In February 2010 I felt I had been discriminated against, as a disabled person, by Waterstones Book store. I was deeply hurt by what occurred that day and decided to use the Disability Discrimination Act. This is my story of that day and the events that proceeded it.


February 5th 2010 - The day it all started.

On Friday the 5th of February, 2010, I entered Waterstones to purchase a travel book at 19 Earl Street. I was accompanied by my personal assistant (PA/carer). The travel section was located on a split level with stair access. On asking a member of staff at the till how I could get up to that level, she directed me to 'the accessible entrance' around the outside of the building. [The building is on a slight hill].

On leaving the store I located the second entrance which had a large step [left]. I have Muscular Dystrophy and use an electric wheelchair due to limited limb movement. As such, I was unable to access this level. I sent my PA back into the shop to ask about a ramp for this step but she came back and told me there was no ramp.

On re-entering the store I spoke to the same member of staff who said that "other people manage".

How I felt


I was made to feel an inconvenience and bothersome customer which caused me great distress. I was also uncomfortable about having to express my frustration in-between the staff member serving other people. No attempt was made to find out if staff could have helped (e.g. locating a book from that level for me etc). I said I had rights under the Disability Discrimination Act and wanted to speak with the manager. She replied that she didn't know anything about the DDA and that there was no one I could speak to. I repeated that I wanted to see someone and she said there was no ramp because of the building being listed.

I felt she was not listening to me and treating me with the respect that other customers would receive. I was then told the manager was in and on an upper floor. Feeling deceived and insulted I went upstairs and a helpful member of staff called to see where the manager was (in another branch) and offered me his e-mail address.

February 9th 2010 - Next steps.

I phoned the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and a very helpful person went through the questions to see if I had a case for discrimination. Once he knew that I met the requirements (i.e. was disabled by the definition of the DDA) he gave me my case number and advice to start down the route that is usual. This meant clearly explaining what had happened to the manager and seeking a response to a template list of questions provided by the EHRC within 14 days, recorded delivery.

February 13th 2010

My letter was confirmed to have been received by the assistant manager who said that he had passed my letter to their DDA expert which should enable a portable ramp.

February 18th 2010

The manager confirms sight of my letter and writes to me. [Click here to see letter 1]

Step 2 - Raise it up a notch

The letter, I felt, did not answer the questions so I politely thanked them for responding and said that I look forward to finding out the further details on the type of disability equality training staff received, whether it is reviewed for effectiveness etc. I suspected it was just a passing mention on a generic equality course which is why staff were unable to offer me an appropriate service. I wanted to find out more including what the results of their last DDA review were and why this had not identified the possibilities of a ramp. I explained I wanted to be confident that this would not happen to another customer.

April 8th 2010 - no further response so I moved to official proceedings.

I phoned the EHRC and they sent me the paper work for the next step.

April 9th - I served documents to Waterstones 'Questions Procedure'

Using the Questions Procedure can help a disabled person:

• decide whether or not to bring legal proceedings in the county court in England and Wales, or sheriff court in Scotland; and 

• present his or her complaint to the court in the most effective way.

A question in a questionnaire and any reply by a defendant is admissible in evidence in court if the claimant’s questionnaire is ‘served on’ (sent to) the defendant.

April 15th

I receive a letter from the manager. He said

"Waterstones as a company has undertaken a  full survey of all of its branches to ascertain how they meet the needs of its disabled customers. It has a list of work to be done, with those branches with the most shopfloor space that is inaccessible at the top of the list. The Earl Street Branch in Maidstone is some way down the list, with approximately 10% of space inaccessible. Waterstones as a Company is committed to acting on as soon as possible as many of these issues as it can,  given the current financial situation of the Company
 
We have decided as a Branch not to wait, and to act straight away to change the situation.Your experience has prompted us to review the use of the back of our Ground Floor as a sales area. As a result of this review we have decided no longer to use this as a shopfloor area and to close it off, relocating those sections to other more accessible parts of the Branch. We are looking to do this work in June 2010."

This very cleverly dodged the key question in the papers that were served where they can declare that they did indeed act unlawfully (or they can say they didn't and explain why it was lawful).

