kids in wheelchairs NOT welcome

[salsmum]

I AM SICK TO DEATH OF LOCAL ORGANISATIONS/CHARITIES EXCLUDING KIDS WHO CANNOT WALK.
Many local organisations in my area [kent]run a few days out here n there during the hols, I know these organisations [toy libraries etc]cannot blatently say NO WHEELCHAIR USERS because that would make them liable.
Instead they send transport on the day with no taillift so wheelchair kids [my daughter] can't even get on the bus/coach then they go to places that wheelchairs cant even get around i.e. Broadstairs with narrow pavements,hills narrower roads and not much else! i've had comments like she can sit on the beach BUT HOW THE FCUK DOES SHE GET ON BEACH IN ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR? the sea is too cold because c.p. kids get colder quicker. What 18 year old wants to sit on beach ALL day in a chair anyway? .
When i look at the local newsletters i see that the majority of the funding for the groups is going to kids with ADHD/AUTISM/AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISSORDERS unfortunatly the physically disabled kids are being 'phased out' of the groups because they are too much of a 'problem'to get bus/coach with taillift its an extra £300 and limits the seating space because of wheelchair.
If a child is in a manual w/chair they have to have a carer [more expense].
SO IF YOU SEE A GROUP OF S.N. KIDS AT SEASIDE AND NO W/CHAIR USERS YOU NOW KNOW WHY. COMMENTS FROM ORGANISATIONS IN BEXLEYHEATH/GREENWICH MORE THAN WELCOME.

That's very sad, SM. And I bet they are still liable under the Act for indirect discrimination ie excluding wheelchair users without saying so openly.

is this through SNAAP salsmum?

I am in southe east kent and they arrange coaches WITH wheelchair access, well they have this year.

TRULY MY EXPERIENCE IS THEY PASS THE BUCK, THEY SAY THEY NOTIFIED TRANSPORT- TRANSPORT SAY-IT WAS NOT WRITTEN AS W/CHAIR PLACE ON LIST-YOU ASK WHO WROTE LIST- THEY SAY-WE DONT KNOW.....ARRRRRRRGGGGG
EITHER WAY THE KIDS SUFFER AND IT IS EMBARRASSING TO SAY THE LEAST.

FIOFIOJANE,
NO NOT SNAP THEY CAN BE GOOD WITH CERTAIN THINGS.
BUT THEIR ANNUAL TRIP [XMAS] TO MONKEYBIZZ AN INDOOR PLAYGYM LEAVES A BAD TASTE IF YOUR CHILD CANNOT WALK SIT STAND. .
IM TALKING ABOUT MORE SO A CERTAIN TOYLIBRARY IN S.E. LONDON.

MY FRIEND RECENTLY WANTED HER SON [C.P. W/CHAIR USER] TO GO ON AN OUTING TO SEASIDE WITH LOCAL S.N. YOUTHCLUB, THE COACH TURNED UP AND MOANED BECAUSE HIS W/CHAIR DIDN'T FOLD AND WOULDNT GO ON COACH SHE BORROWED A W/CHAIR OFF A KIND NEIGHBOUR AND AWAY SON WENT WHEN HE CAME HOME HE STILL HAD 4 PADS HE WAS SENT WITH AND 3 DRINKS OUTTA THE 4 SHE PACKED .
WHEN SHE RANG TO ASK WHO CARER WAS AND COMPLAIN THAT HE'D NIETHER BEEN TOILETED OR HAD ENOUGH TO DRINK ON THE HOT DAY SHE FOUND OUT THAT HE'D BEEN 'CARED FOR' BY THE YOUTH CLUB ORGANISER .
WONDER HOW MANY TIMES 'CARER' HAD BEEN TO LOO AND HAD A DRINK THAT DAY?.
WHY OH WHY DOES THE PERSON 'CARING' FOR NOT REALISE THE PERSON WITH S.N.HAS THE SAME BASIC NEEDS AS EVERYONE ELSE?.
THANK GOD THEY DIDNT TAKE HER SON AWAY FOR THE WEEK.

I have noticed this as well. local playschemes. ok if you can walk. but not much good for wheelchair users.
on the plus side. in our area over the last few years a sn playscheme has started up. It is BRILLIANT. dd goes and is one of the few in a w/c but they really look after her(she has one to one) I even take her toilet chair in so that she can go to the toilet. the down side is they can't take her on trips. but tbh she doesn't care.

