|
|
|
Sylw BulletinNo. 53 - November 2008.Submit an article...You may have something you wish to publicise or know of something which may be of interest to our readers. If you do, please use our submission form at http://www.wcb-ccd.org.uk/English/sylw/sylw_submissions.htm . Contents.1) WCB update.International Day of Disabled People - 3rd December 2008."Dignity and justice for all of us" is the theme of this year's International Day for Persons with Disabilities, as well as for the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This event has been sponsored by Lorraine Barratt AM. It will take place at the Senedd on the 3rd December 2008 and is open to all members of the public. This day will aim to raise awareness of disabled people's rights at national and international levels. To mark this occasion Wales Council for the Blind, along with other disability organisations, will be working together to celebrate and recognise the contribution that disabled people and representative voluntary organisations play within society in Wales. For more information contact Rebecca Phillips: 2) Consultations and lobbying.Shared Paths Petition.The sustainable transport charity SUSTRANS has presented a petition to the Welsh Assembly Enterprise and Learning Committee with the objective of encouraging the Welsh Assembly to seek powers to develop and maintain a network of traffic free shared use paths for walkers, cyclists and the disabled across Wales. Guide Dogs and Disability Wales have joined forces on this issue and although they support in principle the development and maintenance of paths for pedestrians and the development of safe routes for cyclists they do not support their combined use. They have produced a joint detailed statement giving the reasons why they are objecting to the petition and are asking any Disability Wales members or disability organisations who wish to object to or raise concerns about the SUSTRAN’s petition to contact Disability Wales at graham.findlay@disabilitywales.org. Copies can also be obtained from the same e mail. 3) Reports and publications.New Study Reveals High Levels of Uncorrected Sight Loss.A new study by the Pocklington Trust, released to coincide with World Sight Day and based on older people living in South London, has revealed that over 50% had sight problems which could easily be corrected with spectacles, and that when these were provided, there was a significant improvement in the wearer's quality of life. The report also considers whether new testing methods could encourage people to seek the eye care that they need. To read the report, go to http://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk/news/news/news_channels/studysightlossdetection.htm Access to information, services & support for people with visual impairment.The latest report from Vision 2020's Network 1000 project has been published. It is based on interviews with 884 visually impaired people, and focuses upon data relating to access to information, services and support. Topics covered include experience in eye clinics, services offered after registration, and the support offered to families. The report can be downloaded from http://www.vision2020uk.org.uk/library.asp?section=000100050005 Visual Problems after a Stroke.Around 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke, and over half of those who survive have some sort of visual problem. The Stroke Association has a factsheet, 'Visual Problems after a Stroke', which can be read at www.stroke.org.uk/document.rm?id=856 . It explains the different sorts of problems which can arise, and gives details of organisations which provide support. 4) Access.Touch Tour of Westminster Abbey.Westminster Abbey has introduced a self-guided Touch Tour. The Braille guide allows visually impaired visitors complete independence to tour within the Abbey and to touch and feel parts of the Abbey dating back nearly 1,000 years. A copy of the tour is also available in large print. For more details: www.westminster-abbey.org High Street Store Catalogues in Audio Formats.Soundtalking transcribes catalogues on behalf of many retailers including Argos, Sainsbury’s and Mark’s and Spencer. These audio publications are free of charge. For more details: www.soundtalking.co.uk or telephone 01435 862737 Access to the Forest.The Forestry Commission has a website that allows you to type in the name of a place and find about facilities at the nearest forests in their care, including disability access. It is also currently giving a colour watch for the Autumn colours. www.forestry.gov.uk/easyaccess 5) Events.Conference: Understanding the Needs of People with Sight Loss from BME Communities.A conference organised by Gwent Association for the Blind and supported by the Welsh Assembly Government is aimed at professionals in the fields of health and social care who work with or support people with sight loss in the black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. People with sight loss from these communities are not accessing the relevant services, such as Diabetic Retinopathy Screening, and are under-registered. The conference will look at the different eye conditions which are prevalent in BME communities and how they can be prevented by changes in diet and lifestyle. It will also look at the barriers which prevent BME people from accessing services designed to support them, and how these barriers can be overcome. The conference is being held at the All Nations Centre, Sackville Avenue in Cardiff on Thursday 12 February from 9am to 4pm. For more information, contact Nirmala Pisavadia on 01495 763650 or send an email to nirmala@gwentblind.org . Tickets cost £25 per delegate, or £20 if two or more come from the same organisation. 