Southampton Centre for Independent Living

For nine years, the Consumer Audit Project at SCIL has provided an innovative service where community care services could be assessed by whether they actually delivered positive outcomes for users rather than merely measuring meaningless numbers. 

Consumer Audit trained and supported disabled people to develop the skills that were needed in order to engage with the users of the services being audited to discover whether the service was actually meeting these outcomes.   Many auditors like myself developed the confidence and skills that enabled them to secure paid employment both at SCIL and in other organisations.

Consumer Audits were not just tokenistic ‘consultation’ exercises, they were a truly different way to provide services with information about how to improve and develop. This new way of auditing garnered press and publicity not just in Hampshire but across the country. Hampshire County Council were rightly very proud of the project, as they were the main funder.

And then the letter came…… ‘We regret to inform you……blah blah’. Hampshire County Council were withdrawing the funding from the end of September 2006.

It seems particularly ironic that just two months before the introduction of the Disability Equality Duty, which require public authorities to engage with Disabled People, Hampshire County Council were withdrawing funding.

Chris Hunt, who has been with Consumer Audit virtually since it began, left SCIL this week and we wish her well in the future. Despite losing the funding, SCIL has built up a great deal of expertise in this field in nine years, and we have proven that true involvement of Disabled People can reap rewards. We hope that other organisations will continue to see the benefit of Consumer Audit and will be willing to purchase the service. The core funding of Consumer Audit may have gone but our expertise and our belief in the methodology continues at SCIL.

For those of you who have been reading the blog since it started, you will hopefully have seen a number of improvements as the weeks have gone on, such as the inclusion of pictures and logos. I hope it has made the blog look more interesting as well as accessible.

 I have received many comments regarding the size and type of font. SCIL’s standard font for letters, information etc is Arial 14. Unfortunately this blog site does weird things if the font is too large, however after much experimenting, it seems to be happy with Arial 12. This will therefore be our new default font for the blog from now on.

I am keen to hear your comments and views on how you would like to see this blog develop. My next idea is to try and post some video footage on the blog, however as most of the work I, as well as other contributors, do on the blog is in our own time, I cannot guarantee implementing suggestions immediately.

Thanks for supporting the blog. We have had over 1500 hits in just six weeks which is quite impressive and hopefully more and more people will discover the site over time, so please spread the word and keep on blogging.

‘I’m with Stupid’ is a new BBC comedy series currently being broadcast on BBC3. The series is set in a residential unit for disabled adults and the disabled characters in the series are played by disabled actors.

Now, some people have criticised the show for being set in a residential unit, however my biggest problem with the series is that it s just not funny. You almost feel like you’ve gone back in time twenty years as it has a very dated feel to the writing and humour. If you were in hysterics over ‘George and Mildred’ or ‘Terry and June’, you may love ‘I’m with Stupid’. The cast are adequate but are just let down by the dull scripts .

The basic premise of the show is the friendship between a homeless man played by Mark Benton and a wheelchair user played by Paul Henshall. Both actors try hard to make the series work and I will admit that a few lines made me smile, but not enough to carry a 30 minute episode.

It is interesting to compare this show with Extras currently being shown on BBC2. Whilst Extras tackles stereotypes around disabled people head on, ‘I’m with Stupid’ thinks it’s cutting edge merely because it features disabled people in major roles. Some may be cynical and see this as the BBC’s tokenistic attempt at equal opportunities and to nurture ‘Disabled’ talent. Paul Henshall deserves better than this. He was much funnier in ‘A Thing Called Love’ which was on 2 years ago.

Not every comedy has to make a political point or reflect disabled people’s lives accurately but I do feel this was a missed opportunity. As a viewer, it didn’t challenge me and more importantly for a comedy, it didn’t make me laugh either.

Let us know what you think. All the episodes of ‘I’m with Stupid’ and ‘Extras’ are available to watch online on the BBC TV website.

