Accessibility – News & Advice

Start Date: Saturday 28th May Where: Springs Hall Athletics Track, Huddersfield Road, Halifax, HX3 0AA Time: 14:00 – 16:00 Cycle for Health is delivered over 12 weeks and free to access. Delivered as a 2 hour session, once per week, Cycle for Health aims to build self-esteem, confidence, wellbeing …

The Government are inviting people to apply to become a chair of one of their 9 Regional Stakeholder Networks, helping to ensure disabled people’s voices are heard throughout England. Full Details Here Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading...…

How to prepare for a festival if you’re a wheelchair user Thinking of attending a festival this year but not sure how to plan for the event if you use a wheelchair? Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered. Mountain Trike, which sells all-terrain wheelchairs designed for accessing the outdoors, …

Get Yourself Active, the Disability Rights UK programme that focuses on increasing Disabled people’s participation in sport and physical activity, has been named a system partner by the arms-length body for grassroots sport: Sport England. Becoming a system partner means Get Yourself Active will …

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News Disabled employees paid £3.5k less than non-Disabled employees – ONS The ONS has published new data showing that Disabled employees earn £1.93 less per hour than non-disabled employees, equating to a £3,500 pay gap based on a 35 hour week. The pay gap between Disabled and non-disabled …

Calderdale Council is introducing changes to its car parks at Todmorden Sports Centre and Brighouse Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre, to ensure that disabled parking spaces are used correctly. As an inclusive organisation, the Council is committed to enabling everyone from Calderdale’s diverse …

Our response to Sport England’s Active Lives 2020/21 report The latest Active Lives Adult Survey published this week covers the period between November 2020 and November 2021. Activity Alliance responds to the latest Survey, calling for proactive and meaningful changes for disabled people. Read our …

Welcome to the latest edition of the Get Yourself Active newsletter, from Disability Rights UK. This is our round up of what the Get Yourself Active team and our partners have been up to during the month of April, and what to look forward to in May. Along with some opportunities, news and insight …

The Motability Scheme’s face-to-face events are back for 2022 with the return of The Big Event and the regional One Big Days. These events are the perfect way for visitors to find out everything they need to know about the Scheme, see the latest range of products available and have their questions …

Halifax Wheelchair Rugby League carried on their unbeaten run against North Wales Crusaders on 25 April, coming out as 86 to 52 winners, despite having a slightly reduced playing squad. The win leaves them Top of super league as both their nearest rivals , Leeds and Wigan drew against each other. …

The Naidex exhibition is an event for independent living and supporting the disabled community, showcasing wide-ranging solutions to improve mobility and accessibility, the latest innovations and tech, and explores the future of digital and physical accessibility. Naidex is for everyone. The event …

New campaign to challenge negative attitudes towards disabled children Activity Alliance is calling time on negative perceptions through our campaign, ‘Who says?’. The leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity wants disabled children and young people to have the same opportunities to …

The Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit is seeking 3 new Disability and Access Ambassadors to replace ambassadors who have come to the end of their tenure. There are currently 19 ambassadors who use their influential status as leaders in their sectors to drive improvements to the accessibility and …

Halifax Bus Station is being redeveloped in order to provide improved facilities and higher levels of comfort. The latest temporary re-arrangement of services at the site of the bus station and in Halifax centre was in late February 2022. There is now an easy read leaflet that helps explain the …

Calderdale Community Squash will be hosting another mixed ability open day at the Old Crossleyans club on the 27th of April. Details are in the flyer below and there’s also a video from the last one below (if you’re a Facebook user). …

Accessible Calderdale Disability Access Forum Are you interested in the countryside and getting around on accessible transport? Do you like to meet others with the same interests and get out and about with others? Accessible Calderdale are looking for new people to join their forum! The group meets …

Changing Places, who provide accessible toilet facilities have received a big funding boost. £23.5m worth of funding has been allocated across 191 councils and that will see 513 new Changing Places toilets installed across England, meaning toilet accessibility for those who need Changing Places …

This is a Government bill to: recognise British Sign Language (BSL) as a language of England, Wales and Scotland require reporting on the use of BSL by government departments require guidance to be issued in relation to BSL The explanatory notes: explain what each part of the bill will mean in …

What if you can’t make voice calls but need the emergency services? If you can’t make voice calls, there’s an emergency SMS service. Send a text to 999. This works on all mobiles in the UK, but not abroad. They also need to go through the registration process with any NEW phone they get. Here’s how …

