The Hillsborough Disaster

On 15th April 1989, an FA Cup Semi-Final being held at Hillsborough, home to Sheffield Wednesday, between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was abandoned six minutes into the first half. What is now known as the Hillsborough Disaster resulted in the deaths of 96 football fans and it remains one of the worse stadium-related disasters in Britain.

Today, marking the 20th anniversary, the fans of all sides will gather at Anfield to pay their respects and at 3.06 pm there will be a two minute silence in remembrance of this tragic event.

As a football fan myself, I too will be thinking of this tradegy.

Today we have to remember that football is fairly insignificant in life but it can produce events that stay with us our whole lives. My thoughts, as I am sure those of every football fan in the country, go out to Liverpool today - the club, the players past and present, the fans and most importantly those families who had their lives ripped apart by a simple game of football.

I have been accepted on to The London Football Association Equality Advisory Group.

Good News!

I am a Director and Senior Disability Equality Consultant in a Cheam-based disability equality practice, DP Consulting and I have just been appointed a member and an ambassador for the London Football Association Equality Advisory Group.

I set up DP Consulting (Disability Equality Services) Ltd with a view to increasing the inclusion of disabled people in mainstream activities, so this latest appointment is very much in keeping with my core values and my desire to see disabled people play a greater role in society on an equal footing with their non-disabled counterparts.

In addition to my work at DP Consulting – whose main disability equality services include access auditing and mystery shopping – I will now have a say in how the County Football Association plans to deliver equality in London.

As a Disability Equality Consultant and an avid football fan, I am delighted and honoured to be a part of the London Football Association Equality Advisory Group.

The Disability Equality Duty - does it work? (Part 2)

Well done – London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
As you may recall from reading my previous blogs I am a Fulham football club fan (we are possibly the best team in the world) and usually after a football game, my friends and I would go out for a meal.
In the past, there have not been many accessible places to eat around the Fulham area. Although its quite a walk, we went to the new development at Chelsea village, I went there about a year ago and came across the usual barriers which prolong my journey quite significantly such as, “dropped kerbs”. By this, I mean, dropped kerbs that are no help to anyone, they should be flush with the road surface and not have a small step as large numbers of there dropped do.
Last week, I went along the same route which goes along Fulham road towards the New Kings road, practically the whole route had been re-paved incorporating proper dropped kerbs. which was a big surprise to me and in comparison to the last blog entry about the disability equality duty - this is a good example of when it does work.

Hotel Refusal

I am going to see the football in October (West Bromwich Albion versus Fulham - with a Fulham win of course) and need to stay overnight in Birmingham City Centre. After sourcing a hotel to stay in - the Radisson - which is accessible and fitted my access requirements perfectly, I contacted the Reservations Department. My access requirement was for a wheelchair accessible room with a connecting room for my personal assistant to stay in (his snoring is the worse but don't tell him I told you). This connecting room should be complimentary, so as a disabled person, I do not need to pay any more than anyone else as per the needs of my condition i.e. having a personal assistant. I believe there was a case under the Disability Discrimination Act about two or three years ago which clarified the situation that the hotel must only charge for one room in these circumstances - the original claim was made against Intercontintental Hotels for a stay in an Express by Holiday Inn. I emailed the Radisson on Monday to make the request which they have refused. Now I have emailed them again but this time I have sited the DDA case and I am currently awaiting their reply.

It should be done as best practice in the original enquiry and it should not be necessary for someone to quote the law every time they want the same service that should be afforded to anyone.