We have been awarded a grant of £5,000 by the Millennium Festival Awards for All Committee, for arts and crafts materials. Most of the funding will go towards the production of our Gateway Recipe Book (see "Recipe for Success" article) but we are hoping to hold an exhibition of art and craft early in the new year. Both these projects will not only make the public aware of the talents that people with learning disabilities possess but also give our members a great sense of achievement. A great deal of work ahead for everyone!
Prize Quiz Night
You are cordially invited to attend a Prize Quiz Night at The Coronation, Acklam on Monday 27th November 2000 at 8:30pm in aid of Middlesbrough Mencap.Raffle.
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Is the Carers Act Working?
Researchers at the Norah Fry Institute have been looking at how the 1995 Carers Act has worked for families of people with learning disabilities. Val Williams and Carol Robinson found that few carers had received a carer's needs assessment, and that many of the services discussed at an assessment had not been delivered one year later. In their own right, looks at the issues from the point of view of carers and of the people with learning disabilities for whom they are caring. In their own right is published by The Policy Press at £12.99 and can be ordered on 01235 465500. Viewpoint August/September 2000 indexAccess to Eye Care for adults with learning difficulties
Extracts from an RNIB Focus Factsheet, (PR11015) February 2000
Only a minority of adults with learning difficulties have had regular eye examinations/sight tests. People with learning difficulties are particularly prone to eye problems.While most people (of all levels of ability) need glasses by the age of 40, people with learning difficulties lose their focusing ability at an earlier age. They are also susceptible to all the eye conditions common in ageing-such as cataracts. Many causes of blindness are preventable if identified early and people receive medication or surgery.
RESEARCH INFORMATION
A Mencap study found that 53 per cent of people with learning difficulties had not had a sight test in the last two years, either at a 'High Street'optometrist/optician or with a specialist, although 57 per cent recorded wearing glasses. Most of the optometrists/opticians consulted in the survey thought that the health of people with learning difficulties, though vastly improved, fell below that of the general population.The same report found that people with learning difficulties under the age of 19 were more likely to to receive a sight test than older people. Of those who did not have regular tests 69 per cent were aged 40 or over - the general recommended age for sight testing every two years.
UNIDENTIFIED EYE PROBLEMS
It is a scandal that so many people have unidentified eye problems which may cause pain, lower potential and which undermine successful participation in a range of activities. It is also a waste of valuable resources.People's quality of life can be greatly improved - often at little or no expense - when their sight problems have been identified and they receive appropriate help to take more control over their lives.
The right to a sight test is in the Patient's Charter, which states:
'You can expect a thorough eye examination which should include checks for any disease or abnormality as well as checking your sight'.No-one is too disabled to have his/her sight tested - but many people are denied their rights.
SIGHT TESTS AND EYE EXAMINATIONS
Optometrists/opticians do not just establish if people need glasses. They also provide an 'eye health check' - to discover if people have infections or sight-threatening conditions.You don't have to be able to talk or read in order to have your sight tested. People have been testing the sight of babies and small children for years. Some tests require the person to co-operate. People may need to be able to match two pictures or letters, or objects - such as a fork and a miniature toy fork. Matching can easily be practised in daily life - such as identifying pictures, putting a pair of shoes together and sorting cutlery - and can be fun.
© RNIB 2000
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Choices about moving away from home
Three booklets have been published about options for people with learning disabilities who leave home.Leaving Home, Moving On by the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities explores housing options and support. The booklet encourages parents to think about options for their son or daughter's future without waiting for a family crisis.
For a free copy contact the Foundation's information line on 020 7537 7420 or visit their website on www.mhf.org.uk. [This link returned 'no such host' when tested June 2001]
The Foundation has also published a booklet that explores support and housing option in more depth. Living alone or with others costs £10 and is intended for social workers or family carers.
Policy Press has published Pushing Open the Door by Ken Simons of the Norah Fry Research Centre. It looks at people's experience of using Housing Options and similar supported living projects. This booklet costs £13.95.
These books can be ordered from Mencap Book Shop, part of the public liaison unit, on 020 7696 5503.
Viewpoint August/September 2000
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Footwear for Special Needs
Do you or any of your family have difficulty in obtaining footwear, for one reason or another? If so, a booklet called Footwear for Special Needs which is published by the British Footwear Association may help. It lists shops and shoemakers all over the country who offer small or large sizes, wide or narrow shoes, and who make shoes to order (including several who specialise in making smart and comfortable shoes for people with foot problems, which may be useful to other readers). The booklet costs £3, and you can get a copy from The British Footwear Association, 5 Portland Place, London W1N 3AA. indexHylton House Fund 2000/2001
The Hylton House Fund provides financial assistance to individuals with cerebral palsy and related disabilities, their families and carers. You can only hold one grant per family each financial year starting in April and it must be for a specific item or activity that fits the criteria described in the application form, and the recipient must reside in County Durham, (the former county of) Cleveland, or North Yorkshire. There are two types of grant. (1) Welfare and holiday grants or respite support for carers or (2) grants for the purchase of specific items or activities and respite support. If you would like further information contact Melanie Caldwell, Executive Assistant, County Durham Foundation, Aykley Vale Chambers, Durham Road, Aykley Heads, Durham DH1 5NE. Telephone 0191 383 0055. Funds are limited indexHave Your Say on Banking Services!