THATS BRILL I FIND MY GIRL DOESNT LIKE ME TO GO ON TRIPS BUT I DO WORRY THAT SHELL BE TAKEN CARE OF IN MY ABSENCE .
SO MUCH FOR PROMOTING INDEPENDANCE!.
COZ VERY OFTEN PEEPS DONT 'ACCOMODATE HER VERY WELL I'M LEFT ANGRY AND CROSS AFTER WHAT SHOULD BE A GOOD DAY OUT FOR HER IT'S SUCH A SHAME THAT PEEPS WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER [CHARITIES SN GROUPS MAKE HER FEEL LIKE A BLOODY INCONVENIENCE. .

do you want to go to the seaside?

I dont know if this helps but margate train station has a lift and also ramps onto the beach...

fiofiojane,
i went to margate last year with black cabs and thought it was sooo sad because all the 'front' seemed to be closed and boarded up I have fond memories of margate as a kid and the most exciting thing to see was the great long seaside front selling rock, candy floss and all sorts .
Aside from the fairground with 2 rides dd could go on it really wasnt a place i'd rush to again it looked more like a ghost town.
Brighton is brill though you have the shops seaside n pier think thats prob a better option. I've also been volunteer with charities but NEVER EVER has my daughter 18 been invited to the much loved Harrods xmas party I know the tickets are pretty limited but some kids have been 2 or 3 times with the same group usually they seem to be the sons/daughters of the paid treasurer/chairperson etc... of a certain group/organisation WELL what can i say ?? I would hate to say these good peeps are abusing their positions within a charity/group etc... but what is one to believe? especially as a lone parent/carer who has only been to Harrods once. If anyone else can tell me that 'favouritism doesnt go on between organisations n staff maybe i'd believe but in my experience it does.

oh margate is a bit rough it was the only one i could think of that had a lift tbh. We are in herne bay which has a nice seafront for children and flat walkways by the beach but the shingle is a nightmare for wheelchairs and the train station has hundreds of steps

salsmum- ds1 (severely autistic) can't access 99% of the stuff aimed at autistic kids. I think its the 'complex' kids who are being phased out, rather than physically disabled. Partly because there's a political puch for 'inclusion', so if you can't be included (for whatever reason) then you'll struggle to get funding.

Down here in Devon there is a group (perhaps its a beach??) who fundraised to get a wheelchair (or 2 or 3 +) that can go onto the beach. I have a feeling the Beckhams children's charity funded them......

gess,
thats sooo cool i know in the U.S. they have beach mats n chairs that enable wheelchair users to access the beach.
such a simple idea i think and wouldnt cost the earth.
Ive never been a beach sitter for hours on end but just think that for some of 'our kids' it would be such a relaxing experience i used to love the beach when i was a kid and its such a shame my daughter cant enjoy it too just because she cant walk .
Im truly sorry to hear that exclusion by groups includes the severely autistic kids seems like some of these groups are 'cherry picking' which kids can be involved that is sooo unfair/wrong and i'm desperatly sorry to hear that SHAME on them .
I'M JUST LISTENING TO THE NEW SIMON WEBB ALBUM REALLY LOVELY CHILL OUT MUSIC AND SOO CALMING, GREAT STUFF!HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I think its money to be honest. Complex children cost money in the form of equipment or training, plus there is a real drive for inclusion (but on the cheap). There used to be a playscheme run at my son's SLD/PMLD school, but its shut due to lack of funding with the money going to inclusion projects instead. Very few of the children at his school can access any of that. I do think its a problem. It's not the only SLD/PMLD playcheme that has shut in the last 5 years locally.

DS1 couldn't access a beach activity either because of the amount of supervision he requires.

The beach wheelchairs look fantastic, expensive, but I know it is the sort of thing the Beckhams will fund (they fund individuals as well). I think to apply you write to a solicitor in London and Victoria's mum then assesses the claims.

here's one in Wales

bournemouth looks good for access

thanx gess
they are fab i want to rush out and get one but prob couldnt afford to if you have any more info on the Beckhams fund i would be most grateful if you could let me know .
ive always said that the only way you find out anything is by word of mouth from other carers.
These beach chairs look perfect n i should imagine quite fun to use.
thanx for your advice.

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