Owner: The Cambridge Way To Be Awards URL:http://cambridge-waytobe.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 06:02:01 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: The Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people. Site statistics:Click here
Blue Badge 2007-08-03 05:50:00 I've just had the privilege of paying £2 to renew my Blue Badge
, but there are more worrying concerns for Cambridge Blue Bade holders. Disability now did a recent survey, with Gerri Birdhttp://tinyurl.com/39uy5mI've also had concerns raised over the news that the County Council is considering changes to access and parking in Cambridge.http://tinyurl.com/245mx5Read the reporthttp://tinyurl.com/3c39qThe Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people.
Cambridge Folk Festival 2007-07-31 06:54:00 Having failed to get there myself, do any disabled people have comments on the facilities at the Folk Festival
last weekend?The Cambridge
Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people.
Pointing in the Right Direction 2007-07-28 11:27:00 How often do you hear people say "If only I'd known that earlier, things would have been so much better!"Well, it is impossible for ordinary people to read all the leaflets and keep up to date with all the useful websites, but there is a group in Cambridge who make it their job to do so, with the aim of helping disabled people and their carers.Direction
s Plus are based near the Cambridge Science Park, and the team of professional advisors and volunteer helpers have helped a lot of people over the years.Gerri Bird of Directions Plus was nominated for TW2B in 2006 by a grateful couple whom she has helped to get benefits to which they were entitled.The Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people. Read more:Pointing
, Right
Only 125,000 2007-07-26 11:18:00 Having heard a little about disabled people buying expensive, but adapted vehicles and selling them on at a profit I found this interesting BBC page about 1978. It claim there were only 125,000 disabled people in Britain, now the government estimate is nearer 10 million. This means the definition of who the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) applies to has increased over time.http://tinyurl.com/yqjb2bThe Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people.
Other Awards 2007-07-26 10:32:00 Its always good to see people you vaguely know or even know win awards. This linked article about Cambridge man Martin Sabry, shows another award for technology to help disabled people. It is this type of technology that we hope gets recommended for The Way To Be Awards
.I don't know Martin, but I know his mother.http://tinyurl.com/2fy2gmThe Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people.
Disability and accessibility websites links 2007-07-17 06:36:00 Here's some websites and blogs which cover disability and accessibility issues. As always, the usual disclaimers apply! — (we're not responsible for the content of other websites)TechDisleading educational advisory service, working across the UK, in the fields of accessibility and inclusion.Royal National Institute for the Blind: web access centre blog. BBC | Access 2.0This is a BBC blog all about their work on accessibility.Ouch! is the website for the BBC Radio Show. It has a long blogroll of blogs by disabled people.Accessify ForumThis is one of the few online forums devoted to accessibility. Very geeky!DisapediaTo provide all the community, information and resources any disabled individual could want or need.WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind) is committed to improving the Web for disabled people.One service the site offers is a screen reader simulation which will give you an idea of how a blind person might use the Web. Other services include a distractibility simulation, which Read more:Disability
, links
The local punt firm with a heart of gold 2007-07-15 05:33:00 If your idea of punting in Cambridge is crowds of assorted students, tourists and local people weaving around and falling in the river, you may think it's not for you, but think again ……Down a beautiful backwater you will find a family firm renowned for their friendly, helpful attitude, especially to people who are a little anxious about getting in and out of a punt.Lawrence Austen and his team were nominated in 2005 and again in 2006 because of their outstanding care for wheelchair users, people with learning disabilities and the elderly.Nominations have come from a German studying at long Road Sixth Form College, a Canadian holidaymaker and a club visiting Cambridge for the day.Many residents always recommend the Granta because they know it is an independent firm which can be relied on to look after their customers and give them a day to remember.http://www.puntingincambridge.comThe Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people.
