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Video: Charlotte's wheelchair challenge
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| Charlotte McDonald experiences life in a wheelchair |
REPORTER Charlotte McDonald spent an afternoon in a wheelchair to see the challenges faced by disabled people.
For the past year News Shopper has covered the campaign against the closure of the Queen Elizabeth Foundation Resource Centre in Dartford, where physically disabled people can do a range of activities.
I have often heard the words "unless you are disabled you wouldn't understand."
I took up the challenge and plotted to spend an afternoon confined to a wheelchair - to find out how it felt to move around in everyday situations.
Kent County Counccil, which has decided to close the centre, stresses that people with disabilities should be fully integrated into society - such as catching the same buses or going to the gym.
It sees the centre in Dartford as outdated because disabled people are away from the rest of the community.
So for my afternoon in a chair I decided to make a trip by public transport to the Riverside Centre, Dickens Road, Gravesend, which is proposed to be hosting some replacement disabled activities, including the QEF's gym equipment.
I got on to the bus at 2.45pm and arrived at my final destination at 3.50pm by taxi.
This is a video which documents my journey - click the Play Video link above to watch.
9:32am Thursday 3rd July 2008
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CommentPosted by: Flo, Mottingham on 9:32am Fri 4 Jul 08
Kent County Council are behaving exactly like most councils across this country when it comes to delivering services to the disabled. They are interpreting the White Paper 'Valuing People' to meet the council's needs instead of the disabled people it purports to help. What happened to the word choice? If the disabled people want to keep their centre and feel happy and content to stay there, then they should have the right to their choice. As for travelling around the borough on buses, how many in Kent's council chambers use public transport? I'm afraid that people with disabilities have very little choice in their real lives and have no champions to fight in their corner.
Kent County Council are behaving exactly like most councils across this country when it comes to delivering services to the disabled. They are interpreting the White Paper 'Valuing People' to meet the council's needs instead of the disabled people it purports to help. What happened to the word choice? If the disabled people want to keep their centre and feel happy and content to stay there, then they should have the right to their choice. As for travelling around the borough on buses, how many in Kent's council chambers use public transport? I'm afraid that people with disabilities have very little choice in their real lives and have no champions to fight in their corner.
Posted by: Thomas Wingrove, Dartford on 9:48am Fri 4 Jul 08
Physically disabled people of NWK are betrayal by both KCC’s & QEF’s cynical decision to close the service presently provided, at the Resource Centre. Promises were made by senior KCC officials that the service would remain running, until proper alternative options were fully operational and proven to work. This now not the case! Unsuitable and what can only be described as fantasy alternatives are being offered. The proposed arrangement is quite evidently short term measure designed to fail. Even the proposed accessible transport service has been scrapped.
Throughout the whole farcical episode KCC have maintained that they just grant money to the service provider to run the service. Therefore proper council procedures need not apply during closure etc. It should be known that KCC not only supply the finances but also dictate policy of how the centre is run etc. Having far more day to day involvement than presently realised. There has been no consultation with service users or carers in any form or manner, causing possible breech’s of not only disability legislation but equality of duty as well. It is stated by KCC that they have consulted. However! this consultation relates to another matter in 1993 completely divorced from the present situation.
KCC’s attitude to the resource centre an only be described as discriminatory, services users have offered sensible suggestions towards future services, these have been ignored. A case of able bodied people dictating to physically disabled, more reminiscent of the 1950’s than the 21st century. A large majority of disabled people are council tax payers, therefore contribute to the service presently being axed. At the next council election’s I hope KCC’s actions in this matter are remembered.
Well done Charlotte, KCC refused to try something similer.
Physically disabled people of NWK are betrayal by both KCC’s & QEF’s cynical decision to close the service presently provided, at the Resource Centre. Promises were made by senior KCC officials that the service would remain running, until proper alternative options were fully operational and proven to work. This now not the case! Unsuitable and what can only be described as fantasy alternatives are being offered. The proposed arrangement is quite evidently short term measure designed to fail. Even the proposed accessible transport service has been scrapped.
