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spokeout
Lifestyle magazine for people with limited mobility published by the Irish Wheelchair Association
€4.00
Spring 2009
No limits
REACHING NEW DESTINATIONS
A mother’s story
Integrated dance
Playing to win
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Contents
INTRODUCTION
5 CEO’s message
IWA’s CEO Kathleen Mc Loughlin
discusses the organisation’s
strategy in the face of current
economic challenges
FEATURES
6 Give and get back
Jack Doyle on the value of
volunteering
9 Bringing up baby
Natasha Phillips on the challenges
facing mothers with disabilities
12 Dancing queen
Wheelchair-user Rhona Coughlan
on why she was determined to
pursue a career in dance
TRAVEL SPECIAL
15 Be prepared!
How to get the most out of your
holiday and avoid stress
6
34 Career profile: Ann Richards
Working at the Central Bank
ACCESS
36 Getting there... eventually!
A cartoon depiction of what might
happen if you brave the Irish
transport network
LIVING
39 Choosing a bed and bed
accessories
Accessories that will ensure you
get a good night’s sleep
20 An American adventure
Liam Lynch explores west coast
America
42 A breath of fresh air
Let houseplants breathe life into
your home
24 Into the wild
Up close and personal with wild
life on an accessible African safari
27 Holidaying at home
Accessible accommodation in
Ireland
24
CAREERS
17 Handy holiday accessories
Be prepared for all eventualities
with these handy wheelchair
accessories
23 Disney magic
Why Disney World remains the
best destination for children
15
MOTORING
45 Get some relief
A guide to claiming VRT and VAT
relief on vehicle purchase
NEWS & SPORT
48 IWA car and home insurance
schemes
New discounted car and home
insurance schemes for members
of table tennis champion
Kathleen Reynolds
55 Planning your work-out
Tips on how to plan an effective
exercise programme
56 Regional snapshots
What’s going on around the country
REGULARS
59 Your views
Letters to the editor
59 Crossword
Crossword No 3 by Gordius
60 Small ads
Sell on unwanted items or pick up
a bargain
See page 29 for details and
booking forms for IWA’s Annual
Conference and AGM 2009
49 News mix
Disability-related news
52 Playing to win
The drive and determination
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introduction
elcome to our spring
2009 issue. This issue
includes interviews with
several determined
women: Rhona Coughlan, who
refused to give up her dream of being a dancer;
Kathleen Reynolds, whose paralympic sporting
career has spanned four decades; and Natasha
Phillips, who, after experiencing the challenges of
being a mother with a disability, wants to set up
a support network for other women.
At this time of year, many of us start to plan
holidays. Long-haul destinations can be
intimidating, so why not take inspiration from
Liam Lynch’s tour of west coast America or
Moira Lipshaw’s African safari? Intrepid traveller
Kiara Lynch also provides some tips on what to
pack and how to ensure a stress-free holiday.
Thank you for reading and please get in touch
if you have a personal story, travel experience or
point of view you would like to share.
W
MEET SOME OF
S…
OUR CONTRIBUTOR
Kiara Lynch
Editorial assistant Kiara Lynch spent two
weeks in January sailing around the
Canaries, returning to find Ireland covered
in snow. She’s been making the most of the
cold nights by getting stuck in to the
thought-provoking Jodi Picoult novel Change of Heart.
Always thinking of her next holiday, Kiara tracks down
some great holiday accessories for wheelchair users.
Seán O’Kelly
Seán O’Kelly is in fourth year in Newpark
Comprehensive School, Blackrock. He is
the eldest of three, and lives in Dalkey,
where one of his favourite pastimes is
playing with his springer spaniel, Bonnie.
Seán recently did work experience with Spokeout, where
his first assignment was to write about his trip to Disney
World Florida. Seán enjoys IWA youth sports on Sundays
and is involved in the SPIRIT group.
Liam Lynch
Spokeout on CD and tape
Spokeout is now available on both tape and CD. If you would
like to receive Spokeout in either of these formats, please
contact Colette Molloy on 01 818 6485 or [email protected]
Editor
Joanna Marsden
Cover picture
Dermot Lynch
Editorial Assistance
Kiara Lynch, Colette Molloy
Distribution
Shanahan Direct
Editorial Design Manager
Layla Hogan
Joint Managing Directors, Dyflin
Karen Hesse, Philip McGaley
Design This Issue
Erica Löfman
Editorial enquiries to:
The Editor, Spokeout, Irish
Wheelchair Association,
Blackheath Drive, Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Tel: (00 353) 1 818 6455
Email: [email protected]
Advertising and Marketing
Design Manager
Diarmuid O’Connor
Advertising Production
Co-ordinator
Amina Ferradj
Advertising Production
Ciaran McBride
Advertising Executive
Dara Gallagher, Joseph Burke
Printing
Precision Colour Printing Ltd
Cartoons
Johnny Connaughton
recycle
When you have finished with
this magazine please recycle it.
2
Advertising enquiries to:
Dyflin Publications Ltd
Cunningham House
130 Francis Street, Dublin 8
Tel: (00 353) 1 4167930
Spokeout is published by Dyflin
Publications on behalf of I.W.A.
Limited. The copyright rests with
IWA and no material may be
reproduced without the
permission of IWA. The views
expressed in the publication
do not necessarily represent
the views of IWA.
Spokeout is distributed
quarterly by post to 19,500 IWA
members and to Government
bodies and other disability
interest groups.
ISSN NO: 1393-8517
Liam Lynch (Kiara’s brother) is a keen
sports fan. When he’s not trailing around
Europe after Liverpool FC, he’s following
cricket, rugby, and, of course, GAA.
Furthermore, he’s a dedicated traveller and
in this issue, Liam tells us about his trip of a lifetime to
America’s west coast. Liam is featured with his sister-inlaw Bronagh on the cover.
Hugh Scanlan
Hugh Scanlan is from a North County
Dublin farming background and has worked
most of his adult life as a journalist with the
Farmers Journal, specialising in taxation,
legal affairs and forestry. He recently
returned to college and qualified as a family mediator. His
interests include sport, gardening, hill-walking and doing
Soduku. This issue, he interviews table tennis champion
Kathleen Reynolds.
Ciaran Tighe
Ciaran works as a Gym Instructor in the
Sports Department of IWA. A sports
fanatic, Ciaran is involved in many activities
ranging from mountain cycling to surfing. In
this issue, he gives us tips on how to build
an effective exercise programme.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Please send your name, the name of your organisation (if applicable),
address and telephone number, with a cheque or postal order for €15.00
(payable to IWA) to: Spokeout subscriptions, Irish Wheelchair
Association, Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3.
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introduction
CEO’s
message
Everyone in IWA is working together to ensure
essential services are maintained in a
challenging economic climate, says CEO
Kathleen Mc Loughlin
egular readers of Spokeout will know that I always take some space in the magazine to bring
members up to date with the latest news from
around IWA. I normally try to be as brief as possible, preferring to leave the pages free to cover the wonderful news stories from members and also the helpful
information that I know Spokeout provides for its readers.
However in this edition I have reserved a somewhat larger
space than usual in order to update readers on the current
position in relation to funding and to address the real concerns that I know exist among members about the current
economic situation and the potential impact on services to
people with disabilities.
Since its foundation in 1960, the Irish Wheelchair Association has always put the interests of its members first.
Throughout the years we have managed with less than adequate resources, but have nonetheless continued to provide some of the best quality services and other supports
available to people with disabilities in Ireland. This has been
achieved through the dedicated work of our staff and the
wonderful and loyal support of our volunteers (many of
whom are also staff) throughout the country. Together, they
work tirelessly to ensure that people with disabilities are not
the ‘forgotten’ people but rather are individuals who have a
right to participate fully and equally in society regardless of
any physical limitations. In every aspect of our work, from
lobbying for change in legislation to providing direct services or information services, individual members and their
needs are the inspiration for what we do.
Financial support from Government in the shape of
funding from the HSE, FÁS and other agencies has been
vital to making services available. This support is acknowledged and much appreciated by all in IWA. However, since mid-2008 cutbacks in funding to our largest
funding agency, the HSE, have resulted in reductions in
funding to IWA which amount, at this stage, to three percent of our total income from the HSE. In 2008, building
on work already ongoing, a range of additional cost cutting measures aimed at reducing our cost base were implemented in the organisation. This resulted in significant
R
savings which were redirected to supporting the continuation of services at existing levels, which was achieved in
2008. These and further cost cutting measures will continue in 2009.
Alongside these initiatives, all of our fundraising income
was directed to supporting services and providing facilities
for members throughout Ireland. Support from members
and the general public for our fundraising efforts has played
a huge part in allowing us to maintain services. We will
need this support even more for 2009 and beyond, and I
am confident that, as in times past when circumstances
were difficult, IWA and its supporters will find creative solutions to tackle the problems which underfunding may present. We must remain positive and determined to succeed
in spite of the difficulties we may face.
Our aim is simple – to continue to provide services at
current levels despite the cutbacks.
Sadly, despite my absolute determination to remain positive, I must nonetheless let you know that we are fearful
that further reductions in funding may come our way. In
those circumstances it may be inevitable that there will be
an impact on service users. We will be endeavouring to
prevent this happening by continuing to lobby on your behalf and we would urge all members to avail of opportunities that arise at local level to influence politicians and
decision-makers and make them aware of the potential impact of further reductions in funding.
In conclusion, I believe that with strong leadership,
strong management and strong support from our members, IWA as a united force can make its way safely
through the financial storms ahead. I urge those responsible for funding to the disability sector to remember that in
times such as those we now face, not everything that is of
value can be measured in purely financial terms. Quality of
life and the potential to live independently and fully participate in their communities are priceless fundamental rights
for those who live with disability daily.
History will judge us harshly as a society if we fail to protect the rights and dignity of all our citizens, particularly
those who live with disability.
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Give and
get back
Jack Doyle, IWA’s Volunteer Service Co-ordinator, tells
Joanna Marsden why he is a passionate believer in the value
of volunteering
ack Doyle’s introduction to IWA came very much by
chance. A friend invited him to a ‘wheelchair dance’
organised by his local IWA branch in Carlow. “My
first thought was: ‘How do you dance in a wheelchair?’. But curiosity got the better of me and I went along.”
Jack enjoyed the experience so much that he got involved in the next ‘social’, and then the Christmas dinner,
at which point a specific role opened up for him. “The man
who was supposed to play Santa let us down, so I was
asked to step in.” After that, Jack played the part every
Christmas for 25 years, “Until my own kids, Aoife and Fergal, came on the scene and I had to stop because I didn’t
want them to recognise me.”
Soon after he became involved in IWA, Jack was elected
to the Carlow branch committee. “We started looking at
ways in which we could get young people more involved in
sports, including starting a local club. Back then, Paralympian Gabriel Shelly was just starting out and he became
J
6
a protégée of ours, so to speak.”
The branch also saw a need for holidays for local members. “This was before Cuisle and IWA’s other holiday centres. We used to get local companies and shops to raffle
teddy bears for us and the funds they raised would help us
rent a bungalow in Kerry for a week. When we got down
there, we’d borrow mattresses from a local boarding
school.” It may sound primitive but Jack insists they were
great holidays. “Recently, I was talking to a guy – now a
civil servant in his thirties – who used to come down with
us every year, and he told me those holidays are his best
childhood memories.”
Another important outlet for local members was the opportunity to go to Croke Park to support their team. “This
was a big thing at the time as we didn’t have accessible
buses and we’d have to hire a coach and physically lift
people on board. For a lot of people, the trip to Croke Park
was the only outing they got.”
PHOTO BY TONY HUNT
Jack Doyle with
member Catherine
Doody in Carlow
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After several years of volunteering, Jack was asked to
join IWA’s National Executive. “Sitting on the Executive
made me realise that the problems we had in Carlow existed all over the country. Everywhere staff and branches
were struggling with funding and doing their best to make
ends meet and provide services.”
Jack kept up his involvement in the National Executive for
over ten years, all the time continuing to volunteer on the
ground, and also holding down his day job as a lorry driver. It
was only in 2003, when he was made redundant from his job,
that he applied to work as a driver in IWA’s Kilkenny Centre. “It
turned out to be a job from heaven. I loved every minute of it.”
While working as a driver, Jack began studying for the
FETAC Level 5 SKILLVEC Programme. “Having left school at
14, returning to education seemed like a mammoth task. But
IWA gave me great support, and through the course I gained
confidence as well as knowledge of the education and healthcare systems. The skills I learnt really stood to me when I applied for my current role as Volunteer Service Co-ordinator.”
In this new role, Jack says he is working his way around
IWA’s branches and meeting many of the volunteers. His
aim is to create a complete database of all the volunteers
working with IWA and look at ways of encouraging more
people to volunteer. “There are so many different ways that
people can volunteer; it could be gardening, personal care,
visiting people at home or in hospital, arts and crafts, driving people to appointments, or helping to organise events,
holidays and fundraisers.”
Despite working full-time with IWA, Jack continues to volunteer in his free time, often with the support of his wife Marian. As well as the weekly ‘mass run’ and the trips to Croke
Park, Jack is the main organiser of IWA’s now legendary annual Cork to Carlow Cycle. “The event has been going for 30
years and has gone from strength to strength – last year over
100 cyclists participated and €97,000 was raised.”
