! We pointed out all these shortcomings to the proprietor but he did not respond.
Personally, I would not consider returning there, despite the general difficulty in finding accessible accommodation.
K J Watterton Wirral
Paul Bonsall, of the Fat Lamb, responds: I was concerned to hear of Mr Watterton's dissatisfaction with the Fat Lamb. Our bed linen and towels are supplied by a national linen hire company. Their clean linen is delivered shrink wrapped and smells freshly laundered, and to my knowledge all their towels are of a good standard. Whilst the pillow referred to may have had some discolouration, it was enclosed in two pillowcases (as is our practice).
Our restaurant is cleaned daily and regularly spring-cleaned. However, cobwebs and their associated debris can and do occur. Had the offending cobweb been pointed out it would have been attended to immediately. We do pride ourselves on our food, and our side salads are routinely decorated from upwards of six or so different salad dishes which may on occasion include tuna and sweetcorn.
Regrettably, I was on honeymoon when Mr Watterton wrote bringing these matters to my attention. I have now responded to his letter in full, and trust that he will have received my reply (and my apology for its delay) by the time this magazine goes to print.
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LOADED ADVICE.
Sir - I have just received the September issue and am writing about the use of loading bays for disabled drivers. My husband and myself are both users of the Blue Badge. We live in Bridlington and it is an offence there to park on loading bays, even on Sundays. People have come to the seaside for a day and been fined. They changed all the places you used to be able to park in, such as loading bays, around Easter time. So my advice is: don't park in a loading bay.
Mr & Mrs R Daniels Bridlington
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LED ASTRAY
Sir - I recently purchased my Motability Lease car at the end of its lease period and should like to warn other potential purchasers of my experience. During my lengthy dealings with various Motability staff I was treated very courteously and given precise and accurately detailed information from all.
Due to the newly introduced changes intended to assist people in my position, it concerned me that the DVLA registration document was to be collected from me by the RAC man who carried out the final condition inspection at my home. I therefore clarified on numerous occasions by telephone, that the vehicle would not be re-registered to Motability and that no "Former Keeper/s" would be shown on the document, as this would effectively devalue the car. I was reassured by a number of different personnel that I would remain the only keeper and that if the document was accidentally changed, it would be put right. (Apparently this had happened on one or two occasions.) I continued with my purchase based on the information given to me, even though the price was around retail level.
However, at least I knew the vehicle's history, being the only person to have driven it from day one. You may imagine my horror when some time later I received a new registration document from DVLA Swansea showing myself as the second keeper to Motability Finance Ltd. I immediately phoned Motability and explained what had happened, expecting an apology and an assurance that it would be put right.
But things had changed The lady I spoke to quite firmly told me that I had bought the car from them, therefore I was the second owner. This I did not dispute and tried to get her to understand the difference between an "owner" and a "keeper", (as defined by the DVLA). But she went on to tell me she was in her fifties and had worked in the motor trade for years (including Ford Magic) and knew what she was talking about.
She then said that all the young girls who work at Motability will only tell you what you want to hear. Quite an outrageous statement in my view as I had got on so well with these "young girls" and felt they had been genuinely helpful and honest. I tried to reason with her to no avail and at a certain point she scolded me for being on the phone for 43 minutes. I corrected her that it was in fact 46 minutes and that I was paying for the call. I then politely ended the call as I was clearly wasting her time.
Needless to say I contacted the DVLA and they agreed there had never been a previous keeper. My new document arrived within days showing no former keepers. So be warned. Never listen to the "young girls" at Motability. They'll only lead you astray (he writes, with a big grin on his face).
John Haas. Brentwood, Essex.
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STICKY DEBATE
Sir - I refer to a reader's letter in the last issue of Disabled Motorist under the heading "Sticky Situation". It would seem that this reader has raised an interesting conundrum and I would like to know if you have any comments on this reader's problem and any resolution to it.
This reader left his car in a designated space at a UK Airport, but then had to remove his blue badge to take with him to use on holiday presumably with a hire car. On his return he found that someone had stuck a sticker on his car assuming that he was a bay abuser because his badge was not displayed.
Similarly, what about someone who is collecting a blue badge holder from hospital or some other appointment? When they arrive they will be without the badge holder, but they will later be leaving with the badge holder. Should they inconvenience the badge holder by parking in a normal bay or should they risk abuse charges by parking in a designated bay? I am proposing to raise this as a discussion item in the next edition of the newsletter that I edit for our local voluntary group. I would welcome your comments no later that 30 November 2004 .
Lesley A Windle
Spelthorne Committee for Access Now (SCAN)
www.scanweb.org
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