U.K. Court Rules on the Capacity to Refuse Medical Treatment

by Joyce Mortimer 

On the 26^th May 2010, in DH NHS Foundation Trust v PS, Sir Nicholas Wall P. ruled that it would be lawful to force treatment on a cancer patient with a learning disability, despite her refusal to consent to such treatment. The patient (P.S.) is described by the Court as having, “a significant impairment in intellectual functioning as a consequence of a learning disability.” Nicholas Wall, the President of the Family Division, in the Court of Protection stated that P.S., “lacks the capacity to make decisions about her healthcare and treatment. She also lacks the capacity to conduct or defend proceedings. Dr. NS, a consultant psychiatrist in learning disability presented a report to the court concluding that “P.S. does not have the capacity within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 either to make decisions concerning her future medical treatment, or to conduct proceedings.”

P.S. has cancer of the uterus and the doctors treating her stated that without surgical intervention the tumour would spread and lead ultimately to her death. It was report in the Irish Independent, that the patient had “previously agreed to surgery, only to changer her mind and repeatedly refused to turn up for medical appointments, claiming she has a phobia of hospital and needles.” As a result, the doctors applied to the Court for permission to force surgery on P.S. They argued that it was in her best interests as without the surgery she would die. Nicholas Wall ruled in favour of the hospital, basing his decision on the fact that the patient lacked the mental capacity to make the decision regarding her treatment. The Court gave the doctors permission to forcibly sedate the woman in her home and take her to hospital for treatment. Regarding the period of post-operative recovery, the doctors stated that it may be necessary to use, “reasonable force and/or sedation to prevent P.S. leaving hospital.” The Court agreed.

This case has already been subject to intense legal and ethical debate. Liz Sayce, chief executive of Radar, the Disability Network, stated, “The right to refuse treatment is a cornerstone of human rights and medical ethic, but so too is the duty of care. The head states that saving the woman’s life is right; the heart recoils at the thought of deceiving and compelling her to undergo a procedure which she does not want.” She acknowledged that based on the facts it would be difficult to deny that the operation was in the woman’s best interests but in saying that force could only be justified it was established beyond doubt that the patient could not comprehend that without it she would die. She went on to state, “Society, however, must be careful to treat every case individually, and that this case provides no precedent for overriding the consent of people with learning disabilities in the future.” It was reported in the Telegraph that “Some legal experts suggested the case had been brought by the hospital to provide legal protection in case its staff were accused of assaulting the woman or breaching her human rights.”

Yvonne Hossack, a solicitor for the elderly and vulnerable stated, “There’s a question over the ethics of forcing invasive and hurtful surgery on another human being. It seems to me that to force an operation on someone against their will, it’s questionable whether it’s in their best interests. Many people who have cancer do not make the choice that they don’t want invasive surgery.”

Disability Law News

U.K. Government Plans Overhaul of Benefits System

By ALISTAIR MACDONALD

A senior official in Britain's new coalition government will promise "radical reform" of the country's welfare system on Thursday, the Department for Work and Pensions said.
Countries throughout Europe are looking at cutting generous welfare provisions as they tackle large budget deficits. The U.K. government also wants to reform a welfare system it says entraps people in poverty.

"A system that was originally designed to help support the poorest in society is now trapping them in the very condition it was supposed to alleviate," Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith is scheduled to say Thursday, according to excerpts from a speech.

Mr. Duncan Smith says a "root and branch reform" is needed that tackles extreme poverty and a welfare system "where some of the poorest face huge penalties for trying to get off benefits and into work." He argues that some work is so low-paid and welfare benefits so comprehensive that people have no motivation to enter work.

"For many people, the move from welfare into work means they face losing more than 95 pence for every additional £1 [$1.44] they earn," he will say. "One of the biggest problems is that for too many people work simply does not pay."

The U.K. Treasury estimates that spending on benefits—which include everything from unemployment compensation and worker disability to government retirement benefits—will total around £200 billion ($288 billion) in the 2010-2011 financial year, about 14% of the country's gross domestic product. The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that 1.4 million people in the U.K. have been on an out-of-work benefit for nine or more of the last 10 years.

Mr. Duncan Smith is chairman of the Centre for Social Justice, a think tank that argues the provision of benefits entrenches poverty by making people dependent on it and suggests that people should be moved gradually off benefits when they get a job.

The government is also forming a new cabinet-level committee, headed by Mr. Duncan Smith, with cabinet colleagues from across the government, including the Treasury, Home Office, Health and Communities and Local Government departments, to tackle the underlying causes of deep-rooted poverty in Britain.

Mr. Duncan Smith says extreme poverty is a problem in the U.K., where income inequality is at its highest level since comparable statistics began in 1961.

Write to Alistair MacDonald at alistair.macdonald@wsj.com

Wall Street Journal 

Ahead of others, Irish spending cuts start to bite

(Reuters) - "Greed is the knife," says the fresh blood red, white and black graffiti confronting the visitor leaving Dublin's ferry terminal. "The scars run deep."

From rising hospital waiting times to slashed public sector wages and the rising prospect of young disabled people being institutionalised against their will, Ireland's austerity measures are beginning to bite.

Their impact could be a clue to what Britain, Portugal, Spain and others can expect as they begin the same process.

Since the debt-fuelled "Celtic Tiger" collapsed into near national bankruptcy, Ireland has led the rest of Western Europe in cutting public spending, earning praise from investors now demanding similar steps from others.

"You are already seeing a real impact," says Michael Doyle, paralysed by a spinal-cord injury and working as a regional director for the Irish Wheelchair Association. "There is obviously much less money in the system, and our belief is it is clearly going to get worse."

Public sector pay has been the biggest casualty -- cut 5 to 15 percent in a December budget, with more potentially to come. That has left many public servants struggling to pay off mortgages on houses no longer worth what they paid for them, but has not in itself reduced public services.
Social unrest has been relatively light: a couple of large-scale protests, occasional sometimes violent small-scale evening marches in Dublin and a public sector strike last year. Few expect clashes on the scale of those in Greece.

"Ireland is seen as having done better than most others in restoring market credibility," said Eurasia Group analyst Jon Levy. "There are still some worries -- particularly with the banking sector -- but the feeling is they have done better than most and with a reasonable degree of internal consensus."

