Airport assistance

Hello Readers,


It has been a month since the release of  the C.A.A(Civil Aviation Authority) guide to improve assistance for hidden disabilities and with the recent news story of the Paraplegic Man dragging himself through Luton Airport. It is time to ask the question of whether the current airport assistance is good or bad and what can be done to improve the assistance given at airports.


Firstly lets talk about what happened at Luton Airport. A paraplegic man named Justin Levene arrived at Luton airport where his self propelling wheelchair was left. He decided to propel himself across the floor. He was offered assistance but the assistance offered didn't accounted for Justin's right to be assisted unaided and to be able travel independently. Now Justin is currently suing Luton airport for failing to provide adequate assistance. This story leads to me questioning why he was not offered a self propelled wheelchair? was it due to a prejudged notion that disabled people can't be independent that disabled people have to act or look a certain way? after searching for news articles about this I have found some articles which have a similar theme.

While it is great that airports are taking steps to take hidden disabilities seriously however there is still an idea of what a disabled person looks like for example here are some summaries from articles that show what I mean.

Take this article written November 12 from the metro (link to article below) which is about a woman called Hana Islam who is registered as partially sighted and has a condition called Stargardt's disease but due to her interests in fashion and makeup she is able to expertly apply makeup and dress glamorously but according to the article she is often questioned about her appearance with the common misconception that she does not look disabled.

Another article dated January this year about a woman called Nathalie Allport-Grantham who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (a tissue disorder that causes chronic pain)Marfan syndrome which also causes chronic pain and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (which causes dizziness and fainting from standing too long) meaning she has to partially use a wheelchair was talking to a staff member was told that she was wasting the staff members time and that the staff member was waiting for someone who can't walk. As it turned out that staff member had been the booked assistance she was looking for but was refused help from that staff member because she didn't fit that staff member's idea of an disabled person.

To conclude with providing a further question. Why does the assistance seem to fail from travelling through London? has London become a place where despite being a capital city with people constantly travelling through day in and day out and people constantly asking for assistance that the only way to get assistance is to look a certain way?

Links to articles:
Metro Article
https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/12/woman-told-shes-too-good-looking-to-be-disabled-8132183/

CAA Guide
http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?appid=11&mode=detail&id=8717

Independent Article
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/disabled-woman-stansted-airport-refuse-help-ryanair-nathalie-allport-grantham-a8138051.html

Luton Airport Article 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45765767

Restarting the blog

Hello Readers,

I have decided to restart my blog which has been inactive for nearly 6 years (well 5 years 11 months and 17 days since my last post to be specific).

So why the long delay?
Well the delay started as I was restructuring the business and moving office which took a lot of my time up so I couldn't regularly update and then the blog just faded into obscurity from there.
Now that I am able to update the blog now I will be trying to stick to a regular posting schedule.

And with that being said I think I will end the post here. I know that this post is a bit of short one I will hopefully have a topic for discussion in the next week or so look out for that post.

Regards,
Danny Puresh

THE DISABILITY MOVEMENT CALLS FOR SOCIAL INVESTMENTS TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES FROM THE CRISIS

THE DISABILITY MOVEMENT CALLS FOR SOCIAL INVESTMENTS TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES FROM THE CRISIS 

 

Cyprus, 18 November 2012 /// On 17-18 November 2012, the European disability movement gathered at Ayia Napa, Cyprus, for EDF’s Board meeting thanks to the support of Cyprus EU Presidency. Representatives of its member organisations all around Europe, as well as representatives of the Cyprus Republic and the European Parliament discussed the steps to be taken towards a more inclusive and accessible Europe. During the meeting, EDF adopted a Statement on the crisis in view of the upcoming European Council on 22-23 November 2012.

 

WE WANT EU MONEY INVESTED ON ACCESSIBILITY & SOCIAL INCLUSION

Acknowledging that persons with disabilities and their families have been hit disproportionately hard by the crisis leading to the worsening of their living conditions and endangering their social rights, during its Board meeting in Cyprus, EDF adopted a Statement on the crisis calling for social investments to protect and respect the rights of persons with disabilities. The Statement will be sent to the European Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Central Bank and all the heads of State and Government in view of the upcoming European Council on 22-23 November 2012.

Read more at:-  http://www.edf-feph.org/Page_Generale.asp?DocID=13855&thebloc=31409

Paralympic Fact - Did you know....

Team GB won ....................................

Pralympic Fact - Did you know....

London 2012 will be the most compact Games ever. Around half of the 20 sports will be held in the Olympic Park and the majority of the remainder in the River Zone. These two zones are just 15 minutes apart.

The River Zone features five venues in the Thames Gateway area which straddle the River Thames. They are: North Greenwich Arena 1, Greenwich Park, North Greenwich Arena 2, ExCeL and the Royal Artillery Barracks.

Events held outside these two zones include Paralympic Rowing (which is being held at Eton Dorney, 25 miles west of London), Paralympic Sailing which is at Weymouth and Portland and Paralympic Road Cycling which will be held in central London.

London 2012 will be the most accessible Games ever for athletes and spectators. Train platforms have been widened, buses will be low-floored and are wheelchair accessible and all river piers have ramps.

More than 8,250 London buses have been fitted with the new iBus system an automatic radio and on bus passenger display announcement system which helps the visually and hearing impaired and those unfamiliar with London.

Paralympic Fact - Did you know.....

Tanni Grey-Thompson and David Roberts are Britain’s most successful Paralympians. Both have won 11 gold medals each. Grey-Thompson won hers on the track and Roberts in the pool.