As many readers of the blog employ their own personal assistants we will try and keep you up to date with employment law that may be of interest. 

The National Minimum Wage is increasing from October 2006. The minimum wage for workers aged 22 or over will rise from £5.05 to £5.35 per hour. The rate for 18-21 year olds will rise from £4.25 to £4.45 per hour. The rate for 16-17 year olds is to rise from £3 to £3.30 per hour.  For further information, you can ring the National Minimum Wage helpline on 0845 915 3296 or visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/nmw 

We are always pleased to publish articles from SCIL’s members. Your comments on this article written by one of our members are welcomed.

If you reflect on the past twenty years the Disability Movement has achieved substantial gains in the fight against discrimination. Direct Payments was conceived by Disabled People and later became the Direct Payments Act; the DDA came about through proactive campaigning, these are just 2 examples. Lately there have been rafts of Green Papers, White Papers, Prime Minister Strategy Reports etc. etc. and more recently a private members bill tabled by Lord Ashley the “Independent Living Bill”. However the current reality of Social Care, which as you should be aware is regrettably completely unsatisfactory, and contrary to the original spirit of the “Chronically Sick and Disabled Act 1970”.

The ideals framed in the above mentioned Papers, Reports and Bill are admirable words, but they lack substance, and in reality is just empty rhetoric.  In recent years we have made very little substantive progress; we are still in fact facing regular discrimination and Disabled People are being treated as third class citizens condemned to a third world quality of life, with few aspirations or opportunities to be fully included in society. This is not only a national disgrace, but a sad indictment of our Government’s record when you consider the nations wealth, and that we are a modern, allegedly progressive democratic state which holds itself to be an example to the world.   This abysmally poor record is reflected by numerous statistics. For example: 1/3 of Disabled People are living in/on the margins of poverty; 1/3 having no qualifications and twice as likely to be unemployed; 80% of DLA claimants have never used a computer; this is just a sound bite (as we seem to live in a sound bite age) and if you look more in depth at our governments record and the effect it has, is having IT IS SHOCKING!! The situation is set to become far worse when you consider nearly all Local Authorities are only providing the absolute bare minimum of services to those who manage to satisfy the inconsistently applied Department of Health’s “Fair Access to Care Guidance” eligibility criteria, and subsequently apply harsh charging policies to those with any income above circa £78/week (Income Support + 25%), savings, or home owners. To put it in simple terms either we are not eligible for services or if we are eligible we then have to pay for them, therefore there is seemingly little point in a duty being conferred on Local Authorities to Assess and Provide services.

Recent and amended current legislation are still founded on the principles of 1948 National Assistance Act and the Chronically Sick and Disabled Act of 1970 which are weak, vague, ambiguous and often therefore open to perverse interpretation, I cite the “Gloucester Judgement 1997” (Law Lords) and the “Sefton” Judgement”.(Court of Appeal). Though the DDA is generally speaking a good thing it could do with being tougher with greater enforcement and sanctions for breaching it, as it stands it lacks teeth and in many instances is still being flouted. ‘Social Care’ is just one dimension of the numerous facets of the disadvantage and prejudice faced by Disabled People.  

In many ways the Politicians have taken on board our language and ideology, have exploited it and now use it in a cynical manner. To some extent we have been duped, and seduced by the rhetoric; caught resting on our laurels and the pendulum has swung back the other way. Now more than ever Disabled People need to rally to the cause of equality and speak up. No more rhetoric, we want real, tangible and meaningful change.

We have to force the change if we want a country that is genuinely committed to equality and social justice.

In the third article on Inclusion, Berni Vincent, a Senior Direct Payments Support Worker at SCIL outlines her views on the ‘Special’ Education System.

 Inclusive Education is about Equality!  It should be about a level starting point and about children and young adults, regardless of their impairment, and the amount of support they need, social class or intellectual ability feeling valued enough to contribute and take their place in society as they grow into responsible adults. Equality in education invests in the belief that all children are precious and have a right to learn, and develop as free spirits.