Ultimately, Ireland's trade unions say they know deficit reduction is vital if Ireland is not to be priced out of international bond markets like Greece, but want a greater burden to be paid by the rich through higher taxes.

Head of the trade union congress Jack O'Connor told Reuters last week widespread labour unrest might ultimately do more harm than good through panicking foreign lenders -- but would not rule it out if further wage cuts followed.

Analysts have long warned that cutting public spending will inevitably prompt every interest group -- from pensioners to generals -- to fight to make sure the knife goes somewhere else.

Ireland is no exception. Thousands of elderly took to the streets last year to protest suggested cuts to free medical care for the over 70s. The government backed down on that issue, but has said it cannot rule out pension cuts although there have been none so far.

"NO ONE HUGE AXE"

"It is not that there is one huge axe which has fallen but there are a range of smaller cuts that altogether add up to a big deal," said Dermot Kirwan, spokesman for Irish charity Friends of the Elderly. "Waiting times for hospital procedures have gone up, elderly people are in hospital longer waiting for home care funding, some of the smaller benefits have been cut. The lesson is you have to band together. "

Nevertheless, some improvements are being made in areas where spending has been ring fenced.

The cancer budget will increase to 56 million euros from 36 million in 2009, including funding for new bowel cancer screening programmes -- although to save money the new services will be provided from within existing older hospital buildings.

"The continued rollout of screening programmes means fewer people should die unnecessarily of cancer despite the cuts," said Irish Cancer Society head of advocacy and communications Kathleen O'Meara. "During the boom, they would probably have been put in shiny new centres that ministers would have opened. There are always efficiencies and savings to be made in any system."

But she says cancer patients will see reduced services in other areas of healthcare and worries particularly about what will happen when departing workers are not replaced.

"It could mean that services get very patchy and planning gets difficult," she says.

The Irish Wheelchair Association's Doyle says the impact is being felt most keenly among the newly disabled who require daily or 24-hour help, with new care packages notably less generous than those of several years ago.

But some on previously agreed packages are also being hit, he said, with suggestions that people whose independent living costs exceed 80,000 euros a year could be moved to institutions such as nursing homes.

MIXED SOCIAL IMPACT

"I don't know of anyone living independently being forced into an institution yet," says Doyle, relieved that he himself has enough movement to support himself without outside care. "But I've seen it written down as a suggestion. If that was widespread, that could really get the disabled community on the streets."

Like most charities, the association is struggling to cope with cuts in the funding it receives from the government as well as a sharp fall in charitable donations. Public sector trade union IMPACT estimates 10 percent of Ireland's voluntary and charity sector jobs will be lost by the end of this year.

There are some signs the process is deepening divisions in society. After 78-year-old great-grandfather Sean Whelan appeared on television complaining over potential cuts to his 230 euro a week pension, an unemployed youth accosted him while drinking in the pub.

"He said:" what are you complaining about on 230 a week, I only get 190 a week (in benefits),"" Whelan says. "I said: "what have you ever done to earn that 190. I started work at 14 paying tax to earn this pension." I thought he was going to hit me."

But again, the picture is mixed. Friends of the Elderly says the number of people volunteering to visit lonely elderly people in their homes has sharply increased.

Some are young health and social science graduates with no jobs to go to, but also workers with more time on their hands with no overtime available and the frenetic boom pace over.

"That has been the one silver lining to the crisis," said the charity's Kirwan. "Society has rediscovered itself. We have perhaps twice the number of volunteers we had two years ago, and of much higher quality. People have time on their hands for the first time in years and many of them have used it to help others."


Reuters

Disabled Grandfather Arrested by Eight Police Officers for Drink-Driving on His 4mph Scooter

Riding home on his mobility scooter at less than 4 mph, Eamonn Donohoe wasn't going anywhere in a hurry and didn't appear to be a menace to pedestrians.

But when the drunken Irishman ignored a policeman's attempt to flag him down, the local constabulary decided to take no chances.

As Mr Donohoe, 62, was trundling along the pavement near his sheltered bungalow he found himself surrounded by eight police officers and three marked vehicles.

One patrol car mounted the kerb to block his way and after failing a roadside breath test the disabled grandfather was locked in police cells for 12 hours, fingerprinted, photographed and had a DNA swab taken.

Mr Donohoe, who had drunk six or seven pints during an evening playing dominoes with friends at a local club, was three times over the limit.

He later admitted driving a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst over the limit on 20th April and was given a three year driving ban by magistrates at Chesterfield.

However, despite the nature of the offence he is legally free to continue riding his scooter.

But the bizarre episode has left the retired construction worker from Old Whittington, Chesterfield, feeling disillusioned with the forces of law and order.

He said: 'I can't believe how they treated me - anybody would think that I was a bank robber or a member of Al-Qaeda.

'The police are always saying they're short of resources, and then go and employ eight officers arresting someone like me. It's completely mad, and a total waste of public money.

'When someone broke into my home and stole my TV and my video two years ago the police didn't turn up for three days, and yet they can drop everything for something as daft as this. There's no wonder the police get it in the neck.

'They must have known, like I did, that the rules of the road don't apply when you're riding a mobility scooter down the pavement at three and a half miles an hour, but it didn't seem to matter one jot.

'I didn't stop at first because I wanted to get home, and I wasn't doing anything wrong. Then a police car turned up all of a sudden, and pulled up right across the footpath stopping me dead.

'A police van pulled alongside me, and another car parked up on the road behind me so I couldn't turn round. It was just like something out of a film.

'There were eight police officers there altogether, and one of them grabbed the keys from the scooter, and said: "Come on - get off that!"

'When they asked me to do breath test I said: "Don't be stupid, I'm an old aged pensioner on a mobility scooter - I'm not blowing into anything," but they insisted so I had to in the end.

'They actually wanted to put me in handcuffs, but they stopped short of doing it in the end.'

Mr Donohoe, who is handicapped with blocked arteries in his legs, and can only walk a few yards unaided, intends to carry on riding backwards and forwards to see his friends to play dominoes at his local club once a week.

The divorcee, who has three children and ten grandchildren, added - said:'It's not as if I'm going down the pavement swerving from side to side, and putting people at risk. I'm not a danger to anyone.'

