Welcome to my website. I am an Access campaigner from "The Billy Ranch" Newport, Co. Mayo. I has a freak accident in 1981 that left me paralized from the waist down (T7 Complete)
A ruling by the European Court of Justice in April last year means the relief from excise on the fuel used in the vehicle for a disabled driver will end next December.
PUBLISHED 07 APRIL 2014 02:30 AM
Disabled drivers who fear they will lose out on certain reliefs which provide financial support to enable them have a car have been reassured by the Department of Finance.
A ruling by theEuropean Court of Justicein April last year means the relief from excise on the fuel used in the vehicle for a disabled driver will end next December.
However, a new fuel grant scheme will be put in place before the relief ends and there will be a seamless transition between the two schemes, according to the department.
Members of the current scheme will not be at a loss.
Arrangements will be made during the year to provide for the new fuel grant scheme for disabled drivers which will have the same level of support as the current excise relief scheme.
Currently, the scheme provides relief from value-added tax (VAT) and vehicle registration tax (VRT), up to a certain limit, on the purchase of a motor vehicle adapted for the transport of a person with specific severe and permanent physical disabilities.
An exemption from payment of annual motor tax in respect of a vehicle that qualifies under the scheme, along with the other elements of the scheme, which include relief from VRT and VAT, and exemption from annual motor tax, will remain in place and are unaffected by the ruling.
On May 5th, the European Day for Independent Living, we will take part in a solidarity march through Brussels;The Walk of Shame.We want you to join us!
Still to this day in Europe, disabled people are living in institutions against their will and are separated from the rest of society. There are still disabled people who receive no support at all and we need to stand by them!
We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from Wallonia, where there is little progress being made towards improving disability policy. We stand in solidarity with every disabled person in Europe who has been affected by cuts implemented at national and European level.
As a result of the financial crisis, austerity measures have been introduced which have impinged on our rights. The implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities has been stalled in many countries and some countries have taken steps backwards towards its implementation. Opportunities for disabled people to live independently in the community have lessened considerably throughout the financial crisis and many people are struggling with little support to continue living independently.
This disgrace has to stop! No more savings at the expense of disabled people should be made. Join ENIL and Onafhankelijk Leven vzw and bring this message straight to the European Commission, one of the most powerful bodies in the European Union.
The Walk of Shame is the Belgian part of the international campaign "Stop Disability Cuts ' organized by ENIL. We invite all disabled people, their associations, allies and sympathizers, to walk along with us. We also invite MEPs and other policy makers to join us and to engage in dialogue with us during this solidarity walk.
May 5that 11.00 am CET, mark this day in your calendar. We count on you!
Subject: Justice Department Reaches Landmark Settlement Agreement with Rhode Island Ensuring Employment and Integrated Day Services for People with Disabilities
The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into the nation's first statewide settlement agreement vindicating the civil rights of individuals with disabilities who are unnecessarily segregated in sheltered workshops and facility-based day programs. The agreement with the State of Rhode Island will resolve violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for approximately 3,250 Rhode Islanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This first-of-its-kind statewide agreement addresses the rights of people with disabilities to receive state-funded employment and daytime services in integrated settings, such as supported employment and integrated day services, rather than in segregated sheltered workshops and facility-based day programs with only other people with disabilities. The agreement also provides relief to transition-age youth at risk of segregation in facility-based programs. Under the agreement, transition-age youth will have access to a wide array of transition, vocational rehabilitation, and supported employment services intended to lead to integrated employment outcomes after they leave secondary school. The parties have jointly filed the settlement in federal district court and have requested that it be entered as a court-enforceable Consent Decree.
For more general information about the Justice Department's ADA Olmstead enforcement efforts, visit the Civil Rights Division's Olmstead: Community Integration for Everyone website. To find out more about the ADA, visit Division'sADA.gov website or call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD).
Wardens in Celbridge are wearing badges with a built-in camera
Traffic wardens in Celbridge, Co Kildare have begun wearing little cameras to record people who abuse or even assault them.
APCOA Parking, which has the contract for parking supervision in the area, said the cameras have been introduced on a trial basis.
Wardens wear badges with a built-in camera that also displays information about the recording on them.
Alf Bucke, a warden supervisor in Celbridge, has said that the video badge is helping to diffuse difficult situations.
Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, he said: "Usually someone would come up to you and ask you why have you given them a fine and then it goes into abusive language.
"Where now they look at the badge and they can see it's being recorded and they're watching what they're saying to you."
He said that while the wardens are not obliged to tell people they are being recorded, the practice has been advertised in the media.
Gardaà have also been informed that cameras are being used.