I didn't really want to go to court - I just wanted them to hold their hands up and say 'what we did was unlawful, discriminatory and we apologise'. I hadn't had this part of my question answered.

April 26th - Seeking the answers to the papers that were served.

I e-mailed to remind them they had not answered the specific question form the questionnaire. Did they agree they had failed to make reasonable adjustment and provided a service in a worse manner because I was a disabled person? Had they failed to train their staff adequately?

I started making enquiries about legal action - it could cost me over £1000 to get a judge to make them respond and it didn't look hopeful I would be entitled to legal aid type support.

June 4th 2010 - I received an e-mail to say their response was in the post - the papers came back, completed, on the day of the 8 week response deadline.

They agreed with my statement of what happened and how they discriminated against me by failing in a range of different ways. I had what I wanted and the alterations to the building were due to start a few weeks ago.

So, sword or poking stick.... well, it got a result but I can't go through that every time I am discriminated against just to get someone to change. No disabled person wants to relive the distress and hurt that it causes for the duration of a complaint that could last months or even years.

There are still thousands of stores, of all kinds, who won't make reasonable adjustments until they receive a complaint. Even things which are relatively cheap and quick to action - like the portable ramp and a friendly member of staff who had been trained in disability equality AND the DDA. Training is not just a few hours on 'how to communicate' and a top ten crib sheet about dealing with customers who have impairments (which is what this member of staff got). Attitude is a huge thing and just good old customer service! Smiles are free for example.

So all in all - it gave them a poke but it is not the mighty sword that will get Waterstones thinking about all their other stores on a 'waiting list' for action.

I certainly will never shop there again and I will share my story with others so they can decide where they buy their next book from.

Tags:attitudes | business | DDA | disability | discrimination | respect | waterstones | books

Today it was brought to my attention via Twitter that there was a review of a company who is selling an iPhone App to tell people with Alzheimers what apps they should use - 'for their health care needs'.

The company has a web site called Healthful Apps.

Basically, they are Apps that you pay for which list other 'useful Apps' and review them (with user reviews invited).

It's Medical Model in that their site appsforall.net tells carers about Apps so that they can improve the quality of life for those who they care about and for.

Now I appreciate that some people with Alzheimer's may not be able to choose Apps and most of the software is used as 'tools' by care works and therapeutic staff - so aiming the App at health and social care workers may be appropriate.

However, they also make Apps for other people and this is where I felt uneasy.

Apps become an act of charity

I am sure that most people on dialysis can choose for themselves which Apps they might find useful - but here you will find one 'for them' called 'Dialysis Apps. It promises to be a 'gift' for those in dialysis and expresses how dialysis is a gruelling experience. Clearly it plays on the tragedy and charity model where disabled people are portrayed as pityful, needy and dependent on the 'gifts' bestowed upon them by the caring none-disabled members of society.

I was not Appy to say the least

Not only is the language quite sickening and disempowering but I had to ask myself is this another sign of cashing in on impairment? Granted it's only a couple of dollars (some individual ones for the equivalent of 59p) but there are lot's of review sites where you can find reviews for free and chat about them on disability forums etc as many people indeed do. Let's not forget the actual Apple App Store review and search functions where quite a lot of disabled people post a review from their own perspective.

The Alzheimer's App talks about Apps to calm and lift the spirit and another on Apps that improve memory.

I have heard of many people using Apps in this way and reaping the benefits - what I dislike is that these just sound so commercial. They are devoid of social model thinking, user engagement/input, empowerment etc and are clearly aimed at giving carers control of Apps they think disabled people should be using.

It gets worse

The Autism App claims to be relevant for people with Down's Syndrome, MS and Traumatic Brain Injury - just to lump people together and maximise profits.

This is cashing in on impairment at it's worse.

Tags:gadgets | iPhone | apps | Daily living | disabled | disability equality

When is an accessible Premier Inn not an accessible Premier Inn?

Answer: When you phone and talk to staff at Poole North about accessible rooms.

I don’t normally question the accessibility of rooms in these types of places. However, having stayed at so many either for short breaks, work or visiting family, I know that no two are the same.

Sometimes it is a subtle difference or a difference that determines my personal level of access (like not needing to take so much disability equipment if I can transfer to the loo on one particular side).

