World's Worst Place to be Disabled - BBC 3 programme

Last night I watched a very harrowing documentary made by Sophie Morgan a disabled woman I interviewed a while ago when she was a contestant on a disabled modelling programme.

The programme 'The World's Worst Place to be Disabled' is about the treatment of disabled people in Ghana showing how disabled adults are kept hidden inside, chained up, and subjected to religious 'healing' by some very hideous individuals.  That is if they are not poisoned as children by fetish priests who are paid for doing this...

On the happier side the programme featured an amazing man, himself disabled, who is fundraising for a school for disabled children.  On his fundraising page supporter wall he welcomes donations for just $5 - that's about £3...

Have a look at the work he is doing:

Who is Ark?

				Who is Ark? Who is Ark? ​      Barimah Antwi, better known as Mr.  ​Ark, is a native of Ghana. He lives in a simple home  in the town of Maase, Offinso. Every day, he walks
				View on www.arksfoundation.org	Preview by Yahoo

If you can bear to watch the documentary it will be on BBC iPlayer for 17 more days from the date of this post.

If you can't bear to watch all of it then if you start it at 45mins in you'll see some more positive good bits including an interview with a 17 year old called Charles who I just wanted to scoop up and bring to the UK so he can fulfil his dream:

The World's Worst Place to Be Disabled?

				The World's Worst Place to Be Disabled? Sophie Morgan visits Ghana to uncover the reality of many disabled people who live there.
				View on www.bbc.co.uk	Preview by Yahoo

If you are reading this post after the 17 days have  lapsed you can see Charle's in a video on the Ark's Foundation website:

http://www.arksfoundation.org/meet-the-locals.html

Promoting the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain

I'm quoted in the following publicity for the excellent Rough Guide to Accessible Britain.

I'm always happy to promote the guide because as Kofi Annan once said "Knowledge is power.  Information is liberating".

So anything that disseminates information to disabled people has to be a good thing.

www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1569469/free-uk-travel-guide

www.homecare.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1569469/free-uk-travel-guide

National Geographic Traveller - feature on accessible travel

As a writer I'm normally in the business of finding people to provide quotes for the articles I write but it's always nice to be the other side of the equation and be quoted for a change as in this feature in National Geographic Traveller about accessible travel:

www.natgeotraveller.co.uk/smart-travel/features/accessible-travel/

The power of the 'Can Do' Attitude...

I've come to the conclusion that it is essential for children to find something they CAN do and want to 'get into'.  When they find that thing it not only boosts their confidence and happiness while they are doing it but those positive effects permeate into other areas of their life too.

This is particularly important for a disabled child because so often they are comparing themselves [or are compared] to their peers and focusing on all the things they can't do.

So I was particularly pleased when my son Archie, who also has Kniest, recently won the 2013 ‘On the Move’ national competition for photographers with disabilities which is jointly organised by Mobility Choice, the charity responsible for delivering The Mobility Roadshow, and the Disabled Photographers’ Society (DPS).

He was so chuffed and last week even made it into the local paper so that won him some additional kudos at school too:

East Midlands Trains - Winner of my 2014 'Can't Do' Attitude Award [will anyone beat this?]

Well all I wanted to do was book a train from where I live to Loughborough to attend a training course for a job I've just got.  Just how hard can that be?

A Non Disabled Person's Experience of booking a train ticket:

A non disabled person would go to a train website, put in the details of where/when they want to travel, pick the appropriate tickets and pay for them. 

Bingo!  Job done. 

Time taken:  less than 5 mins.

A Disabled Person's Experience of booking a train ticket:

A disabled person would go to a train website, put in the details of where/when they want to travel, pick out the appropriate tickets they'd like to book...

Armed with this information they would then have to ring to book the tickets and assistance on a special assistance line.

They would have to go through all the relevant details, bit by bit.  [In my case I'd have to argue for a while about needing to take a mobility scooter on the train - something I've done numerous times without an issue at the station].  Once they'd gone through this then they would book the tickets.  Then they would have to go back over all the details again to book the assistance, bit by bit.

Time taken:  about 30 mins.


But the problem with the journey I wanted to do was that it involved a leg with East Midlands Trains.  The man at South West Trains who I use to book my tickets and assistance with insisted I called East Midlands Trains before booking...

So I call East Midlands Trains, I'm immediately told they have a very stringent scooter policy, health and safety and all that. 

However, I explain that I have a very small scooter confident they can't possibly have an issue with it.  As soon as the scooter name comes out of my mouth the man at the end of the phone says 'No, can't take that one.'  He goes on to explain that he personally has seen one tip over on the ramp.  I say OK I can walk it up the ramp.  No not possible apparently too dangerous.

He suggests I get a wheelchair - but I don't have a wheelchair, I don't want a wheelchair, I already have a scooter which I feel very comfortable and confident on.  I would not feel either in a wheelchair.

He then suggests that I could pack the scooter into a carry case [my scooter doesn't have a carry case] and carry it on to the train. 

The scooter is 30kg.  I'm 4ft tall, about 42kg in weight, all my joints are stiff and deformed, I find steps difficult, I find train steps impossible.  As you can imagine carrying a scooter onto the train would be very difficult for me - and what about my health and safety?  East Midlands rules clearly doesn't apply to me?  Cheers.

I'm told the trains weren't built for taking scooters and that the man's own partner has a disability and can't travel on her scooter on the trains as if though that will make me feel better - it doesn't, it makes me feel angry - so she's not allowed on the trains either - there's another name for this Discrimination [under the guise of Health and Safety].

So Thank You East Midlands Trains for pulling out all the stops so I CAN'T travel on your trains, you've been SO helpful.

I'm going to drive.