Articles Tagged ‘Priority’
Pablo is 10 years old and lives with his parents and two younger brothers in north-west London. He attends a local school and goes swimming once a week at the local leisure centre.
Pablo was clinically diagnosed with infantile epilepsy at an early age and this has led to his severe developmental delay. He is unable to weight bear or walk without specialist equipment or assistance and because he has no speech, he communicates by making noises, eye pointing and touch. Pablo is also prone to frequent and repeated infections due to a blood disorder.
To enable Pablo and his family to go out more and access parks and …
Read all of Pablo’s Story
Amelia is 4 years old and lives in the centre of Exeter. She really loves arts and 
crafts, playing with her friends, horse riding and making people laugh.
In 2007 Amelia was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type II. This neuromuscular condition affects people in different ways. Amelia was able to walk on her own until she was 18 months old, when her condition deteriorated and she now needs a wheelchair to move around independently.
In June 2009 Amelia was given her ‘Koala’ Permobil powered wheelchair, through the support of The Priority Trust. As soon as she received the chair, she worked out the controls and just got on with using …
Read all of Amelia’s Story
I decided to do a typical style of update in terms of daily happenings but in an overarching manner. It has been known the car and my health have been under par for a while. The update of the moment is I am being admitted to the respiratory unit in hospital tomorrow to x-ray my bad lung and run some tests to see why I am still not clearing the infection. I am ok in myself but a little fed up with this and just want to be better, fingers crossed we get things moving tomorrow.
The broader area I want to discuss is easier with the back story. Those who have read my blogs and know me personally will know …
Read all of Knowing your limits
Having been off for 2 weeks with a nasty chest infection, a broken car and generally a bit stressed I am back at work and back on the road.
I met with Andy of Andy’s Kars at his garage in Bar Hill on Saturday. He has been working on my vans adaptations in the positive sense through the past weeks of trauma. Not only has he sorted my car after the ongoing problems he is an amazing guy generally. While he runs a garage he also does a lot more. In working with disadvantaged kids he helps them to take responsibility for overcoming their ‘challenges’ as he calls them. While it was amazing to meet Andy and see the great work …
Read all of My aspirations; Aiming high!
Guess what??!! The car broke down again last night. The same problem as last time, no battery and just wouldn’t start. I think quite rightly I have ranted on this recurring subject. However I promised myself these posts would not let me get too down or angry but explain the positives of the trials and tribulations I go through. The quick update is that it has gone to a different garage who I hope will sort this once and for all by the end of the week. Taxis to get to work until then.
What I do want to do is an overarching blog on transport bouncing off of an interesting book I’m reading. Its by Ben Elton and called …
Read all of The car broke down again, and other transport stresses
So I have had a new car since early August due to my older van being too large, uneconomical and the new Motability scheme being recommended. The benefit of the new scheme is that I receive a new car, adapted for me to drive, with insurance and servicing covered too. This was in return for a nominal up-front fee (varying with the financial means test carried out) and foregoing the mobility part of my monthly government money (paid due to the known extra costs of being disabled).
The financial assessment and adapting of the car was smooth, unlike 6 years ago when getting my first van. Historically the paperwork and preparation was so time draining it put people off even looking. …
Read all of The trouble with Motability!
In March 2009 The Priority Trust made a grant of £30,596 to provide mobility equipment to seven children as requested by Newlife Foundation. As of the 15 September 2009 is that all equipment has been delivered. Priority and Newlife are working together to develop feedback on the impact the equipment is having on the children’s lives and this has been received from six of the seven families involved. More updates will follow as information is received, but here are the stories so far:
Imaan is 5 year old girl living in the west of England who has a diagnosis of global developmental delay, microcephaly and epilepsy. She has profound learning disabilities and is unable to communicate verbally. She has disturbed sleep …
Read all of Priority funds mobility equipment for 7 disabled children
Keira, a three-year old girl has recently been provided with her first powerchair, with the help of Priority. The SnapDragon powerchair, made with her specific requirements in mind will help her develop and be as independent as possible.
In September 2008, when the Occupational Therapist from Dragonmobility first met Keira at the request of Keira’s OT, she was shy, withdrawn and clinging. She had undergone a lot of medical interventions in her short life, and at the age of 2 had a natural tendency to cry and ask for cuddles when presented with anything new.
Keira has an undiagnosed neuromuscular condition which causes severe weakness, particularly in …
Read all of A new power chair for Keira
As a wheelchair user and also a young, single woman it is easy for me to blame my insecurities about men and relationships on my disability. It has taken me a long time to discover that, just as I have equal opportunities in the rest of my life – I can be educated, work, live where I want, drive a car, drink alcohol, even break the law if I want to – I can also experience the exciting world of relationships just like anyone else.
In fact, unlike all the other things, human relationships are almost the only element of life that cannot be affected by disability – every human has the capacity to love and be loved.
I don’t mean that …
Read all of Will anyone fancy me?
Like most children, my childhood is filled with happy memories. Most of which are of playing with my brother and our friends in the garden, keeping goal in five-a-side football matches or even just going for a ‘walk’ with my mum to the shops.
To be blunt, none of these would have been possible without my powered wheelchair and the freedom it provided. Receiving my first power chair was life changing. Moving unaided was mind-boggling. Finally I felt I could join in and feel more ‘normal’ than ever before. Looking back over this fondly nostalgic period, I think that the gift of liberty, the chair provided was fundamental to my future successes.
I arrived in London in July 2000, after graduating from …
Read all of Why I decided to establish Priority
