Thursday 28 February 2008
Yet more wheelchair woes!
Well, the wheelchair came back from the manufacturers again, new frame and reinforced fittings on the casters, I wish I could be delighted, but alas! Sadly, there is still something wrong with the folding mechanism which is impeding the efficacy of the backrest ... watch this space!
Tuesday 19 February 2008
Access Denied!
Why is it that just when things seem to be going along smoothly something always happens to bring one up with a start?
Last week I was asked to leave our local hospital because I was accompanied by my assistance dog. I'd gone there to collect someone who had been in for a days tests.
I was asked to leave as apparently "it is the Trusts policy not to allow dogs in clinical areas" mention of disease and the fact that it wasn't essential for my assistance dog to be there was made. Then the killer blow, "it would be different if you were the patient". Well how on earth would the health risks (their words not mine) from my assistance dog be different on a day when I am the patient as opposed to a day when I am collecting my next of kin from a days treatment? Hmmmm, odd that.
It wouldn;t have been so bad if I had just turned up, but I did present myself at the reception and ask to see the patient concerned, and indeed was shown in! It also begs the question of an exact definition of a clinical area, and who decides it is so ... clearly the member of staff who allowed me in wasn't sure either! Then of course there is the fact thast other patients were allowed to have visitors in the area ... even with noticeable coughs and colds, most probably a far greater risk to everyones health than a well groomed, working assistance dog.
Of course I agreed to leave immediately, but asked to see someone in authority and also to see the "trust policy" that apparently barred my Registered Assistance Dog and thus discriminated against me as a person with a disability. Needless to say, the next member of staff up the supply chain could not produce the policy either ... they just knew that the presence of an assistance dog was a health risk!!
Inevitably, this is very much a watch this space ... I have made a verbal complaint and am taking advice ... in the meantime, I had no option but to cancel my own appointment two days later and have been sent a new one for May!
I've now had two phone calls from the hospital and it now transpires there is no "trust policy" in place and have had an apology ... maybe that policy is way overdue!
Last week I was asked to leave our local hospital because I was accompanied by my assistance dog. I'd gone there to collect someone who had been in for a days tests.
I was asked to leave as apparently "it is the Trusts policy not to allow dogs in clinical areas" mention of disease and the fact that it wasn't essential for my assistance dog to be there was made. Then the killer blow, "it would be different if you were the patient". Well how on earth would the health risks (their words not mine) from my assistance dog be different on a day when I am the patient as opposed to a day when I am collecting my next of kin from a days treatment? Hmmmm, odd that.
It wouldn;t have been so bad if I had just turned up, but I did present myself at the reception and ask to see the patient concerned, and indeed was shown in! It also begs the question of an exact definition of a clinical area, and who decides it is so ... clearly the member of staff who allowed me in wasn't sure either! Then of course there is the fact thast other patients were allowed to have visitors in the area ... even with noticeable coughs and colds, most probably a far greater risk to everyones health than a well groomed, working assistance dog.
Of course I agreed to leave immediately, but asked to see someone in authority and also to see the "trust policy" that apparently barred my Registered Assistance Dog and thus discriminated against me as a person with a disability. Needless to say, the next member of staff up the supply chain could not produce the policy either ... they just knew that the presence of an assistance dog was a health risk!!
Inevitably, this is very much a watch this space ... I have made a verbal complaint and am taking advice ... in the meantime, I had no option but to cancel my own appointment two days later and have been sent a new one for May!
I've now had two phone calls from the hospital and it now transpires there is no "trust policy" in place and have had an apology ... maybe that policy is way overdue!
Sunday 10 February 2008
Thank goodness for common sense
I met someone this week with an assistance dog from another UK training organisation, one of the main differences that I can see, between the rules of that organisation and the one my dog comes from (Dogs for the Disabled), is that we are allowed to travel abroad.
All the assistance dog organisations in the United Kingdom have been in existence since before the Pet Passport Scheme (PETS) was introduced for dogs and cats travelling from certain European countries on 28 February 2000. The Scheme was extended to Cyprus, Malta and certain long haul countries and territories on 31 January 2001. Bahrain joined on 1 May 2002. Mainland USA and Canada joined on 11 December 2002.
Naturally, there are health considerations with travelling abroad, but with common sense and enough reasearch and advice one can travel into and out of the UK with very little trouble at all. Caesar and I first travelled abroad in 2004, and the ability to have him with me, working in various countries that I have wished to travel to has enabled me to become truly independent and for both of us has been a very validating experience.