Swimmer Chris Holmes won nine gold medals including six in one Games (Barcelona 1992), the largest medal haul at a single Paralympic Games by a British Paralympian ever.

Quote of the Week

"You can't base your life on other people's expectations".

Stevie Wonder, Musician

Paralympic Fact - Did you know......

In the last three Paralympic Games (Beijing 2008, Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000) Paralympics GB has never finished lower than second in the medal table.

 Beijing 2008 was the most successful Paralympic Games ever for Paralympics GB with a final tally of 42 gold medals.

More than half, 58 per cent, of the British Paralympic team in Beijing in 2008 were at their first Games making London 2012 a fantastic prospect for more medals.

Quote of the Week

"People get so caught up in trying to fix the person that they don't see the great diversity and benefits that the person has to bring to the rest of the world".

Alison Seylor, Mother of Alex who has autism

Paralympic Fact - Did you know.....

The classification of athletes based on their disabilities is key to the Paralympic Games. In each event athletes are classified by officials appointed by the international federation for their particular sport.

The classification system works in the same way as different weight categories for boxing, and is in place to ensure fair competition in events from athletes with different abilities.

In athletics there are five main groups of classes:

* Classes 11, 12 and 13 cover the different levels of visual impairment.

* Class 20 covers athletes with a learning disability.

* Classes 32-38 cover athletes with different levels of cerebral palsy - both wheelchair users (32-34) and those who are ambulant/do not use wheelchairs (35-38).

* Classes 40-46 cover ambulant athletes with different levels of amputations and other impairments, including les Autres – the term for a range of conditions, such as dwarfism, which result in locomotive disorders.

* Classes 51-58 cover athletes with different levels of spinal injuries and amputations who compete in wheelchairs

Quote of the Week

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see".

Mark Twain, Writer.

Paralympic Fact - Did you know......

The 2012 Summer Games feature events in 20 sports, 16 of which are also Olympic sports: Archery, Athletics (Track and Field), Wheelchair Basketball, Cycling, Equestrian, Wheelchair Fencing, soccer 5-a-side, soccer 7-a-side, Judo, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Wheelchair Tennis, Volleyball, and Rowing. The other four are Boccia, Goalball, Powerlifting, and Wheelchair Rugby.

Quote of the Week

"One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered".  

Michael J. Fox, Actor

Paralympic Fact - Did you know...........

The first Paralympic Games took place in Rome, a week after the 1960 Summer Olympic Games were held there.

400 athletes with spinal cord injuries from 23 countries competed in eight sports, including snooker, fencing, field events, basketball, swimming, table tennis, archery, and the pentathlon.

In 1964, they were again held in the same venue as the Olympics, in Tokyo.

In 1968, Mexico City (home of that year's Olympics) declined to host the Paralympics, so they moved to Tel Aviv instead.

From then until 1988, the Paralympics continued to be held in locations other than the Olympics.

The 1972 Paralympics included the first competition for quadraplegics, and demonstration events for the visually impaired.

In 1976, the visually impaired, amputees, and "les autres"—a catchall term embracing many sorts of motor disabilities—were fully included for the first time.

1976 also brought the first Paralympic Winter Games, featuring events in Alpine and Nordic skiing for visually impaired athletes and amputees.

Paralympic Athlete Highlight

Simon Munn was introduced to Wheelchair Basketball shortly after a train accident which resulted in the loss of his leg. He immediately feel in love with the game and began competing in 1991.

To date, he has represented Great Britain in five Paralympics winning Bronze in Beijing, Bronze in Athens and Silver in Atlanta as well as numerous European and World Championship accolades.

Over more than two decades of playing Wheelchair Basketball Simon has played for a number of clubs including Super League Club MK Aces, Tameside Owls and London Club Capital City.

Simon has already announced that this will be his last Paralympics before retiring and his intention is to go out on a high – a Gold medal in his hand.

Quote of the Week

"Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn't mean he lacks vision".

StevieWonder, Muscian

Paralympic Fact - Did you know......

The story of the Paralympics began with Dr. Ludwig Guttman of Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England.

In 1944, he began using sports as a form of recreation and physical therapy for veterans of World War II with spinal cord injuries.

In 1948, on the day that the Olympic Summer Games opened in London, he organized the Stoke Mandeville Games, a competition for wheelchair athletes. This became an annual event, and, in 1952, it achieved international standing, as athletes from the Netherlands joined the competition.

This competition—now known as the World Wheelchair Games—is still held annually, except in years with Paralympic Summer Games.

Paralympic Athlete Highlight

Ben Quilter (Great Britain)

Sport: Judo

Paralympian Ben Quilter boasts an impressive Judo career – a sport he started as a seven year old. Undeterred when he began to lose his sight at 10 years of age, because of the degenerative condition Stargardt's Disease, he continued within the sport he loves.

Ben missed out on selection for the Athens Games but was selected for the 2008 Beijing Games, where he finished fifth.

He has continued to progress and won the world title in 2010 and added the 2011 European title to his tally.

Ben Quilter comes to the London Paralympic Games 2012 as the world number one and World and European champion in his -60kg category.

Quote of the Week

We know that equality of individual ability has never existed and never will, but we do insist that equality of opportunity still must be sought.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Paralympic Facts - Did you know.............

The name "Paralympics" comes from the Greek prefix "para-" (in this context, "beside" or "alongside") and "Olympics." "Parallel Olympics" approximates the intended meaning.

It has nothing to do with "paralysis" or "paraplegia."

Its motto was "Mind, Body, Spirit" from 1994 through 2003, and is now "Spirit in Motion."