A Derbyshire Police spokeswoman said: 'He failed a breath test when he was stoppped, and was charged with driving a mechanically propelled vehicle while over the limit.

'We cannot comment on how many officers dealt with the incident, but a person driving any kind of vehicle when they're drunk are a danger to themselves and other people as well.'

Sott.net

New disability benefit system is flawed and could cost taxpayer MORE, says one of its architects

One of the architects of a new benefit system for disabled people urged the Government to delay rolling it out today after evidence that medical tests are wrongly finding thousands of people fit for work.

More than two-thirds, 68 per cent, of people applying for the new Employment Support Allowance are being rejected on the grounds that their disability does not prevent them from working, an investigation by the BBC revealed.

The figure is almost 20 per cent more than predicted by the Government when it launched ESA to replace Incapacity Benefit 18 months ago.

The new allowance is now the most commonly appealed benefit in the UK, with 8,000 tribunal cases each month - 40 per cent of which lead to decisions being overturned.

Only new claimants currently have to apply for ESA but from October the 2.6million existing recipients of incapacity benefits will also have to have medical checks to see if they are fit to work.

Those deemed capable will be transferred to the less generous Jobseekers' Allowance and those still on ESA will be put on programmed tailored to take account of their disability and help them find out if they can get back into some kind of work.

In a report, Citizens Advice Scotland said the system was unfit for purpose and called for an urgent review.

And Professor Paul Gregg, of Bristol University, who designed the ESA back-to-work programmes, said: 'From the autumn it is going to be applied to 2.6 million existing claimants.

The proposal from the new Government is to speed up that process of reassessment.
'Yet we are hearing a lot of anecdotal evidence and factual evidence in terms of what is happening to claimants of the new benefit to say that we have got a serious problem here and we need to rectify it before it starts being applied to the large stock.'

Prof Gregg warned that if people are wrongly assessed as fit for work, the reform may end up costing the Government money, rather than saving it.

Claimants wrongly forced on to JSA could get stuck on it and continue claiming benefits for long periods, rather than being helped by the ESA scheme into employment which is suited to their personal abilities.

'It is not just about being harsh or tough on people,' the academic told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'It is that too many people are likely to be put on JSA, which is not designed to help people with serious health problems, and not enough people are getting into the ESA zone were there is a specially designed programme for people with health problems.

'They could end up clogging up JSA, staying on it for long periods of time, rather than joining the proper programme they need - particularly with mental health problems - under ESA. If we get it wrong, we end up spending more, not less.'

Prof Gregg dismissed suggestions that the high rate of 'fit to work' assessments was simply evidence that the previous system had encouraged a 'sicknote culture' under which people were able to claim benefits despite being healthy enough to earn a living.

'The idea that there was a massive scrounger culture here is just misplaced,' he said.

In a statement, the Department for Work and Pensions said: 'The assessment is about creating a fairer and more accurate picture of a person's physical or mental condition. This is how claimants can best get the right help and support.

'People need much more support to manage their conditions and get help to find work and moving them to ESA is the best way to do that.

'We are fully aware that this is a big undertaking and that is why we are working on plans to make the change happen as smoothly as possible.'


Daily Mail Online

Sector will get an enhanced role in public service delivery, says Queen's Speech

By Mathew Little, Third Sector Online, 25 May 2010

 

New Lib-Con coalition will give greater scope to social enterprises, charities and cooperatives

Measures to give a bigger role to social enterprise, charities and cooperatives in the running of public services will be introduced by the autumn, the coalition government has promised in today's Queen's Speech.

Announcing the Conservative-Liberal government's first legislative programme, the Queen said the "role of social enterprises, charities and cooperatives in our public services will be enhanced".


In supplementary information, Number 10 said that radical reform of public services was needed and third sector organisations were one means by which to improve outcomes and reduce the national debt.

Primary legislation is not expected, but Number 10 said that public services markets would, in appropriate areas, be opened up to allow third sector organisations to bid to run public services.
"Barriers to involvement will be identified and measures will be implemented," the statement from Number 10 said.

The government also pledged to give public sector workers the right to form employee-owned cooperatives and bid to run the services they deliver.

The government said early measures, which are not yet specified, would be in place by the autumn.

Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the NCVO, said: "The government has recognised that the voluntary and community sector must play an important role in realising our shared vision of the good society. But our organisations will need to receive the right support and resources if they are to play their full role in civil society and to deliver high-quality, responsive public services."

Stephen Bubb, head of chief executives body Acevo, said there were clearly big opportunities for third sector organisations in education, welfare to work, health and reducing re-offending.

"The crucial question now is how we marry cuts to the government's ambitious plans for public service reform and, more broadly, big society," he said.

"We believe that, with genuine partnership, it can be done."

Hannah Terrey, head of policy and public affairs at the Charities Aid Foundation, said social enterprises, charities and cooperatives "have a wealth of experience of delivering vital services to the most vulnerable".

She added: "We look forward to seeing the detail and hope that these measures will take forward the Conservative commitment to making it easier for charitable organisations to operate and work with the state."

Third Sector Online

New group for disabled people and carers in Halesowen

A WHEELCHAIR-bound [1] Halesowen woman has launched the first support group offering a range of social activities for physically disabled people in Halesowen.

Danila Taylor, of Whittingham Road, saw there was a gap in the provision of services for adults, with a concentration on the needs of elderly disabled people.

“There are day centres for the elderly, but that’s not something we would want. We are looking to set up something to attract people with different interests - maybe a poetry writing group, making music or setting up a wildlife garden,” she said.

Danila’s husband and full-time carer Ray is helping set up the group, which has held its inaugural meeting, based at the Brett Young Centre, Hawne Lane, because it has disabled facilities.

The group, which is for carers as well, will hold its next meeting at Halesowen Library on Wednesday June 23 from 10.30am until 12.30pm.

Halesown News

--------

[1]
I'd just like to mention, disabilitydirect.org is not responsible for the wording of externally sourced articles. And as for the term "wheelchair-bound" Well!  May I suggest that if you are ever tempted to use such a stupid phrase, Don't.  "wheelchair user" is much less offensive.

George, editor

Crippen looks at the latest round of government cuts in relation to Disabled people

Oh dear it's started. The slow but sure slide into a reduction in pretty well... well, everything!