Jack is always keen to encourage others to volunteer.
“Our volunteers come from such a broad range of backgrounds. They could be housewives, guards who have
taken early retirement, friends of service users or other volunteers. They could give anything from an hour a week to
twenty hours – whatever is convenient. They are giving their
time for free so we try to suit them.”
Jack with his wife Marian, son Fergal
and daughter Aoife at his graduation
from the FETAC Programme
HOW TO VOLUNTEER
Contact your local IWA Resource and
Outreach Centre
Staff at the centre will supply you with a Volunteer
Application Form and a Garda Vetting Form, which
you should complete and return to the centre.
IWA will then contact you to discuss
opportunities
An IWA staff member (normally Jack Doyle himself or a co-ordinator from your local centre) will
ring you to discuss how you might get involved.
Once they have found out more about your skills
and how much time you can give, they will match
you to a suitable role.
IWA has vacancies for volunteers in every county. If
you have questions about volunteering, Jack Doyle
can be contacted on Tel. 059 914 0983 / 087 055
6965; Email [email protected]
The contribution made by volunteers is, Jack believes,
priceless. “Volunteers particularly shine when it comes to
offering out-of-hours services. It is volunteers that take
people to do their shopping at the weekend, or bring them
to the pub to meet friends. Without them, some people
mightn’t get out from Friday evening when they leave the
IWA centre to Monday morning.”
In return for their commitment, Jack believes volunteers
get plenty back. “It gives people a great sense of satisfaction
to know they have given of their time to benefit someone
else. And many volunteers also learn new skills or benefit
from IWA’s training programmes. At the risk of sounding
clichéd, as I look back on my many years of volunteering, I
can honestly say that I got much more out than I put in.”
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Natasha with
Cormac, now
aged 2
Bringing up
BABY
Having experienced a challenging pregnancy, Natasha Phillips
wants to establish a support network for expectant and new
mothers with disabilities. She talks to Robbie Cousins about her
experience of pregnancy and caring for her son Cormac
f you have a disability and are considering pregnancy,
there are many issues that should be addressed before
embarking on this path. Knowing where to start is in itself a considerable challenge. Natasha Phillips, who
gave birth to her son Cormac on 4 July 2006, believes
many of the challenges she faced during and after pregnancy could have been more easily overcome, had she
been better prepared for what lay ahead.
I
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES
Natasha explains: “I was 34-years-old when I became
pregnant. I thought I was experienced enough to cope
with the challenges that lay ahead. But the reality was I
came to the pregnancy poorly prepared, under-informed
and out of my depth.
“I underestimated the negative impact that pregnancy
would have on my future mobility. It was also the first time
when my disability became a real obstacle for me.”
Natasha has cerebral palsy and prior to getting pregnant she had been using a chair for a number of years.
“When I was expecting, I became very large at an early
stage and this had a major impact on my mobility. I was
also in a lot of pain, which continued throughout the
pregnancy and afterwards.”
Natasha attended the Rotunda Hospital and because of
her disability, and the fact that she also had a history of
epilepsy, she was placed in the care of one doctor. She explains: “Usually when you are pregnant, you have a care
team. But because of my medical history it was decided
that my best interests would be served by having a sole
physician to look after all my needs. This worked out very
well for me, as having one doctor meant we got to know
each other and this made communication and care much
easier than would have been the case with a larger team.”
By the time Natasha was 20 weeks in to her pregnancy,
she was so big she could no longer push herself around
and was also unable to continue working in her job as a
tutor in IWA’s Rehabilitiative Training Unit in Clontarf.
GETTING A PLAN IN PLACE
A number of decisions had been made prior to Cormac’s
birth to ensure there were no problems. “We put a birth plan
in place at an early stage, which was one less thing to worry
about. I was to have a C-section. All went reasonably well
with the birth and I was in hospital for five days afterwards.
However, I was exceptionally sore for a number of weeks and
when we got home I was not prepared for the challenges I
was to face in those first few weeks following the birth.”
Sadly, Natasha’s mother had died in the week prior to Cormac’s birth. “When I was discharged from hospital, I was still
dealing with hormonal changes as well as trying to cope with
losing my mum. But I was also faced with the realisation that
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for the first time in my life, I had someone else to worry about.
Up to then I was so used to just worrying about myself, but
now I had to think about Cormac, who was totally dependent
on me. It was a bigger shock than I had anticipated.”
Natasha remembers how nervous she was prior to the
first visit of her local public health nurse. She says: “I was terrified, I just kept thinking, ‘if I get anything wrong, will they
take my baby away?’ But the reality was completely different. Tasks such as changing nappies or getting in to the car
had to be planned. The public health nurse could not have
been more helpful and between her and my OT, I was able
to put a plan and support system in place that enabled me
to better deal with the challenges that arose.”
She continues: “In retrospect, I didn’t realise that I should
have called on my OT and the public health nurse as soon
as I found out I was pregnant. If I had done this, I could
have been much better prepared. I should also point out
that while a pregnancy generally lasts nine months, too
often people only discover they are pregnant at a later
stage, so they can have very little time to plan. I would suggest that the minute you find you are pregnant, get a plan
in place and have your name down for every type of assistance that is out there.”
CARING FOR CORMAC
In addition to having the support of her siblings, Natasha
also got a home help for a short period of time, who was
invaluable when it came to bathing Cormac and other
tasks Natasha found physically difficult. The pregnancy had
taken a lot out of her physically. She says: “I couldn’t drive
for about six weeks after the birth, so I was totally dependent on other people. And even today, two and a half years
later my energy levels are much lower than they were before I became pregnant.”
As Cormac grew, so did Natasha’s confidence, and the
challenges of dealing with an infant became fewer. “I
needed help to get Cormac in and out of the car when he
was a baby. Friends and neighbours were an incredible
support to me in tasks such as this. I wasn’t shy of knocking on a neighbour’s door for help, and they were always
happy to help out. This is something I will never forget.
“Today, Cormac is only too delighted to climb in and out
of the car himself. Because of my disability he has missed
out on some things other kids take for granted. For instance, I won’t take him out to play unless there is someone to run after him should he take off. However, he is very
content to walk alongside my chair and never runs away,
which I hope he will keep up. Having Cormac was incredible and I could not imagine life without him. And things
have gotten easier as Cormac has gotten older.”
A WORD OF ADVICE
Natasha surmises: “As I have said, my big regret is that I
left myself so unprepared and uninformed. This caused me
unnecessary stress. As a result of my experiences, I would
now like to establish a support network through IWA in
10
Clontarf, so others with disabilities can face the challenges
of pregnancy and motherhood with greater confidence.”
She continues: “If I were to offer some simple advice to
anyone with a disability considering pregnancy it would be to
find out as much as you can, organise the services that you
will need early on in the pregnancy and consider your options
for physiotherapy, OT, social worker, public health nurse etc. I
would also ensure that you have a birth plan in place as early
as possible. This should also deal with post-natal care for the
child. Get all the advice you can from your OT and physiotherapist from the outset. Time will pass quickly and you and
your child will suffer most if you are not prepared. Having a
baby is very tough, but it does get easier over time.
Natasha concludes. “Remember, when you are pregnant, no matter how much you plan, decisions can be
taken out of your hands by unforeseen circumstances. So
be prepared, but also be prepared to adapt as the need
arises. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, no matter how
trivial they seem.”
SUPPORT NETWORK FOR PREGNANT
WOMEN AND MOTHERS WITH DISABILITIES
After the birth of her son, Cormac, Natasha Phillips
returned to work at IWA and began to look in earnest
at how best the unique needs of pregnant women
and new mothers with disabilities could be met. In
parallel to this, Vijoy Chakraborty, IWA Eastern Dublin
OT, had been receiving a growing number of queries
relating to motherhood from members.
After investigating and discussing the issues involved with IWA counsellors, Natasha and Vijoy
came to the conclusion that the information needed
by pregnant women with disabilities was not readily
and easily available.
In order to address the situation, they would like
to set up a support network that could help new
mothers with disabilities overcome many of the challenges they encounter. They would like to contact
other mothers with disabilities who have experienced difficulties prior to and following delivery to
share experiences and talk about the day-to-day
challenges they faced.
Natasha believes a support network for pregnant
women with disabilities could be a hugely beneficial
first step towards developing proper supports.
Natasha and Vijoy want to determine the interest in
setting up such a support network, initially in the
north Dublin area. In order to assess the need, a
questionnaire for women living in Dublin aged between16-45 has been posted on IWA’s website and
intranet. If you have no internet access but would like
to take part in the survey, you can contact Natasha
(01 818 6477) or Vijoy (01 818 6436) directly.
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DANCING QUEEN
32-year-old Rhona Coughlan runs an integrated dance school with
her business partner Tara Brandel in Cork city. She tells Kiara Lynch
why she is so passionate about dance and what kept her going
when she hit dead ends
hona Coughlan’s love of dancing was born at the diploma in St John’s Central College in Cork. For the next
early age of six when she fell in love with the TV
12 years, Rhona explored different areas of media such as
series Fame. “I was obsessed with the show, I
radio and TV, working in Cork, Dublin and Belfast. Driven
fell in love with dancing – the movement was so
by the desire to challenge her own boundaries, Rhona says
mesmerising.” Rhona was the youngest of eight children.
she has always loved exploring different walks of life, enWatching Fame one day, she said to her older sister
abling her to experience living life to the full.
Rachel: “I want to be a dancer when I’m big”. Rachel
replied: “Rhona, when you are bigger, you can be anything
you want.” Rhona says she has always believed in that
“Every single person has a unique,
sentiment and has had amazing support from her family.
different way of expressing
When Rhona was 15, her secondary school decided to
themselves, and it’s beautiful”
produce a musical. A local dance teacher was brought in
for six weeks to choreograph the show. The musical was a
fantastic success, and sparked an interest in dancing
among the students. The dance teacher invited those who
By 2001, Rhona was back in Cork, working part time in
took part in the musical to try out for her dance school.
hotel management. She thought, “Oh yeah, things will have
Everyone was accepted except Rhona, who was the only
changed now, there will definitely be some integrated dance
wheelchair user. When Rhona questioned the dance
classes available.” Firkin Crane was a dance studio in Cork
teacher as to why she had been rejected, she met with the city which offered classes and workshops, so it was only
reply, “It’s not because you are in a wheelchair.”
natural Rhona started her search there. Rhona rang and
Rhona, on the other hand, felt that was exactly why she
spoke with the manager Paul McCartney. Paul told her
hadn’t been accepted. She decided to deal with it head on:
there were currently no integrated dance classes and, to his
“I said ‘fine’, I’ll start my own integrated dance company.”
knowledge, they had never had the enquiry before. HowWhen she finished school, she began
ever, he seemed interested in the idea
applying to dance schools around the
and took Rhona’s contact details, sayRhona Coughlan.
Photo by John Moloney
country and also founded her own
ing he’d be in touch if he had more
school, ‘Wheels in Motion’. The
enquiries. “Paul seemed like a genuine
school consisted of three dancers:
guy but I’d already hit so many walls, I
Rhona and her two able-bodied
wasn’t holding my breath for a call.”
friends, Patrick Cashman and Denise
A few days later, Paul rang back to
Cronin. They performed at venues
tell Rhona that someone else had enaround Cork such as Cork Opera
quired about integrated dance
House. After a year and a half of succlasses! Paul gave her the contact
cessful performances, the company
details of Tara Brandel and Rhona
disbanded as the other two members
got in touch straightaway. Tara, who
had to move to the UK to finish their
is originally from West Cork, was a
dance training. Meanwhile Rhona had
contemporary choreographer and
been turned down for a place in every
performer who had always had a
dance school she had applied to.
keen interest in integrated dance.
Despite all this negativity, Rhona
She had been living in America,
didn’t let it get to her, and decided to
where she had become heavily infollow her second love – media.
volved with an integrated dance
Aged 20, Rhona started a media
company, and when she moved back
R
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Rhona (top) and
Tara Brandel
to Cork, Tara had the same idea as Rhona.
Rhona and Tara put their heads together and, in December 2006, Croi Glan (the Irish translation for the
phrase ‘Clear Heart’), began. They decided to have four
weekend workshops: two in west Cork and another two in
Cork city. “The workshops were a huge success: there
was clearly a demand for integrated dance classes.” After
that, Croi Glan began offering integrated dance classes at
Firkin Crane once a week.
Over time, Croi Glan has grown, although Rhona continues to hold down a part-time job in her family’s hotel in Cork.
As well as offering beginners a chance to take part in integrated dance classes, Croi Glan’s educational programme
offers integrated dance to people with disabilities and ablebodied dancers through introductory workshops, ongoing
classes, and vocational training in integrated dance. A prime
example of this work was shown last summer when Croi
Glan performed in a Midsummer’s Festival in Cork.
Rhona and Tara also teach an integrated dance class at
COPE Foundation, a Cork-based organisation that offers a
range of services, facilities and expertise to people with intellectual disabilities. “Teaching at Cope is a completely dif-
ferent experience from working at Firkin Crane. Every single
person has a unique, different way of expressing themselves, and it’s beautiful. At the moment, Tara is training me
to teach those classes on my own, which will be fantastic
as it will enable us to offer more classes.”