Something made me query the sink (in which I would be washing hair and so on) as to whether it was built into a wall, built into a unit or was free standing to get underneath and up close from my wheelchair.

My husband called first and the person on the desk said they were built in... followed by ‘oh no, I don’t think so in the disabled rooms’. The moment the person gave me reason to doubt, prompted a second phone call the next day for a second opinion. This person also didn’t fill me with confidence.

Staff couldn’t provide a photo of the bathroom which would have cleared up the query once and for all so I had to enlist my brother, who was in that area this week, to visit and take a look himself (and take some photos). Of course, it was good of staff to let him do that but what would have been much easier is to see a picture of the rooms and layout. A cheap and easy solution that would have meant minimum inconvenience for all concerned and increased their standard of customer care.

Just having ‘accessible rooms’ is really not enough because different layouts pose different barriers for different people and a picture could really help resolve a customer’s query.

I believe photographs of accessible rooms, holiday cottages etc should be a minimum part of any disability standard because disabled people don’t always fit the ’accessibility standard’ box.

Tags:DDA | access | disabled | tourism | travel

My Zoo provides casual gamers with insight into disability equality.

My Zoo is a casual game from Eyrewood Studios for the Facebook platform. With 659,924 monthly users and a portion of profits donated to wildlife charities it’s something that is appealing to all age groups across the globe.

The game is based around creating a zoo through buying land, staff, enclosures and of course the animals themselves. Players can choose to breed endangered animals and make improvements to their zoo to keep visitors coming back and increasing profits.

A little while ago I approached Scott Carney from Eyrewood Studios and asked if some disability equality features could be added to improve the ‘visitor’ experience. After some suggestions around the types of features and language, I was delighted to see that equality has become part of the game experience and players now have to build in disability features to progress in the game.

As a way of making equality mainstream, building equality into gaming is a fantastic way to engage with people. I have approached other companies on similar issues but they have so far declined to include disability equality features into their games.



So far, features include:

• Disabled facilities to increase guest satisfaction

(Text reads “Accessible restrooms, surface improvements, easy-to-read signs and wheelchair/scooter ramps yield more visitors and higher satisfaction.")


• Employee Training (which requires the disabled facilities upgrade)

(Text reads “Customer service and equality training improves interactions between employees and with visitors.)

Future plans include stroller and wheelchair rentals and a zoo train to improve getting around the zoo.

Scott said, “I'm really glad that you contacted me and brought this important aspect of building a public facility to my attention. It wouldn't have occurred to me on my own and I think it's a great addition to our simulation. Because of the limited scope of facebook applications, I wasn't able to incorporate all of your suggestions, but I was happy to add as many as I could. Feedback was very positive when the items showed up.”

Tags:business | access | facebook | casual games

It’s blogging against disablism day and here is my round up of top gadgets and innovative products that, in my opinion, are not to be missed.

Just the other day I was Oooo-ing at an iPhone that a BSL interpreter had on one of my courses. Now there’s a phone that I can’t wait to get my hands on. But wait, I hear your cry. What about blind people - how are they going to manage in a world that is going touch screen? To which I replied, well actually... did you know that people with visual impairments CAN access a whole range of apple products with some interesting innovations and built in design

It’s true, technology can be life enhancing and access features for disabled people are at risk of being left out of the top ten things to include in new devices.

Being a total tech head I’m always on the lookout for the next gizmo and gadget that I can’t possibly live without - and many of them are offering life enhancing capabilities and good accessibility.

Innovation:

1) Lip-reading computers developed at the Unversity of East Anglia. Many disabled people lose their voices but retain lip movement so this would be perfect. Think of the business applications - especially when it can read several different languages. More about lip-reading computers

2) Phones. Other useful tech includes the ability to translate sign language to audio for mobile phones. If you have no vision then this concept case for the iPhone is interesting.

Moving on - you can now control your light switches from your iPhone! I have so many remotes for switching plugs and lights that to have one cool gadget as a universal control - now that’s progress.

So, my next one is home automation (environmental controls).

3) Home automation is now affordable outside of ‘special disabled equipment’ from the NHS. In my dream world, one command would open the curtains, bring the lights up from dim, set the radio going with soothing sounds whilst my coffee and breakfast was being made for me in the kitchen by yet more fab gadgetry. Oh wait, actually I suppose I do have this in the form of a PA... hmmm.

