Paris by Wheelchair!

Paris by Wheelchair: A Seemingly Impossible Challenge

What is your favourite wheelchair accessible place to visit?

Have you been to France? Add your review here.

Easier Bathing

Do you find bathing a hard task each day?
Gainsborough Specialist Bathing has launched a new range of assisted wet rooms suitable for a wide variety of care settings.

Suitable for new-build or refurbishment projects, the new wet room range incorporates a wet deck area with level access and slip resistant flooring in a variety of colours so accessibility and safety is maximised. A range of decorative wall paneling is also available in seven finishes, including white marble, white gloss and white diamond stone effects.

An integrated, soft-touch padded shower seat with folding armrests and fluted grab rail, enable carers to perform hygiene routines in a safe, efficient manner. The option of a mobile shower chair also facilitates seamless client transfers in and out of the bathing area.

How To Dress In A Wheelchair

Do you find clothes shopping difficult as a wheelchair user? Do you wonder how your clothes could be adapted to make them more practical?

Click on this link to find the best advice and share any of your own tips here.

http://www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk/scenario.php?csid=395

Exotic Half- Term?

Are you taking a short, accessible, break over the half- term before the Christmas stress begins? Where are you going?
New data from Moneycorp suggests that Brits are venturing to exotic locations for their half-term breaks.

The top 10 currencies for Moneycorp travel money online (7.10.13 – 13.10.13) has been:

1. Euro
2. US Dollar
3. UAE Dirham
4. Egyptian Pound
5. Australian Dollar
6. Thai Baht
7. Hong Kong SAR Dollar
8. South African Rand
9. Mexican Peso
10. Chinese Yuan Renminbi

The popularity of the Dollar is partly due to savvy British shoppers heading to New York City this autumn for some early Christmas shopping.  Shoppers can save up to 60% - as much as £100 in some cases - on some of this year’s must-have gadgets and toys by purchasing them in New York rather than London!

The sterling has also strengthened considerably against the dollar in the past three months. Travellers were getting $1.49 for £1; today they are getting around $1.62 for every £1.

No matter the currency, shrewd customers can lock into favourable exchange rates by using Moneycorp’s Reserve & Collect, which allows customers to reserve their travel money online for collection at a later date. The service offers all customers free exchange rate protection, so you’ll always receive the most favourable rate on the day you collect, whether that’s the rate on the day you reserved or on the day you collect.

Accessible Public Transport Comp! #MovingOn

Do you spend much of your time dreaming about how you would make public transport accessible? What would you create or change?

If you are disabled and under 25, now is the time to share your thoughts.

 

Connect Culture, a community group of Coventry, has launched a video competition for young and disabled people, thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund. In a short video of 5 x 5 seconds the competitors have to show their opinions, ideas and dreams about the accessibility of public transport. 

 

 

The nominated entrees will be screened at the event ‘Moving On, accessible transport the past, present and future.’ This event will take place in Coventry Transport Museum on the 23^rd and 24^th of November and will bring together users of public transport with policy makers, designers, and experts in a round table discussion.

 

During the event the Transport Museum will be exhibiting several vehicles from the Museum’s collection alongside a display about the history of road transport for disabled people. 

Disabled people up to 25 can enter the competition on their own or as a joint production. The skills level needed is basic; the only equipment you need is a mobile phone with a camera function. Visit http://moat2013.org.uk/video-challenge/ for examples and guidance through the process.

 

 

Accessible Half- Term

If you’re thinking of half term ideas and want to stay in Britain, the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain, is full of inspiration.

The online guide features reviews of a range of accessible family attractions which are hosting a frightful range of Halloween-themed family activities this October half term, including the Eden Project in Cornwall, Thorpe Park's Fright Nights, and Twycross Zoo in Warwickshire.

 

Half term event dates:

Eden Project's Little Monsters Ball - 29 and 30 October
Thorpe Park's Fright Nights - 25 October to 3 November. Suitable for ages 13 and over.
Twycross Zoo's Spook-tacular Halloween - 19 October to 3 November

The fourth edition of The Rough Guide to Accessible Britain is available to view for free online, giving you plenty of new ideas for accessible trips in 2013. Each review contains hints and tips from the Rough Guides team of disabled reviewers who visited each venue, looking for well thought out accessibility features and unique attractions, both of which contribute to making a great day out.

The Rough Guide to Accessible Britain series has been developed in association with Motability.

Disabled Go- Karting!

Are you looking for something different to enjoy over the Half Term or looking for the ideal, accessible, gift for a racing fanatic?

Head  to Capital Karts, Britain’s longest indoor Go Karting track.  Visitors can enjoy speeds in excess of 45mph when hitting the 80metre main straight in the course.

