Scottish Disability Equality Forum���� |
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SDEF
NEWSLETTER�
OPEN
DOOR � Issue 10�
Welcome to the 2nd
issue of our new style Newsletter � OPEN DOOR, or number 10 �in old
money�.
I hope doors have indeed
opened for you recently and your horizons are widening.
We would be grateful if you
would give us feedback on content and style, e.g. what things you would like
included or, for that matter, left out.� Please
remember a door opens both ways and this is your way of letting others know of
problems met and solutions found.� There are a few problems that have never been encountered
before and someone somewhere will have found a way around them.�
OPEN DOOR means just that.� We
are all on the same team and we would very much like to include articles about
members� activities and events and pass this on to others.�
When we say we want to involve our wider membership meaningfully and want
to hear your views � we mean just that.� The
Board of Directors exists to carry out your wishes.�
Since we received the first
instalment of this year�s funding, a lot of time has been taken up with
progressing our current business plan, agreed by you.� This is: �research
into special needs transport: and a toilet survey which enhances information
already available, to reveal unmet needs.�
In addition, we have also
put a great deal of effort into preparing a carefully, well constructed and
balanced bid to become the Umbrella Group for the Access Panels.�
This is something very dear to our hearts and something we have
consistently championed and promoted for years. It has resulted in the research
and progress so far. When the papers come through from the Steering Group, we
hope those involved will give our proposals full-hearted support.�
We cannot stress strongly enough that the result of the ballot is vital
for future developments.�
The next event will be our
A.G.M., and the outcome of the above ballot will have a strong influence on
this.� If the decision is as we
hope, support for SDEF, then there will be a great amount of work involved, with
representatives from the panels themselves agreeing the next steps.�
However, holding true to our
philosophy of being driven by our grassroots, we are appealing to our membership
for advice.� Do you have any ideas
for suitable, accessible venues � bearing in mind our membership stretches
from Southwest Scotland to the Shetlands?� We are also looking for a lead on a theme and a Speaker, if
this is your choice.� Perhaps you
would rather just discuss subjects of general interest, which would then form
the basis for future business plans.� This
might encourage more involvement by the general membership.�
Preparations will be starting shortly for this A.G.M., so please give
these matters some thought and pass on your views to the office.�
There will also be an election this year, so think about nominations.� More details of this will come to you later, with the formal
papers.� It will be an exciting time
to join the Board of Directors; �we
would welcome committed, hardworking members and an injection of new blood.�
Remember, if you would like
to talk to any of the Directors at any time, please ask at the office.�
We are always at your disposal.�
Enjoy the holiday period and
we hope to see you soon at the A.G.M. in the Autumn.
Elma Mitchell MBE �
Chairman
GEORGE REID MSP
The
Scottish Disability Equality Forum is honoured to announce that George Reid has
agreed to become its Patron. People will know Mr Reid as the Presiding Officer
of the Scottish Parliament, but it is in his capacity as an MSP that he has
kindly accepted our invitation. The SDEF is confident that Mr Reid�s enormous
experience and knowledge of disability issues will greatly enhance our work.
Below we give a brief resume of Mr. Reid�s career.
� ��
��������� Born Tullibody, Scotland 1939.� Married with two daughters. ����������������������������������� ��������� Educated Dollar Academy and University of St Andrews. �������������������������� ��������� Producer and Correspondent with ITV and BBC in UK,��������������������������������������������� Europe and Africa.�
��������� MP (SNP) and Member of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and Western European Union 1974-79.�
��������� Director of Public Affairs of the International Red Cross, Adviser to Javier Perez de Cuellar 1984-96.� He has served in wars and disasters world-wide.�
��������� Member of the Steering Group for the Scottish Parliament 1998-9.�
��������� Elected Member of the Scottish Parliament and Deputy Presiding Officer. �NEWS and VIEWS
Congratulations�
To David Grieve, a Director
and the Treasurer of S.D.E.F..� David
was presented with a Certificate by the Provost of Nithsdale, on behalf of
Volunteer Action, for dedication and commitment as a volunteer with Dumfries
& Galloway Coalition of Disabled People.�
The presentation took place during Volunteer Week 1st � 6th
June.�
David, (pictured below,
first on the left of the photo) is also to be congratulated on his election as
Chairman of the Council of Management of the Disabled Drivers� Motor Club at
its A.G.M. on
27th April.
