Posts Tagged ‘Visual Impairment’
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Manelly Fleming Farm is a 43 acre rural enterprise situated in St. Veep, an attractive rural village near the Ancient Stannery Town of Lostwithiel in Cornwall. The accommodation consists of “Berts Rest” and “Roys Barn” both of which have facilities for disabled people.
Berts Rest is of the highest quality and accessible for any disability, it is equipped for four persons. The property is a top floor studio apartment with its own independent lift and it has a wide wheelchair access doorways. Inside you will find solid oak flooring throughout the living, kitchen and bedroom areas and a wet room/bathroom all on the same level for ease of access and manoeuvrability.
Roys Barn which also sleeps up to four people is the ground floor studio apartment with a wide access door way and ramp.
Both Berts Rest and Roys Barn have similar features such as:
The living area has freeview tv, dvd, stereo, beanbag and a sofa bed with large wood windows looking over the front garden and beautiful peaceful Cornish countryside.
The kitchen is fitted with electronic worktops that you can raise or lower at the press of a button and has cooker, fridge/freezer, washing machine and all crockery and utensils.
The bedroom has two single electric adjustable beds with tempor mattress’s for ultimate comfort, also there is an electric hoist, bedside table and French dresser again with two windows looking over the front garden and countryside.
The wet room is fitted with a fully automated sink unit which raise and lowers, taps turn on and off and plug opens and closes at the push of a button. It also is fitted out with an electric hoist with a level access shower and wet chair.
Fitted with alarm pull cords throughout the apartment for peace of mind and safety.
Both properties have been assessed by Visit England’s National Accessible Scheme (NAS), for further details please visit the Manelly Fleming Farm website.
Further details can also be found in the OpenBritain 2010 Guide on page 99.
Tags: Access, Accommodation, Cornwall, Disabled, Hearing Impairment, OpenBritain, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Accommodation, Blind, Cornwall, Deaf, England, OpenBritain, South West, Tourism, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Manaros purpose built luxury accommodation sleeps up to 8 people and is located in the beautiful Welsh village of Aberdaron on the Llŷn Peninsula, Gwynedd. The village boasts a glorious sandy beach, known as “The Land’s End of Wales” and the Llŷn Peninsula is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Seals and dolphins and all manner of bird life are plentiful.
Manaros is an accessible, single-storey, luxury accommodation purpose built for letting to groups of friends and families that wish to enjoy all the benefits of a spacious and comfortable open plan living area together with the privacy of a secluded position and 4 en suite double bedrooms.
The Manaros website gives lots of vital and useful information for disbaled people and includes a full access statement which includes relevant information such as:
Manaros was built on one level in 2008 to the highest possible access standards.
The property has been designed to comply with the Disabilities Discrimination Act and Part M of Building Regulations to enable people, regardless of disability, to have access to and use the relevant areas of the building.
-There is ample car parking with a spot reserved for the Disabled right by the front door with external lighted area to the front door.
-There is no significant step or sill on internal or external doors -with the exception of (a) an internal door into the garage/utility room. Wheel chairs can still access this from the front garage door which is wide and on the level. (b) the conservatory door onto the patio which has a 63mm sill. The patio can still be reached by wheelchair from the adjacent lounge and by a level path around the property from the front door.
-Main external doors are double doors min 1.8 metres overall. Two escape doors are 820mm wide. Entry doors into the bedrooms and a Disabled Shower room and WC are a minimum of 830mm. Bedroom One has a 860mm wide door into the en suite. Bedrooms 2, 3, and 4 doors into their en suites are .750mm wide.
-All bedrooms and have laminate floor covering and no carpets or rugs.
-Bedroom en-suites have Marley non-slip safety flooring.
-There are two shower rooms/WC which are specially equipped for wheelchair users – Bedroom 1 and the communal Disabled Shower/WC/wash room off the hall. Both are designed to Part M of the Building Regulations.
It’s great to see that individual accommodation providers are beginning to supply such information for disabled people and you can also read the full access statement on the OpenBritain website.
For further information please contact Peter or Simon on 01758 760 652 or email them at: enquiries@aberdaronbandb.co.uk
Tags: Aberdaron, Access Statement, Accommodation, Disability, Disabled, Gwynedd, Level Access, Llŷn Peninsula, Self Catering, Travel, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wales, Wheelchair
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Accommodation, Gwynedd, OpenBritain, Self Catering, Travel, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wales, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
When I think of the Tate Gallery I think of one gallery in London, maybe this is because I’m simply not in the know, the Tate Collection is actually 4 galleries across the UK and they provide quite a lot of information for disabled people on their website. I would recommend that you visit the website and have a look around for the information that you require but here’s a brief over view of the galleries and some of the available information.
