I mentioned Community Link in a previous post and now that I've used them several times I thought I should write a post singing their praises and urge any wheelchair user in the Stafford area to use them.
Community Link has been a real game changer for me.
In my previous post I mentioned a few services that are available to us wheelchair folk. As I was writing it I was racking my brains as to how I go about using these services rather than just writing about them. It's been painfully obvious that I need to upgrade from my manual wheelchair to a motorised wheelchair for a while now, but to transport a motorised wheelchair, I'd need to use a wheelchair taxi. I can't self propel very well, in fact just getting to the end of my uneven drive is a chore. It has an ever so slight camber that causes the wheelchair to roll backwards, so the moment I release the wheel it starts to move backwards.
Being in a wheelchair means it's costly for organisations to provide for our needs. Understandably some just avoid it all together, some make a limited service but for a premium cost. Community Link is a fabulous charity and one that does actually earn money per fare. Granted, it needs funding to get off the ground, but it's a charity that is almost guaranteed to be profitable, as there are no shortage of wheelchair users all over the UK. Community Link do rely on the kindness of volunteers like Les. He is retired, but enjoys driving and likes to meet different people and help them. He is a great help to me. For example, now I can get a taxi to Specsavers to get my frames tightened...erm...I could get a lift into town...Er, sit in the middle of market square and feed the pigeons... I could even go to Stone, and, feed some more pigeons.
The possibilities are endless.
Since 2002 we have been a registered charity, with a mission to help anyone who has difficulty using public transport get out and about. Our 5 wheelchair accessible vehicles provide community transport services in the Stafford area and beyond.
So, it's a service that has been around for a long time, but isn't something I was aware of. Granted I didn't look very hard - a simple Google search "wheelchair taxi service in stafford" - yields a search result which tells you about Community Link. But if you're lazy like me, let me save you that effort.
They assume the role of carer from the moment they pick you up and do whatever you're incapable of doing yourself. As you're probably aware I am just one person, so I only need a smaller taxi, but there are other vehicles available as well.
A winch is attached to the front of the chair which gently pulls me on board. It then locks, holding me in position. Anchors are attached to the back wheels which are bolted in place. A seatbelt is then put around me which is also secured in place. Just for added peace of mind, I put my brakes on.
I'm secured in position, which is a good thing as Les is a nutter! I didn't realise you could pull wheelies in a car. I'm joking of course...you can't.
You need to be a member to use the service, but it's a simple form that takes three minutes to complete and asks un-complicated question like "Are you registered disabled?" "Do you have difficulty getting on an ordinary bus?" And "Do you require us to transport any additional medical equipment?"
Seriously any dummy could do it. And I did!
Now that I've got a taxi service I can use, I immediately booked a taxi to visit my local mobility store - Easy Living Mobility - a store I didn't even know was there. Check out their website. They seem to have as many stores as Tesco (this may be a slight exaggeration), so have a look and see which is closest to you.
I am now in possession of a motorised wheelchair to test, with a view to purchasing it. I thought it would be a doddle, as you can see from the video it isn't, I haven't been in charge of anything other than a manual wheelchair for quite some time. Maybe, that's for the best.
Keep posted for an update on my motorised wheelchair worries. in the mean time you could volunteer to be a Community Link driver.
I came across this video on YouTube about social prescribing. I'd never heard of social prescribing and thought you only went to the doctors for illness. But it reminded me that many years ago when I was younger and stupider (not much stupider, but I did bump into things more often), I thought "with all this free time, instead of just sitting in front of the telly, why don't I spend it getting in shape.
I'll look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in no time." So I went to the doctors to see if there was a limit to how much I could exercise now that my situation was different. "Nope. Just take it easy, you haven't done any exercise in a long time. Oh and shelve your ambitions of looking like a former Mr Universe, you numpty." I can't be sure that's exactly how the conversation went, but I'm sure it's along those lines.
The doctor prescribed me exercise and handed me a prescription. Exercise on prescription allowed me to attend participating gyms for free. A new gym had just opened by me and was completely wheelchair accessible. As it turned out some of the exercise bikes had high backed seats, I would be able to cycle as much as I wanted. Unfortunately the bike was stationed directly in front of the telly, and my aspirations of becoming a mini Arnie hit a snag. At least my legs weren't completely immobile while I watched this television, but then I would get home and watch T.V while eating a pack of biscuits.
According to the video, every doctor's surgery has access to a social prescriber. "Well I bet mine doesn't" It did.
A social prescriber does exactly what it says on the tin, they prescribe social needs to people. I struggle first of all to get into social situations as it's difficult to get around. I am limited by what I can do and I've isolated myself because of my communication issues. Since I've been attending Andy's Man Club I've realised that my communication issues are largely in my head.