�
�
�
Congratulations�
To Kathleen Welsh of the
Order of Malta � Dial-A-Journey, on being awarded an M.B.E. in the Queen�s
Birthday Honours List.� Kathleen has
given sterling service to the organisation and well deserves this honour.�
We will be proud to hear Kathleen say, �My
Buses are Excellent.�
�
Congratulations
�To
Ron Skinner, M.B.E., who has been asked to a meeting of WESTMARC, to consider
the setting up
of a Focus Group on the
supply and maintenance of wheelchairs on a Scotland-wide basis.�
Any concerns regarding
wheelchairs should be passed to Elma Mitchell or Ron at S.D.E.F..
�
The
following letter was received by SDEF yesterday.�
This letter had been e-mailed to MSPs and other organisations with an
interest in disability issues.� It
graphically highlights the issue being faced by those with disability who wish
to further their education.� SDEF�s
response to Caroline Barr�s request for help is to publish her letter to raise
awareness of the situation.� Readers�
comments would be most welcome.�
To Whom It May Concern
�
1.�����
Did you know?��� That
35% of disable people of working age have no qualifications.
2.�����
Did you know?� There are
96,000 registered wheelchair users in Scotland.
3.�����
Did you know?� That the
unemployment rate for disabled people is almost double that of non-disabled
people.
4.�����
Did you know?� That you
can�t get statutory help with transport if you�ve got a disability and
you�re accessing education, unless you�re doing an HNC, or above, course.
�
1, 2 and 3 are referenced from Promoting Rights and
Participation 2003 the European Year of Disabled People.�
4 is from information gleaned from a Student Funding
Advisor at Telford College.�
I am currently a student at Telford College.�
I eventually want to go on to do an HNC, but to get onto an HNC course
I need two Highers.� I would also
like to finish off the course that I started last year, which is Counselling
Skills and Social Welfare NC.� This is going to involve three to four days a week at
college.� This is going to be
impossible for me to achieve because I require a taxi to and from college,
which is going to cost me �60 -�80 per week and, as I�m currently on
income support, that will probably bankrupt me.�
Sitting Highers and facing bankruptcy is not a prospect which I�m
looking forward to.�
�Lifelong learning� is one of your buzzwords, as
is �social inclusion�.� I
think you should qualify this with �if it doesn�t cost us any money�.�
My dad and the Student Hardship Fund have offered to
help me out, but I really do feel this should be statutory.�
I look forward to some support with this matter and a
reply.�
Yours sincerely,�
C.W. Barr
�DISABILITY
INFORMATION SERVICE
WHO
ARE WE?�
The Disability Information
Service is a part of Gordon Disability Action.�
We operate throughout Aberdeenshire providing information, advice and
support for people with physical and/or sensory disabilities.�
We also help carers and their families.�
WHAT
CAN WE OFFER?�
We have an up-to-date
database providing information and advice.�
We also have access to care data and we can help people or groups who are
searching for funding, to find it with the help of Funderfinder.�
The Disability Information
Service has recently been awarded an Internet Free Access computer, courtesy of
the Scottish Executive.� The
computer will be installed at our opt-in centre in Inverurie within the near
future.� This is a great opportunity
for people to access information.�
If we cannot provide you
with the information you require we will introduce you to someone who can.�
Should
you wish to visit our opt-in centre we are in Inverurie.
Monday
� Friday
10.00
a.m. � 3.00 p.m.