4) Brain waves for blogging and tweeting. Yes if you can’t move a muscle then use your noggin to keep up with your bloggin (I always knew I was a poet???) and use of Twitter (if you don’t mind wearing a mad cap full of electrodes - hey I’d try it).

5) Brain waves for controlling wheelchairs. Yes working prototypes are available. You programme your chair to move left or right according to thinking about a particular object. What happens when you’re weaving about the newsagents thinking Left Left Left and your distracted by a top shelf magazine I don’t know - perhaps you start spinning round or something!

6) Gadget web-sites - I’ve found many a useful invention on these sites.

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com

is my favourite one but there are lots on the web - go and see if you can find something that could change your life!

Tags:disabled | independent living | gadgets

Yesterday, the Royal Bank of Scotland had to pay the highest compensation payout of its kind to a 17 year old wheelchair user.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission took on the case when the person had been unable to gain access to the bank in Sheffield.

The bank were ordered to install a lift for wheelchair users and the man was awarded £6,500 for embarrassing treatment.

----

I went to a HSBC bank once (only one that was near to me) and couldn’t get in because of a step. I eventually got a member of staff to do my transaction outside, on the pavement in the pouring rain and freezing cold. My case was virtually identical to this one.

This is our reality.
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Tags:DDA | access | rights

New web standards have been issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) with regards to access for disabled people.

This is WCAG 2.0 and applies to all web content (text, images, sound, video etc).

(Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)

There is also standard BS 8878 - a British draft standard on process.

What does this mean to my business?

Firstly all businesses (including voluntary organisations) must ensure their web-site is accessible to people with a range of different impairments including people with impairments which effect:

• Movement (alternatives include using a mouse, graphics tablet, switches (singe button, head control etc) and adjustments to keyboards).
• Ability to read e.g. someone with dyslexia, learning difficulty or visual impairments.
• Hearing and vision (alternatives include design changes, subtitles/captions, audio description)
• Concentration or cognitive ability.

“These guidelines also make Web content more usable by older individuals with changing abilities due to aging and often improve usability for users in general.” [W3C:2008]


Any person who experiences difficulties using your website (to the level of functionality that is offered to those without impairments) may fall within the Disability Discrimination Act.

Failing to ensure accessibility is unlawful in the UK under the DDA.

What should I do?

You should ensure that you meet the British Standard on web accessibility:

http://drafts.bsigroup.com/

and international W3C standards on:

http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/

and the DDA.

Tags:disabled | discrimination | access | website

I was at one of the motorway brand hotels the other day, training, where a meal in their restaurant was included.

The tables were on an upper level via a platform lift.

The food was selected on the lower level with level access.

I was escorted by staff to the lift and they said they had already removed a seat for me just a few steps from the lift (which would probably have blocked in any other people using it).

So, they appeared to think that it was helpful to tell me exactly where in this empty restaurant I had to sit and with whom!

Then I realised, and so did the others on the table, that the food was chosen on the lower level.

I couldn’t be bothered to get back onto the lift and go down, so sent my PA to choose for me.

So.... although the staff member thought they were being really helpful, they had actually denied my right to choose where I sit and with whom (without the effort of moving and causing a bit of a fuss), and what I wanted to eat!

Correct method for me would have been:

1) Explain food is on the lower level - so would I like to choose first then select a seat from the upper level (or have a printed menu on the upper level so I could choose).

2) To ask where I wanted to sit and offer to remove that chair at the appropriate time or let my PA do it (or realise I had a PA and could sort myself out).

These are real life problems and solution you get to learn about on equality courses run by disabled people.

Tags:discrimination | wheelchair | business

As a freelance trainer, I have been doing some courses lately at the sorts of night stay hotels you see at motorway stops (without naming names....).

Anyway, about 1/2 of those I visit for the first time do the following.

I report to reception.

‘Hello, I have a group for training booked by [x] can you tell me which room I am in please]’.

they then either lead me into a foyer and say ‘sit here the trainer will be out soon’, or turn to my PA and proceed to introduce themselves as if she is the trainer.

So I thought, I will clearly introduce myself as the trainer next time I do a course.

