Parallel Glasgow opens for registration: The UK’s largest all-inclusive mass participation fun run will take place in Scotland for the first time on 2 September 2018 as Glasgow’s George Square plays host to a mini family festival of active lifestyle activities. 

Parallel will welcome thousands of people of all ages and abilities to take part in a series of fun runs from 5km to 100m, including the ever popular Super Sensory 1km course. The award-winning event places disability inclusion at the heart of the experience, operating with the spirit of ‘Start Together, Finish Whenever’. Registration for the first ever Scotland event is open at parallellifestyle.com.

Wheelchair accessible transportation can be a huge problem for those with a disability and/or those that care for someone with a disability. Public transportation can be difficult and unreliable, plus it does not always get you to where you need to go. Fortunately, in recent times there have been some incredible advances in disability friendly motoring with many vehicles now available for those with a disability to either drive themselves or ride as passenger safely and comfortably.

Freedom

Justine Harrington, 28, from Basildon, who was born with a visual impairment, is hoping to encourage more disabled people to get involved with physical activity and sport through All Together and the launch of her new song and music video; ‘Don’t Tell Me’.

Having been involved with the inclusive Active Essex ambassador scheme ‘All Together’ since 2017, Justine has used her passion to help break down some of the misconceptions around disability sport. 

Justine strongly believes that everyone, whatever their level of ability or learning, should have the same opportunities to access sport and physical activity.

The Pembrokeshire Coast is famous for its winding Coast Path and picturesque sandy beaches, and with the help of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, several beaches can be accessed by specially designed beach wheelchairs.

Wheelchairs for use on sandy beaches are available to hire under the National Park Authority’s beach wheelchairs scheme at eight locations across Pembrokeshire for a small fee or no charge.

Newham head teacher and CEO of the Tapscott Learning Trust, Paul Harris, has been hailed for his hard work, talent and commitment by the Prime Minister and Education Secretary.

Paul was one of only one hundred UK teachers invited to a Downing Street reception aimed at championing visionary educational leaders and celebrating their commitment to giving every child an excellent education.

Teachers from schools across the country were invited to the evening reception, which was hosted by the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Education. Both paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of the profession.

Spinal cord injury charity, Aspire are once again calling for all challenge-seekers to take part in the annual Aspire Channel Swim, which last year saw over 6,000 swimmers jump into pools across the country to complete the 22 mile challenge over 12 weeks.

Aspire, who provide practical help to people who have been paralysed by Spinal Cord Injury, hope to increase the number of swimmers this year to 7,000; made up of Aspire beneficiaries with spinal cord injury, those with an affiliation to the charity and the general public. For its 17th anniversary, the Aspire Channel Swim this year is estimated to be the biggest so far.

Following the success of The William Merritt Centre’s AccessAbility Exhibition in 2017, it is excited to announce its plans to make 2018 bigger and better by the addition of Get Going Live covering all your vehicle mobility needs.

It will take place on 18th October 2018 at the Centenary Pavilion, Leeds United Football Club between 10.00am and 3.00pm, showcasing new and innovative assistive technology and equipment, providing information and advice to enable greater independence for disabled children and adults or those with additional needs.

Having been involved with the inclusive Active Essex ambassador scheme ‘All Together’ since 2017, Justine has used her passion to help break down some of the misconceptions around disability sport. 

Justine Harrington, 28, from Basildon, who was born with a visual impairment, is hoping to encourage more disabled people to get involved with physical activity and sport  through the launch of her new song and music video; ‘Don’t Tell Me’.

Justine strongly believes that everyone, whatever their level of ability or learning, should have the same opportunities to access sport and physical activity.

Only 6% of people with learning disabilities has a job whereas around 60% actually want to go out and work.  

The Grange Charity in Bookham has been working with the specialist learning disability publisher, Beyond Words Books, to highlight the serious issue of disability and work.

Grange resident, Katie Coen, and Work Experience Co ordinator, Mel Sheehan, were present at the launch of the books at the House of Lords last week. 

Beyond Words Books was created by Baroness Sheila Hollins of Wimbledon (a Bookham resident), who had the idea of using wordless illustrated books to help people with learning disabilities tackle everyday issues of life.

Becky and Henry receive support from Hft, a national charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, they travelled to 10 Downing Street today (Thursday 7th June) to present the gift as part of their Walk in Our Shoes campaign. 

The initiative has been led by the charity’s speak-out group, Voices to be Heard, who feel that their hopes and concerns are not given the same attention by political leaders as those of people without disabilities.

The custom-made footwear has been designed using pictures of Voices to be Heard members and Hft’s signature purple and gold colours. 

Having a child with special needs enables parents to understand and appreciate the important things in life, says actress and writer Sally Phillips. The well-known British comic was speaking at FestABLE, a festival celebrating specialist learning staged at National Star College in Cheltenham. 

It is the first time a festival dedicated to specialist learning has been staged in the UK.

“We are sitting on a treasure chest in the SEN (Special Educational Needs) world. Not only do we have freedom from some of the standards that the world operates with which are completely bogus but there’s a lot of living in the moment,” said Sally, who has a son with Down’s Syndrome. 

THE WINNER of Britain’s Got Talent 2018 has spoken of his pride in representing the disabled community in front of the whole nation.  Lee Ridley, also known as ‘The Lost Voice Guy’ was recently crowned the winner of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent, saying that the major source of his satisfaction following his TV appearance was the response he has received from disabled people he’s inspired.

In an exclusive interview with Blackwood, a leading housing and care provider in Scotland, Ridley described his passion for performing and the inspiration behind his act. 

The 37-year-old whose cerebral palsy affects his ability to speak is the first comedian to ever win the show, making his phenomenal achievement even more worthy of recognition. 

If you get a personal budget you could employ your own personal assistants (PAs) to support your health and social care needs. 

This can help you live independently and in a way that you choose – your PAs work for you so you decide what you want them to do and when you want them to work. 

This also means that you become an employer, which can be daunting at first as there are lots of things to think about. However there is lots of advice and guidance out there to help and you can do training to help you become a better employer. 

Christina Candey employs a team of PAs and says: 

Euans Guide, a charity website used by disabled people to review, share and discover accessible places to visit, has launched an accessibility guide to Fife.

The guide to one of Scotland's most popular regions features a range of accessible locations, from the home of golf, St Andrews, to Fife's famous sandy beaches and its picturesque fishing villages.

The Fife guide, the third in an Accessible Highlights series, is free and downloadable from www.euansguide.com/fife-guide/. It is being promoted with a series of digital postcards showing just how accessible the region is for disabled visitors.

The ‘memory tree' initiative to promote awareness of dementia, organised by Ashford and Canterbury Dementia Action Alliance (ACDAA), Ashford Borough Council and the One You shop continues into June.

The hand crafted memory tree can be found within the One You shop in Ashford town centre, which is near to the tank memorial and visitors are invited to write special memories onto printed leaves before attaching them to the tree.

In one of her first engagements as the newly-elected Mayor of Ashford, Cllr Mrs Jessamy Blanford visited the One You shop on Wednesday 23 May to include her special memory.

The Mayor said: