Cardiff & Vale Coalition of Disabled People Coalition News June - July 2006 www.cvcdp.org [email protected] Disabled People Betrayed

Andrew Davies Sue Essex Brian Gibbons Jane Hutt Rhodri Morgan by

Carwyn Jones Alun Pugh Jane Davidson “Welsh” Labour See Pages 3 & 4 Also in this addition...... Transport Direct Payments Youth Forum Race and Disability Stonewall Conference Competition Who We are

Editorial Team Contents Jon Luxton Gerri Allen-Manson Editorial - Jon Luxton P3 Yvonne Farmer Charging, Labour’s Betrayed P4 Charles Willie Jon Luxton Annie Hall 60 second interview P5 How to contact us Charles Willie (Registered office) Cowbridge Court Stonewall Cymru P6 60 Cowbridge Road West Gerri Allen-Manson Ely Cardiff CF5 5BS Definitions of Disability P7 Tel/minicom: 029 20 255 611 Yvonne Farmer Fax: 029 20 255621 Development Team Reports email: [email protected] P8 Direct Payments - Annie Hall P10 How we funded The Coalition acknowledges the Go Green P12 financial support received from Cardiff Gerri Allen-Manson County Council and The Vale of Glamorgan Council On the Buses P13 Steve Sweetman What we do The organisations aims are to: A Real Life Story P14 1. Challenge discrimination in all its What’s On P15 forms. 2. Work to establish the equal Computer Help Doctor P16 rights of disabled people. 3. Campaign for the full participation Letters P16 and inclusion of disabled people within society. Consultancy & Training P17 4. Promote the independent lifestyle Services of disabled people and secure the necessary resources to achieve it. Crossword P18 Membership Form Cardiff and Vale Coalition is a P19 company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 3167723. Formats Copies of this Newsletter are The views expressed in this available on Disk, Tape, and in Newsletter are not necessarily those of Cardiff and Vale Braille. Please contact the office Coalition of Disabled People. to request your preferred format. Editorial Jon Luxton The disabled people’s movement has for far too long been content to be right, with winning the arguments. We have become too comfortable, too satisfied and smug in the correctness of our polemic. Our leaders and organisations have been drawn closer and closer to the intoxicating flame that is the political process and some have been burnt. Our leaders have become too The front cover of this issue comfortable, lost their passion contains the names and pictures and have forgotten the real daily of the Labour Cabinet who are experiences of most disabled responsible for the decision people. We need to reconnect with to renege on their pledge. We the life of the people we claim to know that several of them represent. We are in the business were opposed to this decision. of commitment politics. Not many We know that several were of us will get famous or wield real embarrassed by it, but we also power. As committed people, we know that none had the political can make a difference, but we courage to stand publicly against need to get angry. We need to feel it. outrage when faced with disabled We long ago moved away people’s poverty and feel repulsion from the politics of principle. when politicians lie to us and Many politicians hide behind renege on their promises. notions that politics is the “art So why did Labour break their of the possible”, or hide behind manifesto pledge? They did “collective responsibility”, it because they could. When and some see principles as calculating public reaction, they useless baggage of a long gone assumed there would be a few era. has tried to “bad news days” and then it separate itself from New Labour. would be forgotten by all but a It has seen the mistakes of the few political disabled people who UK Government, and has tried to would complain but, ultimately, distance itself from a party whose would return to their former status political pillars appear to be made quo with the Assembly. The money of sand. Welsh Labour’s decision saved could then be spent where to break their pledge would bring the political pressures are greater. a blush, even to New Labour. There is an old political saying: “you get the leaders you deserve”. Well, disabled people deserve more, much more, both from their leaders and Welsh Labour. Mistakes must be corrected. The disabled people’s movement must re-connect with the grass roots and be driven by their needs. At the same time we must offer real leadership, educating disabled people to find their own voice. Welsh Labour must recognise its mistake and properly engage with the barriers that disabled people face. It must remove them, becoming part of the eradication of disability, and not of its perpetuation. 3 Welsh Labour’s Broken Promises Disabled people’s broken dreams

The above headline looks a bit cheesy, a bit over the top, but the reality of charging for care is that many people cannot have the support necessary to live with dignity. Independence is just a dream, a hope, something that is unobtainable, simply because it has a price, a price they cannot afford. On the 15th of February this year, Brian Gibbons, the Labour Minister for Health and Social Services, announced the reversal of their policy to scrap Home Care charges for disabled people in . This decision betrays the promises made both in their 2003 Assembly Election Manifesto, as well as their Welsh Labour’s 2005 General Election Manifesto. CVCDP will continue to campaign for the scrapping of this charge. Check out our web site for the latest news.

Welsh Labour 2003 Manifesto In their 2003 manifesto, Welsh Labour highlighted their commitment to scrap the home care charges not once but 4 times in just 22 pages, placing this commitment squarely at the top of their agenda, clearly understanding its vote winning potential.

Welsh Labour 2005 General Election Manifesto In their general election manifesto, released in April 2005, Welsh Labour highlighted their commitment to scrap the home care charges and even gave us a date, September 2005. In March 2005 Brian Gibbons commissioned David Bell from Stirling University to evaluate this pledge, to see if it was attainable within the priorities of Welsh Labour. So then, we have a very specific dated commitment which, in reality, is not a commitment at all, for prior to the Manifesto’s publication, the Minister had commissioned a report which may have produced “evidence” leading them to scrap their pledge. The promise in the manifesto was at best a mistake, while many people feel Labour were being disingenuous. 4 60ish second interview Charles Willie Chief Executive of CVCDP Tell me a little about yourself I was born in the lovely island of St. Lucia in the West Indies, grew up in London but have lived for the past 21 years in Cardiff with my wife, Geraldine, and twin daughters, Tamla and Tara, who have just had their 21st birthday. What are your passions? I love sports, any kind of sport; both watching and playing, although these days it is much more watching than playing. I am totally committed to equality, and as part of that, the rights of individuals. I am passionate about this and believe that as part of these rights, everyone should have equality of opportunity and a right to be treated with respect, free from bullying, harassment, or, as is close to my “heart”, free from the abuse of power by those in authority. Tell me about your time at CVCDP I joined in January 2006, having had a very productive spell as a self-employed freelance equality consultant, following 4 years as the Equality Advisor to the National Assembly for Wales. As most people who I spoke to before taking the job had suggested, it would be, the past 4 months has been a challenge, but I must say, in the main, an enjoyable one. CVCDP having been without a Chief Executive for some three years, there was obviously a lot to do, and indeed, there is still a lot to do, but things are very much moving positively forward. The speed of progress was helped immensely by the work done by the CVCDP Board of Directors and Richard Wood, the consultant, in holding things together, whilst there was not a Chief Executive in place. This has continued, and with the help of the Board and Staff members in the past 4 months, there are a number of important and significant initiatives that have been put in place, or are in the process of being put in place, this new revamped bi- monthly newsletter being one of them! What about the Future? There’s much I could say about the future and the plans we have but a few highlights are: • A new Website (to be launched on 1 June 2006) • The establishment of a Training and Consultancy arm • The in-depth research work on race and disability that has started • The taking forward of the work on youth and disability that has started • The active promotion and participation in a new disability forum established to ensure that the DED is properly implemented in Wales • Developing the work of CVCDP beyond Cardiff and the Vale Taking note of the above, I do firmly believe that, with the clear vision set out in our Development Plan, based on the ethos that CVCDP was founded upon (active campaigning for civil rights and support for disabled people in Cardiff and the Vale), a strong active board, a professional approach to our work from staff and above all a renewed willingness to do – as with the ORANGE saying, I believe that the future is bright the future is CVCDP! 5 Annual Conference Gerri Allen-Manson Stonewall works for equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people (LGB). The conference was held at Cardiff County Hall, on April 8th, and two of us from the Coalition attended. Stonewall was founded in 1989 in response to Section 28 of the Local Government Act, an offensive piece of legislation designed to prevent the so-called promotion of homosexuality in schools, which stigmatised gay people and galvanised LGB groups. Now repealed, teachers & students can discuss issues relating to sexual identity & orientation. Stonewall has lobbied for equality on mainstream political agendas, has won support in all parties, and now has offices around the UK. Its main successes have been helping to achieve the equalisation of the age of consent, securing legislation allowing same-sex couples to adopt, the repeal of Section 28, the lifting of the ban on gay people in the military, and recently, helping to secure civil partnerships and the Equality Act.

was established Wales, & considered what still needs to in 2002 through be achieved. Workshops considered how joint support and the newly won Equality Act 2006 could funding by the Assembly and Stonewall prevent discrimination in the provision UK. Stonewall Cymru, the All Wales of goods and services for LGB people, Ethnic Minorities Association, Wales and how homophobia and bullying due Women’s National Coalition, and to people’s sexual orientation can be Disability Wales, have been working eliminated in health, education, housing to ensure the Assembly works to the and policing. Other workshops, led by principles of equality of opportunity Dr Alison Parken, Director of Stonewall for all people. A Standing Committee Cymru, were held on the Commission for on Equality of Opportunity was set up, Equality and Human Rights & on setting including members from the various the LGB Agenda for this in Wales. equality bodies, recognising equality by There were 4 poignant glimpses of language, disability, sexual orientation, situations that LGB people can face: at age, and religious beliefs. work, as a teacher in a school, as a patient The Conference focused on how to visiting a G.P., and as someone facing achieve fair treatment and equality in discrimination in rented accommodation. education, housing, employment and Next was a Q & A plenary session, an health. Rodney Berman, Leader of evaluation of the day, and a survey of Cardiff County Council, welcomed those present. Finally, we celebrated the delegates. Jane Hutt, Assembly Minister implementation of the legislation on Civil for Equality, gave an excellent speech, Partnerships. We socialised and looked celebrating the last four years of at the many stands and stalls from various legislative changes for LGB people in organisations supporting the conference. 6 Definitions of Disability Traditionally, disabled people have been seen as a “problem”, with the answers being cure or care. Over the last thirty years, disabled people have increasingly challenged this approach and we have developed our own theory on why we are systematically excluded from society and its activities. The following aims to introduce an important concept called the Social Model of Disability and explain its importance. So let’s look at what a disabled person is. This is a deceptively simple question, usually answered with Summary what appears a common sense answer, like someone The social model who uses a wheelchair or someone who is blind. recognises two concepts, Disability However, in the early 70’s, disabled people & Impairment. developed the concept of separating ‘Impairment’ and ‘Disability’, with impairment being something ‘Impairments’ are belonging to the individual, e.g. a medical condition; medical issues and ‘disability’, being something that is done to an belonging to an individual who has an impairment. Simply speaking, individual while if a person has an impairment and needs to use a ‘Disability’ relates wheelchair, then they are simply a wheelchair user, to barriers imposed but what limits their day-to-day activities are things upon people with like steps, inaccessible buildings, poor employment impairments. practices, blatant discrimination, poor attitudes and Impairments include the education system etc. The list is very long and mobility, sensory, includes most areas of life that a lot of non-disabled learning, and mental people take for granted. So it is clear that people’s health issues, while attitudes and the way society is organised disables Disability includes people with impairments. physical barriers, discriminatory This model of disability separates impairment and attitudes and disability and firmly places responsibility for the problems faced by disabled people externally, that disabling structures. is, within society. It is called the Social Model of Disability. The National Assembly for Wales, along with Cardiff & the Vale Councils, and others, have adopted the Social Model of Disability.

The outdated model of disability that identifies disabled people’s problems as caused mainly by their impairments is called the Medical Model of Disability. This model identifies solutions in the realm of medicine and special provision. Yvonne Farmer 7 Louise Perrett CVCDP Development Officer I’m delighted to be writing for the new look Newsletter. I am sure you are as impressed with it, as I am, although, I must say, I am disappointed that staff are excluded from entering the crossword competition! Anyway, it’s been all go within the Development Team. Thanks to the Cardiff Young People’s Project, we are able to employ a part-time Youth Worker, Maxine Perera. Since starting she has worked closely with the young people and I’m very pleased to see the group is progressing well and is working to establish their own Development Plan, expertly guided by the irreplaceable Sally Fowler! Over the coming months, we will be working with Cardiff People First on a Joint Youth Project, and in the near future, we will be holding a seminar totally dedicated to the Young People of Cardiff & the Vale. Due to the shocking decision by the to scrap its ‘Free Home Care’ manifesto pledge, CVCDP will continue to be a member of the Coalition on Charging Cymru where we will work for a more robust campaign.

Over the coming months we will be reviewing the transport provisions in our area and will work closely with the transport providers to improve services. In conjunction with this project, we will also be reviewing the access (or lack of it!) at Senydd, the new Assembly debating chamber. The Youth Forum Maxine Perera CVCDP Youth Development Worker

Our Youth Forum got off to a start this year young people who are out to make with our Development Day, which was a real change for themselves and held in the Chapter Arts Centre in Canton, for all young disabled people Cardiff on 22nd April. The day was held as living in Cardiff and the Vale of an opportunity for all members of the Youth Glamorgan. The activities we took Forum to take part in some fun activities, to part in were a way of training and be able to learn something new and also to be developing skills so that we can able to meet and have fun. Over the course of put forward our ideas and begin the day, we learnt about how the Youth Forum creating a future for young disabled started out as a small group of young people people. Well done to everyone who who wanted to be given the chance to express attended the Development Day themselves and raise awareness of the issues for their contributions towards the affecting young disabled people. We also Youth Forum! A fun day was had by learnt about what to expect in the future as the all and we hope to continue having Forum grows, which will hopefully continue to many more events in the future - we blossom into a larger group of truly formidable will keep you posted. 8 Race and Disability an un-charted area

Natasha Smith CVCDP Race Development Worker Race and Disability is an un-charted area. What does it mean to be black and disabled? Is life for black disabled people the same as life for white disabled people? Does being black and disabled construct a double barrier to social equality or is it all merely a perception? Do our communities assist in the discrimination? Is being a disabled person within a minority community a taboo? Does this hinder participation in our communities or families? Do Equality organisations work in partnership at tackling ‘double discrimination’? So many questions are conjured up when looking “Black disabled people, I into disability & race. CVCDP, in partnership have found, to my cost, are a with EQUAL and Curiad Calon Cymru, are discrete and insular minority conducting a research project in order to within a minority. We have identify findings that may help in addressing been unfairly and unjustly and answering these questions, specifically in saddled with restrictions and regard to the areas of accessing employment limitations, subjected to a history and sufficient health services, with the research of purposeful unequal treatment findings being made available to the Assembly. and relegated to a position of The few UK studies conducted into the area political powerlessness and of race and disability have occurred almost disenfranchisement in a society exclusively within England. Due to location and where even the label ‘second class numbers, Wales has constantly been overlooked citizen’ seems wholly inadequate and so the marginalisation continues to multiply. to identify our social status.” Cardiff was a main coal and shipping port for With Cardiff being constantly over 100 years. It has also, in more recent excluded from research, how do we times, become a dispersal area for asylum know if we as black disabled people seeker communities and hence a community for are receiving adequate services or refugees. So, as a rich source of BME people, contributing to policy to ensure to continue to ignore and discard Cardiff and it’s effective? How do we know if the Vale from research into disability and race there’s a black disabled community presents an unacceptable void. As one Black in our area if we are never given the disabled individual stated:- chance to stand up and be counted? This research project is about us, about our lives, about who we are, where we live, our communities, our families, our wants, our needs, our aspirations, our contributions, our successes and our achievements. If you would like to be part of the project, be it providing an opinion, being part of a capacity-building group or an organisation interested in taking part, contact me at [email protected] or on 029 20255611. 9 Direct Payments, what’s that then?

So, you want to Talk Direct Payments? Problem - not sure who to talk to or what you really want to talk about? Solution - CVCDP’s Independent Living Scheme (ILS). Advisors, Kay Jenkins, Jennie Perera and me, Annie Hall, are here to answer all your questions to assist you to towards independence.

Get a Referral Once a Social Worker has referred you, we will contact you, generally within two working days, and then the fun begins! Your designated ILS Advisor will visit and initially make you aware of your responsibilities, the responsibilities of the ILS Advisor and the Social Worker. This is an important stage; we all need to know where the boundaries are, to avoid misunderstandings further along the line. You will be given a Starter Pack containing information and forms to use when starting Direct Payments. Get a Bank Account and all that other money stuff Should you decide to take up Direct Payments, you must open a separate chequebook account with any of the high street banks. Your Social Worker will then ask you to complete a bank mandate to allow Cardiff County City Council (CCCC) to deposit your Direct Payments each four week-period. Also for audit purposes, CCCC can access the account details. Job Descriptions During the following visits, we discuss Job Descriptions. These form the basis of the Contract of Employment for your Personal Assistant (PA). Attention must be paid to the Care Plan drawn up by your Social Worker. This will identify the core areas and assistance you will require to help you lead an independent life. The rate of pay your PA will receive is worked out by the Advisor, following a formula that takes into account what is called ‘on costs’ or deductions such as sickness, redundancy, holidays, Employer’s National Insurance (NI) and a percentage that forms the contingency fund. This fund builds up to allow for emergencies. The term “deduction” has caused confusion in the past. Deductions are taken from the Direct Payments at £8.44 p/h not the PA’s NI and Income Tax. An Advisor cannot know what the NI and Tax deductions should be; this is shown once the Inland Revenue has processed a P46 for the Payroll. 10 Direct Payments, what’s that then? Advertise! The next step along the Direct Payments journey is to advertise for your PA. Adverts can be placed in local newspapers, local shops & even the Job Centre. All advertising costs are met by your Direct Payments. Those who respond to your advertisement will be sent an application pack. Each pack contains and application form, job description and letter explaining how to complete the form. The ILS team will forward all completed application forms for you to look at. Please take care of these application forms. If you decide to interview any of the prospective PAs, you can ask your Advisor to arrange the interview, or you may decide to do this yourself. The choice is yours. You will be offered the use of CVCDP’s Meeting Room for interviews. An Advisor, family member or friend can sit in with you for the interviews. However, we cannot choose your PA - that’s up to you! PA Starts! Next, you have to decide a start date. Once this has been decided, your Advisor will construct a Contract of Employment. This details your PA’s hours, hourly pay rate and details of holidays and sickness, along with misconduct and grievance procedures. There are two copies, one for you and one for your PA. Keep that paperwork up to date! Once the PA has started, you will have to keep up to date with time and accounts sheets. If your PA or PAs work irregular hours, an Advisor will contact you every four weeks. PAs who work regular hours, do not need to notify Payroll unless there are changes such as public holiday pay, sickness or holiday. Once all the details have been passed to Payroll, salaries are calculated and pay-slips printed. These are then posted to you. You can receive accounts’ training to help you maintain your account sheet records ready for auditing. Training CCCC aim to audit Direct Payments accounts after the first six weeks, and then quarterly. Along with training, you will be invited to Peer Support Workshops that are run to deal with specific areas of being an employer. These are popular and spaces are limited. We can only offer a space on a first come, first served basis. Risk free! If, at any time, you change your mind and do not want Direct Payments, you can revert to other support packages your Social Worker can identify for you. To many of you reading this, some of the information is ‘old hat.’ You may have used Direct Payments for some time and are well versed in “all things Direct Payments”! However, even to veteran users of Direct Payments, you may have noticed some subtle changes. For all of you who are happy with Direct Payments, why not pass the word around? 11 Go Green - Part 1 Gerri Allen-Manson

‘Carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning fossil fuels - petrol, diesel, oil, natural gas and coal - makes up 80% of carbon emissions from industrialised countries.’ (The Carbon Trust). The burning of these fossil fuels creates greenhouse gasses which cause global warming. Scientists know beyond any doubt that climate change is caused almost entirely by human activity rather than by natural causes, as CO2 in the atmosphere has been building up at an ever- increasing rate since the Industrial Revolution (c.1750), & this rate correlates exactly with the burning of fossil fuels worldwide. It’s been rising at alarmingly ever-increasing rates since the 1950s, especially since car and plane travel soared. ‘The 1990s are estimated to have been the warmest decade in the Northern Hemisphere in the past 1,000 years.’ (Met Office). Temperatures world-wide are likely to rise a further 6°C this century, causing ecological devastation and threatening the survival of all life. Time is running out for us to halt this crisis. We could become as extinct as the dinosaurs & as dead as the dodo soon if we don’t mend our ways. None of us wants to contribute to threatening our planet’s very existence but what we do makes a huge difference. It is the most serious situation of our age, in fact, of any age, and it is vital that we all do all we can to be as Environmentally Friendly as possible, starting NOW. Because our planet is in such a grave and critical state, instead of me going into more detail about that in this issue, it’s best that we first all do our utmost to put into action as many of the following Green Tips as we can. Most of these are cost-effective and will actually save you money! There will be more tips in the next issue.

Gerri’s “Go Green” Tips - Car Use - Kerb Your Car! • Drive in the highest gear practicable and avoid using air conditioning to help save on fuel. • Plan your journeys to avoid extra trips and unnecessary mileage. • Try to reduce your mileage in some way. The average car commuter drives 19 miles a day! This needs to be dramatically decreased. • When buying a new car, buy the most fuel-efficient you can. • Keep tyres inflated to correct pressures and keep your car well maintained and tuned as this reduces fuel consumption. • Car sharing with 1 other person can save 640 kilos of CO2 from polluting the atmosphere every year. • If you can walk / use a bike, it’s quicker over short distances. • Use a bus - it’s quicker (due to bus lanes), and much cheaper than fuel & parking. Remember, fewer cars = less pollution!

12 On the buses, then and now! Steve Sweetman Two years ago I decided to take trip to town using a bus. As I live in Canton, I thought that this was the obvious choice. Off I went to the bus stop full of hopeful expectations. The first bus came quickly, “Oh good,” I thought. How wrong was I. The driver flatly refused to get out and deploy the manual ramps that were fitted to his bus. I thought “Oh well, just a glitch,” so I waited for another. 5 buses came along with similar results and excuses. I decided to return home, my hopes now forgotten, replaced with a feeling of total exasperation. Recently, I decided to repeat the experiment; I had little hope of a better outcome. I arrived at the bus stop and waited, noticing the new raised bus kerb that protruded from the pavement out into the road, “a good sign”, I thought. A bus came and swerved into the bus stop, so the platform of the bus overlapped the raised pavement. The bus then lowered and I got on without assistance, parking in the space provided. I did think “this is too easy, something must go wrong”, but no, I arrived at the bus station getting off as I got on. On the return journey, I noticed a call button right by the wheelchair space. It sounds a different note than the standard call button so the driver knows that a wheelchair user wishes to get off at the next stop and so parks accordingly. I was so impressed, I got back on the bus, went to town and got a travel pass, so I now use the buses for free. Two things: one, is that if a car is parked on the bus stop, the bus will not be able to get close enough to board it; two, if you use a PA to travel, your PA will pay the full fare unless you have a ‘pass plus companion’. To obtain a pass, you need a note from your GP stating that you cannot use public transport unaided. The pass is valid for anyone accompanying you. Once an attendant ‘pass plus companion’ has been issued, you cannot use the pass without a companion accompanying you. This might raise a laugh in your newsletter. My transportation 1959/60 invalid tricycle was issued by the Ministry of Health when I’d just turned 17. One wheel was driven by a chain with a 197cc motorbike engine, but it was always breaking down & had plastic side windows & no heater! Then the ministry decided they would install a heater which nearly poisoned us - Happy days of motoring! In 67 I had my first hand controlled car, a Morris 1000. A few years, ago the Mayor of London Office sent me documentation explaining that as I had a blue badge, if I wished, I could have a fast-track card. This would enable me to go in and out of the zone without any congestion charges, but you must inform them when you change your vehicle, otherwise you will be liable to the charges. Safe and happy travelling! Howard Badham. 13 Alice began to wonder whether this interview for a carer’s post was such a good idea after all – each of her prospective employees seemed a little……. unusual. A REAL LIFE STORY Although I’d been disabled for many years, it was only about five years ago that my health deteriorated to the point where I was forced to take a (very) early retirement. My marriage had disappeared about a year earlier and I now found myself living alone with my world becoming smaller and smaller as I gradually became weaker and weaker, to the point where, for 50% of my time, I could do little more than lie in bed or sit in a chair, if I was lucky enough to get from one to the other without collecting any further fractures along the way! Naturally, I found coping very difficult on my own, and often felt totally isolated to the point of despair. Fortunately, before I could quite decide which method of suicide would me best, an enlightened Social Worker assessed my needs, referred me to the Cardiff and Vale Coalition of Disabled People and I was given a place on the Independent Living Scheme. It took a little while before I was able to recruit someone that I thought I would be able to get on with – my Carer 1. I also felt more than a little awkward about a young woman being fully conversant with every detail of my dirty washing etc., but I quickly found that this sort of thing was not a problem at all. Not only would I have clean clothing whenever I wanted, but there was always hot food on the table and cold in the fridge, my home was always spotless, a fire was always laid, my bed made, etc. etc. But possibly the most startling change for me was that I suddenly found that every other day or so, someone I really liked was coming round to ensure that I was ok, and I began to feel happy – a curious psychiatric condition that the Doctors had assured me had gone away for good. I began to take an interest in the outside world again and tentatively suggested that perhaps on one of my good days, we might go out somewhere. My Carer was more than happy to oblige and we started off with a modest trip to Roath Park Lake to feed the ducks – it’s quite extraordinary how much fun you can have with only half a loaf! One thing led to another and before I knew it I was actually riding, albeit rather gingerly, a horse on Caerphilly Mountain – something I had never done before, even when in much better health. Sadly, Carer 1 and later Carer 2 eventually left for better things. Happily, my Carer 3 has been with me for over a year now and we have even more fun – as well as the odd daytime trip, we also go out to the cinema and a restaurant occasionally, and I cannot exaggerate how wonderful it feels to be able to do these previously impossible things, particularly in the company of such a delightful companion. We have long given up trying to convince people we meet that our relationship is strictly Employer/Carer – although, come to think of it, this isn’t true at all – we have become very good friends! 14 In each issue, we will be highlighting various hat’s On events, that may be of interest to you. If you have any events that you want publicising, W please send in the details to the office, and we will endeavour to print them.