Welcome to the latest edition of the Get Yourself Active newsletter, published by Disability Rights UK. This is our round up of what the Get Yourself Active team and our partners have been up to during the month of February, and what to look forward to in March. Along with some opportunities, news …

With over 345,000 electric vehicles (EVs) and in excess of 650,000 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) on UK roads at the end of October 2021, it’s fair to say the nation is adopting the transition towards a cleaner means of travel. But how accurately does this represent the relationship between EVs and those …

Welcome to February’s newsletter. This edition features new activity cards, UK CMOs’ disabled children’s activity guidelines and a new research project. New activity cards deliver inclusive, challenging, and fun PE sessions Activity Alliance and partners release series of …

Halifax Bus Station is being redeveloped in order to provide improved facilities and higher levels of comfort. Below is a guide to help you identify where your bus will depart of arrive during the third phase of the building work, starting from 27 February 2022. First there is a guide to bus …

Five well-known disabled people, including The Last Leg presenter Alex Brooker, Googlebox star Simon Minty and Disability Horizons’ Co-founder Martyn Sibley, talk openly about their mental health experiences for the new wellbeing platform Spokz People. Visit this Disability Horizons’ …

UK’s Chief Medical Officers have published the first ever guidelines on physical activity for disabled children and young people. Published: 16 February 2022 New guidelines to support disabled children and young people to be more active Guidelines advise 20 minutes of exercise per day and …

Here’s a new report from the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers on Delivery Services: We want to say a big thank you for completing our recent survey in conjunction with Which? to research the accessibility of parcel delivery services. We sent a survey to the RiDC panel to understand …

As part of the Shift! EV accessibility project which Disabled Motoring UK is involved with, two new accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging bays will be installed in Brighton and Hove. Working with the city’s EV Charging Operator, EB Charging and ourselves, the bays will be installed at …

In 2020 Shaping our Lives was successful in securing funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to develop a national inclusive involvement movement. From that they commissioned research and produced the following report: Tickboxes and Tokenism? Service User Involvement Report 2022 Read Full …

Services at Halifax Bus Station are set to change from later this month (February) as work progresses on a new £17.7 million state-of-the-art facility delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in partnership with Calderdale Council. From Sunday 27 February, the station entrance, travel …

Time Out Calderdale and Curious Motion come to the Orange Box in Halifax to introduce you to dance through fun sequences and activities with time to create your own ideas and find out how you like to move.   This workshop is aimed at young people and it is designed to be accessible to all …

Mental health services failing Disabled children New research from the office of the Children’s Commissioner shows the number of children experiencing mental distress has increased sharply since 2017. The research also says over a third of children referred to mental health services are still …

This is the report (Read Full Report Here) from the most recent Accessibility Workshop, looking at the development of the new Halifax Bus Station. The purpose of the workshop was to update accessibility groups in the Halifax area on the progress of the construction of the new bus station in the …

New Countryside Code guidance has been released for farmers and land managers. The guidance says that they must ensure their land can be easily reached by ‘visitors with different abilities and needs’ – effectively, asking them to replace stiles and kissing gates with accessible access …

9 accessible Valentine’s Day gift ideas Get ready for Valentine’s Day with these 9 accessible gifts, selected by the online magazine, Disability Horizons. They include luxury wheelchair gloves and our unique T-shirt designs. Plus, don’t forget to check out their relationships and …

Scope has free places available on the next Starting Line Employment Programme which is due to start on the 22ndof February. Here’s what they’ve got to say about the course: Starting Line is a free seven-week pre-employment group support course, delivered by Scope. The course consists …

Below you’ll find the latest newsletter from Halifax Society for the Blind, downloadable in three formats. Here’s their intro, which gives you a good idea of what’s inside: We hope this newsletter finds you well. It seems like there’s lots of water under the bridge since our …

Disabled people urged to back campaign on social care charges Disability Rights UK is urging campaigners and disability organisations  to back parliamentary efforts to scrap social care charges for working age Disabled people. The issue was raised this week in the House of Lords as …

National Disability Strategy declared unlawful The High Court has declared that the Government’s National Disability Strategy is unlawful due to inadequate consultation with Disabled people. Disability activists Miriam Binder, Jean Eveleigh, Doug Paulley and Vicki Hon brought the case against the …

Family Voice Calderdale response to the Calderdale Council Post 16 Transport Policy 2022-2023 Consultation. Executive Summary Family Voice Calderdale is a project of Unique Ways, a small local charity that supports families with disabled children across Calderdale. Family Voice Calderdale is the …