So does the Special Education System provide equality?  My segregated education was from age 4 – 22. I frequently questioned why I could not be educated in the same school as my brother and sister, why I travelled to school in a ambulance, (after all I wasn’t ill?) when I could have gone to school with my brother and sister who only had to walk ten minutes down the road to school.

 I was bullied in my local community for going to a ‘Spastic School’ and as a consequence made a point of lying down on the seat of the school bus to avoid anyone from home seeing me.  My sister and her mates came to the rescue by supporting me on a visit to the bullies house to inform them that if they didn’t leave me alone we would be sending my brother and his mates around to deal with them!

So I left school wondering how I was ever going to manage life in the big bad world, I had no qualifications – but I could write a book about therapies of various kinds, I had learned that if I went to the school nurse complaining of a headache or backache, I could get out off ‘classroom work’ and have a lie down for as long as I wanted. I became a Brownie but was confused about why the club was only for kids at my school and was held on the school premises in the middle of the afternoon.

‘Normality’ came with a friend who like me was a bit of a rebel; together we smoked fags in the girl’s toilets, got drunk at her Mum’s birthday party and discussed our feelings about dealing with the outside world.    My segregated education experience was soon to come full circle with an offer of segregated special college when leaving school, followed by the promise of a place at a rehabilitation centre where I could be trained for work in a sheltered workshop.  I was sorted!Thankfully years later, through meeting other Disabled People who had also experienced the adversity of segregation and its lasting effects, I rebelled and began to fight back.  It’s for the thousands of Disabled People like me and future generations of Disabled People that we must continue to campaign for Inclusion in Education.  We need to focus on learning from schools where Inclusion is working.  It’s a very big challenge, and something that needs to be a long term strategy, but while society is pouring money into a Segregated Education System it will never happen.The education system needs to invest in a new approach that is non bureaucratic for children who need support in the class room and learn to celebrate achievement and learning at all levels.

We need to remember that education should have everything to do with equality of opportunity and nothing to do with being Special!     

I last visited Paris in 1992 and did not find it the easiest city to get around in using a wheelchair. It was therefore with some trepidation that I decided to have a short break in Paris. Why did I choose Paris - well I was mightily impressed by the Eurostar when I used it to travel to Strasbourg via Paris last year. The 2 wheelchair spaces on each Eurostar train are located in First Class and Eurostar gives the wheelchair user and their companion a substantial discount on the train ticket. You are also treated to a 3 course meal with wine and champagne. Now that can’t be bad.

The Eurostar arrives at the Gare Du Nord which is about a mile from the centre of Paris, however there are some fairly regular accessible buses that pass the Gare Du Nord and take you into the City Centre.

We stayed at the Novotel Paris Les Halles which is very near the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral. and the Georges Pompidou Centre. It is not a cheap hotel however the rooms were spacious and the bathroom had plenty of room for a wheelchair user. The hotel bar was on a raised platform up 3-4 steps with no ramp, but with at least six bars / cafes and restaurants just outside the main entrance, it wasn’t an issue.

Most pavements had dropped kerbs and tactile paving, however most traffic crossings did not have an audible signal when the crossing light was green, so people with visual impairments may require more guiding than they would in the UK.

At least 50% of shops and restaurants had at least 1 step at their entrance, even some of the major stores like GAP and McDonalds. Most bars / cafes had outside seating areas so if you are a wheelchair user, I would not recommend Paris in the middle of winter. 

It was also a little discouraging to note that virtually every ‘obviously’ Disabled Person I saw was either American or English. This accounts for why Disabled Access only seem to have been actively considered in the tourist areas.

The Louvre is an excellent case in point. It is completely accessible, they publish a comprehensive access guide in French and English. They also provide audio guides and have a tactile gallery for people with visual impairments.  The variety of exhibits there was bewildering and if you are a fan of art, sculpture, history or the ‘Da Vinci Code’, it is a must-see.

