Scottish
Disability Equality Forum����
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Scottish
Disability Equality Forum���� |
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� Report
of SDEF Conference
9th
July, Dunblane
�Including
Us All�
Yvonne Strachan's presentation � OverviewThe conference was extremely well attended,
and delegates were highly active and participative.�
Speakers and workshops received positive feedback in the evaluation
forms.� Most criticisms were of the
venue: parking facilities, sound system and catering.�
These have been passed on to the venue and we have offered to give the
hotel some constructive suggestions of how to improve their accessibility.
The morning speakers all focused on the role of
networking bodies in the disability voluntary sector.� Yvonne Strachan pointed out the need to move slowly to
achieve consensus on change and allow full consultation.� Bob Benson set out his view of the campaigning role of the
sector, and the difference of the DRC�s role.�
Michael Matheson MSP called for organisations to put aside their
differences and work together on issues of common concern to achieve change.
Copies of speeches, slides and handouts are available in hard copy from SDEF as well as by clicking on the links in this report.� Issues detailed below are those coming out of the afternoon workshops.
1.�
Tourism Workshop Notes
Training
Scottish Tourist Board has an annual training session
for staff who assess members� premises.� They
are put into a wheelchair for part of the day in order to get a feel of the
restrictions that are imposed.
Mystery guests could be used for training purposes.
It was suggested that access audit personnel should be
properly trained.
Staff in pubs/restaurants/hotels etc should be trained
in how to deal with people with disabilities.
Architects, who study for four years, should be given
more than a half-day training on disability issues.
Access
There should be funding made available to help convert
cottages/crofts who may only have slight modifications to make for example
putting a ramp where 2 steps used to be.
A lot of times rooms are not accessible due to grab
rails or pull cords not being fitted.
It was felt that a percentage (10%) of the rooms in
hotels/guest houses should be accessible before being awarded the STB category 1
award.� It shouldn�t just be 1
room in a hotel with 200 rooms.
In many hotels, because the accessible room is usually
the largest and most recently upgraded, the �disabled� room is booked out to
the first person that wants it.� The
hotel staff should ensure that the person who is booking the room requires that
room rather than first come first served.
It was noted that Ballater Railway Station which has
been recently upgraded, has removed the ramp access which was previously there
and there are now 2 steps in its place.
It has also been discovered in one accessible building
in Glasgow, that although the buttons to call the lifts were accessible to
someone in a wheelchair, there was a large plant in between both lifts making it
impossible for someone in a wheelchair to call the lift.
Legislation
Many companies/organisations will only change their
accessibility if they are made to by government legislation.
�All new builds should be totally accessible to
all disability categories.
Disability Discrimination Act isn�t forceful enough.
Scottish Tourist Board should try to get all members
to have at least one accessible room or where possible 10% of their rooms.
National legislation is needed now not left until
2004.
Architects and developers need to listen to
people with disabilities as one person commented that she had been in meetings
with an architect when a building was being upgraded and not one of her comments
had been listened to.
Other comments
Who do people/organisations go to about access?
Go to access organisations.
LECs can help with funding.
Many organisations say that their premises are fully
accessible but the bathrooms are not wide enough for a wheelchair.
3 questions brought to round-up session
All properties that are being converted should be made
accessible for all disabilities.
Access for all disabilities � there needs to be
better training (using mystery guests), getting disabled people involved where
possible and better communications.
Enforcement of conditions.
2.� Housing
Workshop
Total
Care Package
Some of the delegates commented that when disabled
people leave hospital they can be put into unsuitable accommodation without a
carer. It was felt that there was not enough of an appreciation of disabled
people�s requirements in such situations.
Design
of Housing
There is a great shortage of suitable accommodation
for the disabled. Even housing that has been specifically built for disabled
people lacks good design and thought for the people who are to use it. More
consultation and working in partnership would be required between local
authorities, disabled groups and architects.
Direct
Payments
These payments are given for day-to-day care and
support, and as of 2003 local authorities have a requirement to consult on the
provision of payment for housing support as well. Delegates were encouraged to
take the opportunity to speak to the Lead Officer appointed in each authority,
to make sure relevant issues were discussed.
� 3.� Transport
Workshop
Shopmobility � why are shopmobility wheelchair users
not allowed into stations when able-bodied people are allowed bikes?
Many stations aren�t accessible.�
Wheelchair users often have to stay on the train past the station, go to
the next station and come back on another train.�
The Scottish Executive must invest more in station accessibility.
Many issues re transport should be directed at
Scotrail not Railtrack.
Buses are also an important issue.
Motability � concerns around abuse of the system,
monopoly, and frequent/repeated repairs.
� 4.� IT
workshop
Technology alone is not enough.�
Getting the right equipment in the right place at the right time is only
part of the solution.� Training and support are vital.
Many people are not aware that they can get kit better
suited to their needs.� However,
expense of adaptive technologies is a major obstacle.
Designers must be made aware of how important and easy
it is to make websites fully accessible.� Designers
often go out of their way to make websites inaccessible without realising it.�
We need to make change easy for designers, and also make the business
case (8.5 million disabled customers in UK).
Websites designed for disabled people don�t have to be boring and clunky.� Disabled people need to tell designers what they need, and what they want.
5.� Final
Plenary Session
The key question coming out of the final session was,
�where do we go from here?�.� This
was not really answered � in many ways it was too early to say.�
It is clear that it is very important for the SDEF committee to set out
clear work priorities for the near future, and to involve and inform current and
prospective members.
The SDEF committee is currently developing a workplan
for the future, which will be presented to members for discussion at the next
meeting of the Forum in September.
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� Scottish Disability Equality Forum Working together for the disability movement SDEF is a recognised Scottish charity no. SC031893 end of page |