News

A LEADING housing and care specialist has launched its annual search to find the brightest and best new innovations to help those with disabilities.

The Blackwood Design Awards seek to celebrate the brilliant new designs, technologies and adaptations which help people with disabilities to live life to the full.

The Awards are open to both seasoned professionals and gifted amateurs, meaning that both technologically advanced and those simpler, yet often most successful designs, are equally welcome.

Past entries include a design for a wheelchair that allows users to control its direction with their eyes, as well as the ‘S’up Spoon’, which enables people with shaky hands to eat more easily.

Motability customers in Stafford can be sure of receiving award-winning customer service when they visit local dealer W R Davies Toyota, who have won a regional award for their work with the Motability Car Scheme. The accolade is part of a programme of awards, launched last year by Motability Operations, to recognise and reward outstanding customer service provided by local Motability dealerships.

Seventeen-year-old Angel Dancy-Brock has seen her confidence blossom thanks to an Accessibility Mark riding school.

Angel has a visual impairment that means she only has approximately 25 percent vision in her left eye with no vision at all in her right eye. This causes Angel to feel unsettled and anxious in unfamiliar surroundings.

In addition to her visual impairment Angel also has a multitude of hormone deficiencies, which requires lots of medication, as well as Autistic Spectrum Disorder, meaning she needs constant supervision.

As a result of her complex conditions, Angel struggles with social interaction and can find it difficult to interpret people’s body language or feelings.

World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) has today confirmed its calendar of events for the first half of 2018.

Last year saw five competitive snooker events staged for people falling under up to 36 different disability profiles, a total which is set to be equalled within the first six months of 2018 alone.

With interest continuing to grow both within the UK and internationally, we will continue to provide tournaments for players with physical, learning and sensory disabilities.

Physical disabilities

People with physical disabilities, including wheelchair and ambulant players (Groups 1-5) will have opportunities to play at two new venues in 2018 as we head to Preston and Bruges for the first time.

A portable and stylish folding mobility scooter from the USA is set to get people moving after its unique design was awarded an innovation award.

Makers of the smart scooter promised to transform the lives of mobility users after the product was launched recently in Las Vegas.

RELYNC is the world’s first smart folding mobility scooter, and is designed to revolutionise the lives of users by providing the most portable, stylish and smart travel experience available to those with mobility needs.

Springing into fitness isn’t always easy but a care service is supporting one young man Ben with losing weight by helping him to improve his cooking skills and to do more exercise.

Ben Harling, 29, who has Down’s syndrome, is steadily losing the pounds and hopes to hit his target weight by next spring.

He lives at Manor Barn supported living service in Neston, Cheshire, which is run by the Regard Group – the UK’s fourth biggest private provider of supported living and specialist residential services for people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and acquired brain injury.

The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) broadly welcomes the Government’s ambition to see more disabled people in work, but is hugely disappointed that it has not taken the opportunity to explore tax reliefs and other changes to tax rules and practice that could help support more disabled people into work and help those already in work to stay in work.

The Government’s plan to transform disability employment over the next ten years was launched recently. Measures include widening ‘fit note’ certification, providing dedicated training for work coaches to support people with mental health conditions and reforming Statutory Sick Pay.1

AN AYRSHIRE man has shared how his life changed after being kitted out with an innovative, digitally enhanced care system.

Scott Robb, who has Cerebral Palsy, has been a tenant at Blackwood’s St Leonards development for 16 years and has seen his life become easier as a result of CleverCogs, being incorporated into his day-to-day life.

By tailoring each device to the customers’ individual needs and wants, it provides quick and easy access to all their interests. Whether it is football, music or history, it’s all available.

An internationally-recognised disability champion, who began his career at the University of Sunderland over 20 years ago, has been honoured.

Professor Tom Shakespeare has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science – the highest award the University can bestow – in recognition of his outstanding contribution to disability rights at the University’s annual Winter Graduation Ceremonies.

Professor Shakespeare was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and gained his MPhil from King’s College. His first teaching post was as a lecturer in sociology at the University of Sunderland.