I made an appointment to see Michelle Cotterill, something that I recommend anybody in Stafford to do, and if you're not in Stafford then - as the video says - every doctor's surgery has access to it. She asked me what I wanted to get out of our appointment.
"I want to put myself in social situations again".
I seemed to exist to the NHS when my brain tumour was fairly recent. They had got me into rehab at Cannock Chase Hospital, rehab at Moor Green, Headway brain injury charity, but as time has gone on offers had dried up. I explained "I find it particularly difficult in groups where there's atmospheric noise, especially large groups or a room where there are several conversations and I have to raise my voice to be heard."
I liked the idea of using this blog as a reason to travel around. The best way to talk about accessibility is to experience it, but I didn't know how to do it without spending a fortune.
Disabled Persons Railcard
As I said previously, being in a wheelchair has its perks. One third off rail travel for twenty pounds for a year, or fifty-four pounds for three years sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Just make sure you have it with you when you travel. Describing where it is in your bedside table drawer isn't proof enough.You have to be able to prove you are in receipt of at least one of; Personal Independence Payments (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Child Disability Payment (CDP), have a visual impairment, have a hearing impairment, have epilepsy, receive Attendance Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance or Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP), receive War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement, receive War or Service Disablement Pension for 80% or more disability or, buy or lease a vehicle through the Motability scheme. If you need to be accompanied by somebody they will also receive the saving. There is always assistance on board if you require it, or you can book assistance. They can help you with a number of things, including:
offering a helping hand to navigate the station
help getting on or off the train
meeting you from your train and taking you to your next train or the exit
arranging a ramp on or off your train
assistance relating to a non-visible impairment
carrying your bag(s) – up to 3 items of luggage
You can't just fake a limp or show your friends Access Card with your thumb conveniently covering the photo ID though.
Access Card Oh, that reminds me, you should get an access card. This is so you can attend any participating venue and just show your card or quote your ID number when booking tickets online, and they will know what assistance you need. As you can see from the example - there are nine boxes at the bottom of the card. Three of the boxes are filled in signifying that I need level access, I have difficulty moving myself more than short distances
Clockwise from top left: Level access, Essential Companions, Distance, Standing and queuing, Urgent Toilet Needs, Assistance Dogs, Audible Information, Visual information, Miscellaneous
and it would be significantly difficult to access services without support from another person. There are also six other disabilities you can declare. I had to get mine when booking tickets to see Roger Waters at The Utilita Arena in 2023. I needed it to prove I had a disability - again, a fake limp wasn't proof enough. They wanted proof I needed the chair for transport and didn't want to just be pushed around while sitting in a comfy seat.
Okay, full transparency, this is only for travelling anywhere in the West Midlands. But it's cheaper than the railcard, in fact it's the best kind of cheap. Free! There is a restriction though - it's only free if you travel off peak (09:30 - 23:59), you're going to have to fork out £1.50 if you're an early riser. You can't just turn up to any bus though and demand free travel. You need to book on their website.
Just because you are disabled, doesn't mean you can't travel around the country. In fact you can do it for free.
Have I mentioned perks before?
You can apply for a disabled bus pass from your local council. Disabled bus passes are free although you will have to prove you have the disability you're claiming for. You might be asked to provide a copy of your motability rating from your PIP letter. You may be asked for confirmation by a medical expert. Your council should have a page on their website listing the requirements - For example visit the Stafford Council 'What categories of disability qualify for a disabled pass?'.
The length of time you can hold a pass without having to re-apply depends on your reason for applying. Some people are awarded it on a temporary basis, others permanently meaning you won't have to re-apply for four to five years. All public local bus services in England must be DDA compliant which means they must be wheelchair accessible. The capacity for having wheelchair passengers depends on the model of the bus and the model of the wheelchair(s).
For more information on bus passes in the Stafford area go to the website
Wheelchair taxis
These are an absolute pain to arrange. If you can get out of your chair and sit in the car and your wheelchair will fold up, you will be able to use a taxi service. I would recommend Westside Taxis if you are in the Stafford area. They have an app which has a notes section. This allows you to book the taxi without human interference. For anywhere else there's Uber. Both apps are similar in that you can choose the car size I.E 6 seater, 8 seater, saloon etc and leave notes for the driver I.E "I am a wheelchair user but can travel in the passenger seat. There must be room in the boot for my collapsible wheelchair." Alternatively if you have to stay in your wheelchair then a taxi service isn't for you. I have only found one taxi service that had a wheelchair taxi but you couldn't book it in advance. You had to phone on the day you required it, to check its availability. Not ideal if you've got a hospital appointment in a few days.
