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GIG Monthly Round-Up April 2016Welcome to the GIG’s April Monthly Round-Up Newsletter!
The Get Involved Group (GIG) is user-led group which aims to ensure disabled peoples’ voices are heard when services are planned and changed in
Brighton and Hove. We identify issues and help plan the solutions.
Next GIG meeting: Wednesday 6 April 2016 2pm – 5pm
Topic: Open Space Meeting
Venue: Friend’s Meeting House, Ship Street, BN1 1AF
Due to our popularity, GIG has moved to a larger venue. Our new base is of course fully accessible: The Friend’s Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AF.
Directions: A map is available here: http://bit.ly/1WWxMAR
The next GIG meeting will be an Open Space meeting, which is a free platform for you to bring any topics of interest and disability issues that concern you to the table, leaving it open for discussion within the group. Any common themes and popular topics amongst our members will then form the next subject for the next Focus Group meeting. This is a great opportunity for you to bring up any issues or concerns that you have surrounding disability in our city, so come along and join the discussion! It will be fun, interactive and open to all.
Some possible themes are accessible venues, housing issues, health and wellbeing, sport and leisure, getting out and about…. Or something completely different!
We will also have a speaker at from the Health and Wellbeing Visits Project at East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. The service arranges visits to vulnerable people in their own homes for a conversation with the client about their health and wellbeing needs and priorities.
Please confirm attendance and any access or dietary issues with Lilly on 01273 20 89 34 or at [email protected]. Please feel free to bring a friend or carer along too. Everyone is welcome!
Skype at our meetingsAs an access requirement, if you cannot attend a GIG meeting for reasons of ill health or being unable to leave your home setting, you can now have a virtual presence at our meetings by attending via Skype.
You would be on a laptop with a webcam which can be positioned to see presentations and other GIG members. We have issued some user guidelines which you can find here: http://getinvolvedgroup.wordpress.com/2014/10/31/skype-at-gig-meetings/
Or on request we can send via post.
GIG News Feedback on the Friends Meeting House Venue
A huge thank you to everyone who came to our last meeting on Support For Carers on Wednesday 24 February.
We’ve taken into account the feedback people gave after the event and we’ll be hiring a microphone for the next meeting so that everyone can hear, and the Friends Meeting House have stated that they are installing a new hearing induction loop system towards the end of March, which should be a great improvement on the current system.
Keep letting us know how you’re finding the new venue and we will do our best to respond.
Taxis experience – we want your stories!The GIG wants to hear what issues and concerns you have faced recently when using taxis in Brighton and Hove. How easy are they to book, particularly when in need of an accessible cab? What is your experience of the attitude of taxi drivers? What more could be done to make our city’s taxis more accessible for disabled people?
Lilly at The Get Involved Group and Geraldine Des Moulins, Chief Officer at The Fed, had a very productive meeting with the Licencing Committee at Brighton and Hove City Council, highlighting the issues disabled people are constantly facing when using taxis in Brighton and Hove. Amongst other issues, we raised awareness of how there are not always enough wheelchair-accessible taxis available, and the drivers are not always trained in how to communicate with and help disabled people using their taxis.
In light of this conversation, we are asking you to share your experiences and case studies so that we can present the issues to the committee to take action on. Please email [email protected] or call 01273 20 89 34 to share your views!
Access to the Streets Campaign Update!As you may remember, the GIG held an Open Space meeting last year for people to identify common issues disabled people are facing in the city. A striking theme was accessibility to the streets – the limitations disabled people faced in getting out and about in their local communities due to issues such as uneven pavements, bins, disabled parking and street furniture used by shops and businesses.