Rhona says she loves teaching: “I love dance and seeing others dance. It’s such a unique expression of who
you are – not just you as someone with a disability, but
you as a person.”
INTEGRATED DANCE CLASSES
If you would like to experience integrated dance for
the first time, a workshop is available in Firkin Crane,
Cork City. The workshop is open to people with and
without a physical disability. No previous dance experience is required. For further details about the
classes or Croi Glan, please contact Rhona Coughlan on Tel: 086 067 9101. Email: [email protected] or visit www.croiglan.com
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travel
BE PREPARED!
Whether it’s a punctured tire or a badly designed hotel
bathroom, travellers with disabilities can face many challenges
along the way. Kiara Lynch has some tips on how to avoid the
most common pitfalls
PACK FOR ALL EVENTUALITIES
There is nothing worse than getting a puncture in a country
where you don’t speak the language. If you have inflatable
tires, plan ahead by bringing a puncture repair kit. A small
tool kit is also handy to repair other problems such as
loose nuts and bolts.
Another common holiday disaster is realising you don’t
have the right prescription medication or toiletries such as
antiseptic creams. Always pack additional supplies and
split items between different pieces of luggage to reduce
the risk of loss. Don’t assume you can get fresh supplies
when you get there because brand names are different in
most countries. With tough security restrictions now in operation at airports, bringing even prescription medication in
larger quantities can be problematic. Be prepared by bringing a note from your doctor explaining what the medication
is and why it is required for the journey.
GET INSURANCE
Getting sick while abroad can be a terrifying experience. As
an Irish resident, you are entitled to get healthcare through
the public system in countries of the European Union if you
become ill or injured while on a holiday (see www.ehic.ie for
more information). However, it is advisable to have additional
travel insurance to cover medical expenses. Unfortunately,
this is easier said than done, as many insurers quote exorbitant rates for people with pre-existing conditions. You simply
have to shop around, either by going direct to the insurers or
via a broker (see www.piba.ie for a list of brokers). VHI also
offer travel insurance to existing customers. The biggest factor is full disclosure to the insurers about your disability; without it the insurance cover can become null and void.
€60 for two weeks. For a full list of wheelchair hire companies, visit www.iwa.ie/mobility/wheelchairSales
If you decide to bring a power chair, check with your airline about the kind of batteries they allow.
INFORM THE AIRLINE AND AIRPORT
There is a lot of fear around flying, because access and assistance arrangements can be so erratic. The best thing
you can do is think about the assistance you require at different stages throughout the journey and communicate this
to your airline when you book. Remind the airline 48 hours
before you travel and again on check-in. Be very clear
about everything, including where you want to collect your
wheelchair when you get off the plane, eg in arrivals or at
the door of the plane.
VET YOUR ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation can be the make or break factor of a
good holiday. Don’t be afraid to ask specific questions
about access, after all you are the one paying for it! Is the
room en suite? Is there a bath or shower? If it’s a shower,
is it roll-in? Is there a fixed seat in the shower or will they
provide a shower chair? If possible, get these questions
answered in writing, giving you comeback if the reality
doesn’t live up to the promises.
If you are concerned about the positioning of grab rails
around the toilet and bath/shower, ask the hotel/rental
owner to supply you with a photo.
ENSURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT CHAIR
AND EQUIPMENT
Try to organise assistive equipment, such as shower
chairs, hoists and power chairs, before you arrive. Some
ways of doing this are: searching the internet for local hire
companies; asking your travel agent; or asking your accommodation supplier.
If you decide to rent a manual wheelchair for the duration
of your trip, it is often easier to rent it in Ireland and bring it
with you. For example, if you are travelling from Dublin, you
could hire a chair from IWA Clontarf (Tel: 01 818 6417) at
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travel
handy holiday
ACCESSORIES
Whether you are planning two weeks in the sun or a weekend in
the West of Ireland, make sure you are prepared for all
eventualities. Kiara Lynch selects some of the best accessories for
wheelchair-using travellers
WHEELCHAIR UMBRELLA
Rain or shine, this wheelchair umbrella will come in handy. The
umbrella can be used to protect the chair user from sun or rain
and fastens to the handle of the wheelchair. When the umbrella
is not in use, it can be folded
down for storage. Available at
€34.92 from Murray’s
Medical Equipment on
1 855 5733 or
LoCall 1800 540
540.
RAPID PUNCTURE KIT
This rapid puncture repair kit repairs and inflates
punctured wheelchair tyres in one minute. Simply
screw the connector of the tin onto the tyre valve.
This quick solution to a flat tyre is a must for any
holiday-maker. The kit is available from www.rolli.ie
at €7.90
LUGGAGE
A backpack on the back of your wheelchair is
usually the easiest way to carry heavier items. The
Bag Shop stock a large range of backpacks, travel
holdalls, handbags, business bags and flight bags,
as well as a selection of accessories including
purses, wallets, bum-bags, money belts and locks.
Delivery cost is €7.00 but any products over €50
are delivered free-of-charge. Available from
www.thebagshoponline.com
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travel
WASH BAG
This discreet wash bag is handy for
holding essential toiletries while
you’re out and about. There is one
big main compartment with internal
sections and zip, and one zipped
pocket at the front in this
padded bag.
The bag is
available from
www.rolli.ie
in two
colours,
khaki and
black, at
€24.90.
HOMECRAFT DELUXE
WHEELCHAIR PONCHO
If you are holidaying in Ireland this summer, you can’t
go wrong with a rain jacket that completely covers your
body! This waterproof poncho drapes over the wheelchair and user, protecting you from wind and rain. It is
made from nylon and has zip closures and a drawstring hood. Available at approx €65 from a range of
suppliers, including: Murray’s Medical Equipment
(01 855 5733 or LoCall 1800 540 540); OPM Ltd
(01 463 0090 or www.opm.ie)); Ability Matters, Waterford (051 337016 or www.opcare.ie); and MMS Medical Ltd, Cork (021 461 8000 or www.mmsmedical.ie).
ECONOMY WHEELCHAIR BAG
Every traveller needs an easy place to carry a bottle of
water, snacks, or their holiday novel. This wheelchair
bag has looped straps that fit over the wheelchair
handles to suspend
the bag from the back
of the wheelchair.
The rectangular bag is
made of a waterproof,
nylon fabric and has
a zipped top and two
carrying handles.
Available at
€25.18 from:
Murray’s Medical
Equipment
01 855 5733
or LoCall
1800 540 540.
WHEELCHAIR TOOL BOX
Leave your big toolbox at home while travelling and bring
this small portable one instead. The wheelchair tool box is
small, handy, and has the necessary tools needed for repairing your wheelchair. It contains a Phillips head screwdriver, a
flat head screwdriver, Allen keys in various sizes, a tyre jack
and spoke keys. Of course, when flying, remember that this
toolbox must never be packed in your carry-on luggage.
Available from www.rolli.ie at €27.90
These are just ideas! Spokeout does not recommend any specific products or suppliers. We advise readers to
shop around and, if appropriate, check with an OT to ensure a product is suitable for an individual’s needs.
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promotion
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AN AMERICAN
Liam, Bronagh and
Dermot prepare to board
a plane for a scenic flight
over the Grand Canyon
ADVENTURE
Liam Lynch tells us about his road trip along America’s
breathtaking West Coast, taking in the tourist sites of Los Angeles,
wind-swept views from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco,
and a parachute jump in Las Vegas
’d always wanted to sit at a blackjack table in Las
Vegas drinking a martini. Last year I decided I’d finally
do it. I mentioned it to my brother Dermot, and he said
himself and his wife, Bronagh, would be interested in
coming along.
A vague plan formed as we all spoke about it. Dermot
wanted to see the Grand Canyon, Bronagh wanted to see
San Francisco and I wanted to visit Las Vegas. In the end,
after some research on the internet and a few more chats,
we had an idea of our itinerary. We booked direct flights
from Dublin to Los Angeles (LAX) with Aer Lingus for two
weeks in early September. Our biggest sources of
information were the internet and the Lonely Planet guide
to California.
We all seemed to have different places that we wanted
to see, so we decided to rent a car at LAX (booked easily
over the internet well in advance). This gave us a good bit
of flexibility and I have to say not having the burden of
thinking about timetables and accessible public transport
was a relief. Luckily, Dermot offered to take on all the
driving, leaving Bronagh and I to enjoy the views.
We spent our first three days in LA, where we did the
standard tourist trail. Because the flight was ten hours, I
I
20
definitely needed to take it easy for the first few days. We
went to see the famous Hollywood sign, the star-studded
Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard, Venice
Beach (home of Baywatch) and Universal Studios – where
we went on a very realistic ‘Jaws’ boat trip. We didn’t find
disabled parking an issue as regular parking bays were big
enough to accommodate a wheelchair user.
After LA, we drove up north to San Francisco. We took in
the picture perfect views of Santa Marina with its expensive
sailing ‘hobby boats’, as well as the weekend retreats of
the San Francisco wealthy in Monterey, and of course
the stunning coastal views along Pacific Highway One. We
also stopped off at Hearst Castle. Mr Hearst, who made
his millions from papers, created an estate boasting 165
rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools, and
walkways. The absolute grandeur of the estate merits a
visit, but wheelchair accessible tours need to be booked in
advance of your visit.
On arrival in San Francisco, where we were staying for
three nights, we did the open-top bus tour, which I highly
recommend – it was fully wheelchair accessible and we got
some fantastic views of the city we wouldn’t have seen
otherwise. We took the recommended walk across the
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Golden Gate Bridge, which offered wind swept views of
San Francisco Bay and the city. Another must-see was
Alcatraz Prison; Al Capone called it ‘the toughest can he’d
ever been in’, and it was easy to see why! An accessible
bus will bring you to the top of the steep hill the prison is
on, and the self-guided tour gives you an idea how the
toughest criminals served their time in the US.
Our next stop was Lake Tahoe in the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. From here on, we headed south along
the mountains for Yosemite National Park, taking in the
alien beauty of Mono Lake. Yosemite offered jaw-dropping
view after view. We kept heading south to Death Valley
National Park. The locals were in their woolly jumpers at a
‘chilly’ 42°, while we, on the other hand, were finding it
hard to breathe! Sign after sign warned of overusing your
air conditioning, but the occupants of the countless
broken-down cars clearly hadn’t heeded them.
Finally, my destination: Las Vegas, baby! We decided to
stay in style at the world famous Bellagio Hotel, containing
a 24-hour casino, a shopping mall and 16 restaurants –
well, you never know when you’ll feel the need for a steak
and chips dinner!
From there, we went on a fun day trip to The Grand
Canyon, which included a scenic flight over this geological
wonder. Being in Vegas, we felt we had to do something
extreme, so Dermot and I decided a parachute jump
would be fitting! We also took in one of the shows at MGM
Hotel & Casino, had a spin on the roulette tables and did a
spot of shopping – of course!
It was the holiday of a lifetime but without research on
the internet, and reading the guide books beforehand, we
would have been lost. At tourist sites, I went to their information centres first – I found the staff helpful and full of
specific accessible information to their site. I’d strongly
recommend pre-booking any tours and specifying your
need for wheelchair access.
As long as you do your research before you go, you’ll be
guaranteed a great time, or as they say in America – an
awesome vacation!!
rmot at the
Liam and De
od sign in LA
wo
lly
Ho
s
ou
fam
Liam enjoys an Americansized restaurant portion
while staying in the
Yosemite National Park
ACCOMMODATION CONTACTS
When booking hotel rooms I was specific in my
questions – is there a roll-in shower with a shower
seat, etc. America seems to have stronger enforcement of access laws, but at the same time I didn’t
find everything a perfectly accessible utopia!
Los Angeles - The Cadillac Hotel
www.thecadillachotel.com. Travel lodge booklets
are available upon request in most hotels, and at
www.resortsandlodges.com. It lists all the motels
plus their facilities, grades, approx price range, and
addresses by state.
On the way to San Francisco – We stayed in two
separate travel lodges, Ramada Inn Olive Tree in
San Luis Obispo and Travel Lodge Monterey.
San Francisco - Phoenix Hotel
www.jdvhotels.com/phoenix.
Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park Oakhurst Inn
www.americasbestvalueinn.com/bestv.cfm?idp=906
Las Vegas hotel – Bellagio Hotel,
www.bellagio.com
HELPFUL LINKS
Liam reache
s his
Mecca – Vega
s!
Booking flights www.aerlingus.com
A site for accessible tourism and recreation in
Northern California www.accessnca.com
Car rental www.hertz.com
Tourism site for California www.visitcalifornia.com
Hearst Castle information www.hearstcastle.org
Alcatraz Island information www.nps.gov/alcatraz
Tourism site for San Francisco
www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com
Tourism site for Las Vegas www.visitlasvegas.com
Las Vegas skydiving
www.vegasextremeskydiving.com
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travel
DISNEY MAGIC
Disney World Florida is a
magical destination for all
children, especially those with
a disability, says Séan O’Kelly
had always wanted to go to Disney World, so I was delighted when last September my family and I got the
chance to go to Florida with 22 other families who have
children with spina bifida or hydrocephalus. The trip was
arranged by the Dublin Branch of The Irish Association for
Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus and the Make a Wish
Foundation Ireland.