The website is broken down into the 4 seperate gallaries, Tate Britain, Modern (both in London), Liverpool and St. Ives. In each section the format is the same.
On the Visiting pages there is general information regarding the specific gallery including the address, opening hours, admission prices and how to get there. This information is also available in British Sign Language (BSL) through RealPlayer and it also gives the Minicom number for deaf people.
Visiting Pages:
Tate Britain
Tate Modern
Tate Liverpool
Tate St. Ives
Each of the galleries has an Access and Facilities Page and a page relating to different programmes that the gallery runs for visitors with learning disabilities, blind and deaf people.
Access and Facilities:
Tate Britain
Tate Modern
Tate Liverpool
Tate St. Ives
Programmes:
Tate Britain
Tate Modern
Tate Liverpool
Tate St. Ives
The Tate Boat
There is also the Tate Boat which runs between the Tate Britain and Tate Modern and the site states that:
The Tate Boat can accommodate wheelchair users.
However, exceptionally high tides mean that the Tate Boat cannot navigate certain Thames bridges and a replacement vessel may be used at these times. Some replacement vessels are not able to accommodate wheelchair users so we strongly recommend that customers call 020 7887 8888 on the day of travel for further details.
Guide and hearing dogs are welcome on the Tate Boat.
Access at the Tate Collection
You can find all of this of this information and more on one handy Tate Collection Access Page.
Tags: Access, Art, Assistance Dogs, Attraction, Cornwall, Disability, Disabled, England, Hearing Impairment, London, Merseyside, Tate, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Art, Attraction, Blue Badge Parking, Cornwall, England, Exhibition, Hearing Impairment, Learning Difficulties, London, Merseyside, North West, Things to Do, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
Halloween is coming up so we’ve decided to take a look at what inclusive fun can be had for disabled people. In london the “London Eye, will be transformed with its landscape changed into a spooky forest complete with a bubbling bog of no return for children who’ve been naughty. From Saturday October 24th to Sunday November 1st, two very peculiar witch sisters will be teaching children a lesson about the perils of misbehaving with Witch Trick encouraging children to be naughty and Witch Treat trying to save them from her wicked sister.”
Information for disable people, including wheelchair users and people with visual and hearing impairments can be found on the London Eye website.
Tags: Access, Assistance Dogs, Attraction, Disability, Disabled, England, Halloween, Hearing, Hearing Impairment, London, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Halloween, Hearing Impairment, London, Things to Do, Tourism, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, What's On, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
Monday, October 19th, 2009
BALTIC is housed in a landmark industrial building on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead and is the biggest gallery of its kind in the world.
BALTIC has no permanent collection, providing instead an ever-changing calendar of exhibitions and activities that give a unique and compelling insight into contemporary artistic practice. The BALTIC programme ranges from blockbuster exhibitions to innovative new work and projects created by artists working within the local community.
The centre currently has 3 exhibitions by Martin Parr, Malcolm McLaren and Kimsooja and they also give quite a lot of information regarding facilities for disabled people which includes:
“BALTIC is fully accessible with a range of free mobility, parking and general visitor facilities.
Parking (disabled)
There are seven reserved parking spaces for Blue Badge Holders situated to the rear of BALTIC with an access ramp on the riverside of the building which will direct you to the main entrance on BALTIC Square (approximately 180m away). A further five disabled parking bays are available adjacent to BALTIC on South Shore Road.
Toilets
Male, Female and unisex disabled toilets are available on all floors except Level 5.
Facilities for disabled visitors
Click here for a list of facilities available to use at BALTIC. Please contact us in advance to reserve a wheelchair, tri-wheel walker or scooter or to arrange personal guidance.
Guide and Hearing Dogs are welcome.
For information in Braille, large print or on audiotape, or to arrange a touch tour or sign language interpreted tour please call 0191 478 1810 or for textphone 0191 440 4944
BALTIC is part of the Gateshead Shopmobility Scheme. If you wish to book a scooter of wheelchair for your visit to the Gateshead Quayside, please call 0191 440 4960.”