Starting with the reduction in posts within the Civil Service, which means that whenever a Civil Servant leaves, they won't be replaced. 

Now, as I understand it, the posts that have a higher rate of burn-out and staff turnaround are those in the front line of employment, welfare, benefits services, etc.

This means that the staff processing our applications for funding for support services, for example will gradually reduce leaving less people to do the actual work. This will inevitably have a knock on effect ... well, you remember what it was like under Thatcher I'm sure.

A reduction in the number of students being admitted to universities also has the Tory smell about it - a "Don't let the peasants get too educated. We'll have no one left to do the menial work" sort of smell. The list goes on.

And pretty well everything that is being cut, or being considered for cuts will have a direct impact on us crips. You'd better believe it!

For those of you who missed out on the Thatcher years, don't worry - here they come again!

Crippen's Blog  - "Probably the best disabled cartoonist in the world" (His own words)

My Canine Partner

This poem was written for a close friend’s mother, Sheila, disabled in a car accident. Her dog, Juneau, was trained by Canine Partners, a charity ‘transforming the lives of people with disabilities by partnering them with highly trained assistant dogs.’ Sadly, Juneau has died since I wrote the poem.

Sheila now has another wonderful assistant dog but. But Juneau was the first, not only transforming her life but also that of her husband John. Is it any wonder then that Juneau will always have a special place in their affections?

For more information about this excellent organisation that helps disabled people across the UK but relies on donations and fund raising events to do so:

info@caninepartners.co.uk  (or call 08456 580 481)

MY CANINE PARTNER

While I’m just an ordinary person
although I have a disability,
Juneau’s trained to be one in a million,
assisting, supporting, inspiring me

Juneau helps me participate fully
in the mainstream business of living;
people would rather get to know me
instead of looking away or staring

Juneau is my trusty canine partner,
together we tackle life’s ups and downs;
we make a team like you’ll find no other
on slopes where once only mountains

Far more than assistant or friend to me,
Juneau helps make my dreams reality

[From: On The Battlefields Of Love by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2010]

Republished with kind permission of R N Taber.

A Poet's Blog: Roger N.Taber shares his thoughts & poems...

To find out more about the fantastic work of Canine Partners please visit their site at: www.caninepartners.co.uk

Disability Action Wyre Forest roadshow

DISABILITY Action Wyre Forest (DAWF) has teamed up with Bewdley Museum to celebrate volunteers’ week.


A roadshow event will take place on Friday, June 4 between 11am and 2pm in the entrance to the museum.

More than 22 million people are involved in volunteering in the UK every year and volunteers’ week is an opportunity for organisations to publicly recognise the work of their volunteers.

It is co-ordinated in England by Volunteering England and takes place from June 1 to 7.

Mark Lawley, DAWF chairman, said: ”I would like to say thanks to Ruth Finney of Bewdley Museum for allowing DAWF to hold an event at the museum.

“People can be involved in the group through visiting the group’s website www.disabilityactionwf.ik.com if they are not able to attend.”

For more information on how to get involved with volunteers’ week go to www.volunteersweek.org.uk

The Shuttle

New frontier for disabled people

By Lord Morris
Former Wythenshawe MP and Minister for the Disabled

Forty years ago, a new law came into this world.
It arrived in dramatic fashion, almost literally at the last possible minute, just before Parliament was dissolved to let Harold Wilson fight the 1970 General Election.
That law, the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, transformed the lives of millions, not only people who were disabled and infirm, but also their families and carers, their neighbours and communities.
Official statistics indicate that over its 40 year lifetime, it has helped more people than the present population of our country.
It also brought lasting change in our built environment, our streetscapes and our public transport.
It gave millions of disabled people opportunities to go into higher education, training and employment which had been denied to them, since time began, for lack of ramps, handrails, lifts and other practical aids.
It allowed them to be more active, enjoy a fuller social life and stay in better physical and mental health.
It freed time, energy and financial resources for carers and families.
Taken together, these effects have saved the country billions of pounds, particularly in health and welfare payments, and added billions to national output and tax receipts.
The Act has been followed and sometimes directly imitated in most other countries, bringing its benefits to global society.

"Disabled people and their families lived as directed by faraway strangers with no knowledge of their lives and needs."

Lord Alf Morris

That is why I am so proud that - like me - this Act was born and bred in Manchester.
The experience of people in this city and the North West region, my family and neighbours in my early life, and later my constituents in Wythenshawe, taught me why this new law was a necessity.
I was born in Ancoats in 1928, the eighth child of a disabled father.
He had lost a leg and an eye serving in the First World War, and his lungs were wrecked.
He had been a sign writer, but from when I was three, he became unemployable.
For the remaining five years of his life, he and his family lived mainly on his meagre war pension.
The War Office decreed that his death was not war-related and denied my mother a war widow's pension.
I was seven. My experience carried lessons. Disability entailed deprivation.
Disabled people and their families lived as directed by faraway strangers with no knowledge of their lives and needs.
Later, I met my future mother-in-law in Laverack Street, Collyhurst.
Severely disabled by rheumatoid arthritis, she could move only if someone pushed her in cumbersome bath chair.
A journey of eighty yards to her local church was a daunting struggle.
When she and her family were moved in 1953 to a modern flat in Wythenshawe, she could not enjoy many of its comforts - like the bath - because it was not adapted in any way for disabled living.
Still later, as a Parliamentary candidate in Wythenshawe, I saw through a window a slight woman pushing her husband in his bath chair in the gutter in the rain, splashed constantly by passing 101 buses and other vehicles.
She simply was not strong enough to lift him and the chair up and down kerbs.
Then there was the terrible case of Jim Johnson.

Brain-damaged in a childhood accident in Miles Platting, he was charged, without evidence, with breaking into his aunt's gas meter.
Found unfit to plead by magistrates, he was sent to the barrack-like 'mental institution' at Calderstones, where he spent the next 30 years of his life.
He was visited there each week, a round trip of over 40 miles, by his sister Sarah, herself severely disabled.
When she brought his case to me, it showed how people could be wrongly accused and locked away without trial for decades for no reason but mental capacity.
These, and many more experiences in Manchester and the region, told me how little our society even recognized the existence of disabled people, let alone provided for their interests and rights.
More than anything, memories of Manchester made me determined to change the law radically in the face of "volcanic anger" (Tam Dalyell's phrase!) from the then responsible minister, Richard Crossman.
My childhood in Manchester taught me that disabled people needed first to be defined, recognized and recorded before any provision could be made for them - a message many other countries have taken from us.
It still astonishes me to recall that in 1969, neither local nor national government had even a number count of disabled people in need.
Many disabling conditions were not even identified in law or practice.
The Act is often described as pioneering; it had to be - we had to create most of it from scratch.