One of Calderdale’s Social Prescribing Link Workers from the Lower Valley, Ella Fairbrother recently went to meet Katherine Bland, Visual Impairment Team and Michelle Gerrard, Hearing Impairment Team at The Glenholme Re-source Centre, Elland where they are currently based. Ella wanted to know …

If you encounter obstructions on pavements in Calderdale and wish to report them, these are your options: Vehicles Obstructions caused by parked vehicles should be reported to the police on their non-emergency number by telephoning 101. Calderdale Council do not have the power to move parked …

9 winter warmers to help you deal with the cold if you have a disability: Many disabled people find cold temperatures a struggle due to lack of mobility or poor circulation. Disability and lifestyle blogger Gemma Orton, who lives with spinal muscular atrophy, shares her winter warmers to help you …

Grant Logan is a disabled entrepreneur whose goal is to connect disabled people and equip them with information and skills. Having become disabled after a bike accident, he discovered how scarce knowledge and advice was in the disability world and set about improving it. He now runs Ability Today, …

New report from Relationships Foundation and 20/20health calls for a ‘flexi-schooling’ approach for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) A new jointly published report argues that a shift in priorities within education is needed to support a rising parental …

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News Disabled boy becomes youngest ever recipient in New Year Honours A Disabled boy who has cerebral palsy and autism is to become the youngest person to receive the British Empire Medal (BEM). Tobias Weller has been given the award in recognition of his fundraising efforts during lockdown. He has …

This is the latest information about the government’s Disability and Access Ambassadors programme, managed by the Disability Unit. Disability and Access Ambassadors are senior business leaders. They encourage improvements in the accessibility and quality of services and facilities in their …

A message from our CEO: building a movement for change 2021 has been an extremely difficult year for many Disabled people. Our lives have continued to be dominated by COVID and its devastating consequences. We are acutely conscious of the high number of deaths of Disabled people, the risk that …

This is a newly published report, taken from the Government’s own website. UK’s initial report on the rights of disabled people under the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its responses to periodic reviews. From the UK Government’s …

This is the government’s latest response to the recommendations made by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2016. It covers both 2020 and 2021. UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2016 inquiry – UK 2021 follow-up report – HTML UN Committee on the …

This is the latest information from the Metro website as of 10 December 2021. It gives details of which bus routes are currently affected by the building work at Halifax Bus Station. For these routes, it lists the current (temporary) location where the bus route is now starting from. Halifax Bus …

Here’s the latest newsletter from Calderdale Heritage Walks, which includes all their upcoming walks, some of which are WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE After all of the Covid related problems over the past 2 years and following on from a partial summer programme, we are able to offer a complete winter …

BBC and Sky find over 100 disabled people held in specialist hospitals for at least 20 years The BBC and Sky News have discovered that more than 100 people with learning disabilities and autism have been held in specialist hospitals and assessment and treatment units for over 20 years. The figures …

Welcome to your December Newsletter Welcome to the latest edition of the Get Yourself Active newsletter. This is our round up of what the Get Yourself Active team and our partners have been up to during the month of November, and what to look forward to in December. Along with some opportunities, …

Check out our Christmas articles… It’s now December and officially time to start celebrating all things Christmas. Our writer and editor, Emma Purcell, has just shared 10 Christmas memories growing up with a disability, but we have many more Christmas stories too, including tips for …

A warm welcome to your final newsletter of 2021. Full of all the latest updates and heart-warming stories from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. As we round up the year, we are really excited to tell you about some ground-breaking research carried out by the University of York. This research found that …

News Round-up Social care plans expose rich vs poor divide in terms of home loss The Prime Minister has narrowly won a vote on the cap for social care costs, which will mean that many poorer people will continue to need to sell their homes to cover the costs of care. Senior Conservatives were …

Bulletin Deadline From now on all bulletin submissions will need to be made to our new email address thebulletin@britishpolio.org.uk and we have made no changes to our editorial policy which can be found on page 3 in any copy of the bulletin. Please be aware if you do not submit content to our new …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGuj-wUM0J4 This Christmas, The Victoria Theatre Halifax is putting on the biggest panto of them all, the fabulous Jack and the Beanstalk. It will run from Saturday 11 December 21 – Sunday 2 January 22 and there will be Signed and Relaxed Performances included in the …

It’s been a busy Autumn at Curious Motion! Their classes are back in motion in Elland, including new offerings and new people! Read on for ways to stay connected and keep moving through the colder months. November & December classes – booking open! Their classes are back in full …

Last week, Sport England, the arms-length body of government responsible for growing and developing grassroots sport and getting more people active across England, released their latest Active Lives Adult Survey. The results are stark and worrying. Put simply, Disabled people are not getting …