There are Go Karts suitable for adults (16 years and above), children (8 to 15 years coming in January) and Twinstructor karts for drivers with physical disabilities.

 

 

PRICE LIST:

Individual
Twinsprint - 30 minutes (2 x 15mins) = £32.99 per person (weekdays before 4.30pm)
Twinsprint - 30 minutes (2x 15mins) = £42.99 (weekdays after 4.30pm and weekends)
Grand Prix -50 minutes (10 mins qualifying and 40 mins race)

Team Event
Le Mans Team event (2-4 drivers per kart) - 100 mins race = £99.99 per kart (weekdays)
Le Mans Team event (2-4 drivers per kart) - 100 mins race = £129.99 per kart (weekend)

Group
Exclusive track hire -
1 hour track hire (16-50 drivers) £57.60 per driver
2 hour track hire (51 - 75 drivers) £51.60 per driver
3 hour track hire (76 - 100 drivers) £47.99 per driver

Capital Karts is only 15 minutes from central London and easy to get to  via public transport by road, rail, tube and overground.

 

Food Tourism!

A new study from Caxton FX has shown that over half (52%) of those asked are influenced by the local cuisine when choosing their holiday destination - highlighting the growing rise in food tourism as a major trend for 2014.

The pre-paid currency card specialist surveyed over 1,000 travellers to find out about their holiday spending habits and discovered that 1 in 2 Brits (49%) will spend more on eating than they will on getting to and staying at their destination.
14% of people said that they spend most of their budget for a holiday experiencing tourist attractions and going on day trips, and a staggering 53% said that eating out in local restaurants was an essential part of experiencing the country.

What is ‘a must’ when you’re on holiday?

 

 

 

Cooking in a Wheelchair

Now that it is getting colder and darker earlier, are you more in the mood for cooking home-made food?
The video and below links offers fab tips you may find useful!
http://www.thekitchn.com/cooking-with-a-physical-disability-171416

Wheelchair Accessible Shopping

Have you begun thinking about Christmas and more importantly, have you started shopping? Below is a list of wheelchair accessible shopping centres I like to go to but add your favourites too.

 

BLUEWATER, KENT  MAP  

Bluewater is a two floor shopping centre containing restaurants, shops and a cinema. Built to meet the needs of disabled guests, it is completely accessible. The 800 disabled bays are all located close to entrances and there are adapted toilets throughout the centre. There are also many lifts.
Shop Mobility is available by pre-booking on 01322 427427. It provides free use of electric scooters, powered wheelchairs and manual wheelchairs for five hours.

THE GLADES, BROMLEY  MAP

The Glades is a local shopping centre in Bromley and is step-free. There are lifts to the second floor and disabled toilets on the Ground level. It has a good selection of popular stores and leads out onto the High Street, where you will find more accessible shops.
The Glades is surrounded by a number of Car Parks, where free disabled parking can be found, along with wheelchair/ scooter hire.

CROYDON, SURREY  MAP

The Whitgift Centre and Centrale are shopping centres in Croydon divided by the High Street. Both contain large department stores, as well as, independent and high street shops. There are lifts and disabled toilets in the malls and in some of the shops.
Both the shopping centre have car parks with disabled bays close to the entrances. The Whitgift Centre car park offers wheelchair hire on 0208 688 7336.

ROMFORD, ESSEX  MAP  

If you are looking for somewhere to shop but want to avoid the London crowds, Romford offers the Brewery and the Libertyjoint shopping centre.
The Brewery offers shops, bars and accessible restaurants and also has 85 disabled pay and display car spaces. Shopmobility is also available by calling 01708 722570. For entertainment, there is a 16 screen Vue cinema, which has wheelchair spaces and a 24 lane bowling alley. For children, there is Kidspace, Europe’s largest play area.
The Liberty has over 100 shops, with a mixture of mainstream, and specialist stores.  It leads out onto the High Street and Market Place where more shops and banks lie.

The shopping Mecca is step-free with lifts to go upstairs so is accessible for all. The shops are very spacious and the restaurants have disabled toilets.

CANARY WHARF SHOPPING CENTRE  MAP

Canary Wharf (London) has a small shopping centre full of mid- high priced high street stores. There are large accessible toilets, lifts and doors opened by push-buttons and the floors are smooth with easy ramps.
 
Wheelchairs are free to hire but you will need to show a current valid passport or driving license and a recent utility bill in the same name. (For more information call: 020 7418 2675.)
 
There is underground parking with three hours free on the weekend and bank holidays when you spend £10 in any shop.
The Docklands Light Railway to Canary Wharf arrives in the centre.