Our group travelled on two separate flights. The first half
of the group went on a Continental flight from Dublin to Orlando with a stopover at Newark. The rest of us travelled on
an Aer Lingus flight which was direct to Orlando. The flight
time was about eight hours but the time went very quickly
because we watched movies and we were all so excited.
When we got there, we stayed in a village resort, called
‘Give Kids the World’. The village was specially built so that
children with an illness or a disability, and their families, can
enjoy the Disney Parks. It was set up by Henri Landwirth
who, after a remarkable life, decided he wanted to do
something to make children’s dreams come true. The village has approximately ninety individual houses and everything from an ice cream parlour to a merry-go round. There
is even a mayor of the village; a giant rabbit called Mayor
Clayton! The village is run by volunteers and is not open to
the public unless the child is a wish child. Children and their
families come from all over the world to stay there.
As well as Disney World, there are great shopping
centres in Central Florida, if you feel like shopping
I
USEFUL CONTACTS
Make a Wish Foundation Ireland
www.makeawish.ie 01 205 2007
Irish Association for Spina Bifida and
Hydrocephalus
www.iasbah.ie Dublin Branch: 01 848 5227
National number: 01 857 2329
Give Kids the World
www.gktw.org 00 1 407 396 1114
Hotels in Kissimee Orlando
www.1800hotels.ie
Accessible viewing area at the Dolphin Show at Sea World
for hours. They are all very wheelchair friendly and everywhere you go there are very roomy wheelchair toilets.
There are Wal-Mart supermarkets in the area and some
enormous shopping malls (the Florida Mall) where you can
get some great discounts.
I had never been to a Disney Park before. Disney World,
Florida is magical for all children but especially for children
with a disability. We were treated like VIPs because we got
to skip the queues which, at peak season, can be about
two hours long. All the parks are very user-friendly for
wheelchairs. Most of the rides and all of the shows are
accessible. On some of the rides you have to transfer out
of your wheelchair but all of the newer rides have been
made to allow you stay in your wheelchair. For example,
the ‘Finding Nemo’ ride that I went on had a giant plastic
clam with a fold-out ramp in it. When the ride stopped,
one of the Disney staff members unfolded the ramp so I
Sean meets
Goofy and Plu
could get on the ride in my
to
wheelchair.
During our September trip,
the weather was very warm
and humid (about 38 degrees).
There were also some very
heavy downpours of rain, but
they weren’t really a problem as
you dry off so quickly. If you are
planning a trip there, some staff
at the parks told us that November is a perfect time to go… with
the added benefit that you could
get to miss school too!
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The accessible
tour bus
18/03/2009
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Moira (centre) and
Anne (right) with
Savannah the cheetah
and fellow traveller,
Anna
INTO THE
WILD
Wheelchair user Anne Larkin and support worker Moira Lipshaw,
who both live in New Zealand, recently went on safari in South
Africa. Moira tells us what it was like to get up close and personal
with the Big Five and other wildlife
ave you ever thought of going on safari to Africa
mately seven wheelchair users, and is high enough that
but felt that, because you are in a wheelchair,
everyone travelling has excellent views of scenery and
have mobility problems or a chronic medical
wildlife. Alfie, our tour guide, also carried special equipment
condition, it was impossible?
on board such as shower commode chairs, bath seats,
I recently had the privilege of travelling to South Africa as
etc. He has excellent knowledge of the support services on
a support person for Anne Larkin, who uses a wheelchair
the way, so there was no anxiety about toilet stops, etc. He
most of the time.
is also an accomplished cook, and has an assistant to help
After researching on the internet, contact was made with
with any individual requirements and chores.
a company called Epic Enabled who specialise in offering
Accommodation was all wheelchair accessible, many of
disability-friendly safari tours within South Africa and other
the cabins having en suite facilities. Within Kruger National
African destinations.
Park, some of the accommodaAnne and I travelled Wellingtontion is in permanent tents, about
“It is difficult to describe
Sydney-Johannesburg which, aceighteen inches off the ground
the feeling it brings for
tually, was relatively easy without
and fitted with ramps. The shared
too many long delays in airport
facilities have wheelchair accessisomeone who had only
lounges. After one night in Johanble showers and toilets – all imdreamed of going to
nesburg, we began our tour with
maculately clean, and fresh soap
our fellow travellers who were from
Africa. The smiles just got and towels were provided everythe United Kingdom and the United
where on a daily basis.
bigger
and
bigger”
States. We were a small group –
Over the next eight days we
five in total – including one manual
were treated to some amazing
wheelchair user who was travelling independently and a
sights and experiences at Kruger National Park, a priman using a large electric wheelchair, who was traveling
vate game reserve called Tshukudu, and a Shangaan
with his wife.
cultural village.
The tour van is a modified truck with hydraulic lift. It can
We woke to the sounds of francolin birds, had coffee/tea
accommodate up to fifteen passengers, including approxiand traditional ‘Ouma beskuit’, and were loaded on to the
H
24
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travel
truck to go on the early morning game drive. At Tshukudu,
the game drive allowed us to not just to see, but get up
close to elephants, rhino, hippopotamus, kudu, vervet
monkeys, lions, leopards, and giraffes. Where else can you
pat a cheetah – Savannah, orphaned when young but rehabilitated in to the wild and able to catch her own prey,
walk with a lion, kiss a hippo, and stroke a caracal? The
opportunity to touch animals that are living and hunting in
their natural environment is rare, let alone to sit next to and
stroke a purring cheetah. It is difficult to describe the feeling it brings for someone who had only dreamed of going
to Africa. The smiles just got bigger and bigger.
On the way to Kruger we had the opportunity of visiting,
seeing and hearing about a different culture – life in a traditional Shangaan village. It was surprising to discover that
many of the traditions had similarities to Maori – instantly
evident when we were welcomed in to the village by
speeches and song.
Kruger National Park is enormous and we travelled from
Orpen Gate to Crocodile Bridge. There is a variety of
scenery within Kruger, and the opportunities to see bird
and animal life are endless. Two of our party were avid bird
watchers and managed to see over a 100 different bird
species, many very specific to Africa, so it is not just a tour
for animal lovers. There are times and areas where animal
life and vegetation are quite sparse, and others where
there is an over abundance. It was fascinating to sit at a
water hole and watch the animals interact: zebra and
wildebeest drinking together, but always watchful of a
pride of lions resting in the shade of a Marula tree. Suddenly the lions become skittish and move away when a
huge herd of buffalo come over the ridge to drink at the
water hole. The leaders of the herd were very large, and
they were in such large numbers that they were able to
force the pride of lions with their cubs to move away.
Whilst all this was going on, a smaller group of buffalo
were drinking quietly at the other side of the water hole,
with their oxpecker companions happily rummaging for
ticks on their back and necks.
This is just one example of what can be seen, and it’s
the kind of thing that you may have seen
on television programmes and do not
expect to see in reality. But when you do
it’s just amazing. I heard that word so
many times from my companions. All
the hard work and effort in getting the
funds together, and the long air flights,
were absolutely worth it!
Anne and I continued on to Cape
Town, arranged by the same tour
company, which was a totally different
experience but equally enjoyable. We
were treated to luxury accommodation with a family atmosphere with
Sabine and Josh at The Blue Tangerine Guesthouse in Noordhoek.
The tour group enjoys a picnic
A giraffe at Kruger
National Park
EPIC ENABLED was established in 2001 and
offers “interactive safari holidays that break the
boundaries of conventional travel”. The company’s
specialty is an Eight Day Kruger Tour – highlights
include a four day trip through the Kruger National
Park, one of the world’s largest natural reserves, a
visit to a Shangaan village, a stop at a research centre for endangered species, and a stay at a private
game reserve where guests enjoy
three days of physical interaction with
Anne
hippos, cheetahs, lion cubs, elefeeding
a hippo
phants and leopards. This tour can
also be extended to take in Cape
Town. Epic Enabled also offer a variety
of other accessible tours and can work
out a private tour itinerary on request.
For more information please visit
www.epic-enabled.com
Tel/Fax: +27 21 785 3176
After hours: +27 21 785 3156
Mobile: +27 73 228 2825
Email: [email protected]
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travel
Holidaying at home
If you feel like getting away from it all for
a few days, Colette Molloy suggests
some great places to stay
CARLTON DUBLIN
AIRPORT HOTEL
Old Airport Road, Cloghran
Co Dublin
T: 01 866 7500
www.carltondublinairport.com
Carlton Dublin Airport Hotel, a
four star hotel, is located close
to Dublin Airport and the
M50/M1 motorways, and is a
20-minute drive from Dublin City
centre. Guests can enjoy Kittyhawks Bar and Bistro or Clouds
Restaurant with its unique views
over the airport runways.
There is level access to the
hotel with adequate accessible/disabled parking nearby. The
luxuriously appointed wheelchair
accessible bedrooms, with interconnecting standard bedrooms
if required, are located on the
first and second floors with lift
access. The bedrooms are spacious with room for a hoist and
the en suite wet room includes
roll-in shower, fixed seat and
grab rails.
The hotel is ideally located for
those travelling abroad with its
close proximity to the airport. It
is also just a short drive from the
Pavilions Shopping Centre in
Swords, the O2 Arena and the
Helix.
TEMPLECARRIG HOUSE
The Neale, Ballinrobe
Co Mayo
T: 094 954 6818
www.templecarrighouse.net
Templecarrig House, located
approximately five miles from
Ballinrobe, is an ideal base for
exploring the west of Ireland. A
warm welcome awaits visitors to
this family-run country home set
in an idyllic rural location. There
is ample secure parking close
to the house and a nearby
paddock for visitors to see the
family’s horses.
The house is spacious and
accessed by a ramp. All guest
bedrooms are located at
ground level and the wheelchair accessible bedroom has
room for a hoist. The en suite
shower room is of wet room
design with a roll-in shower,
fixed seat and grab rails. The
gardens have level access and
visitors are welcome to relax
there or visit the onsite heritage
display.
The Neale village is located
midway between Galway and
Castlebar, both approximately
25 minutes drive away. The
Horan International Airport in
Knock is a 45-minute drive.
CASSIDY COTTAGES
Cullighan,
Ballyconnell
Co Cavan
T: 049 952 6182
www.cassidycottages.ie
Cassidy Cottages, located
near Ballyconnell, is a familyrun business offering a warm
friendly service in well appointed wheelchair accessible cottages. Ballyconnell is
located midway between
Cavan Town and Enniskillen,
Co Fermanagh, and boasts
many restaurants and pubs.
The cottages are individually designed with level
access and the accommodation is comfortable, bright
and airy. The living area is
spacious, and there is a fully
fitted accessible kitchen
with separate utility room.
The bedrooms are spacious,
with room for a hoist. The
en suite wet room has a roll
in shower, fixed seat, grab
rails and raised toilet. Outside there is a private patio
and garden with barbeque.
The cottages have access
to a nearby lake with a dedicated stand for disabled anglers.
Somewhere to recommend? Contact [email protected] or 01 818 6485
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CAREER PROFILE:
ANN RICHARDS
Ann Richards has worked for the Central Bank since the early 80s
and is now a senior clerical officer in the legal department. She
tells Robbie Cousins that while she doesn’t feel her disability has
been an impediment to her career, more needs to be done to
make work spaces accessible
How did your career start?
When I left school in the early 70s, as a wheelchair user I
was keen to assert my independence. I wanted the job and
car and all the freedom that went with those. I completed a
secretarial course and got a good job with an American
company known today as Bristol Myers Squibb. The company was based in Swords and I would think they were
very advanced in terms of their philosophy on accessibility.
There were two people with disabilities on their staff at that
time, and they did more than might have been expected of
them to facilitate us.
I started work each morning at 8.30am, which involved a
Ann in front of the
Central Bank canteen
entrance
34
considerable commute from my parents’ home in Clondalkin
in the years prior to there being any M50 or M1 motorways.
In 1981, I took a voluntary redundancy package, which
enabled me to place a deposit on an apartment, and
achieve another step on the road to greater independence.
Then, in 1982, after looking at a number of job options, I
got a job with the Central Bank.
Have attitudes to disability and accessibility changed
over the years?
I would have to say in terms of opportunities, I have always
been treated on a par with more able-bodied colleagues. I
have never noticed my disability being an impediment to
furthering my career. However, physical accessibility still remains a problem in terms of the challenge of moving
around the work place, particularly in multi-story buildings
like the head offices of the Central Bank on Dame Street.
A quite surreal incident occurred about six months after I
joined. A manager came to me and asked: ‘What are we
going to do with you if there is a fire?’ Initially, the solution
they came up with for fire drills was to give me advance notice to get out of the building. So, by the time the alarm
would go off, I would be outside on the plaza in the cold
waiting for everyone else to follow. On one occasion, thinking I was begging, someone tried to give me money! After a
series of trial and error exercises, a proper plan was put in
place to get me out of the building in the case of an emergency with the use of an Evac-chair.