�
WHO
TO CONTACT:�
Julie
Burgoyne, Development Worker �
�
�
We have received an article from the
Irish Republic, detailing the problems of a disabled man in finding
accommodation. Anthony is currently homeless.�
LETTER FROM DUBLIN
I remember it well, 28th November 2002 at 7.50 am., I was
getting out of bed when my feet hit the water. It had rained heavily all night
and my home of six years was beginning to flood and fill with a heavy, dirty
silt.�
After about twenty minutes, I waded knee deep through the kitchen,
watching mementos of my past float out the door. Unable to prevent the water
rising, I felt sudden panic as I realised the problems I would face in finding
other lodgings.�
As a person with a disability, I was acutely aware of the lack of
understanding of our needs, the way we are automatically classified as
something cloistered, cared for and a cause for pity. But I had built an
independent life which involved growing my own vegetables and providing a home
for rescued animals. I had worked hard to build my skills and hoped someday to
enter the open market.�
My immediate problem was finding somewhere to live. I spent Christmas
shuffling between friends and applying for grants. I couldn�t afford to rent
social housing, but in Ireland we can apply for housing grants which I would
be able to repay. I was informed, however, that I was ineligible because I was
not in full employment. This is automatically discriminating against disabled
people, as 93%, or 300,000 people, are not in employment.�
For eighteen years I had dreamt of the security and pride of owning my
own home. However, the concept of Independent Living is relatively new and
only in recent years has there been a European Directive for Disability
Equality. �
Why then do studies show that disabled people are the subjects of
discrimination? I was told that if I were pregnant, a traveller or a foreign
national I would be given preference. Disabled people, however, daily
experience discrimination in terms of attitudes, physical access, poverty and
exclusion from the life of the community.�
Could it be that this is because so few disabled people have an input to
legislation? We have limited access to education, training and employment
because we are assessed against the mainstream, but equality of opportunity
demands legislation which gives equality of access. Similar flexibility is
required when framing legislation which creates services for disabled people
and that means the input of people with disabilities.�
Currently we are celebrating the European Year of Disabled People and
Ireland is hosting the Special Olympics in June 2003. This is not for the
politicians, it is for us. For disabled people to advance we must have more
input to the legislation which controls our lives. If I am wrong, why am I, a
disabled person, homeless in Europe in 2003?�
�Survey
of Special Needs Transport
�The Scottish
Disability Equality Forum has been asked by The Scottish Executive to conduct a
survey of Special Needs Transport in the former Central Region.�
This is provided locally by
the Order of Malta Dial-a-Journey. With more than five hundred regular users of
service and many hundred escorts, the organisation is kept very busy. People
must book three days in advance and the service is strictly first come first
served. The operation gives people with disabilities a measure of independence
to carry out the types of travel most people take for granted.�
Dial-a-Journey also manages
the local taxi-card system, hires self-drive vehicles, tests mini-bus drivers
and operates regular school runs for children with any impairment or learning
difficulty. In the school holidays it is able to use its spare capacity to offer
people with disabilities longer excursions and breaks.�
People who know Central
Scotland will realise that the area covered takes in both rural and urban areas.
It will be interesting to find out if there are any lessons which can be learnt
for similar initiatives elsewhere. The aim is to put the operation under the
microscope and to listen to the views of the service users. The work will be
undertaken by SDEF from a completely independent position and the approach will
be to offer passengers the opportunity to give frank feedback on their
experience of the service.�
For its part, Dial-a-Journey
has welcomed a �warts and all� approach, with a view to turning any comments
into positive action to improve services. The survey should take several months
to complete and we will bring you more details when it is complete.
�
�DLA
and Mental Health
For some time the Panel of
Reference has been concerned that Disability Living Allowance forms are not
useful to people with mental health issues. The forms relate to physical
disabilities, there being only one page for people who are mentally ill to
complete.�
I fill in the form which
consists of two booklets. The questions to be answered are of the kind, �Can
you lift a bag of potatoes?�, �Can you walk upstairs?�, �Can you wash
and dress yourself?� etc.. So many of these questions are not relevant and,
while a number of people with severe mental health problems may be unable to do
these things, the majority can. �
Many people who might be
entitled to this benefit are refused and are forced to appeal. This causes such
stress to them and their families that we feel the form should be amended, or a
separate form developed.�
The problem appears to be
commonplace and was confirmed by a recent meeting we had with the Division of
Psychiatry. As the form seems irrelevant to their patients, we will be looking
for their backing to try to get the form changed. We hope to get broad support
to have it redesigned to accommodate all illnesses.