Community Link
You might be starting to spot a pattern here, but this is available in Stafford. They will go further afield into mid-staffordshire, but if you need to attend a doctors appointment and public transport is difficult for you, try this service. They provide a wheelchair-friendly transport service for people with mobility difficulties. They're a friendly bunch and there are vehicles specially equipped to help passengers with mobility needs, and if you need a carer to accompany you, they can join you free of charge. There is a small fee for each trip but it's certainly cheaper than a taxi. You must be a member, the membership form is very simple and quick to fill out. Once you've completed that you can book a wheelchair taxi to your heart's content.
They are always on the lookout for volunteer drivers and passenger assistants. If this is something you're interested in then click here.
Airport assistance
You can read about my experience with airport assistance here. It was brilliant and completely took the stress out of catching a plane. Once we had checked in, we went to a desk and were given a small electronic device that would bleep when we needed to come back to the desk ready to board. We were free to do what we wanted until then. We went and got breakfast and we were able to go in the empty special assistance lounge rather than the packed Weatherspoon's. When it was close to departure time, our electronic device beeped, and we were taken to the gate.
There was one problem here. The transport wasn't wheelchair friendly. People who had mobility issues got a lift. We walked behind, with my Dad pushing the wheelchair in the slip stream of the transport.
We were delivered to the gate, passed through security and were then taken to what looked like a mobile storage unit. A scissor lift lifted me up and I and the other special assistance customers had a small ride to the plane. The mobile storage unit got as close to the plane as possible so I could just wheel aboard.
For more information go to the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) website.
Bond Hotel, Blackpool
Hotel's sometimes declare a room as disable friendly to fulfill a legal responsibility, but the room is in no way appropriate. Take my experience in France for example. It was a lovely hotel, but it had clearly been designed for able bodied people. They thought that all they needed to do was put a couple of grab rails in and remove the shower screen to make it disabled friendly.
The Bond Hotel has been designed with the sole intention of making most rooms fully accessible. Most rooms have an en-suite wet room, widened doors, grab rails, lots of floor space, hoists, a wide range of mobility equipment available on request (and free of charge) and a 24-hour manned emergency call system. Their rooms are spread across three with a choice of single.
Their is a restaurant, bar and cabaret area inside the hotel - all fully accessible. They'll even help arrange your travel and pick you up from your house. As the hotel is in Blackpool there is plenty to see and do and pretty much all public transport is wheelchair accessible.
RADAR key I hate having to a use a toilet in a publicly used bathroom. Men are... sorry men can be, disgusting creatures. Having to sit on a toilet seat that men have tried to miss while aiming for the large hole in the middle, fills me with dread. All over the UK there are 10,000+ disabled toilets behind a locked door. You can only get an officially authorised RADAR key from here. The key is only available to National Disability and Carers Card holders which you can purchase from the site. This will to skip queues to use facilities that may not be clean or adapted to your needs. Some accessible countryside gates require a RADAR Key for access. They often feature an "H" frame with a rectangular enclosure for use by mobility scooters and wheelchair users.
Back in November, I thought, it's been quite a long time since my tumour, I should probably show my face and remind people I'm still alive. My insecurities and desire to avoid people, had just been a way to avoid life. But getting back into life isn't so easy after a long period of dodging it. I'm forty-two now, so I think that's mission accomplished, time for this old dog to learn some old (but new to him) tricks. Fortuitously, I received a text from my GP surgery. Their annual Community Mental Health Event was being held at Stafford Rangers Social Club. I'd been there a few times and knew it had excellent access. My main worry had already been dealt with, I knew it had wide corridors, smooth floors, a big function room and everything was on one floor.
As I had only been thinking about doing something like this for many minutes, had I manifested it? Or was it just pure coincidence? Probably the latter. If I were you, I wouldn't cancel those tickets for Paul McKenna's next tour. I think there's more to manifesting than just having a bit of a think.
I stuck to the idea of attending rather than making up some reason why I should take the easy way out and not go. I booked a taxi and then cancelled it immediately as my Dad said he could take me. We got to Stafford Rangers and Dad got out to get the chair and assumed I would expect him to push me around in there. "No thanks, I'd rather go in on my own". I said. I'd got my big boy pants on today! 💪
I wheeled myself in, self conscious of the fact that other people in wheelchairs seem to just glide along, giving the wheels a little push every few metres. I however, constantly correct my direction and stop the start like an old spluttering car.