WESTFIELD, LONDON  MAP

Westfield is  a shopper’s paradise with more than 300 designer and high street shops, a variety of restaurants and a large VUE cinema.The centre is step-free with disabled toilets, wheelchair- friendly malls and lifts.

Over 5% of the parking bays at Westfield London are dedicated to disabled parking and customers can book a free wheelchair or motorised scooter. Parking is free Monday – Friday for Blue Badge holders.

 

THE BRUNSWICK  MAP

The Brunswick is a small shopping centre hidden in Bloomsbury, London. It is full of shops, restaurants, and a cinema, It has a number of wheelchair accessible entrances and is step free.

THE LOWRY OUTLET MALL, SALFORD MAP

The Lowry Outlet Mall is located in the heart of Salford Quays and is Manchester's only factory outlet mall. It is open 7 days per week and has over 80 stores, a Vue Cinema and food court.
The mall offers a mobility scheme which has a fleet of recently upgraded scooters and wheelchairs and is eligible to use by all visitors.
The mobility scheme has an annual membership, priced at £20 per year, and members will benefit from:

Free parking with every hire of a mobility scooter or wheelchair (no minimum spend applies)
Priority reservation of wheelchairs/scooter (24 hour notice required)
Individual membership card, which entitles you to free hire of wheelchairs/scooters for a 12-month period.
Special offers and exclusive discounts to use at the Lowry Outlet Mall throughout the year

Those looking to use the service on an ad hoc basis can do so at a non-membership cost of £4 per hire.

The Lowry Outlet Mall Information Desk 0161 848 1850. For more information visit www.lowryoutletmall.com or follow on Twitter @lowryoutletmall

PortAdventura Halloween!

Is Halloween a big event for you? Are you looking for somewhere accessible to have some fun?

 

PortAventura is a themed resort located between the towns of Vilaseca and Salou. It opened in 1995 as Spain’s first theme park, with the goal of offering a journey around the world in a single day.

From 28th September to 17th November, PortAventura will be taken over by zombies and ghosts, and will also welcome a new Sesame Street character: Count Von Count.

 

 

 

Those who feel like screaming can enter the legendary “Selva del miedo (Jungle of fear)”, a terrifying walk in the Polynesia area inhabited by monstrous beings, where mists and darkness obscure everything and turn the journey into a blood-chilling experience. Alternatively, visitors can brave “Horror in Penitence”, a macabre and inhospitable maze in the Far West with a gloomy and creepy atmosphere from which it is difficult to escape.

 

Halloween 2013 also brings new terror shows that are fun for all ages. The Gran Teatro Imperial is decked out to host “Rock Symphony-Mystery”, an impressive mystery tale with dancers and acrobats in a gothic atmosphere to summon the souls from the beyond. The most daring may also enjoy the terrifying menu of “Vampires: Dinner Show”, in the legendary Far West Saloon, where dancers, actors, acrobats, magicians and singers sow panic and occasional laughter among the guests. Finally, the Mexican La Cantina will host “La Gran Fiesta (The big party)”, in which a cast of dancers and Mexicans perform the country’s traditional repertoire..

 The park is wheelchair accessible.

Mobility Roadshow Takes a Break

After celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Mobility Roadshow at Telford in June, Mobility Choice, the Charity responsible for its organisation, has announced a major review of its activities. This is to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of people with mobility issues in the light of the ageing population and recent changes to benefit entitlements.

 The Charity will be launching a major consultation exercise to listen to the views of all relevant people, through its extensive database of visitors over recent years, as well as taking the views of exhibitors and other stakeholders. The results of those consultations will help Mobility Choice to plan and deliver future events and services in the most effective way.

Ann Frye, Chair of Mobility Choice, said: "it is time to take stock and review what is really needed now and for the future to ensure Mobility Choice stays focussed on the right priorities.”

 While this review is taking place, there will be no Mobility Roadshow held in 2014.

Safety Old School Style #airnzsafetyvideo

Air New Zealand has teamed up with America’s sweetheart of comedy Betty White and a cast of golden oldies for the airline’s latest in-flight safety video,

Safety Old School Style is the airline’s first safety video filmed outside of New Zealand and is set at the fictional ‘Second Wind Retirement Resort’ in the United States.

Disabled Camping & Ed Baines

TV chef, Ed Baines, has revealed a passion for ‘wild camping’.

The Best of British author and TV regular, who also owns Soho based restaurant Randall & Aubin, has admitted that he loves escaping the fast paced kitchen environment by kicking back and relaxing in the wilderness.

Says Ed; “Every so often I feel a need to go camping. I love being in the middle of nowhere, enjoying the vastness of the countryside – it is very grounding. 