It genuinely led the world in its key provisions.
It gave rights of access for disabled people to the built environment, including schools and universities.
It made the world's first statutory provision for purpose-built housing for disabled people and entitled them to help in adapting their homes.
It gave them the right to practical help in their homes (including the installation of telephones for the house-bound) and access to transport and other services outside the home.
For the first time globally, the Act gave legal recognition to autism and dyslexia and made provision for the needs of children who are both blind and pre-lingually deaf.
It established the world's first Institute of Hearing Research.
In these and other ways, the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act brought new rights and opportunities for millions. It is no exaggeration to say that it changed the life of our country, and inspired similar change across the world. And it was made in Manchester.
It was a new North West frontier for disabled people.

BBC Website

New legal partnership benefits learning disability

Learning disability charity Mencap this week announced a new partnership with one of London's leading law firms, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP (RPC), to promote the charity's work supporting people with a learning disability and their families and carers.

As part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, RPC is building on its Charity of the Year programme. It will help Mencap, not only by raising funds for the learning disability charity but also by contributing pro bono legal advice. RPC was impressed by the charity's commitment to communication and skill development and the year's programme will see a number of initiatives based around these themes.

RPC's people will be given opportunities to volunteer, train and research alongside the charity. The two organisations will work together to raise awareness of learning disability and conduct research to determine the current scale of disability hate crime. The law firm hopes to raise £30,000 for the charity, which supports 1.5 million people with learning disability.

Mark Goldring, Mencap's chief executive, said: "We are delighted to have the support of RPC to help us continue our work and also investigate the true scale of hate crime against people with a learning disability. We also look forward to sharing our skills and experience across both organisations."

Jonathan Watmough, RPC's Managing Partner, said: "RPC welcomes the chance to work with Mencap. More than just a fundraising exercise, this genuine partnership will provide the charity with access to our legal expertise while RPC are keen to take full advantage of the extensive learning and development opportunities that this unique partnership will provide for our people."

- ends -

For more information or interview opportunities, please contact the Mencap media team on 020 7696 5414.

Notes to Editors
About Mencap
 Mencap supports the 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK and their families and carers. Mencap fights to change laws and improve services and access to education, employment and leisure facilities, supporting thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want. We are also one of the largest providers of services, information and advice for people with a learning disability across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. See http://www.mencap.org.uk/ for more information.

About Reynolds Porter Chamberlain
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain is a modern, progressive and commercially-oriented City law firm providing a full business law service to UK and international clients across a wide range of industry sectors including regulatory, corporate, tax, commercial litigation, construction, engineering and projects, outsourcing, IP and technology, employment and pensions, media and real estate. We ascribe our success to the level of service which we give to clients - delivering what they want, on time and in an easily accessible manner.

We have around 450 people, including over 60 partners, more than 250 lawyers and some of the sharpest minds in the UK legal market, many of whom are listed in the leading directories. We work from a single location at Tower Bridge House near the City of London. Our high visibility, open-plan environment facilitates team work and communication. See http://www.rpc.co.uk/ for more details.

About learning disability
A learning disability is caused by the way the brain develops before, during or shortly after birth. It is always lifelong and affects someone's intellectual and social development. It used to be called mental handicap but this term is outdated and offensive. Learning disability is NOT a mental illness. The term learning difficulty is often incorrectly used interchangeably with learning disability.

Mencap

SKIERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY RACE DOWN THE SLOPES TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY

Photography – Heather Mills and her team at Milton Keynes SNO!zone with Olympic medallist Leon Taylor (far left) and paralympian Anna Turney (front).

The claxon sounded at ten o’clock on Tuesday 18^th May and skiers across the country descended the slopes in their first run of the 666 target, to raise money for Disability Snowsport UK (DSUK). The charity, which provides skiing opportunities for people with disabilities, organised the national event which took place at the Braehead and Milton Keynes SNO!zones, Manchester Chill Factor e, Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre and the Tamworth Snow Dome. Many famous faces attended the event including Heather Mills, Mike Summerbee, Graham Bell and members from the British Disabled Ski team.

“DSUK organised an incredibly intensive, inspiring, challenging and productive skiathon. It was great to watch people of all abilities integrate; there was real determination on the slopes despite the cold temperatures. The event raised money as well as awareness for the charity who give disabled people the chance to enjoy snowsports. I look forward to taking part next year,” said Heather Mills, who took part at the SNO!zone in Milton Keynes.

DSUK aims to raise over £20,000 from the event. This could pay for eight mono or bi-skis, fund two one-week adaptive training sessions for 96 volunteer helpers or cover the cost of 40 volunteer helpers on an overseas activity trip. DSUK provides the opportunities for people with disabilities to enjoy snowsports alongside able-bodied skiers. It costs £15,000 to set up an adaptive ski school at an indoor snow centre, which could be funded by the skiathon alone.

Participants have until the end of June to collect their sponsorship money, and the team with the most money raised will win a tandem skydive with the Red Devils, donated by Click and Jump.

“Thank you to DSUK for organising the skiathon, it may have been hard going but the ends more than justify the means,” commented participant Neil Robinson from Snow and Rock who entered a team in Hemel Hempstead.  

To find out more about DSUK or to make a donation please contact Sophie Wood on SophieWood@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk or call 0161 749 2290. You can also donate online at www.virginmoneygiving.com/nationalskiathon.

Muscular Dystrophy Campaign Says Wait For Home Adaptations 'Far Too Long'

Disabled and older people have been waiting up to eight years for their councils to carry out the adaptations they need to live independently at home, according to new figures realeased by Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

 

The statistics – revealed through Freedom of Information Act requests – show the time taken between an assessment of a request for support, and the adaptation work taking place. Of the 84 English councils that provided information about their longest delays in 2008-09, 47 admitted their longest waits were at least two years, 28 said they were more than three years and 15 had longest waits of more than four years.