JOCKEYS staged an extraordinary mass revolt on Saturday as 39 of the 40 Crabbie's Grand National riders collectively refused to leave the weighing room to hear the outcome of a stewards' inquiry into farcical scenes at the start.
Larry George says it's difficult to see the slow decline of the vibrant interior decorator he married nearly 40 years ago.
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
Families dealing with Alzheimer's disease confront all kinds of difficult situations, but one couple was stunned when they were asked to leave a Northland restaurant and not come back.
The symptoms of Alzheimer's keeps getting worse for Carolyn George. Her husband Larry takes care of her. He said it's difficult to see the slow decline of the vibrant interior decorator he married nearly 40 years ago.
"It's a slow disease. It's a bad disease. It's changed considerably as far as what we can do, but I try to get her out as much as possible," Larry George said.
But one outing took a turn for the worse when Carolyn George accidentally made a mess in a restaurant bathroom. The couple had eaten at Kate's Kitchen nearly every day for three years, but this last time the owner asked them to never come back.
"I was embarrassed, a little upset, depressed for the rest of the day," Larry George said.
The owner of the restaurant couldn't meet with KCTV5 Friday for an on-camera interview. Instead he sent a statement saying that similar incidents had happened in the past.
He wrote,
"Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident; this has been an ongoing issue. As an owner of a business that deals with the health and safety of all our guests and employees, we have to make decisions that are in the best interest of everyone."
"Our restaurant has been blessed with guests that overcome obstacles with many different types of disabilities. Throughout the day we work side by side with them to assure that during their visit with us they are comfortable and feel at home. We have several guests who are battling the terrible disease of dementia; we know their families, their likes and their dislikes."
"This particular incident which was addressed yesterday is a sanitary issue. The family was aware that there had been issues in the past, and at no time informed any staff member that attention was needed. We have been notified by both guests and employees that the restroom was not able to be used."
"While this was a very hard decision to make, at this time, we have to ensure that all of the guests and employees are provided a clean and sanitary environment."
"All of the decisions we make are carefully thought out. This was no different. I would like to reiterate that this is not a decision based on any particular disability, it was a decision made to ensure a safe and sanitary environment for all of the guests and employees we are in contact with on a daily basis."
Michelle Niedens with the Alzheimer's Association said businesses often don't know how to react to the disease, but that shouldn't keep patients from leaving the house.
"I would not endorse saying, 'do not come back,'" she said. "Families need all of us to participate in dialogue so people are connected, part of this humanity, part of our society,"
Larry George hopes places he visits in the future will be more understanding of his wife's condition.
"I think they should be more tolerant and work closer with the people," he said.
The National Institute on Aging offers some tips for taking those with Alzheimer's to restaurants:
Tell the wait staff about any special needs.
Seat the person with their back to the busy areas.
Order finger foods.
Go with them to the restroom.
Copyright 2014KCTV(Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
Subject: U.S. Access Board�s Advisory Committee on Rail Vehicles to Meet April 10 & 11
U.S. Access Board's Advisory Committee on Rail Vehicles to Meet April 10 & 11
The Access Board's Rail Vehicles Access Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting April 10 and 11 in Washington, D.C. This committee is assisting the Board in its update of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation Vehicles and will recommend revisions to sections of the guidelines covering transportation vehicles that operate on fixed guideway systems, including rapid, light, commuter, intercity, and high speed rail.
Committee meetings are open to the public, and interested persons can attend and communicate their views on issues of interest during designated public comment periods. Organizations or persons not on the committee may also have the opportunity to participate in any subcommittees formed by the committee. An assistive listening system, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), and sign language interpreters will be provided.
For further information, visit the Board's website or contact Paul Beatty at rvaac@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0012 (v), or (202) 272-0072 (TTY).
Rail Vehicles Access Advisory Committee Meeting April 10 (10:00 – 5:00) and April 11 (9:30 – 3:00) Preliminary Agenda Access Board Conference Center 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, D.C. Note: For the comfort of all participants and to promote a fragrance-free environment, attendees are requested not to use perfume, cologne, or other fragrances.
This email was sent to thomaschambers@eircom.net using GovDelivery, on behalf of: United States Access Board · 1331 F St NW, Suite 1000 · Washington DC 20004 · (800) 872-2253 (v) · (800) 993-2822 (TTY)
An inquest into the death of a Mayo man who died following a gun attack in Nigeria has returned a verdict of unlawful killing by persons or persons unknown.
In a rider to their verdict, jurors at Castlebar Coroner's Court said they felt security and safety of the construction company PW Nigeria's personnel should be its first priority.
The 11-member jury deliberated for less than ten minutes before arriving at the verdict.
The inquest heard evidence regarding the death of Robert Gray, who died following an armed attack almost two years ago.