Today, access is still a thorny issue, as I imagine it is in
many places. It is not that there is no will to make changes
to buildings beyond basic legal requirements, it is more a
question of understanding the real accessibility needs of
people with disabilities. A perfect example in my work scenario is the main canteen for the Central Bank. The facility is
at basement level in a building adjacent to the Central Bank
on the plaza. There are five steps down in to the canteen
with a lift along side them. So, all legal requirements for access have been met. Unfortunately, the lift is extremely loud
and uncomfortable to use. And sometimes it is out of order.
When that happens, I am excluded from the main canteen
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careers
and must use a small facility in my own office building.
My office building on Dame Street was renovated in recent years, but still has a number of accessibility problems.
Despite my offering to advise on accessibility issues before
the renovation took place, the architect chose not to consult with me. The renovation met the legal requirements for
an accessible building, but there were a number of simple
impediments that needed to be addressed, such as reversing hinges on the doors of fridges and access to drinking
water. Today, there are still problems such as some doors
being too heavy for me.
People tend to be too legally-minded and often overlook
the practicalities. Until this changes there will always be accessibility issues. In my view the problem is experience, or
lack of it. If somebody is not directly affected or does not
observe first-hand the accessibility challenges faced by
people with disabilities, how can they devise accessibility
solutions? There is simply not enough consultation on the
issue by designers and builders, and I imagine this is the
case in many workplaces.
How has your career progressed at the Bank?
I have worked in several departments over the years including Exchange Control and the Currency Centre in Sandyford.
Since 1996, I have worked in the Corporate Services De-
partment and I am now in the Legal Unit of the Central Bank
three and two days on alternative weeks with a job-sharing
work partner. I had worked full time up to 1999, when I
changed my hours for family reasons. Afterwards, I decided
to maintain the job sharing arrangement, which has enabled
me to achieve a much better work-life balance.
What advice would you offer someone looking to work
in financial services?
The best advice I can offer anyone looking to get in to the
financial services sector is to get as complete an education
as possible. I joined at a time before a third level qualification was a basic requirement. I have taken a number of further education courses since. Today’s work environment is
more challenging than ever and if you want to rise through
the ranks a broad-based degree-level education is a huge
asset to bring in with you.
The Central Bank is very supportive of staff looking to further their education, offering a number of attractive incentives. For instance, it will pay for particular approved
courses. If you choose to pursue a career in financial services, the Central Bank is a good place to start in terms of
getting a good overall view of how the industry works. And
as your career advances there are continual opportunities
to learn and develop.
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Getting there...
EVENTUALLY!
The Irish transport system is
slowly becoming more
accessible to people with
limited mobility, but services
are still somewhat
unpredictable and, if you are
going to brave it, you’ll need
perseverance and patience!
CARTOONS BY JOHNNY CONNAUGHTON
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access
GLENAGEARY
BRAY
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living
Bed rope ladder
Bedattached
grab
handle
Mattress inclinator
Variable posture bed
CHOOSING
a bed and bed
accessories
Most people spend over a third of their lives in bed, so it’s
worth investing in a comfortable bed and accessories that
enable you to move around with ease, advises Dara Woods
from Assist Ireland
here is no value you can put on good sleep. A
good night’s rest will benefit your physical and
mental health, leaving you better prepared for the
challenges of the day. Fortunately, for people with
mobility problems, there are many products on the market
that can help you feel comfortable at night, and also assist
when you are getting in and out of bed. These products include beds with special features as well as accessories for
standard beds. Naturally, people have different requirements and the products you choose should address the
specific difficulties you are experiencing.
T
FOR PEOPLE WHO
NEED HELP TO SIT
UP IN BED
Lifting poles make
moving around and
getting in and out of
bed easier. Most lifting poles are floorstanding though
some can be attached to a wall or
the bed. A handle
hangs down from
the main pole which
Lifting pole
you pull on to lift yourself up in bed.
Rope ladders fit onto the bed frame, the footboard or
the feet of the bed. They have rungs which you pull on
to help yourself up into a sitting position.
There are various types of grab handles available, wallfixed, bed-fixed or floor-fixed. The user pulls on the grab
handles to help them sit up or turn over in bed.
Mattress inclinators are powered devices which help
you to sit up or lie down independently. They can remain
raised to form a backrest which supports you in a sitting
position.
Variable posture beds have sections in the base which
hinge to form a ‘backraise’ and a ‘legraise’. This feature
is known as ‘profiling’. Variable posture beds can be adjusted manually or electrically while the person is in bed.
FOR PEOPLE WHO SLIDE DOWN THE BED
Foam wedges or shaped pillows can be positioned
under the user’s legs to provide support in bed. A footboard can be attached to the end of the bed so you can
push against it to re-position yourself in bed.
One way glides can also be helpful. These glides are
slip-resistant devices that only move in one direction.
They are made of a length of material that has been
stitched to form a continuous roller. The inside of the
glide is made of a material that easily slides one way,
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living
but cannot slide the other way. It is placed under the
person sitting in bed, allowing them to slide backwards,
but not forwards.
FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY GETTING
THEIR LEGS INTO BED
Manual leg lifters consist of a reinforced strap with a
loop on the end. The person hooks their leg through the
loop and then physically lifts the loop onto the bed.
Powered leg lifters which attach to the bed frame are
also available. The user sits on the edge of the bed with
their feet on the floor in front of the device. The platform
raises, lifting the user’s legs level with the mattress. The
user can then slide their legs off the platform and onto
the bed.
FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY MOVING
OR TURNING IN BED
Most people need to move or turn regularly in bed for
comfort or to prevent pressure sores from forming.
Variable posture beds can be used to reposition people in bed. By altering the profile of the bed the user’s
position and weight distribution changes. This may be
sufficient to prevent pressure sores from forming.
Turning beds are mains-powered, hospital-type beds
that turn the user from side to side. Most are controlled
by the carer, though some can be controlled by the person in bed, while others have an automated turning facility that carries out a turning cycle.
Turning units can be used on top of a domestic bed to
turn the user from side to side. They can be controlled
using a handset, or can be set to turn at pre-programmed times. These units should be used in conjunction with bed rails as they have no built-in side
protection.
Low friction rollers are made of a length of material,
which has been stitched to form a continuous roller or is
folded so the slippery material on the inside surfaces will
slide easily. The roller is placed across the bed and
under the user. Once the roller is in position some users
find they can turn independently. Alternatively, carers
can assist the user by pulling on the top layer of the
roller.
FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY GETTING
OUT OF BED
Some people find it difficult to get to the edge of the bed to
swing their legs over the side.
Variable posture beds can be adjusted into a sitting
position so the user can pull on a grab rail or lifting pole
to raise themselves from the bed and manoeuvre to the
edge where it is easier to stand up.
Hand blocks can be placed either side of the person in
bed. The user pushes down on the blocks with their
hands to rise off the bed allowing them to change position and move to the edge of the bed.
40
The biggest difficulty
encountered by people
when getting out of
bed is standing up.
Raising the height of
the bed can help. Bed
leg raisers can be
placed under the legs
of the bed to raise its
height and make it easier to stand up.
Though, once the bed
is raised, the height is
set, so even though the
raised height makes it
easier to stand up it
might be difficult to get
Bed leg raisers
into bed.
Adjustable height beds can be powered manually or
electrically. Manually operated beds have a hydraulic
mechanism controlled by a foot pump that raises and
lowers the bed. This movement may feel jerky and it
cannot be operated by the user. Some electric beds can
be controlled by the occupant, which means the user
can select the best height for getting in and out of bed.
Elevating units can be placed under a standard bed to
convert it into a height-adjustable bed. These units have
a powered mechanism, which is controlled using a
handset.
FOR PEOPLE WHO CANNOT SAFELY TAKE
WEIGHT THROUGH THEIR LEGS OR WHO HAVE
VERY LIMITED ABILITY TO MOVE
If people are unable to take any of their weight through
their legs, advice should be sought from a therapist as
to the safest method of assisting them out of bed. There
are mobile or overhead hoists and slings designed to
lift people. Equipment such as hand blocks or lifting
poles can enable some people to lift part of their own
weight whilst the carer is assisting them to move.
Wall-fixed or freestanding hoists have a vertical mast
that is attached to the wall or fitted into a stand. A boom
from the mast reaches out over the bed and swings
sideways to enable a transfer from a bed onto a chair.
If the layout of the house permits, it is possible to fix a
track (straight, jointed or curved) so the person can
move (or is assisted to move) in a sling from the bed directly to another room.
Transfer boards are smooth surfaced boards which
taper at each end to assist sideways transfers. They can
be used to slide from a chair onto a wheelchair.
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A BREATH
Ferns
OF FRESH AIR
Houseplants breathe fresh
air into your house and
remove toxins that
endanger your health, says
Helen Rock
t is a mystery to me why Garden Rooms are not an integral part of the layout in all hospitals, government
buildings, big private offices, factories, schools, prisons
and institutions of all sorts. The living greenery and flowers of houseplants can make any room, in any building,
look wonderful at any time, particularly in winter. But it’s not
for their beauty alone that we should have houseplants.
Most importantly in these toxic times, plants have the
power to remove a whole battery of harmful chemicals from
the air we breathe indoors. And let’s face it, in this cold and
damp climate we tend to spend a lot of our time indoors.
Just as the earth’s disappearing rainforests act as the
lungs of the planet, and street trees act as the lungs of
towns and cities, so too do houseplants create their own
little ecosystems around themselves, by producing oxygen
and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
In an overheated and underventilated building, the huge
number of items giving off noxious chemicals endangers
our health. In stuffy, densely populated work places, synthetic materials such as adhesives, mastic, ceiling tiles,
floor tiles, paints, chipboard, photocopiers, varnishes and
I
42
wall coverings are among the very worst offenders.
The list of ailments associated with unhealthy air indoors
is long. It includes asthma (alarmingly on the rise), eye,
nose and throat problems, headaches and disorders of the
nervous and respiratory systems. A connection has also
been made with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Syndrome, particularly in the winter months when emissions
from new paints, fabrics, furniture, wallpapers, adhesive
and so on have nowhere to escape in many modern, overheated and hermetically sealed homes. It is really is important to follow the old advice and open your windows – at
least your bedroom windows – for a period each day.
Rather surprisingly, in a report produced some years ago
by the US Environmental Protection Agency, tobacco
smoke only had one black mark against it and that was for
bringing benzene into the atmosphere. For those of you
worried about cigarette smoke indoors, there’s a plentiful
native plant – the common ivy Hedera hibernica – that literally binges on bad old benzene. This ivy, which you can
find growing anywhere for free, is also particularly good for
removing nasty formaldehyde from the air in a room.
Our native ivy, unsurprisingly, does not like high temperatures. If you decide to use it, and it begins to show signs of
ill-health, simply bring it outdoors for an air break until it recovers. The Victorians actually grew them outside to keep
their feet cool and then trained them – via a special miniglasshouse built into the window – to grow into the sittingroom and trail around the walls, over the picture frames
and along the chimney breast.
Images courtesy of Mr Middleton’s Garden Shop
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living
You could have a few native ivies growing in pots outside,
waiting in the wings to take their turn inside. Here’s how: look
closely at the ground in the garden, wood or hedgerow and
you’re sure to see lots of shiny-leaved little native ivy plants
which have self-seeded around a parent plant.
Dig them out gently with root intact, pot up in a loambased compost or good garden soil and grow them on,
bringing inside as needed. Alternatively, you can grow them
from seed yourself, which you can collect when ripe from
wild ivy growing on trees or walls.
Sow the seed in small pots, two or three to a pot in case
one fails. You’ll have plenty for yourself and enough to give
away to friends or bring into work. I would also plant some
tiny bulbs in with them to flower in succession over a long
period – scillas, species crocus, snowdrops, dwarf narcissi,
lily-of-the valley are all scented as well as beautiful. These
will also want an air break when finished flowering, so it all
works out neatly.
Many of the plants that are good at removing chemicals and
introducing beneficial moisture to parched indoor air are quite
dull in appearance, but there are exceptions. Ferns, such as
the Boston and Kimberley ferns, are two. And the Dwarf Date
and some other palms are not only good to look at, but are
wizard at removing chemicals and very easy to grow.
Despite old lore to the contrary, a fleshy Aloe plant in a bedroom will actually release healthy-giving oxygen during the
night, and take in unwanted carbon dioxide while it’s at it. For
those who want houseplants that can do the ecofriendly thing and give them
beautiful flowers, there are
orchids that fit the bill. Best
among these are Dendrobium orchids and the fashionable moth orchids,
Phalaenopsis.
Other prettily flowering
plants that do a good job
include cyclamen, which
can be hardened off after
flowering and planted out
Cyclamen
later in the garden. The big
flowered begonias, the
Gerbera daisy, dwarf azaleas and florist’s chrysanthemums grown as
houseplants all do a good
job too. Perhaps most surprising of all is the tulip –
fabulous tulips of all kinds
planted indoors. They are
more than capable of removing not only the
dreaded formaldehyde, but
Begonias
also xylene and ammonia
from the air we breathe.