Do you, or someone you know, have a disability? Well Barclays Bank are aiming to provide banking services and facilities that enable all their customers to keep in touch with their money and in particular those customers with a disability. They are providing a range of services to make banking easier such as: large print and Braille statements and more branches with wheelchair access. Customers can opt to have their letters from the bank in large print, Braille or audio casette. Cash machines are being updated and feature clearer displays and funnelled card entry slots, which provide easier use for visually impaired customers.Barclays Disability Issues Unit is dedicated to improving access to information and services and would like you to tel them what you want and will consider carefully any suggestions. They can be contacted on 024 7653 4949/2276 or by post to Barclays Disability Issues Unit, FREEPOST, MID 02917, P O Box 551, Coventry CV4 8BR. index
Right from the Start
Reports have highlighted the distress parents feel when they are told that their child has a serious disability.Many families say that health professionals were clumsy or uncaring or even tried to bulldoze them into have a child adopted or a pregnancy terminated.
The NHS guide to good practice says that breaking this news is one of the hardest things a doctor or nurse will ever have to do.
Right from the Start is supported by Scope, Mencap, RNIB, RNID, Contact a Family and others to try to ensure that parents are given the support they need.
The Department of Health has put up £50,000 to train people with disabilities, parents and support staff so that they can form local teams to train doctors, nurses, health visitors and social workers. Rosie Rowland, co-ordinator of Right from the Start is planning courses which will help prepare people to work together to train health professionals in sessions lasting from two hours to several days. She is keen to include people with learning disabilities as trainers.
Anyone with a disability or any parent who wants to become part of a team should contact Rosie at Scope on 020 7619 7100.
Viewpoint August/September 2000
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Teesside Young Onset Dementia Team
This is a new service funded for three years by the Health Action Zone Innovations Fund which aims to provide a service to adults aged between 18 and 64 years who experience any form of dementing illness. The Team will provide specialist diagnosis counselling for both the client and their family, including the client's children. It will seek to co-ordinate the work with any agencies involved with the client to provide a cohesive package of care.Further information from: Dr. D. Brechin, Team Leader, Teesside Young Onset Dementia Team, 5 Eastbourne Road, Middlesbrough TS5 6QS.
Telephone: 01642 820082
Tees Valley Briefing - September 2000
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Independent Living Project
This is a housing project set up by Endeavour Housing Association, to provide temporary accommodation for people with a physical disability and/or sensory loss who want to learn how to live independently.The scheme consists of 6 one-bedroomed specially designed self-contained bungalows, a staff office and a communal meeting space. (They are situated near the Lansdowne Centre.) The project is run by a management committee in conjunction with Endeavour Housing who employ one part-time housing worker to oversee the smooth running of the scheme. Tenants may have additional needs for care and support which will be met by other agencies.
Applicants will be interviewed and assessed to determine their suitability for the project.
The tenant will be helped to identify and achieve their personal housing goal and will be supported in their move from the project to their own permanent home.
Priority will be given tp people with Middlesbrough connections.
If you are interested and would like more information please contact:
Adrienne Atkin - Project Co-ordinator Tel. 01642 241391
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The Human Rights Act
came into force on October 2nd in England, Wales and N. Ireland and for people with learning disabilities it is not a single day too soon. This act will put issues and cases into a framework where people with disabilities have rights that are equal to rights of other people. For instance: Article 2 states: "Everyone's right to life shall be protected by law. No one shall be deprived of his life intentionally." Mencap and other organisations will use the Human Rights Act as a benchmark against which to judge decisions on care and liberty. This Act will not end discrimination but will be a means to fight it.Mencap is writing down cases where people with disabilities have had their human rights abused particularly by the medical profession. To add cases to the Mencap database ring Sarah Christie on 020 7696 5603.
Viewpoint October 2000
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Junk Faxes & Phone calls
It is now an offence to send an unsolicited direct marketing fax to any individual or unincorporated organisation, or to an incorporated body which has opted out of receiving unsolicited faxes by registering with the Fax Preference Service.It is also an offence to make an unsolicited direct marketing telephone call to any individual or unincorporated organisation which has opted out of receiving unsolicited call by registering with the Telephone Preference Service.
Registration is free, call 0845 070 0707 for the Telephone Preference Service, and 0845 070 0702 for the Fax Preference Service.
The regulations, part V of the Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy ( Direct Marketing) Regulations 1999), are enforced through the Data Protection Registrar. index
Write Away
Britain's fastest growing penfriend club has launched Group Match, a scheme to help people in day centres, colleges, residential homes and clubs make new friends around the country. It started as a club for children but has also become a leading penfriend club for adults with learning disabilities. Details of this venture were given in a full page spread in the August/September edition of Viewpoint and we at Middlesbrough Gateway's Happy Talk Pen Pal Club got a good mention too!For more information contact Sue at Mencap Office. index
Your News & Views
If you have any items of news and views you would like to share with our members please feel free to send them into the office for inclusion in our newsletter. However, if it is a cutting from a magazine or newspaper let us know the name of the publication. Please feel free to e-mail your viewsOur postal address and other contact details are on our contact page index
What's in the Newsletter
- We're In The Money
- Middlesbrough Gateway Club's "Recipe for Success"
- Right from the Start
- Prize Quiz Night
- Is the Carers Act Working?
- Access to Eye Care for adults with learning difficulties
- Choices about moving away from home
- Footwear for Special Needs
- Hylton House Fund 2000/2001
- Have Your Say on Banking Services!
- Right from the Start - breaking the news
- Teesside Young Onset Dementia Team
- Independent Living Project
- The Human Rights Act
- Junk Faxes & Phone calls
- Write Away