A week in Somerset 2007-07-13 07:13:00 I've just come back from a week in Somerset
and did the usual bus driver's holiday of checking the local access facilities and comparing them to those visitors to Cambridge would encounter.I stayed in a farm cottage, which though not perfectly accessible has won some government access awards. See http://www.doublegatefarm.com/We stayed in near Wells and in sight of Glastonbury Tor. Last year they were filming Hot Fuzz in the City and so we dutifully watch the said DVD while in the locale. Wells Cathedral and Bishop's Palace do their best to give access to their medieval constructions. Though the Wells and Mendip Museum has very little access to their collections.http://www.wellscathedral.org.uk/I visited a couple of regional attractions. The SS Great Britain, which is one of the first steam ships, rather than a British wing of Hitler's regime and was designed by Brunel. Brunel was an incredible engineer turning his mind to trains, ships, railways and bridges, one man doing what 4 s
Swimming for All 2007-07-12 05:53:00 Swimming for All at Chesterton Sports CentreAnother 2006 nomination was for the management team at Chesterton Sports Centre, who went to great trouble to make it possible for local blind and partially sighted residents to enjoy the benefits of going swimming. The photo shows the swimmers who go along on Tuesday afternoons at 2.opm. As well as the usual lifeguard, regular volunteers are on hand to provide any help required by partially-sighted swimmers. Don't worry, someone will look after your guide dog! http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/content/sports/citysport-brochure/chesterton-sports-centre.enThe Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people. Read more:Swimming
Welcome to The Way To Be Awards blog 2007-07-02 13:11:00 I am Mark Taylor and I am the Access Officer at Cambridge City Council. I work in the Planning Department, because an important part of my time is spent in looking at planning applications for new developments, and advising people on how best to make changes to old buildings.Although helpfulness and consideration are as old as mankind, some changes needed legislation, and that's what the Disability Discrimination Act (the DDA) did in 2004. Now all services, businesses and public buildings have to consider how everyone, including people with disabilities, get in, join in and find their way around.Businesses nominated for The Way To Be awards in 2006 included a lot of shops and taxi drivers, which is not surprising when you consider how important it is to be able to get where you want to go, and to buy the things you need. Everyday things that many people take for granted, but the people who nominated our 2006 heroes didn't take them for granted and we will be featuring them on this bl Read more:Awards
, Welcome
Free Internet Training in Cambridge 2007-08-08 10:04:00 If you live in Cambridge
you can make use of Cambridge Online City's e-Learning Centre. It helps anybody with any kind of disability to use the computer and access the Internet
. They can offer one to one support, individual learning plans at the Hester Adrian Centre in Chesterton and also at other venues throughout the City.Cambridge OnLine is a charity working across the East of England helping disabled people use computers by providing training and advice to individuals and groups. We provide accessibility assessments & advice, one to one training, and we have a full range of adaptive equipment for people to try.Find out moreInterested in Volunteering? Cambridge OnLine urgently need additional volunteers to help support our learners. You don't have to be a computer expert. You just need to give us 2 hours a week - morning or afternoon - to help g Read more:Training
The warmth of Mill Road's culinary melting pot 2007-08-17 08:10:00 Last year we had several neighbourhood shops nominated for TW2B award, and the other week I went to visit one, Al Amin in Mill Road to see what it was like. I was immediately struck by the extraordinary range of food on sale, and the friendly welcoming staff who managed to help customers without being 'pushy'. You certainly don't have to be disabled to enjoy shopping at Al Amin, but I could easily see why they were nominated last year by a regular customer whose shopping they carried home free of charge after an operation made things difficult, and at other times she reported "they make a point of putting my shopping in two evenly balanced bags so that I carry it easily".It's this sort of practical help that we want to encourage! The Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people. Read more:melting
Good Sports - Team Games 2007-08-17 05:35:00 I follow the 3 great team sports, Rugby Union, cricket and Association (as the rules were formulated in Cambridge) and in 10 days this month I witnessed the access at 3 great grounds.First there was the Trent Bridge test match, the Nottingham ground has buildings of mixed ages and room for disabled spectators at several places. During one visit I was given rather inadequate seating, where the person I attended with could sit any nearer than 15 metres from me, but on this year's visit I had a prime seat. In a new stand, with lift service to every floor, we sat 5 metres from the commentary box and at the same level. This did mean the seating fell from us at a steep angle, giving a slight sense of vertigo (though there was railing to prevent sudden falls). We sat listening to the commentary on pigeons, buses and Spitfires and seeing the action from the same perspectives as Aggers, Boycs, Angus Fraser and Sunil Gavesker, who we bumped into in the lobby behind the stand.In fact the only in Read more:Sports
, Games
2007 Awards Nominations 2007-08-16 05:55:00 We are now receiving nominations for the 2007 award, and will be publishing them as they come in. We hope readers who also know these people and places will write in with their experiences in support of nominees that they would like to see win.The management team at Cherry Hinton Village CentrePapworth Everard BrowniesCambridge Dial-a-RideChathura and the staff at the Co-op on Hills RoadThe postal tape service run by CamSightThe care team at 112 Wulfstan Way, Queen Edith'sJohn Loader, senior volunteer at the session for visually impaired swimmers, Chesterton Sports CentreLawrence and his team at Granta Punts, Newnham RoadThe Pavilion, Impington Village CollegeBrown's Restaurant, Trumpington StreetThere is still plenty of time to have your say: nominations will be counted until 1st October, so make your Way To Be Awards
nomination now.The Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people.