Tags: Access, Art, Assistance Dogs, Attraction, Disability, England, Exhibition, Gateshead, Level Access, Shopmobility, Toilet, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Art, Assistance Animals, Exhibition, Gallery, Gateshead, Hearing Impairment, Shopmobility, Things to Do, Tourism, Travel, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
Friday, October 9th, 2009
Halloween is upon us again and so it’s time to start looking at what’s on over this fun filled period around the UK. First off is the Peak District and Derbyshire’s Spookyshire events. Various different celebrations will be undertaken throughout the region and here’s a look at a few of them.
Halloween Spooktacular at Gulliver’s
Celebrate Halloween in style at Gullivers. All the usual rides and attractions, plus a fantastic firework display. Pop into Halloween shows throughout the day to see special characters. The perfect evening for the whole family. Booking is advisable as space is limited. Children in fancy dress receive £1 off admission before 2pm.
For information for disabled people please download the Gulliver’s Word Document or find it in their site under “What is Gulliver’s”
Alton Tower’s Scarefest
You can also find more theme park Halloween fun at Alton Tower’s Scarefest from the 17th October – 1st November. For information for disabled people please visit their Disabled Access page where you can also download a leaflet.
Halloween at Chatsworth House
For a truly haunting half term come and enjoy a week of tricks and treats at Chatsworth’s Farmyard Halloween Hoot. For the brave there’s all kinds of evil excitement to keep the little horrors happy including making monstrous masks and cards or taking one of the daily ‘Fright Flights’ through the haunted Warlock Wood. Just watch out for the sinister Spellweaver that lurks amongst the trees. Most activities free upon normal farmyard admission fees. Fright Flights can be booked on the day for an additional charge.
Halloween Spooktacular at Tropical Butterfly House
Come face to face with animated ghosts and ghouls in the Haunted House. Take a Haunted Hayride round the Freaky Forest and play Trick or Treat on the Witch in the Wood.
The Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry website states:
• Most of the centre is accessible to wheelchairs and push-chairs. Disabled toilets and baby changing facilities are also available.
• Sorry – dogs are not permitted, except for guide dogs. Please do not bring your dog and leave him in the car.
For more events in the Peak District and Derbyshire please visit the Spookyshire page where you can also find symbols to indicate facilities for disabled people.
Tags: Access, Assistance Dogs, Derbyshire, Disability, Disabled, England, Halloween, Theme Park, Tourism, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Assistance Animals, Attraction, Derbyshire, Event, Gardens, Halloween, Theme Park, Things to Do, What's On, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
According to English Heritage Audley End House in Essex is one of England’s finest country houses, and a mansion with a difference:
“Following the restoration of its great Service Wing, visitors can now tour the ‘parallel world’ where armies of servants laboured to ensure the smooth running of this great mansion.
Audley End takes its name from Sir Thomas Audley, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor who, after 1538, adapted the extensive buildings of suppressed Walden Abbey as his mansion. His grandson Thomas Howard, first Earl of Suffolk, rebuilt the house on a massive scale between 1603 and 1614. Known as ‘the Palace of Audley End’, this Jacobean ‘prodigy house’ was three times its present size, and one of the largest mansions in England. But in 1618 Suffolk fell from favour and into massive debt, and his great house went into decline. More
Disabled people can find access and other useful information on Visitor Information page of Audley End House and Gardens where it states:
Facilities Details:
Wheelchairs: we have four wheelchairs, available on request; four motorised wheelchairs available in grounds, but must be booked in advance. Please ring 01799 522842.
Toilets: Adapted; level access.
Shop: Level access.
Tea rooms: Ramped access to the tea rooms. Please note there are 3 steps to the self-service cafe.
Access:
Access to house: Via loose gravel, tarmac, cobbles and smooth grass. Ground floor level apart from Butlers Pantry which has 4 steps.
Gardens: Access via tarmac and gravel paths and very smooth grass. Seats provided. A number of bridges either have a step or steep slope.
Parking:
200m from entrance, with reserved parking for disabled visitors. Please make arrangements in advance if possible.
Visually Impaired Visitors:
Fountain, wildfowl and bird song in grounds; flower and rose gardens
Please see the English Heritage site for further details.
Tags: Access, Architecture, Attraction, England, English Heritage, Essex, Gardens, Level Access, Tourism, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Architecture, Attraction, England, English Heritage, Essex, Gardens, Things to Do, Tourism, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
The Bure Valley Railway runs almost al year round from Aylsham to Wroxham in Norfolk and has to be a great way to see the area. When I first found this through the VisitNorfolk website I was slightly cynical in thinking that there wouldn’t be any facilities for disabled people. However, after a few clicks and a little bit of exploring I found the Disabled Access information page and was pleasantly surprised to find that not only are both of the stations accessible but also the Bure Valley Railway has 6 adapted carriages that can take up to 4 manual wheelchairs each!