Head of Campaigns at The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Nic Bungay, said: “Too often vulnerable families living with muscle disease are forced to wait far too long for essential home adaptations.”

Nic added: “We are frequently contacted by people at the end of their tether, due to the reluctance or refusal of their local council to provide them with the adaptations they so desperately need. It is clear that the system is in urgent need of reform – people living with muscle disease should not be denied the right to a decent quality of life by their local council.”

The investigation into the system of disabled facilities grants (DFGs), which fund improvements such as installing a downstairs bathroom, a ramp, or better lighting, was carried out by the Sunday Telegraph.

Staffordshire County Council said its longest delay was eight years, while in the London Borough of Barnet it was more than six years, with another seven councils saying their longest delay was more than five years.

Earlier this year the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign welcomed a 7% increase in the amount available to help fund adaptations to disabled people’s homes, but called on the government to go further.

Support the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign with a donation from your pay.

Workplace Giving UK

'End wheelchair lottery' say AMs

People are having to wait much longer to get wheelchairs in north Wales compared with those in the south, an assembly committee report says.

AMs on the health committee said ministers should end what they call the "postcode lottery" of the service.

Disability Wales' chief executive said the wheelchair service must be "brought into the 21st Century."

Health Minister Edwina Hart said she is already taking action to speed up the delivery of wheelchair services.

The report acknowledges inequality in wheelchair provision across Wales could be due to there only being two main Artificial Limb and Appliance Service (ALAS) centres - in Wrexham and Cardiff.

But it says such disparity is "unacceptable" and calls on the assembly government to draw up a plan to give direction to the service.

Other recommendations include better integration of wheelchair services with other services and the pooling of budgets to provide equipment for users.

Committee Chair Darren Millar AM said: "It's clear that there are problems in many areas, including long waiting times, particularly in north Wales.

"We also heard that users with complex needs, including children, can suffer the longest waits."

Life 'on hold'

Wheelchair user Marion Harrison, of Hawarden, Flintshire, said she'd felt her life was "on hold" during the six months she waited for an appropriate chair, but she knew of other people who'd had to wait for 18 months or longer.

Mrs Harrison said her mother, who suffers from dementia, had been issued with the correct wheelchair within the last year, having waited for close to 10 years.

"For a 'bog standard' wheelchair the turnaround is very good... you get them left, right and centre because they're the cheapest ones," said Mrs Harrison.

"If you want a specific chair or a lightweight one this is where things become awkward and you can't get one.

"They do not spend sufficient money to make us independent."

Mrs Harrison added that she had worked with children with disabilities who had been very frustrated to find that by the time they were issued with a wheelchair, they had outgrown it.

Equality of access vital

Welcoming the committee's call, chief executive of Disability Wales Rhian Davies said the wheelchair service in Wales needed to be "brought into the 21st Century".

"The wheelchair service needs to be much more responsive, much more flexible because without a wheelchair people are stuck at home and become dependent on friends and family to support their mobility," she added.

A coalition of nine Welsh disability organisations including Barnardo's Cymru, Disabled Children Matter Wales and MS Society Cymru said the cross-party group of AMs had exposed real concerns about the existing service.

Minister to consider findings

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesman said: "The health minister is already taking action to improve access to wheelchairs and reduce waiting times so she will consider whether the committee's findings and recommendations are still appropriate.

"Although the vast majority of wheelchairs are delivered to patients within 21 days of referral, in more complex cases waiting times are sometimes longer."

He said Wales provides patients with the largest range of equipment in the UK as a deliberate strategy to best meet clinical needs, but this positive factor could have a negative impact on waiting times.

He added that new measures to speed up access to wheelchairs included the establishment of a single organisation for managing and delivering equipment and new all-Wales indicators to show performance across the country.

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Editor's Note: Please see the BBC website fo additional video content

BBC News

New Ludlow project, Open Door Shropshire, gives disabled people incentive to visit

LUDLOW has some great places to eat but needs to ensure that disabled people know they can get through the door.

That’s the view of Ann Johnson, who is leading a project to consider difficulties faced by disabled people looking to eat out in the town.

The new project, Open Door Shropshire, is working with Visitor Information Centre staff to improve information about access for disabled visitors.

The focus is on places to eat, drink and visit in the county so as to help people with a range of disabilities make informed choices when planning their visit to the county.

Open Door Shropshire is supported by Shropshire and Telford Destination Management Partnership and funded by Advantage West Midlands.

“The information that Open Door Shropshire provides will give an opportunity for disabled visitors and their companions to plan their visit and experience a real flavour of the region’s hospitality, rather than trawling a town for hours in vain, wishing that they had simply bought sandwiches with them,” said Ann, a wheelchair user and leader of the project.

“While wheelchair users face particular access issues, it is important to consider access for visitors with other disabilities and mobility problems, for example, or sight and hearing disabilities.”

The project is telling restaurants and shops that opening their doors to people with a disability can mean further opportunities.

“I know that there are many places in Ludlow and the wider county that have made a true effort to provide access facilities for all of their customers and this needs to be recognised and shared with others.

“By providing information on your facilities to people with a disability, you will not only be giving them access but will be opening a wider invitation to those accompanying the person with a disability, whether they be family, friends or work colleagues.”

To find out more, visit www.opendoorshropshire.co.uk or call Ann Johnson 01743 245356

Ludlow & Tenbury Wells Advertiser

Disability Pride Cymru

The Celebration in the Basin is now just 3 weeks away!

Disability Pride Cymru 2010 will be a fun filled family day out for everyone! It takes place in Cardiff’s Oval Basin (Roald Dahl Plass) on June 12th 2010.

On stage will be the legendary HEAVY LOAD, supported by the award-winning Julie McNamara, JJ & Co, Unusual Stage School, Contagious Spirit, Kaite O’Reilly’s d Monologues, Batuwe Beatz, Vaguely Artistic (Odyssey Theatre and Community Music Wales) and UCAN Productions…all compèred by that inimitable star of stage and screen Mat Fraser.