6) Technology.Open Source Screen Readers.A new screen reader from the RNIB, ‘speaks’ out the text on websites. Webanywhere is free, open source software. The computer needs a sound card and speaker(s). http://webanywhere.cs.Washington.edu/ The ‘Thunder’ screenreader is also now free from www.screenreader.net , who have a range of software (some of it free) for children with little sight and/or learning disabilities. Tel:01733 234441. Visual Impairment and New Technology.An article in The Guardian's Technology supplement describes how new technology is failing to take account of the needs of visually impaired people, but says that a recent court case in the US could change things. A large American retailer, Target, paid $6 million to three blind plaintiffs who argued that the use of Flash on the retailer's website made it inaccessible to screen readers, and therefore discriminated against VI people. You can read the article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/oct/09/news.mobilephones 7) Opportunities.RNIB Volunteering.RNIB Cymru are looking for 16-24 year olds in the Neath Port Talbot area to join their Millennium Volunteers Project. RNIB would train the volunteers to deliver an Understanding Sight Loss presentation in order for them to deliver these to youth groups. The presentations aim to raise young peoples awareness of visual impairments and encourage them to ask for regular eye examinations. For further information contact the volunteer centre on 01639 631387 or info@nptcvs.org.uk. Venture Out.Venture Out Cardiff is part of the Mentro Allan scheme, and is led by Innovate Trust. It aims to develop new opportunities for physical activity in local green spaces, for children and adults in the Cardiff area. The project will target those with a sensory impairment and in addition those with learning and physical impairments. The activity programme will include walking, hiking, conservation work and canoeing. For further information contact Jennah Thornton or Jonathon Lee Tel: 029 2039 1955. Email: Jennah.Thornton@innovate-trust.org.uk or Jonathon.Lee@innovate-trust.org.uk 8) Other resources.Family Fund Age Limit Increased.The Family Fund helps families with severely disabled children to have choices and the opportunity to enjoy ordinary life. They give grants for things that make life easier and more enjoyable for the disabled child and their family, such as washing machines, driving lessons, hospital visiting costs, computers and holidays. From 1 July, the age limit for Wales has been increased to 17 years. For full details of the eligibility criteria, visit www.familyfund.org.uk and go to the 'Our Grants' section. Ouch! - BBC Website for Disabled People.Ouch! is a website from the BBC that reflects the lives and experiences of disabled people. Among its features are regular columns, quizzes, a podcast and community message board. The site is aimed at teenagers and adults, not children, and can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/ . Early Support - For Families with Young Disabled Children.Early Support is a UK Government programme aimed at achieving better co-ordinated, family focused services for young disabled children and their families. Although it only operates in England, the website, www.earlysupport.org.uk, contains a wide range of support materials for parents, which can be downloaded. Carry on Gardening Website.'Thrive', the charity which champions the benefits of gardening for disabled people, now has a separate website, www.carryongardening.org.uk, which can help make gardening easier. It includes information on different aspects of the garden such as growing fruit and looking after lawns, advice on tools, and an ideas exchange for swapping tips with other gardeners. 9) Miscellaneous.Launch of Easy2C Greetings Cards.Easy2C is a company producing a very different type of greetings card which is easy to see for anyone with a sight loss who can still read a little large print. Both the artwork and print size have been carefully designed to match the needs of those losing vision and those with conditions such as Macular Degeneration or Glaucoma. The card designs are produced by a visually impaired artist qualified to degree level, Rachel Duerden, and the paper, envelopes and inserts are made from managed forests, thus environmentally friendly. 5% of the profits will go back to charities supporting and selling their work, commencing with Henshaws Society for Blind People who have offered their knowledge and assistance to get the venture off the ground and host the points of sale. Easy2C was created because so many older people receive cards they cannot read and often have to ask others to read them for them or just guess the name of the sender. The greetings can be tailor made for different occasions as well as buying the standard greetings off the shelf at £2.00 per card. For further information contact Easy2C on 01704 573199 or Henshaws in Liverpool on 0151 227 1226. Letter from Santa.RNIB is arranging for Santa to send letters to visually impaired children again this Christmas. If you know a child who is blind or partially sighted and would like a reply to their letter to Santa in braille or large print, on CD or cassette or by email, please get them to send their letters in the post by Monday 8 December 2008 to: Santa Claus RNIB PO Box 173 Peterborough PE2 6WS Please make sure that the child's name is included and whether a braille (grade 1 or 2), large print, CD or cassette reply is required. You can also send your letter and receive your response from Santa by email. Contact him at santa@rnib.org.uk by midday on 22 December 2008. Children’s Birthday Book Scheme.The RNIB National Library Service offers all individual visually impaired child members up to the age of 12 a free birthday book. A token is sent during the month of the child’s birthday, together with a list of books to choose from. Children can choose Braille, giant print, or DAISY talking book. For further details please contact Hazel Sharrock, librarian for Children and Young People on 0161 355 2061 10) Reminders.Database updating.Please help us to keep our contact details up-to-date. Contact emma@wcb-ccd.org.uk or telephone 029 20 473 954 to make any changes to the information we hold about your organisation on our database. End of bulletin.Wales Council for the Blind, Tel: 029 20 473 954 Email: staff@wcb-ccd.org.uk To subscribe/resubscribe email subscribe@wcb-ccd.org.ukk If links or contacts are not available in any of the items, please contact WCB via sylw@wcb-ccd.org.uk . Disclaimer.Please note that WCB does not endorse any individual services or products appearing in Sylw. Submitted materials are often taken on trust when they appear to be appropriate to the context. If readers have any comments to make about any services included in Sylw we would be pleased to hear from you. Email richard@wcb-ccd.org.uk . Some downloadable documents are available in *.pdf format You can download the reader free of charge from the following link... Adobe accessibility information and tools are available at http://access.adobe.com/ .
Registered Charity no. 1045841 |