The Bure Valley Railway also work with Broads Tours so that people can take the train and then an hour and a half long river boat trip before going back to Aylsham by train. What’s more, the Broads Tours boat also have facilities for disabled people including access statements for each of the boats!
For me this looks like a great day out for all the family and shows that companies are not just providing facilities but are also trying to give us the information that we need in order to make informed decisions about whether an attraction is suitable for our individual requirements.
Tags: Access, Assistance Dogs, Attraction, Boat, Disabled, England, Level Access, Norfolk, OpenBritain, Things to Do, Train, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Assistance Animals, Attraction, Boat, Norfolk, OpenBritain, Opinion, Things to Do, Tourism, Train, Travel, United Kingdom, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
Trebah Garden is 26 acres of sub-tropical paradise, located in Cornwall where you can explore under canopies bursting with exotic blooms and follow vibrant tunnels of all year round colour that cascade down to a private beach on the Helford River.
“Information for visitors with disabilities
Parking We have four disabled parking spaces for badge holders near our visitor centre.
Admission Prices For registered disabled: £3.00 per person and for carers: £3.00 per person.
Motorised buggies/wheelchairs Trebah is a ravine garden and has steep sections and steps on some paths making wheelchair use difficult. However, three motorised buggies and one carer controlled buggy are available for use in the garden.
A full demonstration will be given by a member of staff. We recommend visitors telephone to book in advance as the buggies and wheelchair are very much in demand. (Telephone 01326 252200).
The Planters Café, the Gallery Shop and Gardens Shops are fully accessible.
Toilet facilities: We have a fully adapted unisex toilets in the visitor centre. If you have any queries whilst in the garden, Trebah staff will be pleased to help.
Dogs are welcome in the garden and on the beach – on a lead at all times please. We ask that you leave your dogs outside Planters Café but they are welcome on the café veranda and in the picnic area. Water bowls are available outside the visitor centre and poop scoops given to dog owners on arrival.”
Currently there is also the ‘Textiles Plus Trebah’ Exhibition on until the 9th October which is “A collection of work inspired by Trebah from over a two year period, produced by the local group ‘Textiles Plus’ and on display in the Visitor Centre and Planters Cafe.
Tags: Access, Assistance Dogs, Cornwall, Disability, Disabled, England, Exhibition, Gardens, Textiles, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Art, Assistance Animals, Cornwall, England, Exhibition, Gardens, Textiles, United Kingdom, What's On, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
The Affordable Art Fair (AAF) is the place to discover and buy paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography and original prints – all priced between £50 and £3,000.
With 120 carefully selected galleries from across the UK and Europe exhibiting there is contemporary art on show to suit every taste and budget.
The forthcoming Autumn Collection (22 – 25 October) in Battersea Park, London, marks AAF’s 10th anniversary.
I contacted the Affordable Art Fair to find out about facilities for people with disabilities and they responded very quickly with the following information:
“The Affordable Art Fair is located in a fully wheelchair accessible marquee, with the fair itself designed with wide aisles to make moving around the event easy for wheelchair users. We also have several wheelchairs which can be booked, for free on site, to use within the fair for those less able to walk.
We have a disabled toilet in the entrance marquee and special parking spaces at the entrance for cars displaying disabled stickers.
All of our signage is clearly laid out, using large point size to assist those with visual impairments.
A number of art fair assistants are employed and they are always on hand to give assistance to any visitors who may need it.
Our chosen charity beneficiary for this fair is the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability. They will have a stand at the event, raising awareness about neurological disabilities and their Art Therapist will also be running a workshop as part of our Education Programme.
We welcome all ages and abilities to our workshops – if a visually impaired person was interested in, for example, having a go at the sculpture making demonstrations, they would be given one-to-one assistance to make them feel involved without feeling patronised.
Previous beneficiaries include BlindArt – a charity dedicated solely to the ideal that all people should enjoy equal access to the visual arts and ActionSpace which runs visual arts projects in London for people with mild to profound learning difficulties.
We endeavour to make our event as accessible as possible for all and welcome any comments on how the public feel we could improve our event through visitor questionnaires.”
Tags: Access, Art, Disability, Disabled, England, Event, Fair, Learning Difficulties, London, Toilet, United Kingdom, Visual Impairment, Wheelchair
Posted
by Craig Grimes in Exhibition, Learning Difficulties, London, Visual Impairment, What's On, Wheelchair User | No Comments »
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