“Top items on my list are a rope, blow torch and a catapult.  I also think it’s essential to camp with a dustpan and brush – you need a tidy and ship-shape camp at all times.

“I have been known to wild camp though – no tent, just a sleeping bag and a few essentials. You have to pick the right weather for that though,” he adds.

Wheelchair users may feel that the outdoor life is a distant dream but click here for tips to make disabled camping possible!

 Ed Baines will be cooking his favourite campsite dinners live at The Motorhome& Caravan Show at the NEC Birmingham from Tuesday 15^th – Friday 18^th October. The Show is the national launch pad for all the new 2014 models of caravans, motorhomes, campervans, conversions and outdoor living accessories and runs from Tues 15^th to Sunday 20^th October.  Advance ticket cost from £7** and are available at www.motorhomeandcaravanshow.co.uk

 

 

 

TOWIE- Vegas for wheelchair users!

Are you already hooked on the latest run of The Only Way Is Essex but even more excited that it is in Las Vegas?

I went to the gambling mecca a few years ago and am breaking the Vegas rule by telling you what did happen!

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Gambling Mecca of the world, Las Vegas is an adult’s playground. Open 24/7,  if you are over 21, everything is accessible.

There is plenty to do in ‘Sin City’, whether you want to shop, visit the Hoover Dam or Grand Canyon, gamble, party or even get married!

All shopping malls have disabled access and every casino has wheelchair accessible slot machines and gaming tables.

Shows are also accessible but need to be booked in advance.

The two most visited areas in Las Vegas are The Strip and Downtown. The Strip consists of the big hotels and casinos while Downtown is home to the ‘original’ hotels and ‘The Freemont Street Experience,’ a spectacular hourly light show.  

Vegas have more accessible hotel rooms than any other city in America. There is a wide variety of adaptations, such as, roll-in showers, transfer showers and baths with built-in or portable seats. Most of the hotels also have lifts in their swimming pools.

I stayed at the family friendly Excalibur Hotel , which I highly recommend, as it was perfectly located and good for wheelchair usage. There is a wide variety of hotels to choose from however, with a broad price range.

Everything is big, so far apart, in the city and scooters are available for hire in every hotel.

Most, if not all, hotels and casinos will have wheelchair access so add any of your own recommendations here!

The vanishing wheelchair | Mountain Xpress | Asheville, NC

The vanishing wheelchair | Mountain Xpress | Asheville, NC

What would your magic power be?

Book Characters In A Wheelchair

Shocking news came out today showing that children feel  'too embarrassed to read in front of friends'. The research also found the number of children who read outside class in their own time is falling, while some say their parents are not bothered if they read, according to a new study by the National Literacy Trust.

Fictional books are normally used as a form of escapism and may have characters the reader can relate to but how many characters use a wheelchair? Would you prefer your favourite book to have disabled, main, character?

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/40475.Wheelchair_Characters_

Keeping a Wheelchair Ramp Safe during Rain | DoItYourself.com

Keeping a Wheelchair Ramp Safe during Rain | DoItYourself.com

Add your wheelchair rain tips here!

London Theatre In A Wheelchair

Prince Harry has become the latest famous face to be spotted at hit show The Book of Mormon. Created by South Park writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Avenue Q co-creator Robert Lopez, the show has become a surprise success.

If you are not a theatre goer but love South Park or just want to see what all the fuss is about, don’t assume it is not accessible for a wheelchair user. Most theatres have been adapted with both transfer seats or wheelchair spaces and most have some form of level access.

Click here to see the theatre access for the show you want to see!

Enjoy London Film Festival In A Wheelchair!

With the 57th London Film Festival kicking off next week (9 October) and to celebrate the recent launch of John Ridley’s Jimi Hendrix biopic, All Is By My Side, movie fans can spend a weekend like a star in the lavish Hendrix Suite at The Cumberland Hotel.

Take inspiration from the film about the life of Hendrix, which was showcased at the Toronto Film Festival, and stay in the especially themed suite at the West End hotel – also the last known address of the rock legend. Boasting vintage fabrics, wild murals and limited edition furniture, the Hendrix Suite is the perfect place to spend a memorable break in the city. Stays in the suite start from £359 per night based on two people sharing, including VAT and breakfast.

 

Unfortunately, the suite has not been adapted but you can still have the hotel experience. The Cumberland has 3 rooms designated for disabled guests on the 1st floor with wheel-in shower. The widths of doors to the rooms are 880mm and The beds are 500-560mm high to the top of the mattress.

Showers have a fold down shower seat 450mm high and the toilet has a fold down rail on the transfer side.

Movie buffs can book one of many BFI screenings taking place at venues across London for the 12-day festival to celebrate cinema.