I cannot imagine how I would feel, ably assisted by my assistance dog within the confines of the UK but as soon as my advocacy work took me abroad we'd have to part company.
Surely, the whole object of becoming independent with the help of an assistance dog is freedom ... freedom to choose where one travels being included in that?
Naturally, all our travels are undertaken after a full assessment of the risks involved to both Caesar and myself, and of course we would not travel together if it meant he would suffer in any way ...
I'm really glad to have a dog from an organisation that understands the autonomy of partnership and doesn't treat partnerships in a paternalistic way, making rules which deny freedom.
All the assistance dog organisations in the United Kingdom have been in existence since before the Pet Passport Scheme (PETS) was introduced for dogs and cats travelling from certain European countries on 28 February 2000. The Scheme was extended to Cyprus, Malta and certain long haul countries and territories on 31 January 2001. Bahrain joined on 1 May 2002. Mainland USA and Canada joined on 11 December 2002.
Naturally, there are health considerations with travelling abroad, but with common sense and enough reasearch and advice one can travel into and out of the UK with very little trouble at all. Caesar and I first travelled abroad in 2004, and the ability to have him with me, working in various countries that I have wished to travel to has enabled me to become truly independent and for both of us has been a very validating experience.
I cannot imagine how I would feel, ably assisted by my assistance dog within the confines of the UK but as soon as my advocacy work took me abroad we'd have to part company.
Surely, the whole object of becoming independent with the help of an assistance dog is freedom ... freedom to choose where one travels being included in that?
Naturally, all our travels are undertaken after a full assessment of the risks involved to both Caesar and myself, and of course we would not travel together if it meant he would suffer in any way ...
I'm really glad to have a dog from an organisation that understands the autonomy of partnership and doesn't treat partnerships in a paternalistic way, making rules which deny freedom.
Food for thought.
It's been an interestng and thought provoking week ... I was told to expect my (rebuilt) wheelchair to be returned on Friday, needless to say, it's not back yet! Just as well I wasn't holding my breath! Ironically, on Friday I had a conversation with someone who told me about another mobility product being the subject of legal action because it was not deemed fit for the purpose ...
I had to travel to London for a meeting and duly booked the wheelchair space in the train well ahead of time ... only to find my pre-booked space was occupied, by a mother with a pram ... thankfully, there was another wheelchair space unoccupied, so I removed my reserved slip from the original space and moved to the vacant space. Fair enough, parents with prams need somewhere to sit, but what if the other wheelchair space had not been vacant, where would that have left me? This is a tricky one, the railway company advise people using wheelchairs to book ahead of time to reserve the space, yet someone with a pram can board the train with no notice and occupy it anyway ... perhaps if there was more room on the train for prams elsewhere we wouldn't see them occupying the disabled persons seats.
I had to travel to London for a meeting and duly booked the wheelchair space in the train well ahead of time ... only to find my pre-booked space was occupied, by a mother with a pram ... thankfully, there was another wheelchair space unoccupied, so I removed my reserved slip from the original space and moved to the vacant space. Fair enough, parents with prams need somewhere to sit, but what if the other wheelchair space had not been vacant, where would that have left me? This is a tricky one, the railway company advise people using wheelchairs to book ahead of time to reserve the space, yet someone with a pram can board the train with no notice and occupy it anyway ... perhaps if there was more room on the train for prams elsewhere we wouldn't see them occupying the disabled persons seats.
Tuesday 5 February 2008
Assistance Dog featured on First Class Stamp!
There was a certain poignancy this morning as Caesar, my assistance dog brought the post to me in bed ... amongst the post was a first day cover featuring an assistance dog!
The dog in question is Rowan, a fellow Dog for the Disabled (who works assisting Melissa) and he is featured on the first class stamp. Great stuff!
The whole set of stamps features working dogs, the series having been launched to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the police dog. The dogs featured are an assistance dog from Dogs for the Disabled, a mountain rescue dog, a police dog, a customs dog and a second assistance dog from Guide Dogs.
Although in the Year of the Assistance Dog it would have been nice to see a whole set of stamps dedicated to assistance dogs in their own right, I think this set will do a lot to bring assistance dogs more into the consciousness of the general public, and hopefully that will have a knock on effect with regard to access and inclusion for people with disabilities partnered with these fantastic dogs.
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