Here’s the latest News Round-up from the excellent Disability Rights UK. Shaw Trust Power 100 list 2021 The Valuable 500 is the first organisation to land the top spot in the Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100. The Disability Power 100 is an annual list of Disabled people who the Trust …

Do you, or your child get Direct Payments for your care and support from Calderdale Council? Or are you interested in getting a Direct Payment? Would you like to connect with other Direct Payment users, to share information and experiences, and maybe give feedback to the Council? If so, please join …

A borough-wide system for cashless parking payments in Calderdale will be introduced from early November. However, the Council have confirmed that those wishing to pay with cash will still be able to do so, and blue badge and permit holders are unaffected by these changes and should continue to …

Welcome to the latest edition of the Get Yourself Active newsletter. This is Disability UK’s newsletter in which there’s a round up of what their Get Yourself Active team and partners have been up to during the month of October. Along with some opportunities, news and insight that we …

Welcome to October’s Activity Alliance newsletter. Activity Alliance is the operating name for the English Federation of Disability Sport. This edition features our Impact Report, AGM and Get Out Get Active resources. Activity Alliance revisits impactful year at virtual AGM Activity …

A wide-ranging programme of sporting activities for young people and adults with disabilities has now returned to Calderdale sports centres, with further funding agreed to develop the programme over the next three years. Calderdale Council, working in partnership with local providers, parent-led …

Community Transport Calderdale is a local charity and their Car Service volunteers can provide transport for people to get about. You can also travel on one of the minibus trips they organise in their wheelchair accessible minibuses or you can hire their minibuses for your group. For more details …

In August, Disabled Motoring UK asked the public to help them with their annual Baywatch campaign. They asked disabled motorists to complete a survey about their parking experiences over the past 12 months. The results have now been calculated. Here’s what Disabled Motoring UK have said, with …

As a motoring organising with over 120 years’ experience in helping customers in their time of need, the RAC understand what most people want from breakdown cover. However, they’d like to learn more about disabled drivers and what their needs might be in the event of a breakdown, so they’d like …

Call on Government to tackle employment discrimination A Disability Employment Charter has been launched, supported by disability organisations, trade unions and academics. The Charter sets out areas for Government action to tackle the shocking disability employment gap. There is almost a 30% gap …

Meeting date: 30 September 2021 Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm Location: Microsoft Teams Meeting Project team attendees • Mark Auger – West Yorkshire Combined Authority • Erica Ward – West Yorkshire Combined Authority • Andrew Bradley – West Yorkshire Combined Authority • Steve Smith – Calderdale Council …

Together Housing, is a housing association which provides a number of properties in our area. They have a Disabled Residents Group. If you are a Together Housing resident and want to join the group, please contact Mohammed via mo.daji@togetherhousing.co.uk or call him on 07967 309749 Mohammed will …

Halifax Bus Station is being redeveloped in order to provide improved facilities and higher levels of comfort. The new bus station is due to be completed summer 2023. To enable construction work to start, the bus station will be partially closed. From Sunday 5 September 2021, some buses will run …

Starting Line is a free seven-week pre-employment group support course, delivered by Scope and there are places locally in November. The course consists of 14 modules, delivered on 2 half days a week, plus a weekly one to one with an Employment Adviser. they work with disabled people to: • …

To mark Hate Crime Awareness Week – 10-17 October – we have produced a series of videos that look at the issue of Hate Crime and at how to recognise it, how to report it and how the Safe Places scheme offers refuge and support for victims of Hate Crimes. Working with Lead the Way, West …

The Disabled Parking Accreditation is administered by the charity Disabled Motoring UK, which looks after the rights of disabled motorists. They have a searchable database of accredited accessible car parks – view it on their website, link below: https://www.dpaccreditation.org.uk/ Share …

Visitors to Rastrick Library can now enjoy improved access, following the completion of work to install a new ramp. Rastrick Library was built in 1912 and retains many grand original features, but the building previously suffered with poor accessibility, with a set of steep steps making it …

News Round-up Disability Minister replaced in Cabinet reshuffle Justin Tomlinson has been replaced by Chloe Smith as Minister for Disabled People as part of Boris Johnson’s latest Cabinet reshuffle. Tomlinson launched the National Disability Strategy at the end of July along with the Green Paper on …

The Cycle for Health course starts at Spring Hall this Saturday 11 September 4-6pm. This FREE 12 week course can help you to improve your health and fitness and develop bike riding skills and confidence thought cycle training and led bike rides. Cycle for Health is aimed at adults of any age and is …