Show Boat Special Cinema Concessions The Royal Albert Hall (RAH) is offering for Carers / PAs disabled people two tickets for the Cinema Exhibitors Association price of one for the audio-described (CEA) Concessionary Card performance of Showboat on 20 June. The CEA aims to help carers / PAs get Showboat explores the Deep South from concessionary cinema tickets at all Mississippi to Chicago, spanning fifty major cinema chains in the UK & have years dealing with many social issues. introduced an ID card. This entitles It is the first fully staged musical at the the holder to one free ticket for an RAH. Tel: 020 7838 3110 and quote accompanying person. It is accepted audio description offer. There will also by all major UK Cinema chains. CEA be a free touch tour at 5pm. To book, application forms are available from tel: 020 7589 3202, or email: access@ most cinema Box Offices. To apply royalalberthall.com. Showboat runs from for the card you will need to meet one 10-25 June. There will be limited two- or more of the following criteria: be in for-one tickets available on other days receipt of disability living allowance, throughout the run, subject to availability. be a registered blind or have a disabled There will be a sign language interpreted person’s rail card. guided tour of the RAH on 23 June. For further information please contact £7.50. Concessions available. The Card Network on 0151 348 8020 minicom / textphone 0151 356 7113 or Volunteers for documentary visit http://www.ceacard.co.uk/. Channel 4 is looking for people who have panic disorder with agoraphobia for Daytime talkshow a documentary series. The programme ITV is looking for disabled people will follow volunteers taking part in an who are raising children for a new intensive treatment programme. The daytime talkshow, which will discuss series follows on from The House of the achievements of disabled parents Obsessive Compulsives last year, which and explore the prejudice they face in followed a similar treatment programme society. Initially, there will be a pilot, with people with Obsessive Compulsive which will not be aired on TV. Disorder (OCD). Tel: 0208 222 4589, email: chaire. Tel: 0207 749 3169, or email: zoe@ [email protected] monkeykingdom.com A great source of information is www.dacymru.com/e/whatson.html

15 Letters to the Editor In each issue, we will be printing your letters, so please send them in. They can be on any topic that is relevant to disabled people. The new City ground Hi there, I was impressed by the hard work that disabled people put into trying to ensure that the Millennium Stadium was as accessible as possible. While it is in no way perfect, I understand it would have been much less accessible without that effort. I am a little concerned with what will happen regarding accessibility at the new proposed Cardiff City ground. Can you please do some work in this area to ensure that us football fans will have a real opportunity to see The Blues. Jon Penarth. The Computer Help Doctor, he’s here to help Hi there, my name is William Rendle, and I own All-I.T., an IT firm that seeks to bring to people all the advantages of new technology, with none of the headaches. In the following issues, I will seek to answer all your IT questions, so please, write, call, or email CVCDP, with your computer questions or problems and I will do my best to answer them. In February this year, I met up with CVCDP to look at ways of improving their computer systems. Much work has been done since, the network is in good shape and many people can work / log-on from home. When I mentioned that I was going to have a help column, people started to bombard me with their questions, so I have included a couple in this issues. Question 1 Question 2 My ink jet printer cost so much I have recently seen computers to run, those cartridges are so advertise as “Dual Core”, does expensive and they don’t seem that mean they go twice as fast to last very long, what can I do? as single core, at the same clock speed. Answer 1 Answer 2 Well, you can get your cartridges In a word no. The computer refilled at far lower prises than will run much faster than a new ones, or you could invest in single core system, especially a laser printer, for when you just when running more than one print in black and white. A word programme, at the same time. of warning, if you have a photo The new Dual Core machines, printer and you are creating are very good, offering real-life photos, using cheaper or refilled increases in performance, but cartridges, may affect the quality twice as fast at the same clock and longevity of you pictures. speed? Sadly no.