LOOKING AFTER HOUSEPLANTS
Houseplants get dusty too, so give them a good spring
cleaning by removing all dead leaves and dusting off the
remaining leaves with a damp sponge or soft microfibre
cloth. As the growing season advances, all houseplants
will need more food and water but remember that more
die of over watering than under. Some plants may need
repotting. Don’t go overboard with the new pot size. You
might just need fresh compost. If the roots are curling
around themselves, just one size up is usually sufficient
and better for the plant.
Azaleas are sold as houseplants in flower at Christmas,
along with the ubiquitous red poinsettia (actually a tender
type of euphorbia or spurge). “What’ll I do with my azalea
now that the flowering is finished?” is a frequently asked
question. The answer is that they can now be put outside.
Azaleas are not tender but completely hardy plants and
consequently much happier out in the cold than being
hot-housed inside. But break them in gently, known as
hardening off, by introducing them to the great outdoors a
little at a time. The old-fashioned and probably the best
way of conserving them for another year is to plunge
them, still in their pots, into spare ground, in a cool and
shady place. But don’t forget about them until flowering
starts again in winter. They need to be fed and watered
throughout the growing season, with rain water if possible,
which they much prefer.
SEEDS OF PROMISE
There’s almost nothing that holds out more promise
than a packet of seed and there’s almost nothing as
nice as a whole package of them arriving by post.
Happily some of the best seed merchants do mail
order and most have good, entertaining and informative websites, as well as paper catalogues which they
will send you if requested, usually free of charge.
Some to try are:
The Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim (071
985 4338) or [email protected].
Based at Tullynally Castle, Castlepollard, Co
Westmeath (044 966 2744) is Heritage Bulbs and
vegetables: www.wildaboutveg.com
Thompson & Morgan seed range is famous and
always moving forward. Distributed in Ireland by
Mr Middleton Garden Shop in Dublin (58 Mary
St, Dublin 1). Tel: 873 1118. Visit www.mrmiddleton.com or www.thompson-morgan.com
The best rocket, spinach, basil and flat parsley I’ve
ever grown was from Franchi seeds (www.seedsofitaly.com) which come in big generous packets
bursting with freshness. There are 5,000 seeds in
one of their packets of cultivated rocket, and the
first sowing can be made now!
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motoring
GET SOME
RELIEF
You could be
entitled to up to
€15,875 in VRT and
VAT relief when you
purchase a vehicle, a
saving well worth making,
especially in these
tough times, says
Niall McDonnell
n this time of recession, it is essential to avail of any advantage you can. And for those with disabilities, who
face additional challenges and expenses, this is of even
greater importance. One way to offset the purchase
costs of an adapted vehicle is to ensure you get any relief
you are entitled to in respect of Vehicle Registration Tax
(VRT) and Value Added Tax (VAT).
The Drivers and Passengers with Disabilities VRT VAT
Relief Scheme was created to give drivers and passenger’s
greater access to accessible (adapted) vehicles to either
drive or to be transported as a passenger.
However, there are still a great many people with disabilities out there who would be eligible for this scheme but are
simply not aware of it. I see this regularly through my job
with the Irish Wheelchair Association’s National Mobility
Centre in Clane.
I
SO, HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU QUALIFY?
The qualifying criteria are the same for both the Driver
Scheme and Passenger Scheme. In order to access this
scheme, an applicant must have an item called a Primary
Medical Certificate. Without this, you cannot avail of the relief.
In order to qualify for the Primary Medical Certificate, you
must pass an independent assessment conducted by a
health board doctor, normally the Senior Area Medical Officer. Application forms for this assessment are available
from your local health board office.
Applicants must meet the following strictly-enforced criteria:
Be wholly or almost wholly without the use of both legs
Be wholly without the use of one of their legs and almost wholly without the use of the other leg such that
they are severely restricted in the movement of their
lower limbs
Be without both hands or arms
Be without one or both legs
Be wholly or almost wholly without the use of both
hands or arms and wholly or almost wholly without the
use of one leg
Have the medical condition of dwarfism and have serious difficulties of movement of the lower limbs.
Once you have qualified, you are issued with the Primary
Medical Certificate. You must then register with the Rev-
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motoring
enue Commissioners. This is done by sending in the original Primary Medical Certificate to the Revenue Commissioners along with a DD1 form (available from the Revenue
Commissioners). The Revenue Commissioners will reply
with a Letter of Authorisation, which you then bring to your
car dealer to confirm your entitlement.
SO, IF YOU DO QUALIFY, WHAT ARE THE
BENEFITS YOU WOULD BE ENTITLED TO?
The main benefits are:
Relief in respect of Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) and
Value Added Tax (VAT) may be obtained to the maximum value of €9,525 for a driver and €15,875 for a passenger
A person admitted to the scheme may also apply for a
repayment of excise duty on fuel used in the vehicle, for
the transport of the person with the disability, up to a
maximum of 600 Gallons or 2,728 litres per year
A vehicle which has been admitted to the scheme is
also exempt from the payment of annual road tax.
This relief is restricted to “a vehicle which has been specially
constructed or adapted for use by a person with a disability
and which has an engine in size of less than 2,000cc in the
case of a driver and 4,000cc in the case of a passenger or
family member.” This means that all vehicles that are admitted to the scheme must have an adaptation, and furthermore, the scheme specifies in the case of passenger
vehicles and family member vehicles the adaptation must
equal ten percent of the net cost of the vehicle.
Finally, bear in mind that a vehicle which has been relieved
from tax may not be disposed of for at least two years.
If you have any queries about the Primary Medical Certificate, you should contact your local HSE. For information
about Drivers and Passengers with Disabilities VAT and
VRT Relief Scheme, call the Revenue Commissioners on
047 621 00 or contact Niall McDonnell on email:
[email protected] or tel: 045 893 094.
Please note that The Office of the Revenue Commissioners
moved in February 2009. The new address is: The Office
of the Revenue Commissioners, Central Repayments
Office, FREEPOST, M: TEK II Building, Armagh Road,
Monaghan. Tel: 047 621 00. Fax: 047 621 99.
46
VRT AND VAT RELIEF:
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q. Must I purchase a new vehicle to avail
of the relief?
A. No. However, if you purchase a second-hand
vehicle you must purchase it from a VAT registered dealer. Also, bear in mind that if you are
purchasing a new car the VRT relief is applied at
the point of purchase, whereas if you are purchasing a second-hand car, you have to pay the
VRT up front and then apply for a rebate.
Q. Can I claim relief on a vehicle I am
importing?
A. Yes. However it is advisable to request advice
directly from the Revenue Commissioners if
doing so.
Q. How many cars can I purchase?
A. You may only purchase one vehicle on the
scheme every two years. The exemption is noted
on the Vehicle Registration Certificate to prevent
sale before the two-year period has passed.
Q. What would happen if I sold the vehicle
early?
A. You would have to repay the VAT and VRT rebated or at least a proportion of it (Revenue have
a system for calculating this).
Q. How do I know how much I will get rebated?
A. Once you are purchasing a vehicle from a
garage they can supply you with figures for the
VAT and VRT amounts. However, a rough guideline would be a third of the purchase price. You
can also contact the Revenue Commissioners to
get exact figures.
Q. Apart from the Primary Medical
Certificate, what other paperwork might I
need for the application process?
A. The full list of items that are normally needed
are as follows:
DD1 Form – this is obtained from the Revenue Commissioners
Letter of Authorisation – this is obtained from
the Revenue Commissioners by sending them
the DD1 Form
Receipt for vehicle adaptation – this is obtained from the adaptor and should contain a
full breakdown of the costs including any VAT
An original invoice from the dealer, detailing the
full purchase particulars of the vehicle including
the amount of VAT charged and paid in full.
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IWA CAR & HOME
insurance schemes
IWA and Glennon Insurance offer discounted car and home insurance
schemes for members
I
WA is pleased to announce that the Association has
negotiated two Insurance Schemes for insuring the
Cars and Homes of:
Members of the Irish Wheelchair Association and their
Spouses, Partners and Carers
Employees of the Irish Wheelchair Association and their
Spouses or Partners
The combination of competitive rates, premium payment
by instalment, together with the ease and simplicity with
which the insurances can be arranged will, we believe,
make these very attractive insurance packages for our
members and staff.
These schemes have been arranged through Glennon at
Charlemont House, Charlemont Place, Dublin 2 and are insured with Allianz Plc., Allianz House, Elm Park, Merrion
Road, Dublin 4. These are two highly reputable companies
who have been operating in the insurance market in Ireland
for many years.
The scheme premiums are very competitive and should
deliver savings to most of our members and staff. Savings
can range from 5% to as much as 50% in some cases and
will vary depending on the risk profile of each member or
employee and where their insurance is currently arranged.
THE SCHEMES OFFER A RANGE OF
DISCOUNTS SUCH AS
CAR
Introductory discount
Introductory Bonus for members or employees based
on previous Named Driving experience
Second car discount where a spouse or partner has a
second car
HOME
Introductory discount
Alarm discount
Mature policyholder discount for policyholders more
than 50 years of age
Neighbourhood Watch discount
Smoke Alarm discount
Second policy discount where a member or employee
has another car or home policy insured on the schemes
48
THE SCHEMES OFFER BROAD COVER SUCH AS
CAR
Open Driving for all drivers over 30 years and under
70 years subject to certain restrictions
IWA Drivesure Breakdown Assistance Service available
24 hours a day 365 days a year
IWA Bonus Protection Option which means that a member’s or employee’s no claims bonus will not be affected
by any Fire, Theft or Windscreen claims or up to two
claims irrespective of amount (e.g. even up to a
€1 million claim payment for personal injury) in any
three year renewal period
Unlimited Windscreen cover without loss of No Claims
Bonus. Many Insurers limit this cover to €500 even though
the cost of replacing all windows can exceed €2,500
HOME
New for Old cover on Buildings and Contents no matter
how old
Accidental Damage Cover Option available on Buildings
and Contents
Cover for shopping in transit Property in the open
Goods in Freezer
Credit Cards
Falling trees
Subsidence
Title Deeds
Jury Service
A Freepost explanatory leaflet is included in this issue.
We recommend all our members and staff complete
and return the leaflet to Glennon who will then contact
you in advance of your renewal dates with your quotations. If you return the leaflet before 30th April 2009 you
have the chance of winning one year’s free car insurance.
If your policies are due now call Glennon on 1890 81 22 21
or email [email protected] for an immediate quotation.
Many of our members and staff should achieve broad
cover and worthwhile savings on their premiums by availing
of these schemes.
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news
Sports stars highlight
KILKENNY ACCESS ISSUES
Kilkenny Access Group, a voluntary group
made up of local people with disabilities,
recently hosted a treasure hunt to raise
awareness of access issues around Kilkenny.
The family event saw a range of Kilkenny
sports stars, including Martin Comerford and
Cathriona Corr, lead their teams to find hidden
treasure around MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre on Saturday, 29th November
2008. Local Paralympic champion, Gabriel
Shelly, also demonstrated his medal-winning
boccia skills at the event and everyone was
encouraged to have a go.
The event provided an opportunity for
Kilkenny Access Group to highlight access
issues affecting everyone around Kilkenny.
“While there are over 3,000 people in Kilkenny
registered with a long-term disability, including
mobility and vision limitations, access is an
issue for everyone in Kilkenny, such as those
on crutches or those with buggies”, says Nigel
Brander of Kilkenny Access Group. “We want
to highlight the benefits of universal access,
whether this means a store’s lay-out leaving
space for wheelchair or buggy users, or dishing
being included in plans for new pavements.”
Minister for Trade and Commerce John
McGuinness, TD, and Mayor of Kilkenny Pat
Crotty officially opened the event and
Stephen Neary, the new Access Officer of
Kilkenny County Council, was also asked to
speak. Kilkenny Access Group hosted the
event at MacDonagh Junction because the
centre provides an excellent example of universal accessibility.
For more information about the Kilkenny
Access Group, contact Martina Ellis in IWA
Kilkenny on 056 776 2775.
ETHIOPIAN CIL MEMBERS
VISIT IRELAND
By Michael Ryan
Members of Kilkenny
Access Group at the
treasure hunt. Front row:
John Grace. Back row:
Emma Baldwin, Ger
Byrne, Kerry Murphy
Patrons’ draw winners
Recent winners of €800 monthly draw are:
November 2008: Dr B Moloney, Loughrea, Co Galway.
December 2008: Anne Carroll, Balbriggan, Co Dublin.
Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living (CIL) recently
hosted members of the Ethiopian CIL who were visiting Ireland
to see how far we had come in relation to support services and
accessibility for people with disabilities in Ireland.
Arthritis Ireland is launching a national helpline
They met with local people with disabilities, ministers,
providing emotional and practical support to
mayors, activists, volunteers and members of the public, all
people with arthritis. The service is manned by
of whom warmed to the group.
people who are themselves living with the
The group spent ten days travelling around the country, using
condition. The helpline is available from 10am
many different forms of accessible transport (bus, rail, Luas,
to 4pm, Monday to Friday. The contact numtaxi, minibus and boat), none of which they had experienced
ber is 1890 252 846.
before. They visited local authorities, CILs in Blanchardstown,
Offaly and Galway, colleges,
Blanchardstown CIL, Fingal
public buildings, disability
County Council, Limerick CIL
agencies, churches,
and Carlow CIL, with transport
accessible housing with
provided by Dublin Bus and
environmental controls,
wheelchairs provided by IWA.