Cambridge Hospitality To Be Proud Of 2007-08-23 02:22:00 Last year TW2B awards attracted several taxidrivers and small shops. This year we have two Cambridge
restaurants on the list of nominees, which is good news if you like good food!We have had a nomination for La Mimosa restaurant, and by coincidence my father chose if for his 86th birthday lunch this week, so I was interested to meet Dom the proprietor and see his team in action.Certainly the place is physically accessible, in a lovely location by the river at the end of Thompson's Lane.The welcome was very warm and staff very attentive, and as it happened my father had rather overdone his eardrops and couldn't hear properly, but the waiter was very courteous and it was clear to me that customers with hearing problems are in safe hands as well!We have also had a nomination for Brown's in Trumpington Street. I myself was pleased to see this one come in, as I was invited to lunch there by a friend some years ago. MS meant that my friend used a powerchair and had difficulty with his spe Read more:Hospitality
, Proud
Wheels on Fire : Mayor Bailey visits the Dragon's Lair 2007-08-27 15:37:00 On of the sponsors of TW2B Cambridge 2007 is local engineering firm Dragon
mobility, and the Mayor
of Cambridge, who is herself an engineer, went along to see how they make their distinctive brand of life-changing wheelchairs in a small workshop behind the Aldi carpark on Histon Road.Dragon wheelchairs are a unique combination of physics and psychology. It seems to be as important to identify the right person and the right family as it is to engineer the individual seating and steering mechanism.Young Irving is a good example of this, and he met Mayor Jenny Bailey
during her visit, demonstrating the freedom that a Dragon chair can give to a child with disabilities, even if that includes the freedom to make mistakes as well as friends, have accidents as well as have fun!Ruth Everard, is another example, although in her case the technology that gave a her the chance to be defiant at storytime in Trumpington playgroup when she was four has since then enabled her to get a law degree from Read more:Wheels
Nominate Cambridge sportspeople 2007-09-14 08:23:00 The Cambridge
shire and Peterborough Sports Awards 2007 have rolled around again and nominations are now open for theSports Performer with a Disabilityaward, which carries a prize of a £100 grant towards their development, a trophy and sports kit.Nomination form (PDF, 260kb) from the Living Sport website.The Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people. Read more:Nominate
Do the Funky Flamingo 2007-09-13 17:08:00 communitycare.co.uk has a great story about a visit to Cambridge's FunkyFlamingo
club, which is a regular night club held at The Junction venue, organised and run by disabled adults and young people from Cambridgeshire and beyond.David Fry of United Response (who are a national organisation which supports people with learning disabilities or mental health needs to live in the community) travelled from London for an all-day fundraiser. He says:There was karaoke and live music, which I love because I am a big music fan. They were raising money so they could throw a Halloween party as well as fund Funky TV, a TV channel for people with learning disabilities.The best thing about the event was how friendly it was. I like doing lots of different things in my spare time with all sorts of people. But sometimes it's nice to go to a place where people with learning difficulties are very welcome.One of the first people I spoke to was Amanda Kleherer from the charity Inspire, which organised th
Inclusion — A Delusion? 2007-10-11 09:50:00 A week in the life of a Guide Dog owning, Braille reading, working lone parent.Saturday – Food shopping – local supermarket has Braille on a number of items now so this makes it easy to find the unsmoked bacon, and the vegetable lasagne ready meal. After lunch Guide Dog puppy walker takes Wade (my Guide Dog), out with her puppy. Take taxi to Funky Fun House to drop off my daughter at noisy 7 year-old’s party. Meet another parent from school who offers a lift to shopping Centre. Trainer shopping. Buy hockey stick and shin pads. Son then practices at home – in the front room! Guide Dog and puppy come back and we puppy sit for the evening.Sunday – Wade is not up for working today. A 6 year-old dog just can’t take the pace of a puppy! We walk into city centre. Children select a favourite café to go for lunch. As we enter we are told we cannot come in because of the dog. I say we can because Wade is a Guide Dog. We sit and start to select our food. The waitress ag Read more:Delusion
