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Extracts
from Issue 23
Age
Concern Training
An accident or illness can mean that a person's leisure interests
have to change; this can often leave a person feeling depressed,
angry or fearful. However, accidents and illness should not stop
a person from participating in rewarding activities.
Age
Concern Thetford offers training for people running therapeutic
activities and leisure programmes to enable staff and volunteers
to design, deliver and adapt a wide range of therapeutic programmes
that promote dignity of risk, age appropriate activities and freedom
of choice.
Staff
will also be able to meet the individual's needs by learning how
to replace barriers with opportunities. More information from Patricia
Boechler, Therapeutic Recreation Practitioner on 01842 750088.
Bobby
Worldwide
Bobby Worldwide is now available. This new version of Bobby
from CAST is a web-based tool that analyses web pages for their
accessibility to people with disabilities using both the Section
508 guidelines and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
from the Web Access Initiative. It comes in two versions: the online
server version and the downloadable version.
Try
it out by visiting www.cast.org/bobby and type in your site URL.
Cast continues to offer this version free of charge.
New
Stroke Groups
Rosemary Klein of the North Norfolk Stroke Association is starting
a new stroke group in April and Debbie Munro of the Norwich and
South Norfolk Association is starting a new group in South Norfolk.
For more details phone Rosemary 01692 650429 or Debbie on 01508
491643.
Mobility
Roadshow
The Mobility Roadshow will be held on 20th, 21st and 22nd June
2002 at Donington Park, near Derby. Free admission and open from
10.00am. It will offer the chance to test drive a large range of
adapted cars, a wheelchair and scooter test track, family fun, food
court, go carts, skid cars, 4x4 driving and outdoor pursuit vehicles.
Wheelchair loans available if pre-booked. Tel: 0870 770 3222; or
email: choice@gtnet.gov.uk
VOLkit
VOLkit provides information and training resources for voluntary
and community groups in Norfolk. They have books, videos and presentation
equipment for loan, the FunderFinder database to identify sources
of funding and the Portfolio database of training courses suitable
for your staff and volunteers.
They
also offer a Training Bursary Fund, to enable smaller organisations
to pay for training courses for their staff and a new Consultancy
Fund to help pay for professional advice towards expanding or improving
services. Another free service is the Organisation Health Check
- a chance to discuss management and training issues within your
organisation with a friendly outsider, leading to a confidential
report and list of points for future consideration.
VOLkit
is managed by Norwich and Norfolk Voluntary Services and based at
the Charing Cross Centre in Norwich. To find out more, do come in
and browse or telephone 01603 878313 for information about any of
these services.
Dancing
opportunities
Sally Seabright is an independent dance/drama teacher who is
very keen to set up groups to give children and adults with any
disability the chance to get involved in dance. She would like to
hear from parents or others who are interested and will train them
to run the groups.
Sally
is producing information packs to assist groups which will be on
sale soon. A short course of dance sessions is being held at the
Wymondham Leisure Centre during this month and if there is sufficient
demand from parents or disabled adults, further courses may be on
offer. More information from Sally on 01953 605922.
BENEFITS
AND FINANCE
Disability assessment Schlumberger Sema, the company responsible
for managing 'MoT' tests on disabled people has had financial penalties
imposed by the government every month for more than two years for
failing to meet performance targets. It has been given until next
summer to improve or face losing the contract to perform medical
assessments on people claiming incapacity benefit.
Therapeutic
earnings The government has backtracked over a planned reform which
would have cut the amount of time disabled people or those with
mental health problems could work whilst claiming incapacity benefits.
The rules would have allowed those on incapacity benefit, severe
disablement allowance or income support based on incapacity to work
for up to 16 hours and earn up to £66.00 a week, but only
for a maximum of one year.
After
that, a maximum of £20 a week could be earned whilst claiming
benefits. The government has now said that people who need continual
support to carry on working would not now be subject to the one
year time limit when the new rules are introduced in April.
Heating
& insulation grants
Enclosed with this newsletter is an information sheet from TXU
Warm Front explaining what the grants are for and who is eligible.
Disabled Entrepreneurs Network The Government has launched the Disabled
Entrepreneurs Network (DEN) with £100,000 of Phoenix Funding.
Run
by the Association of Disabled Professionals, it will provide a
resource for disabled people with business ideas to help them grow
and develop their businesses. More information at www.disabled-
entrepreneurs.net
Free
TV licences
Apparently a number of older people aged 75 and over have not
yet taken up their free TV licence. They still need to have a licence,
but it is free of charge. An Over 75 Licence covers the principal
residence of the person who is 75, even if it is in someone else's
name. There is a special helpline for any enquiries about and applications
for the 0ver 75 licence on 0845 603 6999.
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