Of course, the number one attraction in Paris has got to be the Eiffel Tower. Wheelchair users can only go to the second floor but the views are still spectacular.

Compared to 1992, access in Paris is a lot easier but it still lags behind other major cities in the UK, Europe and the USA. If you enjoy the pavement cafe culture, people watching,  magnificient architecture then you’ll love Paris

If you are considering visiting Paris, I would recommend the Access in Paris website. It has lots of useful information and although the new edition of their guidebook is not out till 2007, if you contact them with specific information, they will be happy to oblige. I must declare an interest as I was involved with the Access Project for about 15 years and was one of their surveyors for the London, Paris and Israel guidebooks. The strength of the guidebooks was that we tried to simply describe the barriers at each location and let Disabled People themselves decide what they could or couldn’t manage.

Paris may not be the most accessible city in the world but if you’re not keen on flying but still want to sample some European culture then give Paris a try.

In a surprise move, Hampshire County Council have decided to split the new Direct Payments Support Service Contract so that people living in the Southern part of Hampshire will continue to be supported by SCIL / Carers Together whilst those people living in North Hampshire will be supported by Enham from January 2007.

SCIL / Carers Together will support Direct Payments users in Fareham / Gosport / Havant Petersfield / New Forest / Eastleigh and Test Valley South. Enham will support Direct Payments users in Alton / Aldershot / Basingtoke / Winchester and Andover.

SCIL has been supporting Direct Payments users for over fifteen years and has been instrumental in the development of the scheme from the early days of SOCS (Self Operated Care Scheme) in the 1980s through to the expansion of Direct Payments in the last few years. Since the Direct Payments legislation was broadened to include Carers and Disabled Children, SCIL has worked closely with Carers Together to ensure that all users receive peer support to enable them to use their Direct Payments effectively.

Enham own four care homes in a village just outside Andover in Hampshire. It also runs a Homecare service as well as a number of supported workshops and other employment services to Disabled People.

SCIL and Carers Together hope to meet with Hampshire Social Services and Enham in the next few weeks to discuss arrangements for January 2007. We will keep you informed of our progress on the blog.

If you have any queries regarding this then please email us or call to speak to a member of the Direct Payments Team on 023 8033 0982.

On Saturday 2nd September, campaigners from around the country gathered in Trafalgar Square to launch Our Lives R 4 Living Campaign at the Liberty Festival.

The main aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of and support for the Independent Living Bill. This Bill is increasngly important as many local authorities are considering raising the eligibility criteria which will force many disabled people to rely on family and friends or move into residential ‘care’.

Throughout the day, we asked Disabled People to write their stories and slogans on a roll of cloth which we hope to take around the country and collect as evidence that a ‘Right to Independent Living’ is needed.

We also asked people to sign a petition supporting our campaign and collected over 200 signatures.

This is obviously just the start of the campaign so please get in touch if you would like to get involved.

Hampshire County Council has just begun a 12 week long consultation into changing its eligibility criteria so that only people with ‘critical’ needs would be eligible for support from Social Services.

At the moment, people who are assessed as having ’substantial’ or ‘critical’ needs, can receive support. Although this consultation is focussed on Hampshire only, it is a national issue. At least six local authorities are thought to have already raised the eligibility threshold to ‘critical’ only, and many others are considering a similar move.

The Department of Health have issued guidance regarding the different eligibility bands and how assessments should be carried out, however it is still up to each local authority to decide which bands it will include in its eligibility criteria.

SCIL strongly encourages users in Hampshire to participate in the consultation. You can download the leaflet / questionnaire from here. There will also be 4 public meetings organised by Hampshire County Council across Hampshire in November. Anyone wanting to attend these meetings should contact the Helpline on 01962 845469 or send an email to adult.services.feedback@hants.gov.uk