I searched the internet to see if I could find any views or thoughts about particular wheelchairs, but only ended up finding a scattering of blog / message board postings and a handful of sites with some generic comments on particular individual wheelchairs.

I found this quite surprising, since it is possible to find detailed user reviews for nearly every product imaginable, but yet could not find anything particularly substantive or informative for a mobility item as important as a wheelchair.

Therefore, without any previous knowledge of website design, and with the assistance of an excellent beginner’s book on website design, I created a simple site called www.abilient.com which allows users to post reviews of their wheelchairs.

A review can be anonymously posted by downloading the questionnaire by clicking here; and returning it to info@abilient.com.

In time, I hope the site can become a useful, in-depth and informative guide for anybody interested in buying a wheelchair. I would also like the site to be a helpful source of information as to the quality of service that various companies provide to their customers. This will hopefully highlight instances of shoddy customer service, but also, and equally as important, give credit to companies where due, who provide excellent service.

Unfortunately, the site is still at an early stage, and is not as of yet compliant with accessibility standards. I will try to improve the site where and when I can with my rather rudimentary knowledge of website design!

Any feedback (either positive or negative) would be greatly appreciated!

Srin

I knew that I wanted to do something that could keep my mind occupied and give my easily bored mind, enough to do. Many careers are completely impractical to a person with my disability to pursue, and careers where only a functioning mind and an ability to communicate are required, are few and far between. After much time being spent in careers offices, recruitments fairs, and talking to people from various professions, I ended up setting my sights on a legal career in the City.

Unlike going to school or uni, there isn’t really a well worn path for a disabled person to follow, when it comes to entering the work place. The high unemployment rate for those with disabilities is an unfortunate testament to that. Also, it quickly dawns upon you early on (whether rightly or wrongly so) that convincing an employer to employ you over fellow able bodied candidate is not going to be an easy.

Working through this and my experiences of successfully obtaining a job as a trainee lawyer is long story, that would be probably be best covered in another article in the future. But suffice to say, it required much hard work, perseverance through setbacks and plenty of bloody mindedness!

The next big challenge is getting the help you needed sorted out. Luckily, my firm have always been supportive and understanding with whatever assistance I need, whether that be allowing my support worker on site, or ensuring that one of many secretaries in my office is assigned to give me a hand with things such as getting folders of shelves etc. For those reading this, if such help is not sufficient, I am aware that Access to Work can provide funding for a whole host of things that are needed to help you in the workplace. In my case, Access to Work helped fund the installation of automatic doors in the workplace, and made a grant towards purchasing a new wheelchair. Irrespective of funding issues for whatever assistance that may be needed, the only other important thing I can think of from personal experience, is to ensure that you as open and honest with your employer about the help you need as early as possible. It is much easier to get this help in place at the beginning of your job rather than in the middle of trying to complete a task, where you may be kicking yourself that you did not ask for the assistance you needed earlier.

Like with going from school to uni, making the next transition to work brings up a whole new host of difficulties that are unique to each individual and their particular disability. To avoid this blog entry being turned into the length of a book, I have only talked one type of issue that arises, i.e. assistance at work. But for some who read this, it is likely that assistance at work is just one of many other problems such as finding accommodation, transport, organising support workers etc. Therefore, drop me a message if you would like more information on how I dealt with some of these other issues.

I believe that one of the most positive ways that this blog can help, and address problems discussed in the articles by fellow bloggers, is to ensure that those who make the decisions at a political level, are fully aware of the problems faced by people with disabilities.

Therefore, I will be writing a series of articles on this blog which discuss the pressing issues raised by contributors to The Priority Trust with those who influence policy and those who make policy which has an effect on the everyday lives of disabled people.

My first article intends to bring to the attention of those who make policy in the Government’s Office of Disability, the difficulties faced with independent living and the ever increasing problems that are being faced with getting the support which is needed. Martyn Sibley has written an insightful article that really conveys some of the increasing hurdles that some disabled people are having to face through no fault of their own to get the help they need.

