After a couple of months’ break, our open membership meetings are back in October and November.
These meetings involve and engage disabled people by working in partnership with service providers mainly in local authority and health services. People with physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments are given a voice and an opportunity to influence policy and service delivery. Join our membership.
Upcoming Dates & Details (Venue details below)
- Tuesday 23 October 2018
- Tuesday 20 November 2018
About our Open Meetings
At our meetings, we engage with service providers and commissioners, mainly in local authority, health and transport sectors. The aim is to identify barriers faced by disabled people and improve service design and delivery so that disabled people have better access, experiences, improved wellbeing and quality of life. By involving significant numbers of disabled people, we can have a big impact on decision makers. By using this model, disabled people have a voice, are listened to, are empowered and can influence policy and service delivery.
We are the organisation set up and ready for consultation and involvement on issues that affect disabled people in Calderdale. We are respected by the local CCG, hospital trust and leading Calderdale Council officers and Councillors, Our meetings are often attended by the Cabinet member for Adults Health and Social Care and by the Director. We are the organisation set up and ready for consultation and involvement on issues that affect disabled people in Calderdale.
Venue: About the King’s Centre where we hold our open meetings
To ensure that our meetings are inclusive and accessible to all, we always use an accessible venue. The King’s Centre is spacious and very clean. It has ramped access to wide double doors (not automatic) into the large foyer area leading to the main hall. There are spacious and very clean accessible toilet and kitchen facilities. The King’s Centre is excellently managed by people who really understand what accessibility and inclusion is all about.
The Kings Church
3 Park Rd,
Halifax
HX1 2TS
Parking is available on Park Road. There are two disabled bays outside the King’s Centre. Also blue badge holders can park for unlimited time on the street. Drivers who are not blue badge holders are limited to two hours before six pm and unlimited time after six. More info on finding the King’s Centre can be found on their own website.
Accessibility At Our Open meetings
To enable everyone to be included and to be able to participate at our meetings, we have the following access arrangements:
- A technician operates a PA system. This has powerful radio microphones which are handed to any person (audience or presenters) who is speaking at the meeting. This enables people to hear what is said. The system is connected to the hearing induction loop system for the benefit of people who use hearing aids.
- There are two large screens where slides can be projected.
- Two Sign Language Interpreters are present at meetings to ensure that Deaf sign language users can understand proceedings and make their contribution to discussions by the interpreter ‘voicing over’ the sign language they use.
- We have a ‘speech to text’ (Palantype) operater. This highly trained professional person makes sure that everything that is spoken appears as text on the screens. This assists people who are deaf but are not sign language users.
- We provide a refreshment buffet because our open meetings are usually held at tea time between 5pm and 7.45pm.
- We reimburse the cost our members’ car mileage, public transport and taxi fares. For many disabled people, the cost of accessible and convenient transport may be a real barrier to attending and participating in meetings. Which is why the DPC reimburse transport costs.