16 Cardiff And Vale Coalition Of Disabled People CONSULTANCY & TRAINING SERVICES

Section 2.63 of the new Disability Equality Duty (DED) Code of Practice recommends that public sector organisations must provide Disability Equality Training (DET) to Staff With regard to the DED, we Provide Training and Consultancy to organisations including: • Consultancy on effective involvement of disabled people in policy development • Practical implementation of the Disability Equality Duty • Design and Development of Disability Equality Schemes • Delivery of comprehensive Disability Equality Training courses • Full Disability Access Audits and implementation guidance

Our consultants are all disabled individuals who are renowned as experts in their field. All our disability training courses are designed and delivered by disabled individuals who have all completed full DET trainer’s courses. All our training events are based on interactive self-reflection and practical outcomes. Our training and consultancy rates are very competitive and will provide a cost-effective solution for your organisation. In short, the Cardiff and Vale Coalition of Disabled People has all the necessary skills to help your organisation meet the requirements of the DED and much more. If You Feel That Your Organisation Could Benefit, Please Do Not Hesitate To Contact Us At: Cardiff & Vale Coalition of Disabled People Cowbridge Court 60 Cowbridge Road West Ely, Cardiff, CF5 5BS Tel/minicom: 02920 255 611 Fax: 02920 255 621 We look forward to your call. Email: [email protected] 17 Prize Draw Crossword 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Prize Draw Crossword Draw Prize Prize Draw Crossword Draw Prize Across Down 1 Tiled word game (8) 1 Sounds like snake dance! (5) 5 Disabled rights legislation?(abbreviation) 2 Health Assembly Minister – recently (3) withdrew Labour Manifesto. Promised 7 Recently acknowledged as a disability in free home care (5: 7) Disability Discrimination Act (7:10) 3 Adam’s partner, before Christmas (3) 10 Hazardous, perilous (9) 4 Partnered with Hobs (4) 13 Heart, lung, Wurlitzer etc. (5) 6 The Swiss love to do this from a 14 Arches & angels can be this (6) mountain top! (5) 16 Consequently, therefore, as a result (2) 8 Board game (4) 17 Apex, incline, landfill site (3) 9 One of the leftovers from bread (5) 18 Oven and … combination – separate 11 Tate has a lot of this. Children use it as ways to burn your food (3) an excuse to get creatively mucky! (3) 19 Cargo (7) 12 High Street ‘Designer’ label – space; 22 Not unoccupied (9) Tarbuck and Madonna have famous 23 Eastenders’ Little Maureen (2) toothy ones! (3) 24 Acronym - Cardiff and Vale Coalition of 14 Christmas trees are generally this Disabled People (5) variety (3) 26 Acronym - Crown Prosecution Service(3) 15 Symbol, sign, emblem (4) 28 Planes, trains and automobiles – all 16 Ghostly drink! (6) should be accessible (9) 18 Foot part, (4) 29 1st on a ladder? (4) 19 High temperature (5) 30 Acronym – Information Technology (2) 20 Pixie, fairy (3) 21 Heated bread, breakfast snack (5) 25 Mafia boss, University fellow (3) It’s prize draw time! 27 Greek mathematics ratio (2) The first to correctly complete and send into the office the above crosswords will win a copy of “Disabling Barriers, Enabling Environments”, featuring seminal writers such as Mike Oliver, David Hevey and Jenny Morris. This book employs the social model of disability to address issues of inequality and is edited by Colin Barnes. 18 JOIN THE COALITION MEMBERSHIP IS FREE How to become a member - It’s as easy as 1-2-3 Either 1. Ring - 02920 255 611 2. Email [email protected] providing your name, address, and telephone number, Or 3. Complete the initial contact form below, and return it to: Cardiff & Vale Coalition of Disabled People Cowbridge Court, 60 Cowbridge Road West Ely, Cardiff, CF5 5BS Person’s Name or Address Telephone Email Organisation Number Address First Name: Home

Last Name:

Mobile Organisation & Position: (if an org)

CATEGORIES OF MEMBERSHIP • Full membership - for disabled people who live or work in Cardiff or the Vale. • Associate membership – for non-disabled people, organisations or disabled people living outside Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP • CVCDP arranges various events which are open to members including lobbies of Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales, conferences, information days, workshops, training sessions and also social events. • CVCDP produces a free regular newsletter every 2 months, helping to keep members informed about new activities and developments. All members are encouraged to write articles for the newsletter. Your views matter to us. • Members have exclusive access to the CVCDP members’ forum on the CVCDP website (www.cvcdp.org) • Full members can also be invited to join the CVCDP Board. 19 “Equality in our Lifetimes” Not Affraid to Speak Out

Supporting & Empowering Disabled People

In Cardiff & the Vale