Bus Users and Disability Rights UK are to host a series of online events, Let’s Talk Accessibility. The aim is to help local transport authorities (LTAs) and operators understand the challenges and barriers Disabled people face when travelling by bus. The events will take place on 20, 21 and 22 …

Welcome to the Disability Rights UK “Get Yourself Active” Newsletter Welcome to the latest edition of the Get Yourself Active newsletter. This is our round up of what the Get Yourself Active team and our partners have been up to during the month of August – along with some …

The Activity Alliance are committed to ensuring disabled people can be and stay active. Access exercise advice, workouts, and activity guides to support disabled people through their website. This helps everyone to move more, whether at home, outside or in your local area. Link: Get Active Share …

Welcome to August’s newsletter. This edition features our stakeholder survey, the Paralympic Games and Birmingham 2022. Help our work by taking part in our stakeholder survey Working effectively with our members and other stakeholders is important to us and vital as we develop our plans. We …

Here’s a summary of the upcoming bus service changes due to Halifax Bus Station redevelopment. The bus station will be partially closed from Sunday 05 September, to allow for the construction works to start; Public posters / leaflets will be on display at the bus station, on stops in the town …

It has been confirmed that over 200,000 people are waiting for a doctor’s assessment to renew their driving licences. Disabled people who need transport to remain mobile are caught up in the backlog which is months behind schedule. The British Medical Association fears public safety could be put at …

There are some important changes to services at Halifax Bus Station as its £17.7 million redevelopment starts on Sunday 5 September 2021. Services affected: 20, 21(Team), 343, 501, 502, 503, 510, 512, 514, 524, 526, 530, 531, 532, 534, 536, 537, 539, 541, 542, 546, 561, 562, 563, 563A, 574, 577, …

Access to Work – Overview Access to Work is a publicly funded employment support programme that aims to help more disabled people start or stay in work. It can provide practical and financial support if you have a disability or long term physical or mental health condition. An Access to Work …

This new Passenger Assistance app, which takes the time and fuss out of requesting assistance when you want to travel, was released in May – here’s a quick rundown on all there is to know. How does it make things easier?   The app aims to make the whole process of requesting assistance …

Here’s the full match video from Sunday 8th August and the clash between Halifax WRL and Mersey Storm at Calderdale College’s Inspire Centre. DPC’s Philip Ingham was the man behind the camera (smart phone) – this video is taken from his live stream of the match which went out over Facebook. …

AbilityNet is a UK charity that supports anyone living with any disability or impairment to use technology to achieve their goals at home, at work and in education. Here’s a short video to introduce them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj-sxzBq218 Here’s what they have to say about …

Level Playing Field, a charity that focuses on removing barriers for Disabled people wishing to follow live sports as fans, has revealed the results of its annual fan survey. The report has the most in-depth answers of any in the charity’s 22-year history. The survey received 1,408 responses. Key …

As things gradually get back to normal, Community Transport Calderdale is seeing increasing demand from local groups for trips. CEO Peter Hancock said “It’s great to see things returning to some kind of normality. Although we still have to make sure our trips are safe, we are seeing a lot more …

Research published this week reveals that councils issued 175,000 Blue Badge penalty notices to motorists last year, with Milton Keynes named the worst offending location outside London. The research collected and analysed Freedom of Information requests to councils around the UK, revealing the …

Research conducted by Which?, having surveyed 1,500 disabled banking customers and spoken to members of the Disability Horizons community, has found that disabled customers are struggling to access banks due to branch closures and poor access to buildings, ATMs and online banking. Four in 10 (41%) …

Transport For All are looking for disabled professionals to join our Access Partner team in delivering our accessibility consultancy services. This is ideal for freelancers or anyone looking for flexible project-based work. If you have skills in project management, facilitation of focus groups or …

You are invited to join the Halifax Panthers Family in exciting activities that cover several aspects of health, wellbeing and sports! Some of the activities planned include Rugby, Cricket, Wheelchair Sports, Circuits, Team building exercises, Health & Nutrition workshops and much more. …

Councils in England are being urged to apply for a share of a £30m fund to install life-enhancing Changing Places Toilets (CPTs) in public places and tourist attractions, providing a significant increase in areas where users want them most. Over 250,000 people in the country need these facilities …

Highways England has partnered with accessibility information provider AccessAble to produce access guides for motorway services. The government-owned company said the new guides, available online or via the free AccessAble app, provide facts, figures, and photographs to help motorists plan their …