There will be a Circus Skills workshop, a Patua Dance workshop, a wonderful Storyteller (Giles Abbott) and a host of other activities in the marquee. Outside there will be children’s rides, more than 40 stalls offering information and advice, a bar for grown ups and ice cream for the kids plus a food piazza offering locally produced food and drink.

The day starts at midday and ends at 7.00pm – and admission is absolutely FREE.

Contact us – E-mail: info@disabilitypridecymru.org.uk
Website: http://www.disabilitypridecymru.org.uk/

Disability Pride Cymru – celebrating the achievements of disabled people

Disability Pride Cymru is a partnership comprising most of the major charities and organisations working with and for disabled people living in Wales. Disability Pride Cymru 2010 will be an inclusive fun-filled family festival celebrating the achievements of disabled people, recognising their contribution to society and challenging stereotypical views of disability.

Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, Scope Cymru, Big Lottery Fund Awards for All, Gwalia Care and Support, Unite and Disability Arts Cymru.

 Speakeasy in Mons

Disabled people can make voices heard

Disabled people in Warwickshire will get the opportunity to make their voices heard at a special event later this month.

The event, organised by Warwickshire County Council in partnership with the Regional Disability Network West Midlands, has been specially arranged to let Disabled people know how they can influence what the local authority does.

It will take place at the SYDNI Centre in Leamington Spa on Thursday 27th May between 10.30am and 3pm.

It’s hoped the event will help Disabled people to communicate with the County Council and get more involved in their local communities – particularly if they are frustrated that their views aren’t being heard.

Nick Gower-Johnson, County Localities and Communities Manager, said: “We want Disabled people to know that Warwickshire County Council is listening. At this event, you can get your views across and find out how you can get involved with the council’s current consultations with the public.

“We particularly welcome disabled people with little or no experience of having engaged with the County Council before. This is a great opportunity for you to have a voice!”

The event and venue are completely accessible and tea, coffee and lunch will be provided free of charge. There is also £5 available to help with travel for each Disabled person who attends.

Places at the event must be booked. Please contact Pamela Williams on 024 7637 5700 or email pamelawilliams@warwickshire.gov.uk. Please tell Pamela about any access requirements you have.

The SYDNI centre is at Cottage Square, Sydenham, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV31 1PT.

Warwickshire County Council

PRCA announces Leonard Cheshire Disability as first Chairman's Charity

Leonard Cheshire Disability and the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) have announced a two year corporate partnership that will raise money for the charity and at the same time provide those in the PR sector looking to employ disabled people with advice and support that will help them overcome the perceived obstacles. 
 
The charity, already well known for its work for challenging perceptions of disability through its award winning Creature Discomforts PR campaign and Ability Media Awards becomes the PRCA’s first Chairman’s Charity.

Desiree D’Souza, Leonard Cheshire Disability Head of Major Giving said: “Many organisations have preconceived ideas that there are complications around hiring people with disabilities. “This partnership will challenge stereotypes and provide employers with advice about how they can easily work with disabled people.”

David Gallagher, chairman of the PRCA said: “One of the biggest challenges for agencies and PR in-house teams is finding enough high calibre candidates. Leonard Cheshire Disability can help employers dispel the myths and remove the perceived barriers to employing disabled people, increasing the choice of great candidates they can choose from.”

-Ends-  

Media enquiries
Please call Pete Lewis at Leonard Cheshire Disability press office on 0203 242 0265 or pete.lewis@LCDisability.org or Richard Ellis at the PRCA on 020 7233 6026 or richard.ellis@prca.org.uk.  

Editors Notes Leonard Cheshire Disability supports over 21,000 disabled people in the UK and work in 52 countries. We campaign for change and provide innovative services that give disabled people the opportunity to live life their way.

To find out more visit: www.lcdisability.org PRCA Who we are: Founded in 1969, the PRCA is the professional body that represents UK PR consultancies, in-house communications teams and PR freelancers. The PRCA promotes all aspects of public relations and internal communications work, helping teams and individuals maximise the value they deliver to clients and organisations. What we do: The Association exists to raise standards in PR and communications, providing members with industry data, facilitating the sharing of communications best practice and creating networking opportunities. The Association is a leading provider of PR training and also offers organisations looking for a PR agency a free, no-obligation matchmaking service. How we do it and make a difference: All PRCA members are bound by a professional charter and codes of conduct, and benefit from exceptional training. The Association also works for the greater benefit of the industry, sharing best practice and lobbying on the industry's behalf e.g. fighting the NLA's digital licence. Who we represent: The PRCA represents many of the major consultancies in the UK, and currently has 199 agency members from around the world including the majority of the top 100 UK consultancies. Having launched in-house membership last year it also represents 31 in-house teams including many of Europe's leading corporations and UK public sector organisations.

Leonard Cheshire Disability Press Release

Paid Traineeships for people with disabilities

The European Parliament is offering paid traineeships to persons with disabilities, as a positive action measure aimed at facilitating the integration of disabled people in the workplace.

These traineeships are open both to graduates of universities or equivalent institutions and to people whose qualifications are below university level. (Article 18 of the Internal Rules Governing Traineeships and Study Visits in the Secretariat of the European Parliament which concerns the academic qualifications needed for admission to a paid traineeship thus does not apply to this programme.)

The main purpose of this programme is to offer a number of people with disabilities a meaningful and valuable work experience, and an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the activities of the European Parliament.

Paid traineeships are awarded for a period of five months which cannot be extended. Please note that traineeships do not give trainees the right to future employment in the European Parliament: officials are recruited on the basis of competitions organised by EPSO; contract staff is employed on the basis of the calls for expression of interest published by EPSO.

For further information pleas follow the European Parliament link below.

European Parliament Website.

Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue

Blood  Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator,  the Tongue
 

   

   STROKE: Remember  the 1st Three Letters.... S. T. R.

   STROKE  IDENTIFICATION:

   During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured  everyone that she was fine (they offered to call  paramedics) .she said she had just tripped over  a brick because of her new shoes.

   They  got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of  food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the  evening

   Jane's husband called later  telling everyone that his wife had been taken to  the hospital -
 (at 6:00  pm  Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the  signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with  us today. Some don't die. They end up in a  helpless, hopeless condition instead.

   It  only takes a minute to read this...

   A  neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke  victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the  effects of a stroke...totally. He said  the trick was getting a stroke recognized,  diagnosed, and then getting the patient  medically cared for within 3 hours, which is  tough...