If there are any other things you think The Priority Trust should raise with politicians and their advisers, please comment below and together we can help make a difference.

I will be using this blog to share some of my experiences of major transitional periods of my life, which are faced by many, but involve unique challenges faced by those with disabilities.  The first such period for me involves moving from home to live at university.

I started making preparations for moving to uni back in the summer of 2002, more than a year before starting a course, and before even receiving any offers! Moving to uni essentially brought up two key areas of difficulty:

1.       Finding a uni that is accessible or getting that uni to make building adaptations

2.       Independent living

An accessible uni…

Before making applications I toured various universities for their suitability in terms of accessibility and general character. Some were more accessible than others, and some were more willing than others to make adaptations. I ended up accepting an offer from i.e. Kings College London (KCL), who were very accommodating and willing to make any changes that were needed. This included building an accessible room at my halls of residence, and fitting automatic doors in various locations. An additional room adjacent to mine was provided for a support worker.

While sorting out accessibility issues, I was arranging with KCL and my LEA the support I would need while at college. This included help with taking notes during lectures, and help with various tasks while doing practicals in the labs. Funding for these arrangements came from the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) provided by my local LEA. In order to receive the DSA, an assessment was required at a specialist centre in Central London. Apart from confirming that I needed support, the assessment centre serves to allow you to try out assistive technologies such as voice recognition software. If such equipment is useful, the assessor will ensure that the DSA is used to fund its purchase. During this time, I also made the decision that any educational support needed like notetakers etc, would be kept separate from the personal care which I needed. This ensured that the most suitable people could be appointed to such roles. By this, I mean that an individual, who is taking notes during a lecture or seminar, may not be suitable to help with personal care.

Nonetheless, by virtue of starting the process early various issues of difficulty could be identified and sorted well in advance. Moreover, my accessible room and the support that I needed while at college was already organised by the time term started.

Independent living…

Arranging personal care is probably the most daunting challenge faced when moving out. If you are unfamiliar with having strangers provide your personal care, this can be something which takes some getting used to. To further complicate matters, depending on your care needs, it may be necessary for your funding package to come from more than one source, which may require additional assessment and form filling!

As is probably still the case now, back in 2002, my social worker was the main point of contact in putting together the care package. Various assessments from a variety of professionals were needed in order to assist the social worker in determining the level of support needed. Even though these professionals may come to conclusions that may be completely obvious to you, unfortunately such formalities are required.  In my experience, it was very important to be as honest and open as possible about the help needed. Requesting the personal support that forms the care package often works on the principal of “if you don’t ask, you won’t get”. It is important to prevent yourself from being in position where you have to ask social services to increase funding and the care package on an emergency basis while in the middle of a university semester.

After social services and the ILF agreed to fund a 24/7 care package, I also made the important decision to receive funding through the Direct Payments system. Direct Payments is a scheme where money is forwarded to a personal bank account, for which you account to social services at the end of every year. This system allows you to organise your own support and who you would like to employ. Direct Payments can be challenge to manage, and it is vital to make sure your social worker provides you with all the facts to help you make your decision.

Before starting uni, I chose to employ support directly by advertising, rather than through an agency. I held an application and interview process and initially decided to employ a single person, who started two weeks before term began. Social services also put me in touch with local advice centres and a payroll agency to help me understand my duties as an employer and to assist me with the required admin that arises when you are an employer.

How you decide to choose your support workers and whether you organise your support through Direct Payments is a personal decision, which is influenced by a multitude of factors. It is best made in consultation with your social worker who is there to help you, and those in your life who you rely upon.

Six years on, managing and administering personal care needs is still a challenge, but rewarding nonetheless. Even after six years, it is a continuous and ongoing learning experience. The entire process can be quite laborious and time-consuming, but in the end, the reward of having an easier life at uni where many of the above problems are dealt with before starting makes it all worthwhile.