City Council has the Key 2007-10-24 07:52:00 Did you know you can buy a RADAR key over the counter at the Guildhall Reception? They cost just £1.50 No need to get caught out without one! And it's not just toilets that you can easily use with one of these, but some shops and swimming pool changing rooms have introduced them for disabled customers. The Cambridge Way To Be awards are all about removing obstacles in the way of disabled people. Read more:Council
, City Council
From the Lakes to the Fens 2007-10-24 07:38:00 Does anyone else remember a place called Lakeland Plastics, a small warehouse near Windermere station where you could buy freezer bags and all sort of plastic goods?Well, the small Cumbrian firm has transformed itself, and has a branch in Cambridge which has been nominated by a partially-sighted customer.Mark went to check it out, and as you can see from the photo (left) he is showing an unhealthy interest in the Hallowe'en catering range for gruesome snacks . His visit showed good basic facilities for wheelchair users such as level access, automatic door opening, generous circulation space and low checkout counters. What we could not know until our The Way To Be nomination came in was the helpful and discreet assistance offered to customers who need a bit of help to find and examine the goods. Thought for the Day: Just as the Lakeland poet Wordsworth spoke of the inner eye that can recapture beautiful sights such as wild daffodils, we know how much it means to disabled customers to Read more:Lakes
Treasures of Pleasure and Leisure in Cambridge thanks to the University 2007-11-01 05:00:00 The final batch of nominations for TW2B 2007 included two famous assets of the city, and it was good to learn that they are being recommended by disabled visitors.We have had a nomination for the University
Botanic Gardens, and this is the second time it has been recommended for the special tours they arrange for visitors with visual impairment. To quote from the nomination form:"They offer free monthly guided walks for visually impaired people. These focus on non-visual aspects of the garden and include smelling highly scented plants, stroking bark and bird song. Staff and volunteers are sensitive to the needs of visually impaired people."I first went to the Botanics soon after I moved here because I signed up as a volunteer for Crossroads and I was given the job of taking a gentleman out in a wheelchair. He knew Cambridge
like the back of his hand, but could not speak following a stroke, so I just followed his hand signals, and one day found myself in the Gardens. It was wonderful! O Read more:Leisure
Shortlist announced for 2007 Awards 2007-11-15 04:29:00 We are delighted to announce that we now have a shortlist for The Way To Be Awards
2007. The details of their nominations will be sent to the independent judge who will choose the overall winnerThe shortlist is:Granta Punt and Canoe Hire, NewnhamLakeland, Sidney StreetLa Mimosa restaurant, Thompsons LaneLion Yard Car Park AttendantsPapworth Brownie GuidesMany thanks to everybody who sent in a nomination this year - they made wonderful reading.Congratulations to everyone who was nominated - you have all made Cambridge a better place to live and work.We look forward to seeing all the participants at the award ceremony, which will be hosted by Councillor Jenny Bailey (photo right), the Mayor of Cambridge.The overall winner will be announced at the award ceremony in the Foyer of the Cambridge Corn Exchange on November 21st 4.30- 6.00pm.The presentations will be made by Ruth Everard, who will be back in her home town of Cambridge to talk to us, despite the fact that the innovative wheelchai
La Mimosa - the sweet smell of Success 2008-01-08 09:39:00 Due to some technical difficulties, we did not manage to post an account of our awards ceremony, so this is a 'catch-up post ' to start 2008.The overall winner chosen by our independent judge (the access officer of Bedford Council) was in fact La Mimosa
restaurant. Congratulations to them!The photo shows Fernandez receiving the award from Mayor Jenny Bailey. Another business on the short list received a special award for services to tourism in Cambridge because they have been nominated by overseas visitors as well as local residents every year for the last three years of TW2B.This popular local firm is Granta Punt and Canoe Hire, where Lawrence Austin's family firm continues to give exceptional service to its customers and ensures that many disabled people go home with particularly happ Read more:Success
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