Cuisle Holiday Centre,
The Ethiopian CIL welcomes
Government Buildings and
any
offers of assistance, adÁras an Uachtaráin. On the
vice and support that the Irish
final day of the trip, the
community of people with disgroup met with the
abilities can offer. For further
founders and current
information contact: Michael
activists within the IndeMembers of the Ethiopian CIL with
members of Blanchardstown Centre
Ryan at Blanchardstown CIL
pendent Living movement.
for Independent Living (CIL)
on tel: 087 237 1295. Email:
The visit was funded
[email protected]
through contributions from
Arthritis helpline
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news
L-R: James McClean, PwDI, Chair
of Approvals Board;
Siobhan Barron, Director, NDA; Miriam
O’Callaghan,
MC;Minister John
Moloney, Minister for
Equality, Disability
and Mental Health;
Sean Aylward, Secretary General, Dept
of Justice, Equality
and Law Reform
Accessible taxi database available
IWA now has a database of accessible taxis nationwide, provided by the Commission for Taxi Regulation. These taxis have made a declaration to the Taxi
Regulator’s office that they operate accessible taxi
services. The database is available from local IWA
offices or IWA Clontarf on 01 8186 455, [email protected]
EXCELLENCE THROUGH
ACCESSIBILITY AWARDS
Seven public bodies from around Ireland were presented in December with awards from the National Disability Authority (NDA)
that recognised their achievements in integrating accessibility
into their service provision.
The awards reflect the level of accessibility that has been
reached across key aspects of public bodies’ services including:
buildings and facilities, publications, websites, customer services, human resources and procurement procedures. This year
four awards were made at the ‘Excellence’ level and four public
bodies achieved the ‘Quality’ standard.
THE AWARD WINNERS WERE:
Clones Library,
Monaghan County
Council – which
achieved the
Excellence through
Accessibility award
at the Quality level
Cork Revenue Commissioners, Co Cork
Belmullet Area Office, Mayo County Council
Clones Library, Monaghan County Council
Áras Contae an Chláir, Ennis, Clare
County Council
Scarriff Area Office, Clare County Council
Galway County Hall, Galway County
Council
Sligo County Hall, Sligo County Council
New Ross Library, Wexford County Council
Cabra Library
Situated on the Navan Road, Cabra
Library is one of the newest additions
to Dublin City Public Libraries network
of public libraries and is easily accessible by car or bus. The proud recipient
of the National Disability Authority’s
‘Excellence through Accessibility’
award in 2006, Cabra Library is particularly convenient and accessible for
people with limited mobility. Bright,
spacious and welcoming, the library is
housed on a single-floor and offers a
large collection of books, DVDs, music
CDs and audio books (on tape, CD
and MP3) for borrowing. The library
A-Z directory of
Voluntary Organisations
The 12th edition of the
Directory of National Voluntary Organisations and Other
Agencies is now available.
This is the definitive guide to
the many organisations
working in the voluntary
sector, and is very useful if
you are seeking specialised
information or support groups.
With over 570 national and other organisations listed, and over 100 new entries,
the directory is the most comprehensive
listing of national voluntary organisations in
the country. The State agencies relevant to
this sector are also listed. The detailed descriptions of organisations include their
role, remit and the resources they provide.
Copies of the directory are available at
€12 (plus p&p) and can be ordered by
contacting the Citizens Information Board
at 01 605 9000 or by email
[email protected]
also has a well-stocked children’s library, free internet access and free Wifi,
text-enlarging software, hearing loop
systems and large-print books. Book
clubs, storytelling sessions, conversation exchanges and computer classes
are just some of the events that take
place regularly in the library as well as
exhibitions by local art groups. There is
a universally accessible toilet and a
designated parking space in the public
car park. It’s free to join the library or if
you are a member of any Dublin City
Council branch you can use your card
in Cabra Library too. Staff will be happy
to help with any query you might have.
For further information contact
Cabra Library, Navan Road, Dublin 7.
Tel: 01 869 1414. Email:
[email protected] Web:
www.dublincitypubliclibraries.ie
Opening hours are: Mon-Thurs
10am-8pm and Fri & Sat 10am-5pm.
Inside Cabra Library
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PLAYING to win
Table tennis champion Kathleen Reynolds has been competing
since the 70s – and she’s not done yet! Hugh Scanlon finds out
more about the fierce independence and determination that
drives this extraordinary woman
ot too many people would describe themselves
as being lucky, having been born paralysed from
the waist down with Spina Bifida, having never
known any family members and having spent
the first 27 years of their lives in institutions. But then, Kathleen Reynolds is no ordinary person, as I found out when I
talked to her recently about her life and career as a table
tennis champion.
Kathleen Reynolds played table tennis for Ireland in the
Paralympics in 1972, 1976 and 1980, and then came out
of retirement to play her way back onto the Irish team and
compete in her fourth Paralympics in Beijing last year. Now
55 years of age, she is setting her sights on the London
Games in 2012! When I asked her to explain her extraordinary success and the longevity of her playing career she
just shrugged and said that table tennis is a sport that
lends itself to this. I wasn’t convinced.
What about the great Olympic ideal that taking part is
more important than winning? Kathleen subscribes fully to
this and says that she has found sport to be a wonderful
way of meeting people and expanding her horizons. “First
off, players must enjoy their sport, then they can compete.”
N
PHOTO BY SPORTSFILE
Kathleen in action
52
In Kathleen’s case, I didn’t get the impression that competing takes much of a back seat position. Her drive and determination is obvious. She told me about playing in an
international match against England, some years back,
where she was being beaten 10 – 2. It was set point and
she knew she could not afford to lose it. She shook herself
up, said ‘enough of this’, or words to that effect, and went
on to win the set 12 – 10! Giving up is not in her nature.
Kathleen spent the first 17 years of her life in Baldoyle
Hospital, in Dublin, before transferring to the Barrett
Cheshire Home, in Herbert Street, and then the Cara
Cheshire Home in the Phoenix Park. She accepts that having to make her own way in life has made her a very determined person, but believes that she has been lucky to
have been forced to become independent in order to get
on. She has never experienced life without a wheelchair so
she doesn’t actually view it as being a disadvantage. She
just gets on with it.
“I’ve never let my disability stop me from doing things.”
She remembers the time before any public buses were fitted with ramps. She’d wait at the bus stop in her chair
and, when the bus came along, she’d get down onto the
ground and crawl onto it while one of her sons, or the bus
driver, or someone else, would lift her wheelchair on. “I
don’t care what people think” she says “which allows me
to go ahead and do things my way, rather than hanging
around moaning and waiting for others to do them for me.”
Having said that, she has strong views on the issue of
equal rights for people with disabilities. “We need to show
that we know our rights and we earn respect by insisting
on exercising them” she says. The key is the way that you
treat others and she has generally found people to be very
helpful and supportive.
Kathleen was introduced to table tennis in Baldoyle, at
the age of twelve, by Michael Cunningham, who went on
to become a major figure in IWA Sport and who was staying in the hospital for a while after his accident. She took to
it instantly, as can be seen from the fact that she played in
her first international only four years later, in 1969, in Stoke
Mandeville, England, where she picked up a bronze medal.
It was Martin Naughton, who was also a patient in Baldoyle
at the time, who took on the coaching and encouraged her
to take it seriously. Martin found out that the Irish Wheel-
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PHOTO BY SPORTSFILE
sport
chair Association (IWA) held an annual table tennis tournament, in Clontarf, and urged her to compete. This was
Kathleen’s introduction to IWA and she started to train and
use the facilities there. By winning this tournament each
year, IWA proved to be her route onto the Irish team.
“I don’t care what people think
…which allows me to go ahead and
do things my way, rather than
hanging around moaning and
waiting for others to do them for me”
She plays down her achievement in competing in her first
three Paralympic Games, saying that there was no formal
qualification process at that time. However, this has all
changed and getting to Beijing, last autumn, was a major
challenge. A lot more countries are now taking part and
numbers are restricted on the basis of world rankings.
Kathleen is currently ranked 15th in her class. Her highest
placing was fifth and her aim is to get back into the top ten
by the end of this year.
The scale of this achievement becomes clear when you
learn that Kathleen gave up playing table tennis at 27 years of
age, after her marriage, in order to have her three sons, who
are now aged 26, 27 and 29. It was 15 years later, in 1995,
following the breakup of her marriage, before she picked up
her bat again. She was on the verge of qualifying for the Irish
team going to the Paralympics in Atlanta, in 1996, Sydney, in
2000, and Athens, in 2004, but never gave up trying, despite
Kathleen poses at a Paralympic
Council of Ireland event
her disappointment. Beijing was her reward.
Yet, when she talks about table tennis, her approach
sounds almost casual. Apart from playing two nights a
week, plus occasional weekends, in Clontarf, her only fitness training is to ‘wheel’ everywhere in her chair, rather
than using a motorised chair. She laughed when I mentioned special diets saying that she is a nutritionist’s nightmare. “I take a few tins of mushy peas with me when I’m
abroad,” she says.
A key element in maintaining her fitness and skills is playing in the Dublin table tennis league. The IWA team members are the only players with disabilities in this league, but
Kathleen seems to relish this additional challenge. All aspects of the game are identical, apart from the serve,
which must be between the two end corners of the table
and cannot be off the side. She urges her fellow players
not to let disappointment get in their way and has particular
praise for Jimmy Byrne, who was Chef de Mission in Beijing and who has played a key role with IWA Sports since
the ‘70s, encouraging and supporting the players.
Kathleen feels that it is particularly important for people
with disabilities to get involved in some sport, because of the
fact that there can be so many other restrictions in their lives.
She highlights the importance of the social aspects, as well
as the exercise, and says that you never know where it
might take you – perhaps as far as Beijing! The list of other
places where she has played includes Florida, Taipei,
Toronto and Chicago, and she is now looking forward to her
next tournament, which is in Lasko, Slovenia, in May.
Kathleen’s parting shot was to tell me that she believes
most people are far too serious – “Do your best and enjoy
life. We could all be dead tomorrow so each day is a bonus.”
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sport
Planning your
WORK-OUT
The longer days of spring provide an opportunity to get out
and be more active. IWA Gym Instructor Ciaran Tighe provides
a helpful guide to developing an effective exercise programme
in your local gym
ost exercise programmes are best delivered
in a sports centre or gym, where all essential equipment for effective exercise is available. Many instructors in standard gyms
need a little guidance with wheelchair user programmes, so it might be a good idea to bring the following workout plan with you to your gym to assist
them. Remember, sports such as wheelchair basketball
can often replace your cardio-vascular workout, so mix
and match with both.
M
WARM UP
What is it: Five to 10 minutes of general large muscle activity at low to moderate intensity, raising heart rate up to
or just over 100bpm.
How often: Before each workout session.
Activity: Any body movement or aerobic activity that increases your heart rate at a steady and controlled rate,
eg leg and arm ergometer, rower, bike and floor or seated
activities such as stationary aerobics.
Benefits: A pre-exercise warm-up is essential to raise
body temperature and prepare the whole body for upcoming exercises.
STRETCHES
What is it: Stretching (flexibility work) of the large muscle
groups such as the legs, back, chest and shoulder.
How often: Every session after warm-up.
Activity: Static stretching to the point of mild tension, not
pain. Hold for 15 seconds.
Benefits: Increases range of motion and flexibility. Greatly
reduces risk of injury.
CARDIOVASCULAR WORKOUT
What is it: 20-30 minutes of general large muscle activity.
Should be undertaken at moderate to high intensity, raising heart rate up into its “Training Zone”. (Training Zone
calculation: 220 – age = X [Heart Rate Max]. Training
Zone Rate = 60-85% of X.)
How often: 3-5 times a week.
Activity: Any bodily movement or aerobic activity that increases heart at steady and controlled rate, eg rower, leg
and arm ergometer, bike and floor or seated activities
such as stationary aerobics.
TONING, CONDITIONING AND STRENGTH WORK
Chest press
What is it: Same as a
press-up or bench
press, any activity that
requires a forward
pushing movement of
the upper body
around the chest with
the bending of the
arms at the elbow.
Working out in
the IWA Gym
How often: 3-5 times
in Clontarf
a week. 3-5 sets x
15-20 repetitions
Activity: Chest press machine, cable cross machine bench
press (with barbell or dumbbell), and press-ups.
Benefits: Strengthens pectoralis major (chest muscle) as
well as the triceps (muscle at the back of the arm). It increases ability to carry own bodyweight enabling easier
transfer from chair.
Lat pull down
What is it: Pulling movement of the upper body around
the chest back and shoulder area with bending of arms at
the elbow.
How often: 3-5 times a week, 3-5 sets x 15-20 repetitions
Activity: Lat pull down machine, cable cross machine.
Benefits: Strengthens the latissimus dorsi (major muscle of
the back) increasing ability to carry own bodyweight and
transfer from chair. It also improves chair-pushing ability.
Shoulder press
How often: 3-5 times a week, 3-5 sets x 15-20 repetitions
Activity: Bands/dumbbells
Benefits: Strengthens shoulder muscles, helping with any
activity that requires reaching or lifting objects overhead. It
also improves pushing ability.