Two women at the door greeted me and held the door open, told me to go along the corridor and turn right at the end. There was no issue of access. As I remembered, the floors were flat and smooth and the corridors were wide. I could just glide to the end of the corridor.
Could... but didn't.
Another woman greeted me at the door and told me there was a bar with refreshments to the left. I thanked her and went forth...before doubling back and asking her what do I do. I thought this was going to be a room of people all sitting in rows watching a talk/presentation or two. It wasn't. About fifteen charities had tables around the room with one or two people sat at them. You would talk to a charity that took your interest to get some further information.
I spoke to a few charities, but they wanted me to go for an interview and then wait to see if I'd been selected. Like I'd just applied to college. I didn't like how formal this was, I didn't like that I had to audition and if they deemed me worthy of help, I could attend. Katherine House Hospice were here as well. It was one of the first tables I encountered on my circuit. I was reading the information on the table, just being nosey, when I was approached. "Can I help you?" I knew what table I was at and fortunately, had no need for it. I didn't tell him that straight away though and had a chat, I didn't feel comfortable telling him "no thanks" . I thought Katherine House was a small charity that offered end of life care to a select few. It's actually a large charity that has two-hundred employees and six-hundred volunteers. They have a therapy and wellbeing clinic, a lymphoedema clinic, end of life care. It costs them about four million pounds a year, a lot of which is from donations. They rent space in many shops around Staffordshire where you can donate furniture. It's a big machine and a very worthwhile cause. Katherine House Hospice.
One of the first tables I came across was Andy's Man Club. The design of their station caught my attention. It was black with a hand in white making the ok sign. I stopped and a guy came out to talk to me. They are a group of men that meet up every Monday at Stafford Rugby Club for a couple of hours and gives you the chance to chat to a group of people who are all there for the same reason - to talk. I asked how many people go and he said it varies week by week but it could be as many as sixty. Whoah, that's quite a lot I thought. Straight away I was thinking about what it would be like to enter a room where sixty people all turn and look as I slowly wheel into the room, my wheelchair stopping and starting, constantly changing direction. My imagination was was running riot. I started trying to make my excuses for not going. "I don't think people will be able to understand me, I said" "We're chatting now and I have no difficulty in understanding you," he replied "I don't know if I feel comfortable talking in front of that many people." "There is no obligation to talk, you can just listen and socialise in the breaks. Some weeks I don't say anything, but last week I had a lot to get off my chest and you couldn't shut me up."
So he was a volunteer who attends these meetings himself? He handed me a flyer and I said I'd go.
And I intended too. And I did.
The first rule of fight club is you don't talk about fight club. Oops sorry.
Same first rule, different club.
The first rule of Andy's Man Club is you don't talk about Andy's Man Club.
I shocked us both and kept to my word. Stafford Rugby Club kindly allow us the use of their facilities. There is loads of parking. There's even lots of disabled spaces which a lot of the time are left free, although there is rugby practice as well and obviously all the disabled spaces get used first. There's always people on the door to open the door for me on arrival, but I have to ask somebody to let me out as the doors aren't automatic. We meet on the first floor, but there is a lift for us mobility challenged folk.
The first time I went the guy I met at the Mental Health Event was there as well, so I wasn't in a room full of strangers. Which I am very appreciative of because I can guarantee I wouldn't have gone again the following weeks otherwise. About fifty people attend. We all sit in a big group, introduce ourselves and then get split up into smaller groups with at least one (but usually two or three) volunteers to head up the group. Oh and gallons of tea, biscuits and one of the members of our group brings a sack of pastries.
I've been going for a few months now and take advantage of the chance to talk to a captive audience. It's right what people say, it really does help to talk. We are always much harder on ourselves when left with just our own imagination. Talking to others gives me the true perspective of other people's opinion of me - which is always different to my own negative view. It's taken me a while to realise that I just try to deflect by attempting to be funny and never really speaking seriously. Andy's Man Club is a great start to my week, there's always somebody who can offer you advice, or quite often they don't offer any thoughts, you just feel better having spoken your thoughts to other people, rather than just thinking them.
I enjoy going, it's a change of scenery and a good chance to socialise and get things off my chest. I don't think I'm too good at the socialising in breaks. Everybody's talking in a big echoey hall, which makes it hard to be heard.
My eyesight is pretty poor and my eyes don't stay still, which in general isn't too much of a problem. This is only an issue when they're trying to focus on something. Then my eyes flick side to side and up and down. Fortunately, subtitles are easy to see, and I always have subtitles on. Oh except when I watch football. I'm too busy trying to follow the ball, which is rather small and constantly in motion.