ACCESS
AUDIT TRAINING by JMU CONSULTANTS
WED
/ FRI 28 � 30 MAY 2003
�The
Course was organised by SCVO and the Steering Group on Access Panels, as part of
the on-going work on the position of Access Panels in Scotland.�
I attended the second of the
two courses arranged and held at RNIB, Dunedin House and the Apex Hotel,
Haymarket, Edinburgh.�
We were welcomed by Andrew
Jackson of SCVO, who introduced the Course Director, Kathryn Phipps and her
assistant, Peter Hudson.� At the
outset we were informed that no-one can train to be an auditor in three days,
but the Course would raise awareness of what was involved in conducting an
access audit.� We were each
presented with a manual which would guide us through the three-day Course.�
I was very impressed with
all the presentations and the easy manner of the �Tutor�, interspersed with
pertinent anecdotes, which endeared her to most of her audience.�
It was reassuring that we were not being �talked at� with a whole lot
of information, but that she had personal experience of the problems and how
they could be overcome.�
We covered all aspects of an
audit � the whys and wherefores � Design and Disability (covering all forms
of disability) � Legislation � Goods, Facilities and Services � Education
� Public Transport � Design Issues � Reading Plans � Appraisal.�
We came to the thorny
question of �tactile paving� and it was enlightening to hear that JMU could
devote a whole day to this subject, as was also the case with colour contrast.�
At any access meeting I have
attended, the topic that inevitably provokes most discussion is that of toilets.�
On this occasion the subject was �for� or �against� peninsular
layouts.� The case �against�
could only have been dreamt up by someone who had no experience of transferring
a person with a pronounced one-sided weakness onto a toilet stuck away in a
corner.� A peninsular layout gives
much greater flexibility of use to both the person as an individual, or a person
requiring the services of a carer.�
It was rather ironic that
the venue for the second day left a lot to be desired in terms of access, but it
did provoke conversation amongst the participants and added a lot of weight to
how essential an access audit was.� It
gave us an opportunity to do some practical assessment on the spot.�
The Course finished with a session on reading plans.�
It was three days well spent
and I would thoroughly recommend to anybody involved with access to attend a
Course, if the occasion arises.�
Since the Course ended,
Kathryn Phipps has been promoted to General Manager of JMU and Peter Hudson will
take over Kathryn�s responsibility for Scotland.� Our best wishes go to both of them as they take up these new
responsibilities.�
What is Single
Shared Assessment
�A single shared
assessment is the assessment of a person that is person-centred, led by a single
professional, with other specialists becoming involved as appropriate, with the
results of the assessment being acceptable to all professionals in social work,
health and housing�.�
If the
term SINGLE SHARED ASSESSMENTS is broken down into its constituent parts it
means:�
���������
Single Shared Assessment
��������
Is person-centred
and needs-led
��������
Relates to level
of need
��������
Is a process not
an event�
Single Shared
Assessment
��������
Seeks information
once
��������
Has a lead
profession who co-ordinates documents and shares appropriate information
��������
Co-ordinates all
contributions
��������
Produces a single
summary assessment of need�
Single Shared Assessment
��������
Actively involves
people who use services and their carers
��������
Is a shared
process that supports joint working and information sharing
��������
Provides results
acceptable to all agencies�
Where
does the idea/need for it come from?�
The idea
of a Single Shared Assessment came from the Scottish Executive in 2000.�
There was a need to improve assessment systems as a way of improving
joint working between social work, health and housing.�
Prevailing systems were bureaucratic, engaged with the individuals on too
many separate occasions and were often repeated because of professionals�
reluctance to accept the views of others.� Moreover,
their content and results were found to be inconsistent.�
What
are the principles of it?
