Southampton Centre for Independent Living

Southampton Centre for Independent Living, an organisation run and controlled by Disabled People, wish to recruit a Disabled Person. 

Independent Living Support Worker (Recruitment) 37.5hrs per week, £20,893 - £22,292

An exciting opportunity to support, train, inform and advise Disabled People to recruit their own personal assistants and maintain a register of Personal Assistants in Southampton.

Post require an ability to travel unaided or with assistance. A training and induction package will enable you to develop your skills.

You will have the opportunity to make a difference to other Disabled Peoples’ lives. This job will suit any Disabled Person committed to the principles of Independent Living and has the ability to develop and expand the project.

Experience of providing advice and information to Disabled People would be an advantage.

SCIL is committed to the principle of equality of opportunity. We particularly welcome applications from Disabled People who are also members of minority groups. All posts are open to job share.

For application packs, or an informal chat, please contact Robert at SCIL, Unity 12, 9-19 Rose Road, Southampton, SO14 6TE  Tel: 023 8033 0982, Textphone: 023 8020 2649, Fax: 023 8020 2648  E-mail: robert@southamptoncil.co.uk 

Returned application forms to be received by Friday 10^th August 2007 

In 2003, during the European Year of Disability, the Disability Movement tried to get the European Parliament to adopt a Disability Rights Directive, but failed. Now in 2007 (the European Year of Equality), the European Disability Forum has launched a new campaign for a Disability Directive.

What has changed? In 2003 the European Commission argued that they had their work cut out in implementing the European Equal Employment Directive. A Directive that would force the UK Government to strengthen Equal Employment legislation and force all employers not to discriminate in recruitment, promotion or training on grounds of disability, age, sexuality or religion.  

In December 2006 the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, which contains comprehensive measures to develop full equality for disabled people in all areas of life. This is already adopted in certain aspects by the European Commission and 22 of the 27 EU members, but with no common Convention how can the EU claim to have a unified market with social measures?

The European Union has between 50 and 100 million disabled citizens depending on how they are counted. At present there is no unified definition or method of enumerating and a unified directive would ensure such agreements. Already the EU has demonstrated the benefit of a European-wide legislation for disabled people in the UK, through such things as The Equal Employment Directive - extending the coverage of the DDA, and The Air Passenger Directive - ensuring equal treatment of disabled people by airlines across Europe. Trans-European train, bus, coach and ferries directives are also in the pipeline. None of these things are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act.   

The UN Convention covers all aspects of life, including the development of an inclusive education system, the need to get more disabled people into work, women and children’s rights and the right to supported decision making for all rather than guardianship. However, disabled people and their allies will have to struggle to get these things into British Law, but a really effective way is to get them into a legally binding European Directive.  

Support the campaign, sign the petition and make a change. 

The UK is lagging far behind other countries in collecting signatures. So far over 250,000 have been collected across Europe, but only 5,000 in the UK so please do all you can to get signatures online at  www.1Million4disability.eu

Thanks to Richard Rieser, UK Council for Disability Rights in Europe representative on the European Disability Forum, for this information.

SCIL’s Management Committee would very much like to thank Malcolm Cooper for the time and effort he has spent over the last few years as one of its members. Malcolm has regrettably needed to resign from the committee due to his very many other commitments. We wish him well for the future and look forward to seeing him at the Friendship Club and other SCIL events. 

On June 18, more than a hundred Disabled People gathered outside Downing Street to show support for the Disabled Persons (Independent Living) Bill which was being debated in the House of Lords.

The rally was organised by Our Lives, Our Choices which is a consortium of disability organisations including NCIL.  The rally was addressed by Lord Ashley of Stoke and Roger Berry MP who are sponsoring the bill.

A small delegation which included Sue Bott from NCIL and Robert Droy from SCIL were then allowed to deliver a banner with testimony from many Disabled People to the door of 10 Downing Street.

Roger Berry then hosted a reception at Portcullis House for many of the rally participants where there were further speeches of support from the Equal Opportunities Commission, Carers UK, and the National Pensioners Forum. Baroness Jane Campbell of Surbiton also gave a rousing speech to her fellow ‘freedom fighters’ to carry on the campaign.  