The Gentlemen (2019)
They do a decent job of making television accessible for us partially sighted folk nowadays. We have the option of putting subtitles on for most programs or films. We can change the size, the font, background or no background, font colour and background colour. All televisions, streaming services etc allow this level of customisation. Mostly. Netflix, Apple and Disney seem to make it mandatory that anything that appears on their platform has subtitles. Amazon don't. Although to be fair to them, they do when it's Amazon original content. A lot of the content on Amazon is content that hasn't been distributed by Amazon; meaning the availability of subtitles depends on the licensing agreements with the original content owners.
I don't know about you but I always check if there's subtitles available, it's non availability can be a deal breaker.
Closed captioning is a legal requirement for all nationally broadcast media in the UK, including satellite television, cable companies, movie theaters, and DVDs. The Media Act 2024 also established minimum quotas for subtitles and signing on on-demand services.
So subtitles are a legal requirement. Interesting. Shouldn't text that is displayed on screen in any form - text message, note, letter - follow the same rules? It would appear not. The mobile phone appears in just about every program/film nowadays, which is fair enough, they are barely out of our hands and we are constantly interacting with them. So it's realistic that people are always reading things on them. Surely that should mean the director /editor /producer /tea boy? (I'm not sure how these things work), are aware of how something is displayed on screen.
My basic knowledge comes from documentaries or 'the making of..." docs. The director always seems to be watching what's happening in front of him, on a TV screen. I accept this is the equivalent of watching Instagram to keep up with what's happening in the news though. Mr Spielberg & co may not be responsible... But somebody is
Ironically old Nokia's used to have the perfect display. Before technology advanced to allow colour, Our choice was very limited. There were a few different fonts to choose from, but the level of customisation was so basic, virtually every set up we could choose ticked all the boxes. Then technology started to get better and Blackberry's started to take over. Mobile phone's still weren't a must-have item until the dawn of smartphones. With smartphones came colour screens. Smartphones were still compliant and each phone could be customised to help with any visibility issues. But, the smartphone doesn't ship with these settings by default and as most of us have the same setup, this is how it looks when it's shown on the television. The option is there to have your text large etc, but it doesn't look very appealing on camera, so the default more appealing setup is used. None of the boxes are ticked, but that's ok if steps are taken, meaning we're not constantly having to rewind and pause to read these tiny messages for the brief moment they're on screen.
Steps aren't always taken though.
Based On A True Story S2 ep 5
A good example - In Based On A True Story S2 ep 5, Ava's phone buzzes several times. Her phone screen is filled with alerts but they're too difficult to read without pausing. however, she is with her husband - who also wants to know. She turns on the news to show him and we see the story she was alerted to. From the dialogue they have, the viewer is under no illusion as to what is happening. The briefly and barely visible phone screen wasn't the only way of getting this information.
Based On A True Story S2 ep 3
However, the same show also has a bad example. Earlier in episode three Ava is in an apartment she shouldn't be, when a cop comes in. Ava's phone vibrates and the noise it makes alerts the cop who goes to investigate. The cop finds nothing and leaves. Ava checks her phone to see why it vibrated, and we the viewer see the text message as if we are looking through her eyes and it's too small to read. Ava stares forwards as if she's just had a realisation. Unfortunately I had to rewind and pause to get the chance to have the same realisation.
Carry On
There was nobody else in the room for Ava to explain what she's just seen. We, the viewer, have to rewind and pause to read the message. The NetFlix film Carry On is a good example of what to do here. Ethan receives a text and as he reads it the message is blown up on screen so we can see it. Simple.
Why couldn't they do something similar on Based On A True Story? Instead of viewing the message through Ava's eyes, the camera could have been in front of her, the message is blown up and then she stares into the distance in realisation. Seriously, Mr Spielberg & Co, I'm available.