He was shot by armed robbers in the Taraba area of the country on 23 August 2012.
He sustained serious injuries to his upper leg and died a short time later.
The 45-year-old engineer had been working for the PW Nigeria construction company.
He was being driven back to a camp where workers were accommodated when the vehicle he was travelling in was attacked.
While the matter has been investigated by the Nigerian authorities, nobody has been convicted of any offence.
Seven suspects were arrested after the incident and two were charged with murder.
However, on the instruction of the Nigerian Director of Public Prosecutions, a re-investigation of the case has been ordered.
When he was questioned by police in Nigeria, Mr Gray's driver Armayau Abubakar did not identify either of the two main suspects in an identity parade.
The case is still open but is not being investigated by police at present.
A statement from the Deputy Head of Mission at the Irish Embassy in Abuja, Aoife NÃ Fhearghail, was read to the jury by Coroner John O'Dwyer.
Ms NÃ Fhearghail said there has been no information provided by the Nigerian authorities since last October.
She has expressed the view that a conclusion to the investigation is unlikely any time soon.
Provision exists for an inquest to be held in Ireland, in the event that an Irish national dies abroad. No inquest into the death of Mr Gray was conducted in Nigeria.
In his testimony to the inquest, a former employee of PW Nigeria, Jim McKenna, said he believed threats had been made against Mr Gray in the weeks leading to his death.
Mr McKenna arrived at the scene of the attack minutes after it happened. He said Nigeria was a country rampant with corruption and expressed the view that police officers were complicit in the killing.
He said he did not believe PW Nigeria took adequate care for the safety of its employees.
Under cross-examination by Christian Douglas, barrister for the company, Mr McKenna said he did not agree with police accounts of the events on the day of the murder.
He contends the ambush took place half an hour earlier than stated and that Mr Gray died in his car on the way to hospital, not following admission there.
In his evidence, PW Nigeria's Regional Manager John Coen said the company was aware of threatening messages on Mr Gray's mobile phone in October 2011.
The Irish Embassy in Nigeria was informed at the time. Mr Coen said he was subsequently advised that similar messages were sent to "countless" other people.
Under cross-examination by Liam Guider, solicitor for the Gray family, Mr Coen said the state of law and order in Taraba state had deteriorated in 2012.
He said before that things had been easier for workers but it became evident that enhanced precautions were needed from early 2012.
A memo was sent to all staff informing them that a curfew was being implemented between 7pm and 6am. This entailed them staying in the accommodation camp.
Staff were told they would be sent home if they failed to adhere to the restrictions.
In addition, steps were taken to have armed guards travel with staff members on journeys they made.
Mr Coen denied people were in a state of anxiety as a result.
A pensioner who calls himself "the dream walker" and who has embarked on an expedition to walk around the world began his European leg of the trip in Ireland this week.
Pierre Paul Cayerfrom Canada has already walked across his native country from Vancouver to St John's, Newfoundland, and from the tip of North America at the Arctic Ocean down to the tip of South America at Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
Mr Cayer is currently just over two years into the expedition and hopes to complete it in the next five. "I am walking around the world - a little walk around the world," he told The Irish Times in Dublin yesterday, after walking from Dublin Airport.
Pushing a three-wheel buggy filled with his belongings and bedecked in the Canadian colours, he said he had undertaken the challenge "for the love and passion for adventure".
"I am going to be crossing Europe for five years and I am starting with Ireland - the beautiful and romantic Ireland," he said. "I already walked from Dublin Airport to the beloved city of Dublin this morning, and I'm on my way to Cork now.
"From there, I will go to Belfast before I head for Scotland. I will take the ferry from Belfast to Scotland. After that, I will go to England, then to Wales, and then back to England to the port city of Dover.
"I will be in Calais, France, and after that I will go to Switzerland and Luxembourg. I will also go to The Netherlands and Germany and I will spend five or six months in Western Europe. I will do all the countries - up and down Western Europe."
He said he intends to cover the continent of Africa, as well as countries New Zealand, Australia, Russia, and China during his travels.
Mr Cayer, who said he lives by the mantras that "life starts at 65" and "you don't choose a life – you live one", said he would like Irish people who come across him to take photographs and send them to hisFacebookaccount.
"You can say to the Irish people - families and the great people of Ireland - they are always welcome to come and say hello to me if they see me on the road," he added.
Friday 04 April 2014 15.48
The Access Board's Rail Vehicles Access Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting April 10 and 11 in Washington, D.C. This committee is assisting the Board in its update of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation Vehicles and will recommend revisions to sections of the guidelines covering transportation vehicles that operate on fixed guideway systems, including rapid, light, commuter, intercity, and high speed rail.