A successful day was tinged with sadness following the news that Roy Webb from NCIL who had been instrumental in organising the Our Lives, Our Choices campaign had died on June 15.

DOVE is a showroom hosting aids and adaptations for Disabled People. We are a charity located in Cosham and aim to provide impartial information on equipment as well as provide a free peer advocacy service. 

After 11 years, DOVE has had a management change and has shifted its focus to follow the Social Model of Disability.  We believe Disabled People have a right to live independently and should make their own choices. Independent living is having control over your life and a say over what happens. 

The showroom displays stairlifts, walk in showers and baths and various bath lifts. Two accessible kitchens are on display and within these, kitchen aids for people with a sensory impairment along with equipment for people with mobility impairments.  Later in the year we will be reopening our sensory room. Watch this space!

Our resource library contains information from an extensive array of suppliers and manufacturers of most aids and adaptations. We are looking at extending our database of approved and experienced fitters/builders of adaptations. All referrals are welcome please. 

Our peer advocacy service, which commenced in February this year, is already proving to be a huge success. Appointments are necessary and are available on Mondays and Tuesdays 11am – 3pm.

Many suppliers are selling over the internet, or via catalogues and simply do not have a showroom. One of our objectives at DOVE is to encourage and invite people to visit the showroom with the purpose to view and try equipment before they purchase the product elsewhere, or before installation by your local authority. 

As we are part funded by Local Authorities, one of our remits is to offer equipment training to occupational therapists.  OTs request the type of training they require and we organise it. We have hosted several successful training days to OTs on stair lifts, walk in showers and baths. This also is a free service and enables OTs to keep up to date on the latest products available on the market. 

Other services we provide are: Educational days to students of health and social care, OT undergraduates and college students;Training on Disability Equality and Disability Discrimination Act; Presentations on the Social Model of Disability.

Our staff and volunteers would be happy to help you, so if you require any aids, equipment or an adaptation in your home, why not come to D.O.V.E. Our opening hours are Monday – Thursday 11am – 3pm Alternatively, we can be contacted on 02392 787 788 or admin@d-o-v-e.org 

We look forward to welcoming you to D.O.V.E  

I have worked at SCIL now for nearly six years. My first job working as a Work Support Assistant was also my first experience of working with people with different types of impairments.  I am now working with Maureen Harris who is a Direct Payments Support Worker and supports many Disabled People, particularly those who have mental health issues.

During the last six years, I have therefore met a wide range of people who have either been born with an impairment or acquired an impairment during their life.  My children are now all grown up and slowly I am becoming ME, something which is very new for me personally as I had my family at a young age so did not experience finding out who I was, like other young people do. 

One of my hobbies is Walking which I really enjoy. Whilst out walking, I decided to really challenge myself. My first goal was to do the London Moon Walk. I applied but sadly did not get a place this year due to it being very popular. This did not deter me but made me more determined to do something not only to test my own capabilities but to do something worthwhile.

My challenge is I am going to walk up Kilimanjaro in October 2007. I will be raising money for an organisation that supports people with cancer. I lost two grandparents and my mum to cancer so it is very important to me.  I will also be raising money for an orphanage in Moshi which I will be visiting in Tanzania. I have realised that I am a really fortunate person in more ways than one. Many people in this country takes things like food, water, homes, health care and education for granted but people in Tanzania are extremely poor and yet work very hard for the most basic of things. 

I know this challenge is going to test my physical and mental abilities to the limit. I will be encountering extreme temperatures, physical exhaustion, not to mention altitude sickness, which can be life threatening. But this does not deter me, I am going to the summit.  I am training very hard at the moment at the moment, walking between 20-30 miles a week (the more hills, the better!) and going to aerobic classes to increase my physical fitness.    

I have now completed my first fundraising event which raised over £1000 and have a few more planned before I do my climb.

I will keep you informed of my progress and let you know how I get on, once I have done the expedition.

This post was written by Sharon Coe.