Cool-down and post stretch
What is it: Same as warm-up, just repeat, but hold
stretches for 30 seconds.
How often: After each workout session.
Benefits: Cool-down stops the blood from pooling at the
feet or in the lower limbs and helps aid recovery.
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ACHIEVEMENTS
CRIB PROJECT
A request for a handmade crib and nativity figures
to be donated to the Basilica at the shrine of Saint
Thérèse, Lisieux, was made during the year through
local radio station Kildare FM. Service users and
staff in Teach Emmanual Resource Centre, Athy,
took up the challenge and were delighted to be the
only group selected to represent Ireland. The project was undertaken as part of the centre’s pottery
and woodwork classes with members creating both
the crib and figures. The official presentation to Pat
Sweeney, volunteer with St Thérèse’s International
Association, took place in Teach Emmanuel on 18th
December 2008. The crib went on display in the
Basilica at Christmas and will be displayed annually.
Pictured l-r: Paula
Mangan, Elaine
Behan, Janet Healy
with Rose McCoy
DISABILITY STUDIES
IWA staff members Teresa Walsh and
Mary Bourke, Tipperary Town Resource and Outreach Centre, recently
graduated from University College Cork
with a Diploma in Disability Studies.
56
Pictured (l to r): Pat Sweeney, St Therese International Association;
Rita Doyle, Service Coordinator, Athy; Lily Byrne, service user; Paul
Herterich, driver; and Patricia Quinn, service user
Eileen Lehane, Cork
SKILL PROGRAMME
Congratulations are
extended to the successful IWA participants
who received their SKILL
Programme awards
recently at presentation
days in Cork and Dublin.
The SKILL Programme,
run by FETAC, is aimed
at increasing the education, training and development of support staff
and their supervisors in
Irish health and personal
social services.
Pictured l-r: Jack
Doyle, Bruno Bosco,
Martin Naughton
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snapshots
EVENTS
MULLINGAR EXTENSION OPENING
An extension to Springfield Centre, Mullingar, funded by the HSE,
was officially opened by Professor Brendan Drumm, Chief Executive,
HSE, in November 2008. This extension provides enhanced
accommodation for HSE and IWA services, including two extended
and refurbished activity rooms and accommodation for centrebased programmes and staff training. These rooms can be opened
into one large space to accommodate sports and social events.
The extension also includes the provision of a relaxation/therapy
room which had long been requested by service users.
Pictured (l-r): Cllr. Dan McCarthy; Cllr, Frank McDermott; Maura
Morgan, General Manager, Disability Services, HSE; Joe Ruane,
Local Health Manager, Longford/Westmeath; Prof. Brendan
Drumm, CEO, HSE; Patricia Carroll, Centre Manager; Cllr. Jim
Bourke; and Hugh Farrell, Regional Manager, IWA
PARALYMPIC DAY
BOCCIA WITH TRANSITION YEAR STUDENTS
To celebrate and raise awareness of the Irish Paralympic team in Beijing, second year students in Mercy
College, Coolock, Dublin 5, ran a paralympic sport
afternoon for all first years. Students got to experience
some of the sports the athletes competed in, including
goalball, blind running, wheelchair basketball and boccia. There was also an opportunity to put questions to
Jimmy Byrne, Chef de Mission of the Irish Paralympic
team and paralympic finalist Garreth Culliton.
The autumn programme for service users in Offaly IWA
included weekly visits to Banagher Community School,
where Claire Crehan, Offaly Sports Partnership, promoted interaction, sports and inclusion between the
transition year students and service users of all ages.
Among the events organised was a boccia league between the students and the members. The IWA team
won by a large margin!
Pictured (l-r):
Phindile
Duma, Garreth
Culliton and
Naimh
Keenan
Pictured (l-r): Seán
Hennessy, service
user; Aoife Kelly, student; Mary L’Estrange, service user;
Claire Camon; student; Peggy Nagle,
service user; Orla
Carroll, student; and
Patrick Mongan,
service user
FUNDRAISERS
CANDLELIGHT CONCERT IN CORK
The spirit of Christmas by candlelight was celebrated in some
style in Cork City Hall with a wonderful concert performed by
the Locrian Ensemble in aid of the Irish Wheelchair Association.
The concert featured music to entertain all tastes and was a
wonderful occasion.
SANTA GETS HIS WISH!
Having waited all year long and having been
a very good boy, Santa finally got his wish
when IWA Cork member and voluntary
fundraiser John O’Connor visited him at
his grotto in Blarney Woollen
Santa with
Mills in Cork.
John O’Connor
John, who was
there selling
Angel Pins,
took a few minutes off to grant
Santa his wish –
an IWA Angel Pin!
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letters
YOUR VIEWS Got something to say? Write to us at Spokeout,
Irish Wheelchair Association, Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3
IMPRESSIVE ARCHITECTURE,
UNIMPRESSIVE TOILETS
Dear Editor
Recently I went to the newly opened Lighthouse Cinema
in Smithfield, Dublin, and was impressed with it as a piece
of architecture. It is very attractive and the overall sense is
one of space – that is until one goes to any of the toilets
for patrons with disabilities. They are simply too small for a
power wheelchair to enter, or if you do manage to get in,
there is insufficient space to close the door.
It seems to me quite extraordinary that this could happen
in a new, state-of-the-art building which had no problems
with space nor the difficulties associated with adapting old
premises. I have written twice to the management, but to
date I have not received a reply. Doubtless, if they were to
reply, they would claim that the toilets were built according
to the minimum legal requirements.
Should consideration not be given to updating the mini-
mum measurements, taking into account the increased use
of power chairs?
Yours sincerely, Audrey Baker, Dublin 8
‘DOGS FOR THE DISABLED’ IN CORK
Dear Editor
I read the big section on dogs for people with disabilities in
the Winter 2008 Spokeout. I just wanted to let you know that
in Fermoy, Co Cork, there is an organisation called Irish Dogs
for the Disabled. The website is www.dogsfordisabled.ie and
its address is Aron House, South Cregg, Fermoy, Co Cork
(tel: 025 393 93). I saw an assistive dog in action in England a
few years back and they are really great, opening and closing
doors, picking up objects and alerting others when their
‘master’ is in trouble. Just thought you might be interested!
Yours sincerely, Jean Daly, IWA Cork
The views expressed on this page do not necessarily
represent the views of IWA
Crossword
To be in with a chance of winning one of two €50
‘One4all’ gift tokens, which can be used in 4,500
outlets nationwide, simply send your completed
crossword along with your name and address to:
Spokeout Crossword, Irish Wheelchair Association,
Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Correct entries
will be entered into a draw on Friday 22nd May 2009
and two winners drawn.
Crossword No. 3 by Gordius
Across
1. She may have lost her slipper, but she still has her Castle in Walt Disney World! (10)
6. Propel oneself through
water. (4)
10. Turret. (5)
11. Patent; a legal ownership
of written work, etc. (9)
12. Chooses. (7)
15. The central walkway in a
church. (5)
17. Stratagem; map-like
layout. (4)
18. Extremely dry. (4)
19. Furnishings, interior
design. (5)
21. America’s ‘Windy City’,
one end of Route 66. (7)
23. Nobody at all. (2-3)
24. Volcano in Sicily. (4)
25. Pleasant. (4)
26. Restriction. (5)
28. Wandered off the
planned route. (7)
33. Might the slave ruin the
name of this Hollywood
studio? (9)
34. Man-eating monsters. (5)
35. Fill to satisfaction. (4)
36. Glean soles from one end
of the original Route 66. (3,7)
Down
1. Quaint. (4)
2. E’en cow mix may be had
in this state through which
Route 66 runs! (3,6)
3. Spooky. (5)
4. Scientifically-themed part
of Walt Disney World made
by a pet co., perhaps. (5)
5. Circuits of a track. (4)
7. Earnings. (5)
8. Nickname for Route 66
used by John Steinbeck in
“The Grapes of Wrath”. (6,4)
9. Did Mr Bloom name this
Florida city? (7)
13. Money. (4)
14. Sees pic strangely
become a major
subdivision of a genus. (7)
16. Major city in Missouri, on
Route 66, near the
confluence of the Mississippi
and Missouri rivers. (5,5)
20. Principal church of a
diocese. (9)
21. Middles. (7)
22. Select the correct one to
help you drive the car more
efficiently. (4)
27. Damp. (5)
29. Major city in Oklahoma,
on Route 66. (5)
30. Amidst. (5)
31. The capital of Norway. (4)
32. Avails of. (4)
COMPETITION WINNERS FOR WINTER 2008
Crossword: Carol Beirne, Castlerea,
Co Roscommon; Audrey Baker, South Circular
Road, Dublin 8; Mary B Mullins, Walkinstown,
Dublin 12
Book winners: Alan Cole, Darndale, Dublin 17;
Dempster Frame, East Wall, Dublin 3; John
McEvoy, Templeogue, Dublin 6W; Derek Smith,
Artane, Dublin 5; Sandra Bourke, Swords, Co
Dublin; Tommy Meehan, Beaumont, Dublin 9;
Vincent Byrne, Clonliffe, Dublin 3; Eamonn
Lawlor, Raheny, Dublin 5; Ann Hughes, Stillorgan, Dublin 4; James Carter, Donabate, Co
Dublin; Michael Graham, Malahide, Co Dublin;
Mairead Moynihan, Coachford, Co Cork
spokeout
59
Spokeout_Spring_09_p60:Layout 1
18/03/2009
15:26
Page 60
small ads
small ads
FOR SALE
Cars and accessories
Grand Voyager 2004 Lowered floor,
automatic wheelchair ramp, space
for 3 passengers, 21,000 miles.
€70,000 ono.
Tel: 01 260 0515 or 086 820 9861
Renault Kangoo 1.6 petrol 2005
Automatic, 5 door, space for wheelchair passenger, low mileage,
excellent condition. Best offer.
Tel: 086 399 0717
Kia Carnival GSE 2007 Low floor,
good headroom, leather seats, air
conditioning, central locking,
remote control rear sliding doors,
electric driver’s seat, 24,000 kilometers. €31,000. Tel: 085 174 3609
Mercedes E Class 300 CE
coupe 1989 Automatic, hand
controls, central locking, electric
windows, new exhaust and tyres,
excellent leather interior, 12
months parts warranty. €6,500.
Tel: 087 988 3633
Rover 25 2001 Carony front
passenger seat fitted (original
passenger seat available), one
owner, 15,000 miles. Best offer.
Tel: 087 676 1737 or 041 982 9262
Ford Focus Style 2007 5 door,
hand controls, automatic, electric
hoist in boot for lifting power chair
60
If you have an item for sale, a holiday contact or a personal
advert, please send approx 25 words to Small ads, Spokeout,
IWA, Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Small ads are free-ofcharge to members. Adverts for accessible holiday accommodation are €20.00 (cheques or postal orders payable to IWA Ltd).
on board. €16,000 ono.
Tel: 087 247 6150
Fiat Scudo 1.9 TD combi 2000
Electric lift, entire rear section for
wheelchair passenger, perfect
mechanical order, 25,300 miles.
€4,500 ono. Tel: 086 161 7602
(after 3pm)
Fiat Duplo 2003 Raised roof, fully
electronic lift, rear entry, floor
clamps, good condition, 81,000
miles, NCT June 2009. €6,000.
Tel: 087 643 2552
Fiat Doblo hi-roof 2008 Matt grey
with standard floor conversion,
Italian tail-lift, wheelchair restraint
system and phone kit. Only used
for a few weeks. Price negotiable
for quick sale. Tel: 065 6869150
and 086 855 3438 (Co Clare
area).
Mercedes Vito 2002 Green 2.1 cc
Diesel. Fully adapted with ricon lift,
lightened steering and 6-way seat.
17,000 miles. €14,000 Tel: Teddy on
087 645 7316
Wheelchairs, scooters and
adaptive equipment
Portable galvanised ramp
9’ long x 3’ wide, non-slip strips,
hand-rails, graded to 6”, never
used. Cost €500, sell €200.
Tel: 041 982 8289 or 087 962 1200
Sunrise wheelchair Small
wheels, new, unwanted gift.
€400 ono. Tel: 087 676 5414 or
044 937 6653
Rise and recline chair Beige
with red/pink muted floral pattern,
three months old, perfect
condition. €480 ono.
Tel: 087 234 0840 (Cork city)
Swivel seat Free to good home
Tel: 085 777 2867 (Dublin)
Portable hoist Never used. Cost
€2,400, sell €1,500.Tel: 086 409 0241
Accessible accommodation
Milford, Co Donegal Self-catering
cottage with large deck and barbeque on 50 acre farm. Suitable
for families or groups. Private and
peaceful location. Ideal touring
base. Discover Ireland VAS
Category 2 approved.
www.willowfarmhouse.com
Tel: Dolores 086 857 1012
Lismore, Co Waterford Fully
accessible apartment, sleeps
5-7. Garden and barbeque for
visitors’ use. Eco-friendly award.
Beautiful location. Fishing/tour
boat with skipper suitable for two
wheelchair users available. As
seen on RTE 1’s ‘At Your Service’,
RTE 1. www.glenribbeen.com
Tel: Els or Peter 058 544 99