Another example of a show that doesn't have any consistency, is shrinking. I have put a few of the examples I found whilst watching it. There are a couple of good examples. The whole screen is taken up by a closeup of the phone screen. The message is large and easy to read. Then there is a post on Twitter, the post is flashed up on screen but is too small to read, fortunately, Liz reads it out. It doesn't matter that we couldn't read it because it was read out to us. Then there are three examples of hard to read text. They are readable if you pause on the screen. We have to see the characters face and that they are typing/reading a message. Therefore the phone is at an angle. Again, couldn't we use the Carry On approach and have the display of the phone blown up next to them? We could read the text conversation and see their reaction. Finally we have Alice sending a text to Paul. Paul's phone is momentarily flashed up on screen at an angle that is difficult to read. Paul is visibly peeved at whatever the message says and writes a reply while muttering his reply. His mutter is inaudible and the camera switches back to his phone at an angle so the message can't be read. The phone is the only thing on the screen though, so why couldn't just be at a readable angle? I had to rewind and pause, take a picture because it was still unreadable and zoom in. Again, couldn't we use the Carry On approach? (For the older readers I mean the 2024 film, I don't mean reading the message and then grimacing cheekily at the camera and saying "Ooh! Matron")
A Quiet Place: Day One
These aren't the only options and neither might fit it in with a project, take A Quiet Place: Day One for example. The solution here was, "sod it, it's not my problem". I should say I don't know for sure if that's what they thought, but for the purpose of this post I'll pretend they did. A Quiet Place: Day One is the third installment in the A Quiet Place franchise. The premise is, you can't make a noise because you will alert the aliens who have ultra sensitive hearing, to your presence. The humans communicate by writing messages, but they can't read them out loud or even whisper them, so the viewer has no choice but to read them. As you can see from the picture, no effort has been made to make this message readable. It says "what meds do you need?" What follows is an intense scene where he's gone to another building to look for medication, something you would be none the wiser to if you didn't read the message.
The rewind button on my controller is looking worn as it's called into action again. The message is still very hard to see however, so I had to take a picture on my phone and zoom in on my picture to read it. What a faff! A faff that could have been saved if they'd inserted a few extra frames, showing a closeup view of the notepad.
As well as Carry On, Sprint is another good example. Is it a coincidence that this and Carry On are Netflix shows? Or is it just because they are the type of shows this look is appropriate for? (That's not rhetorical, it's a genuine question). From the first episode of season one, a lot of social media posts are displayed like this, so that they are clear and easy to read for ALL viewers.
Sherlock
I think the best example of a show being accessible is the BBC show Sherlock. It's fifteen years old now having first aired in 2010. It was the first show I'd noticed that integrated the reading of text messages or notes into the drama on-screen. It was seamless and the design of it was brilliant. This was a show where Mr Spielberg & Co were joined by Mr or Mrs make-things-look-good-but-also-practical-so-that-all-can-enjoy-it.
As there would be written clues that Sherlock and Watson would get
Sherlock
throughout and text messages and notes, it would need to illustrate how Sherlock's mind works differently from ours. There was a consistent design throughout. Texts would always be white. Subject headings would be bold, while the body of the text would be smaller. The text would appear next to the person receiving it. Illustrations of how Sherlock was thinking was more free form, but would appear around an image of him thinking.
So you have three options. There is the *shrugs shoulders* not my problem approach. The get it right some of the time, but also shrug your shoulders when you can't be bothered. Or smash it outta the park every time. There needs to be some rules in place, similar to subtitles meaning all forms of text on screen have to be readable or audible for all viewers. We call that doing the Sherlock.
If you've read my book, you will know that I wasn't particularly complimentary following my initial interactions with the Social Services.
Alice phoned the Social Services and was told they wouldn’t look at doing the conversion because they needed to assess me in the already converted environment to see what needs are required to be catered for.
There was a major problem with this ridiculous rule. The Haywood couldn’t discharge me until they were happy I was going back to an environment that catered for my needs.
I simply don’t know what happened here, maybe there were some crossed wires.
The problem as far as I’m concerned was Social Services, though when I’ve used them since they’ve been great. Admittedly, they’ve only project-managed modifications, but things have gone incredibly smoothly. I think whoever was running things at this time is to blame.
Well, this is one of those occasions where they were very helpful. They arranged for the front part of my conversion (which had remained as a garage) to be converted into a utility room/porch/entrance thingy. This would have a raised floor so it would be on the same level as the bedroom. Originally, I used a portable metal ramp to get up to the bedroom from the garage. A permanent ramp would be built and fitted allowing me to get to the front door.
It looks great and it doesn't look out of place, it looks like the ramp has been here as long as the house and is an original fixture. I was very happy with it.
A few weeks later I was walking up the ramp from my Dad's car as I do most evenings, when I took a mis-step and reached for the bannister at the side to steady me. The fixture moved. It supported me, but I hadn't put much weight on it - between my legs and Dad's support, I didn't overly rely on it. On investigation it was discovered that the ramp wasn't attached to the drive, it was held in place simply because it was clipped in to the rest of the structure.
I informed the Social Services and the company in question returned to screw the ramp into the tarmac. I didn't understand how a company who specialise in installing disability ramps failed to remember this key component.