Method 2

I then went to a company and on arrival about 45 mins before the course started, I said to the receptionist:

‘Hello, I’m here to do the training.....’
“Oh I think there is training in there, but I’m a bit concerned because the trainer hasn’t turned up yet’.

Ehm... let’s start that again, I thought.

“No, you don’t have to worry - I AM the trainer....”

“OOOOOH. Your the trainer... oh oh oh.”

This company also made a ten minute toilet trip a 30 minute one because my PA had to clear the corridor of material being stored, to open the WC door, and put it all back afterwards. So 0/10 for access.

Tags:disabled | attitudes

Insight: Work fit for all - disability, health and the experience of negative treatment in the British workplace.

This is the title of a new publication by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

You can download this EHRC document here.

It explains how Britain (compared to other countries) has large numbers of disabled people with proportionately fewer in employment.

Incapacity Benefit claims have doubled in the past 20 years and the Government wants to reverse this trend.

So why aren’t disabled people getting jobs?

Research shows that disabled people perceive themselves as being subject to negative treatment at work - it is the fear of discrimination.

On a personal level, I can understand that when you are discriminated against time and time again in many parts of your life - why should work be any different?

Is this perception accurate?

Well, those surveyed who had attempted work agreed that negative treatment at work was experience and that for many it had made them ill (and many developed long term illness).

Negative behaviours and attitudes were not just from managers or supervisors - but work colleagues and customers.

What did the figure show:

25.4% of disabled people experienced intimidating behavior compared to 13.4% of those with no impairment.

14.4% received hints and signals that they should quit their job with only 8.7% of those with no impairment.

37.3% experience being shouted at or someone losing their temper with them compared to 25.9% of those with no impairment.

Disabled people felt more threatened, treated in a rude way or insulted, subject to gossip and experienced more physical violence.

In fact, disabled people experienced

More information:

For people with:

• A learning difficulty, psychological or emotional condition, the likelihood of negative experiences at work was increased by 167 per cent
• ‘Other’ conditions, the likelihood was increased by 128 per cent
• ‘Physical’ conditions the likelihood was increased by 3 per cent.

In contrast, other important variables were:

• Sexuality - being gay increased negative behaviour by 55 per cent.

Multiple oppression is an important factor where a mental health survivor who is gay could experience extremely damaging effects of work and may well be healthier if they were unemployed - something the government is now forced to contemplate in its ‘work is good for you, your community and the economy’ approach.

Employers - more needs to be done within businesses to end discrimination.

Employers will be asked, under possible amendments to legislation, to prevent illl-treatment and harassment of disabled people in the work place and promote dignity and respect.

Tags:business | DDA | employment | disabled | discrimination

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

I work with many people who are influential in the lives of disabled people. Many of them will influence health and social care - either as policy or decision makers, assessors or advisors.

Every UK citizen will also make decisions which affect the lives of disabled and older people. Through our democratic voting - we are choosing who we want to influence our future and the way they will do it.

It is perhaps wise for us all to think that one day, older age or impairment may well creep in. Have we chosen our future wisely or will we regret what we have done or failed to do?

Disability and Employment
“For the first time, this year’s Employer CD-ROM includes information on disability and employment.
Employing disabled people can help you to:

• attract and keep skilled staff
• make your workforce more representative of the community it serves
• avoid undervaluing, under-using or losing skilled staff
• avoid the costs and uncertainties of recruiting someone new
• improve staff morale and productivity
• develop good practice
• help avoid claims of unlawful disability discrimination.”

SOURCE: HMRC Employer’s Bulliten 29 issued April 2008
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/employers-bulletin/bulletin29/disability-employment.htm

Tags:DDA | business

BBC Radio 4's Money Box was broadcast on Saturday, 5 April 2008 at 1204 BST.
In the programme the lack of alternative formats was addressed. This was in relation to American Express offering bank statements in PDF formats that were not coded for visually impaired people to read via their screen readers. The issue has still not been fixed and is causing difficulties for the many people who use screen readers (Blind and visually impaired people, those with reading impairments who listen to the spoke word and people with learning difficulties who may also find it easier hearing items rather than reading them.
This is unlawful under the DDA and American Express apologized to the BBC stating that they are working to fix the problem that began last December.