Throughout the whole farcical episode KCC have maintained that they just grant money to the service provider to run the service. Therefore proper council procedures need not apply during closure etc. It should be known that KCC not only supply the finances but also dictate policy of how the centre is run etc. Having far more day to day involvement than presently realised. There has been no consultation with service users or carers in any form or manner, causing possible breech’s of not only disability legislation but equality of duty as well. It is stated by KCC that they have consulted. However! this consultation relates to another matter in 1993 completely divorced from the present situation.
KCC’s attitude to the resource centre an only be described as discriminatory, services users have offered sensible suggestions towards future services, these have been ignored. A case of able bodied people dictating to physically disabled, more reminiscent of the 1950’s than the 21st century. A large majority of disabled people are council tax payers, therefore contribute to the service presently being axed. At the next council election’s I hope KCC’s actions in this matter are remembered.
Well done Charlotte, KCC refused to try something similer.
Posted by: Flo, Mottingham on 9:25pm Fri 4 Jul 08
Everything that Mr. Wingrove says in his comments about Kent County Council's inability to listen to people with disabilities and their carers is mirrored by Bromley Council. Bromley too promised wonderful alternatives to the existing day centres.
Only two new units out of the fifteen units promised are actually in place. (the rest apparently now abandoned). One of the units is two converted shop fronts which have misted windows and do not have the spaciousness of the day centre or the same choice of activities. Many people with complex needs are not accessing the community from this unit.
Parents and carers and the day centre users want their day centre back because they have lost the most precious thing for every human being and that is their STABILITY.
Your hope that KCC's actions will be remembered in the next elections and presumably lead to a defeat will not happen. The reason being that most voters have not got the empathy needed to understand what it is like to be a carer or a disabled person and have not got a clue what a up hill struggle it is to get our voices heard.
Remember, K.C.C. and Bromley have a public relations team that have access to the local press and they can spin out their lies and half truths to their heart's content.
Everything that Mr. Wingrove says in his comments about Kent County Council's inability to listen to people with disabilities and their carers is mirrored by Bromley Council. Bromley too promised wonderful alternatives to the existing day centres.
Only two new units out of the fifteen units promised are actually in place. (the rest apparently now abandoned). One of the units is two converted shop fronts which have misted windows and do not have the spaciousness of the day centre or the same choice of activities. Many people with complex needs are not accessing the community from this unit.
Parents and carers and the day centre users want their day centre back because they have lost the most precious thing for every human being and that is their STABILITY.
Your hope that KCC's actions will be remembered in the next elections and presumably lead to a defeat will not happen. The reason being that most voters have not got the empathy needed to understand what it is like to be a carer or a disabled person and have not got a clue what a up hill struggle it is to get our voices heard.
Remember, K.C.C. and Bromley have a public relations team that have access to the local press and they can spin out their lies and half truths to their heart's content.
Posted by: kevin, gravesend kent on 11:37pm Fri 4 Jul 08
[bold]bold[/bold] thank you Flo and Tom i helped Charlotte do this and would love to see any one from the KASS or KCC to do this but wopuld want them to try in at 9 am travel on the buses and go to some of the places they have come up with we have told them over and over again that most people dont live on the fast track routes and some people in wheelchaires cant even get on buses as the buses that go past where they live can not take a wheelchair any way but it seems we dont have any say in what is happening to us yet we pay them there wages and we pay taxs and one day this WILL COME BACK AND BITE them right in the butt
thank you Flo and Tom i helped Charlotte do this and would love to see any one from the KASS or KCC to do this but wopuld want them to try in at 9 am travel on the buses and go to some of the places they have come up with we have told them over and over again that most people dont live on the fast track routes and some people in wheelchaires cant even get on buses as the buses that go past where they live can not take a wheelchair any way but it seems we dont have any say in what is happening to us yet we pay them there wages and we pay taxs and one day this WILL COME BACK AND BITE them right in the butt
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