Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 11:40 AM
To: Thomas Chambers
Subject: IL Newsletter, 20th November
| Hello Thomas Welcome to this week's Independent Living newsletter. If you prefer, you can read it online, by clicking this link Contents: 1. Poverty in Work 2. WOW Petition 3. Kelly Gordon - Blogger at Large 4. Wet Rooms for Care Homes 5. Latest for Sensory Impairments 6. Last Word... """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 1. Poverty in Work Just a week ago, my attention was caught by an article from the Guardian by the chief executive of Mencap, Jan Tregelles, explaining why she deserves a salary of more than £137,000 a year. She makes various points – that her job is not 9-to-5; that it is "complex"; that she has saved six million pounds in running costs; and that 90 percent of their funds go to supporting people with learning disabilities. It still seems wrong to me that charities feel they need to pay such large salaries in order to attract competent managers. I understand that in commercial arenas, the size of your pay packet may well be a measure of your success, but I would have thought that there are plenty of other ways to feel valued if you work in an organisation like Mencap (or many other equally high-paying charities). Knowing that you make a real difference to people's lives must be worth more than the number of noughts on your payslip, surely? And I would hate to think that anyone with such a job was only motivated to keep thinking about it "after hours" by the money. It contrasts strikingly with the reality of working life for many people with a disability, who are significantly more likely than others in the population to be paid the national minimum wage, or even less. The legal minimum hourly rate for adults went up last month to £6.31, so this is perhaps a good time to remind anybody affected by this to check that they are receiving all that they should. There are financial penalties for employers who underpay, as well as a public naming and shaming scheme, whereby the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills will circulate the names of employers who have been notified that they are underpaying staff, and either haven't appealed against this, or rectified the situation. Probably of more use, though - as an employee who has been underpaid, you can claim back any arrears, which might add up to a decent sum. There is a calculator you can use to make sure that you aren't being underpaid here. Or you can phone the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368 (textphone: 0800 121 4042). """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 2. WOW Petition I was reminded recently that the WOW Petition is very close to its closing date, 12th December. The petition calls for a Cumulative Impact Assessment of all cuts and changes affecting sick and disabled people, their families and carers, and a free vote on repeal of the Welfare Reform Act. It has been clear for some time that welfare reform is having a disproportionate effect on people with disabilities and carers, both those in work and, particularly, those who are too unwell for employment. As I write this, the petition has 83,979 signatures, and as you know, 100,000 is the magic number, as it obliges the government to consider it for a debate. Even if you aren't currently affected, do please sign: many people are suffering the effects of the reforms, and disability is something that could happen to any one of us at any time... here is the link. And while on the subject of disability benefits, one rather invidious situation is that anyone who is wrongly found "fit for work" will not be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance, and may find themselves looking to claim Jobseekers Allowance instead - a condition of which is that you are available for and actively seeking work. Normally speaking, claimants are expected to be ready to work 40 hours a week, but there are exceptions for those whose physical or mental health prevents them from doing so. You can download the regulations here. And although it scarcely gets a mention at the moment, Income Support may also be an option - you can read more about applying for this benefit, on the Independent Living website, here. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 3. Kelly Gordon, Blogger at Large In last week's newsletter, I promised a guest article from Kelly Gordon, who blogs for Sirus Automotive, amongst all her other activities. I'm pleased to say we now have it published on Independent Living, here - and it's a cracker. Kelly is a human dynamo, and if you were going to get stuck in a lift with someone, I reckon you could do a lot worse! Her piece takes in her stroppy teenage years (her assessment!), and some of her best life experiences so far, one or two of which might surprise you, if you have preconceptions about what a girl who depends on a powerchair to get around might get up to in her spare time. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 4. Wet Rooms for Care Homes The wet room has become a familiar feature in contemporary homes, and is an excellent example of inclusive design, as there are no boundaries or steps to make getting in and out of the shower area difficult for someone with mobility problems. The same stylish design is also available in a robust and durable range suitable for care environments which has just been launched by Gainsborough Specialist Bathing. With nearly 30 years experience as a manufacturer of assisted baths, Gainsborough has applied their knowledge and expertise to showering, with a range of modular enclosures, and now wet rooms. You can see more here, and our care home bathroom section - which includes bathing, showering and toileting - is here. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 5. Latest for Sensory Impairments Jolly Good Idea's showcase page has just been updated: their Voice Dialler is a neat solution for anyone who can't see to dial a number - or perhaps doesn't have the necessary dexterity. Being able to program a telephone to respond to voice commands is a definite bonus! You can see more here. And an interesting new approach to colour recognition for people who are blind or visually impaired. Feelipa makes one of those inspired connections that leaves you wondering why nobody has thought of it before. There are three primary colours: red, yellow and blue, which they have associated with the three basic geometric shapes – square, triangle and circle – which can be combined, just as the primary shades are combined, to get every colour imaginable. So, just as mixing blue and yellow gives you green, combining a tactile circle (blue) with a triangle (yellow) lets the visually impaired person know that green is the colour. Once you have the basics of colour blending sorted, more complex combinations are possible, along with light and dark tints, indicated by a series of bars for white, grey and black. Clever stuff! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 6. Last Word... And that's it for this week. Coming up next time, I will be looking at the vexed question of care home fees, and the scandalous gap between the amount paid by local authorities, and the charges levied on private clients. Also, the podcast interview with Martyn Sibley, who marked his 30th by travelling from John O'Groats to Land's End by power chair... Meanwhile, don't forget you can access all the news as soon as it is uploaded in our News Centre. Our Visitors Forum is the place to start a debate about any topic that interests you. Previous newsletters are archived here. Our Facebook page is regularly updated with the latest developments on the site, and is also somewhere that you can share your opinions with us. Or if you want to make it pithy, send us a tweet! @IndLiving Until next time, all good wishes, Frances -- Frances Leckie Editor E: editor@independentliving.co.uk t: +44 (0) 208 133 0628 Skype: francesleckie w: http://www.independentliving.co.uk This newsletter was sent to thomaschambers@eircom.net. If you prefer not to receive future copies, just reply asking to be removed from the list, and it will be done! |
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