Tags:alternative formats | access | DDA | disabled | discrimination | visually impaired

I am currently about a month into a post graduate course as a disability practitioner/consultant and trainer. Disabled students can apply for a grant/allowance that covers disability related costs which can pose a financial barrier to education.

To get the grant you have to have an assessment and confirmation that you have an impairment e.g. GP letter etc. My consultant once again confirmed that no miracle had occurred since the last two times I had this grant to study and all that remained was the assessment.

I spent quite a few hours with an understanding person trying to make sure I was applying for all the right personal assistance and equipment I would need to complete the course on an equal footing with a none disabled person. Much emphasis was placed on how I use electronic formats e.g. e-mail and web forums for communication, notes from a laptop I also hope to get, I read journals on-line and can't write much more than a few words.

Now, due to difficulties in holding books and papers (and looking down to read the things which effects my neck) I have documents I can read on a computer screen - nothing special, just word or pdf documents sent via e-mail.

My assessor wrote all this down and what happened next.....

he sent a several page report on my access needs - in print copy only.

This is typical - and the fee for this person to write that report is deducted from my grant!!

Tags:alternative formats | disabled | education | access

What are my chances of getting a contract?

Did you know that 1 in 5 people are disabled - but only half of disabled people (of working age) are in employment?

Many have the right qualifications but are never asked to an interview.

80% of non disabled people (of working age) are in employment earning more than their disabled peers.

It is highly likely, that in the course of my business, people, given the choice, will choose a non-disabled service provider because of prejudices and discrimination in the UK.

This is my reality.

Tags:wheelchair | discrimination | business | disabled | woman | independent living | work | employment

Today I enquired about my insurance. I was sent a pdf format which was not alterable. On asking for an alternative version I could type into, I was told they didn't have one.

The suggestion was to reference a typed document (that I was to type) to part of the form, print, sign and send both. This made it quite difficult so I had to resort to cutting and pasting each paragraph from the pdf into a word type document.

All the formatting was lost and I spent a long time making it look readable and then printing out two lots of a rather long document and wasting yet more paper and ink.

Why people need electronic formats (just a few examples):

1) You can change the font size and type e.g. in Word if you need larger or smaller print.
2) You can change the colour and background to make reading easier.
3) You can have a text to speech program read out your document or use speech to text to write on a form.
4) It is ideal for someone who can't write and needs to type out information for a form.
5) It is ideal for someone who can't use their arms / fingers or look downwards to read a document on their screen.

I personally find looking down at paper, holding it and writing with a pen difficult to impossible.

Electronic formats should be common practise and especially in large businesses like a major insurance company.

Tags:business | alternative formats

I had the potential for a rather large contract in Inner London. I was after some business advice and eventually got through to Maidstone Chamber of Commerce. I spoke to a very helpful person (who seemed to think I did building access audits when I said 'Disability Equality' ). He quickly made an appointment for me to see firstly himself (to talk about the Chamber) and secondly to speak to a business advisor. I asked about wheelchair access and I was told I could get in fine.

It was a miserable, rainy day and I managed to get parking in a public car park across the road.

It would have been a bit more pleasant if the helpful chap had told me there was parking right outside the door. Still, my PA opened the door and we took a seat.

The chap I was seeing was on the phone and the second chap looked thoughtful as he gazed up at us from across the room.

Eventually he came over. By that, I mean he got up, walked straight past me and over to my PA.

"You must be Louise", he said.
"No, Louise is over there", came the reply from my PA.
"Oh", said the man looking confused as he spun round to look at me.

Great, I thought, I was very offended. Given the option of two people - one of whom was going to be the customer looking for business advice - the man chose to rule me out.

Eventually I had my first appointment - amidst a conversation opener that went along the lines of:

"How often do you have to charge it? Does it go far?"
"Oh my wheelchair, no it depends how far I have been."
"You could charge it up with the socket over there if you need to."

I wanted to go down the lines of 'that's not really appropriate' as a way to greet a wheelchair user. The reality was he probably did not know any better and just served to prove how much Equality Training is needed.

Would you go up to a customer and open the conversation with ' how far can you walk in a day without getting tired... have you walked far today.... you can take a rest over there...'?