Over the next few years I had got used to buying cartons of salt to pour on the ramp when the weather was cold. The ramp is lackered, making it like a piece of shiny plastic, it was impossibleto scale on my own as the wheels would spin. When I was being pushed, the person pushing couldn't get any grip. It started to dawn on me that this precaution wasn't needed when using my old ramp - which is at my parents house now. It's metal but their are tracks and rivets meaning that it's not slippy. I was starting to realise that although my ramp looked great it had the functionality of an ice rink.
I then noticed another short coming of my ramp, I can't self propel up it. My wheelchair pulls involountary wheelies. I have to reverse up the ramp as this allows my weight - which is predominately resting against the backrest - to be at the front. This isn't a fault of the ramp, it's as long as the drive allows and the incline is what it is. I have a large bulky wheelchair with arms to stop me flopping out. I have a friend with a lighter, sportier chair and he gets up it without a problem, he can get on the ramp already doing a good speed so he has momentum. I can't do this, I have to go bit by bit, I push with my feet whilst turning the wheels.
What is somebody's fault is putting a pointless bit of metal at the foot of the ramp. It is riveted though, so there is a bit of grip... in the dry. When it rains this ramp is a hazard to anyone - disabled or not. Fortunately the bannisters either side have rivets, so I can grab these and pull myself up.
I could get used to this. A lot of our time was spent here, where else could we go where we could bask in the sun, drink beer, eat chocolate... as I'm writing this I'm realising that these aren't unique activities to our villa and we could do this anywhere else. I loved being here though, I was completely independant. I certainly don't disllike being pushed around - I am very grateful. It is my reluctance to have an electric wheelchair afterall, that means I need to be pushed. I'm sure everybody would prefer if I changed.
Most days would start by having brekkie and sitting outside by the pool. There were two ways out here. One way had a step while the other took you through the back door, which was completely flat. Not having to ask if I can come outside and cooming and going as I please, is something that can't be under estimated. It was quite a musical house and upon spotting a vacant guitar I thought I'd remind everybody of my musical prowess. I treated them to some Pink Floyd. I wanted to see if I still had it. I nailed it.
A guy came to look at the pool. An English guy, so I took advantage of the common language and made small talk. "Fantastic weather, is it always this nice?" I asked "Hmmm, not really" He replied, noticeablly not matching my enthusiasm. "It can be very windy and it's rarely this hot. I couldn't help but look at the two excuses for white man legs poking out from his shorts. It looked like he'd coated his legs with varnish. I suspected he was being a typical brit and moaning. I looked at his toes poking out from his sandals, they were just as varnished. I was sure my suspicions were correct. "Do you get Golden Eagle's here?" I enquired "Yes, they're not common, but you certainly see them here. You tend to find them around mountains and warm weather"
"Oh right. Maybe it was then."
Definately what we saw
A few days earlier we were driving back from Pézenas and saw a large bird hovering in the sky. "Eagle!" Dad exclaimed while pointing at the sky. I scrambled for my phone and attempted to flick it onto camera and take a picture all before the car drove past it. "F*** P*** A***. I didn't manage it, but fear not, I have found an accurate depiction of it online. He assured me what he saw was an eagle. He could have pointed at a sparrow and shouted "eagle!" and I wouldn't have known any better. But maybe he was telling the truth after all.
Pézenas was a lovely little town that was mentioned in the blue folder of 'places of interest' found at the villa. This had immediately become our favourite place to visit. We came here a few times during our stay. It looked exactly how I imagined the South of France would. All the buildings were a pale yellow/brown colour. They even leave disabled car park spaces for people who are disabled. Well, every parking space was taken when we were trying to park, it may have just been coincidence that this space had become free at this point. At home most disabled parking spaces are free, but we couldn't read the instructions, so to be safe Dad went to pay. A French gentleman told us it was free before he paid. However, since Brexit a UK blue badge isn't recognised in many EU countries, including France. Replacement talks were set up and ministers agreed to negotiate individual deals with EU countries to recognise British Blue Badges, but these have stalled over the past year with no decisions being made.
Pézenas was clearly quite a popular town but it didn't seem to be very touristy. Any time I heard people chatting they were speaking French.
Rolling around the main town square was simple, everywhere was smooth asphalt, there were drop curbs everywhere. There were quite a few restaurants and shops in the back allies, but some of these were up steep inclines and cobbled streets. They aren't inaccessible as long as you are with somebody to push you around.
We stopped at Le Pezanes for lunch on what turned out to be the hottest day of the holiday. When we got back to the car it was reading thirty six degrees! Once it moved out of the direct sun it dropped to thirty one. But still, thirty six! We sat outside - as did the rest of the customers. I went into the empty restaurant to go to the toilet and it looked like wheelchair heaven. Everything was on one level, the floors were smooth and the tables were nicely spaced out so you could easily fit the wheelchair through. The toilet even had those rarest of things, a toilet seat!