   RECOGNIZING A STROKE

   Thank  God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR  . Read and Learn!

   Sometimes symptoms of a  stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately,  the lack of awareness spells disaster. The  stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage  when people nearby fail to recognize the  symptoms of a stroke.

   Now doctors say a  bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three  simple questions:

   S  *Ask  the individual to SMILE.

 T  *Ask  the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE  (Coherently)

 (i.e. It is sunny out  today.)

 R  *Ask  him or her to RAISE BOTH  ARMS.

   If  he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these  tasks, call emergency number immediately  and describe the symptoms to the  dispatcher.

   New  Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your  Tongue

   NOTE:  Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the  person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue  is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the  other,   that is  also an indication of a  stroke.

   A  cardiologist says if everyone who gets this  message sends it to 10 people; you can bet that  at least one life will be saved.  

  I  have done my part. Will  you?   

Blue badge permit misuse targeted in Gloucestershire

Twenty blue badges have been confiscated in Gloucestershire in a crackdown on fraudulent use.

Four people were given warnings and 13 people reported to police for misuse of the disabled parking badges in the operation in Cheltenham and Gloucester.

Councillor Stan Waddington from Gloucestershire County Council said using a relative's badge or a stolen one was classed as fraud.

"It also prevents genuine users from finding a space to park," he said.

'Crackdown welcomed'
"The maximum fine if someone is convicted is £1,000 or even a custodial sentence if the badge is a fake or stolen," he said.

"Misusing it by allowing other people to use it could also result in the badge being taken away."
A spokeswoman for the Gloucestershire Disability Forum said she welcomed the operation.

"Disabled drivers feel that blue badge fraud impacts on them as it adversely affects the general public's view of blue badge holders as a whole," she said.

"They, quite rightly, question why an able-bodied person has a badge, not realising that the badge is a fake or being misused."

The blue badge scheme allows people with severe mobility problems to park in allocated spaces.

It is estimated 6,000 are stolen each year.

The operation was run as a partnership between Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucester City Council its parking contractor Apcoa Parking UK, and Cheltenham Borough Council.

BBC News

Disability Hate Crime Petition

Anyone who has experienced disability hate crime first-hand or whose carer has experienced it will know the destructive impact which it has on lives, Fiona Pilkington and her daughter were perhaps the most extreme examples but people with disabilities experience this type of crime daily. This petition asks the government to review the law relating to disability hate crime:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Disabilitycrime/

Carers UK

Stangwrach Holiday Cottage & Ash Tree Lodge

How many stories have we heard, where homes, or families turn up to a supposedly disabled friendly holiday cottage and their first hurdle, no adequate parking, ramps to steep, unexpected steps, doors not wide enough for the wheelchairs, hoist will not fit around the built in furniture. Unable to contact agent/owner. The heating fails, no one to ask. Bathrooms not as described. Wheelchairs hazard on carpets and rugs. Clients getting burned from radiators and showers. Beds to low.

How many of you have had to turn around and head back home in despair. All those hours of meticulous preparation, staffscheduling, finance, transport arrangements, medication, supplies all wasted. Does any one care?

Yes, we do, that’s why we want to introduce you too Ash Tree Lodge, spacious, disabled-friendly, set in beautiful gardens surrounded by the Carmarthenshire countryside, independently owned and family run.

We address all the issues above, if there is a problem we are on site, we are committed to making sure your needs are met. We understand the issues and problems that may arise, be assured we do our upmost to make your holiday in Ash Tree Lodge one to remember, for all the right reasons.

We have 30 years experience in this location, so can advise on wheelchair friendly places to visit, what to see, where to go, places to eat. Location of Disabled toilets. We are carers ourselves and over the last 3 years the lodge has been tried and tested by many special families and guests like yourselves and your clients.

So do not delay, call Grace today. Book an off peak week or short break and receive 10% Discount voucher off your holiday accommodation. Take a look at the web site for more info. www.holidaycottagewales.com you will not be disappointed! Need more convincing, read on.

We are a family-run business and have been letting Stangwrach Holiday Cottage for over 10 years. We would now like to tell you about our second property which caters for the less-able and the disabled plus larger family groups.

Ash Tree Lodge was designed originally through our wish to accommodate a very dear friend, Trevor, when he could no longer stay with us in the Cottage. He suffers from Motor Neuron Disease and so the seed was planted for us to provide disabled-friendly accommodation where he and his carers would feel comfortable and safe. Trevor continues to return each year. His needs are assessed each year and so we can be confident that when he comes to stay everything will be in place for him.

We are very proud of this purpose-built facility that enables the disabled, together with their carers or with their families, to have a special holiday. The Lodge is spacious with plenty of room to maneuver a wheelchair and the large windows offer lots of light and a chance to watch the wildlife. Decking and a part covered patio surround the property.

Over the past 3 years we have had the privilege of dealing with many people like yourselves. We are well aware how much dedication and organization it takes for these trips away with your residents and we do our best to make life as easy as possible. We have seen the positive results that can be achieved by people with special needs having a much-needed break in idyllic surroundings.


Our web site offers further information at http://www.holidaycottagewales.com
If you would like to discuss your requirements further, please ring me on 0155866287 - 07968051690

Xtraordinary Week

LETTER FOR PUBLICATION

Sir,

17th-23rd May has been designated as "Xtraordinary Week". The aim is to raise awareness and focus on the strengths and talents of dyslexic children everywhere.

To coincide with the awareness week I have written a free and simple fact sheet on dyslexia which provides information about the condition.

Children who have dyslexia can have problems with reading, writing or spelling. It is believed that one in 10 children have some form of dyslexia, which is Greek for "difficulty with words".

Parents naturally want the best for their children. They know that good literacy skills are the building blocks to educational success and a satisfying career. But many parents are in the dark about their child’s special educational needs and how best to help them.

If any of your readers would like a free copy of the fact sheet, they can write to me at: "Dyslexia Simplified Fact Sheet", Appleford School, Shrewton, Nr Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 4HL. For a free copy, call: 01980 621020, e-mail: secretary@appleford.wilts.sch.uk or visit the website at: http://www.applefordschool.org

 Dr Peter Gardner

Chartered Educational Psychologist