So many people start off a conversation like that, where there is simply no need.

Wheels are an equivalent of legs. They get you from A to B. My wheelchair is a part of me - part of my body. If you wouldn't comment on someone's legs - then please don't comment on my wheels.

Tags:business

To understand this post you may need the key or glossary on the right.


Dragon's Den

How many business woman have to go through a 'business viability' check and 1:1 interview before they can do anything. I can not work without physical assistance. I have very little movement in my head and limbs. I had to endure a 1:1 interview and put my case forward as to why A2W should fund my personal assistance.

I had to disclose financial details such as how much I planned on spending on christmas presents, how much I spent on social gatherings, mortgage, utilities, magazine subscriptions, food..... and I was told 'to be honest'. The interviewer scanned her eyes around my home, where the interview took place, looking for signs that I had more or less money than I had disclosed. I had to prove that myself and my husband were living within our means and didn't have a 4 foot plasma screen TV hidden in the corner!
We went over everything from number of Degrees I held through to my marketing and financial strategies.

It took a good few hours. She would then go away and I would get the results in the post - if they said yes I could continue setting up in business. If they said no, then I would have to privately fund my assistance of over £700 a week or give up self employment.

In the meantime they would pay me £11 an hour for personal assistance up until the last day of October.

October came....

No letter, I have also filed out about 20 pages of two application forms to the ILF. I have both the ILF and Social Services on standby to provide financial assistance should A2W decide not to fund.

I have spent over a week filling out forms to organise my personal assistance.
I went on holiday for 1 week.
Postal strikes and IT failure plagued my efforts.

I had spent the last three months doing business set-up, mailshots, advertising, networking etc. I almost had three contracts - then they fell through. Time was pushing on ... still no reply. I wondered if all my hard work had been for nothing... what if they didn't fund. My business would be over before it had started.

The pressure was immense.

I am told I can not use ILF or DPs for work purposes. If this fails I will not be able to work.

I feel demotivated - will my hard work be for nothing. It is an ugly black cloud over my head.

It was a few days to go until the end of October, I contacted A2W to ask what they had decided.
They said the letter was 'lost in the post'. I was e-mailed a copy. It stated I had a viable business plan. I was asked how many contracts I had. I had none - and I hadn't been expecting an income until my marketing strategy kicked in. I had been given three months to secure substantial contracts - just three months. I am not told how 'substantial' these should be.

I didn't get the funding. Officially I am not working but doing 'meaningful activities'. The alternative is I go to a day centre with large numbers of other disabled people who could work given half the chance.
Once there I could make baskets and play scrabble or have a sing-a-long.
I would cost the tax payer a lot of money and go mad. It is no place for a person with two degrees and a desire to work.

I would find it almost impossible to work for anyone but myself because of the flexibility and home working base that I would need - not many people offer work that is flexible enough.

I will not be giving up on my business just yet though.

It was August 2007. I wasn't comfortable working for Social Services amidst some radical changes in the structure of staff and services. My post was coming to an end so I decided to hand in my notice and return to doing Training and Consultancy.

As I set up my business, I was once again plunged into a bubbling cauldron of inequality and discrimination as a business woman and disabled person.

My aim was simple. I was going to offer services that would support the Disability Equality agenda and Independent Living.

This would involve courses around Independent Living and Disability Equality , consultancy and web-services.

It was something I had done before so decided on a re-launch. And so my new enterprise 'Information for Independence' was born.

This blog is about the ups and downs of the 'disability' issues effecting my life and my business.

Equality matters - it matters to me and it effects everyone.... even you.

Tags:business

Last month I received a phone call from another consultant who had entered into a training contract with a local authority and felt they needed help delivering a course on Independent Living and Direct Payments.

I had worked at events with this person before and they wanted my knowledge and presentation skills to deliver parts of the course.

As a co-trainer I was offered less than minimum wage. I declined this insulting and tokenistic offer.

It is common for a 'wheel 'em in, wheel 'em approach by so called Disability Consultants because it looks good having a disabled person present. This is wrong but unfortunately not uncommon. If disabled people are being consulted then their knowledge and contribution should be valued and payment provided on an equal par to a none-disabled consultant who is an expert in a particular field.

Tags:business