We came back a few evenings later and ate at a street restaurant called Royal Glacier. It was in the side streets off the main square, so it was a bit of a push getting the wheelchair there. It was by no means wheelchair friendly. There were a few tables and chairs outside and then two or three steps down to get into the restaurant. I could only see the entrance which opened directly into a bar area. I dn't know if there were more seats inside. The food was lovely. Instead of chips they had thin slices of potatoe that looked like they were sauteed.
We consulted the trusty blue folder again and saw that d'agde was a forty five minute drive and was right on the coast. We fancied a paddle in the meditarranean sea. We packed our bucket and spade, put on string vests and knotted handkerchiefs on our head and set off. Fans of
The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X might recognise this name. I didn't. Cap D'agde is often mentioned, as Dom Byrne went on holiday to D'agde as a child and claimed he didn't know it was home to a nudist colony. To be fair to ol' baldy, I didn't know either. It's not obvious just walking around the place. In fact as we drove in I was already thinking of leaving. To say it was unimpressive is an understatement, to say I thought we were in Baghdad would be more accurate. As we got closer to the beach it did change into a nice fresh and clean looking place. It felt like a tourists town. We parked in a car park by the beach. It was more than suitable for the wheelchair. Everywhere was smooth concrete and the path that ran alongside the beach was very wide. The path had the beach on the left and a large grey hotel or shopping mall on the right. There were several restaurants littered around, with outside sitting areas with people sitting under parasols shading from the sun. We looked at the menus and there was virtually nothing for the vegetarians and vegan. Or me the normo...
sorry meat eater. I'm not a big fan of sea food. We would eat back at the villa and take advantage of the outside sitting area.
The penny dropped when I started seeing life size cutouts of Dom and sandwich boards with his face on promoting Cap D'agne. I do believe him now when he says he didn't know this was the biggest nude resort in Europe, but he's certainly making sure everybody else knows.
Our final visit was to Gorges d'Heric. It was mentioned in the trusty blue folder. Words like 'breathtaking' and 'beautiful' caught our attention, but those words don't do it justice. It was another gorgeous day, there wasn't a cloud in the sky again - the car was reading twenty-four degrees. On the drive there my ears were popping again. Well, I couldn't hear as well until I swallowed and they would temporarily clear, but quickly block again. I've never understood why this is called popping.
We were transported into a western again. Surrounded by brownish, orange mountains. I could just imagine a Golden Eagle hovering above one of the peaks, but strangely now I was looking, there were non about. We arrived and started the long climb up. Once again I was regretting not having an electric wheelchair, or in this case a powered wheelchair. This was steep! Fortunately I was with three people who were willing to take it in turns pushing my carcass up. You do not want to miss the views of this place though so you could hire a powered wheelchair from Limitless Travel.
The difference between a powered or electric wheelchair is generally what you're going to use it for. An electric tends to be for general use. You use it get around, but may not have the strength or stamina to self propel. They require regular charging because the battery needs to be able go for many hours. This sort of terrain would probably require a powered chair. Something with off-road tyres that has a short term battery that's only purpose is to get you up and down the gorges. A powered wheelchair often falls under the umbrella of electric wheelchair, but that's just semantics. Just be clear what you'll use it for when renting it.
Limitless Travel have got a fantastic website. It should be your company of choice when looking at booking a fully/partially accessible holiday, a coach holiday, cruise holiday, beach holiday etc. They even provide a carer should you need it, so you don't have to rely on family or friends who may be unavailable when you wish to travel. You can just use them to hire a wheelchair to use on holiday. You will need to phone them and be ready for questions like measurements from one hip to
the other and your body weight and height, as well as the terrain you'll be encountering. It's handy if you aren't going to need the chair all of the time. Most people will, but you may be able to have a manual chair to get around in and a powered one for trips like this. Then you could rent one specifically for this.
Anyway back to the hike. Gorges d'Heric is huge. it's about four kilometres from the car park to the town of Heric which is at the top. Fortunately the old rail bed had been converted to a road. The gorge is surrounded by high cliffs and peaks with spectacular views around each bend. The road was littered with people going up or coming down, most with hiking gear on and/or hiking sticks, hats, hiking boots and sunglasses. And here was us, without any hiking paraphernalia and pushing a wheelchair. I wonder if they could tell we were tourists?
We probably went about one third of the way before relenting and coming back down. What we had seen was spectacular though, and reading the reviews on-line it leads to a largely old ruined abandoned town. The nice cold beer I had when I got back back down to the car park, meant I wasn't sorry to not go any further.