�
��������
People who use
services, and their carers, should be actively involved and enabled to
participate in the process
��������
Assessment should
be undertaken by the most appropriate lead professional
��������
The assessor
should be appropriately skilled and qualified to deal with the type and level of
assessment
��������
Appropriate
information should be shared by the informed consent of the person or person�s
representative
��������
Single shared
assessment must facilitate access to all community care services
��������
Other
professionals and agencies must accept the results�
Who
will it affect?
Single
shared assessment is for people with community care needs seeking help from
social work, health or housing authorities, who may require the services of more
than one professional discipline or agency.�
What
will it do?
The
introduction of a Single Shared Assessment will lead to greater communication
and working between social work, health and housing.� It will prevent duplication and the unnecessary re-assessment
of individuals.� It will also
complement joint resourcing and joint service management.�
What
effect will it have on patients and carers?
��������
Focus on their
needs and those of their carer
��������
Involve them in
the planning of their care
��������
Offer an
appropriate level and range of assessments
��������
Avoid duplication
of information given, and the number of�����
assessments
��������
Provide a key
contact person
��������
Achieve greater
speed and integration of care planning
��������
Provide access to
a range of co-ordinated services�
What effect will it
have on staff and services?�
��������
Minimise
duplication of work
��������
Reduce
bureaucracy
��������
Integrate systems
and procedures
��������
Achieve better
use of staff skills and expertise
��������
Make more
effective use of resources
��������
Support and build
on good practice
��������
Ensure fellow
professionals will accept results
��������
Improve
communication between services
��������
Improve
information sharing between services�
How will it work?
�������������
It involves an assessment process including:-�
��������
Standard
assessment -
This applies where indicated needs or requests for services
are straightforward and can be dealt with by low level response.�
As it may involve one or more agencies, some co-ordination of
contributions to the assessment may be needed.�
��������
Comprehensive
assessment �
This applies where a wider range and complexity of needs is
indicated.� It is likely to involve
more than one agency in contributing to an holistic assessment of needs.�
Specialist input may be necessary to specific areas of need.�
In comprehensive assessment, effort needs to focus on co-ordination of
contributions to the assessment.� People
who are at risk of admission to residential care or nursing home should receive
a comprehensive assessment with care management and specialist input, if
necessary, to explore fully the options for rehabilitation and care at home.�
��������
Specialist
assessment �
This may apply to simple needs of a particular nature, or
particularly complex needs requiring more in-depth investigation by a
professional with recognised expertise.�
��������
Self-assessment
�
Is where people identify their own needs and propose
solutions to them, as the sole assessment process, or in conjunction with other
assessments.� They may receive
professional advice, or the support of an advocate.�
Can I share confidential information?
Part of
single shared assessment is allowing for information sharing and co-ordination
of care between agencies.� There has
been an information sharing protocol developed throughout local Health Boards
and this will be part of the training given to people prior to
implementation/involvement in single shared assessment.�
There will also be a patient information sheet and the ability to share
information will be by informed consent of the patient or their representative.�
When
does this happen?
Single
shared assessment will begin to be rolled out in some areas by March 2003.�
Our members are requested to find out what is happening in their local
council/Health Board area and let SDEF know.
�
�The Blue Badge Network
(formerly the Orange Badge Network)
The Blue
Badge Network, a national charity, was formed in 1991, and exists to keep Blue /
Orange Badge holders up-to-date, through a quarterly Newsletter.�
Subjects include legislation, information and ideas relating to parking
badge matters and disability issues in general.�
A telephone helpline is available, plus assistance given on an individual
basis in various areas of expertise.�
Membership
is open to any Orange / Blue Badge holder at �8.00 per year (Joint membership
�10.00).�
The Blue
Badge Network
Telephone
/ Fax 01384 257001
Email: [email protected]
Website:�
www.bluebadgenetwork.org.uk�
Charity Number: 1018535
� |
� Scottish Disability Equality Forum Working together for the disability movement SDEF is a recognised Scottish charity no. SC031893 end of page |