As a result we carried out an extensive survey of our members’ views and held a meeting in which people could air their concerns, and suggest possible solutions. Below are the main action points we gathered from the findings:
More disabled parking at key areas such as GP Surgeries, Hospitals, Jubilee Library, the Dome, and supermarkets
Wheelie bins that are obstructing streets should be removed to allow better street access particularly on narrow pavements
Shops and cafes actively encouraged to adhere to guidelines regarding positioning of A Boards and tables/chairs particularly in busy areas such as St George Street, the North Laine, Churchill Square/Western Road
More dropped kerbs at key access points to enabled wheelchair users and those with limited mobility to manoeuvre safely
Pavements properly maintained to avoid broken/cracked areas that cause major obstacles
The Get Involved Group is launching a campaign this summer to tackle these vital concerns. We are hoping to work with other disability organisations, businesses, and the local council to bring about positive change.
If you’d like to get involved, and help promote the campaign to raise greater awareness of these issues, then contact Lilly on 01273 20 89 34 or at [email protected]
GIG focus group meeting on how to improve the Wellbeing Service
WHEN: Thursday 28 April, 1pm – 3pm
WHERE: Venue TBC
The Wellbeing service offers a range of mental health support for common mental health problems, such as low mood, stress, anxiety and depression. As the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service is going through a re-procurement, they would like to find out how it can be improved for disabled people by utilising community and voluntary services.
The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have commissioned the Get Involved Group to engage with a small focus-group of disabled people who have accessed the Wellbeing Service to find out how it could be improved upon in future.
If you have accessed this service and would like to feed in your experiences and suggested solutions, please get in touch with Lilly at [email protected] or call 01273 20 89 34. RSVP is essential as spaces are limited to 15 people!
Patient Experience Panel – will you be our Go-To Person?
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust (BSUH) would like to have representation from The Get Involved Group on their Patient Experience Panel meetings, which occur every other month. We hope to find a Get Involved Group Member who would like to attend these meetings to feed in what issues disabled people are facing at the hospitals, and to report back to the group on the discussions that take place. This input would help to ensure that disabled people have their voice heard when BSUH are planning, designing and improving services.
The meetings are held at St Mary’s Hall, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5JF and the next date is Thursday 2 June 2016.
The BSUH Patient Experience Panel aims to:
- Ensure patients and their relatives always have the opportunity to tell us about their experience of our services
- Ensure that BSUH staff seek and follow up feedback from patients
- Ensure that their staff integrate patient feedback into service planning and decision making about the services and facilities we provide
- Involve appropriate staff, user groups, partner and other organisations, including the voluntary sector, in the planning of changes to our services
- Demonstrate improvements to services as a result of continuing feedback from patients and the public
If you would like to be our Go-To Person at these meetings, please get in touch with [email protected] or call 01273 20 89 34.
Other NewsThe Fed’s work with Adrian, a member of the travelling community, is featured in a new film made by NHS England.
Through successful partnership working, Geraldine Des Moulins, Chief Officer at The Fed, Michelle from Friends, Families and Travellers, and Neil Francis (project manager at the local Clinical Commissioning Group / CCG), have supported Ade, who has a range of health needs, to receive a personal health budget.
Read his story, and how The Fed, together with Friends Families and Travellers and the NHS worked together to support Adrian in his recovery from illness.
Watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rMdOs5u5Ow
Read a blog about the film here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2016/03/rebecca-tempest/
The Fed’s Journey 2 Employment project renewed for a second year
Congratulations to the Journey 2 Employment (J2E) team they have won the bid to continue their work which has shown some amazing results for disabled people who have been long-term unemployed. By taking a personalised approach they are getting people into jobs, volunteering and training. Their work is being noticed by the DWP and Mandy Crandale, the project’s Employment Specialist, now sits on a national reference group. We are hoping for some further funds to work with potential employers in the city to increase job opportunities for disabled people.
And good news for all service users, the second year of the project has a much wider eligibility criteria – we can support anyone with an active claim for benefit (ESA Support Group, ESA Work Related Activity Group, JSA with a long term health condition or impairment). Please note: you must be referred to J2E by your JobcentrePlus adviser, but for information about the project please contact the team:
By email [email protected]
By phone: 01273 208 934
The overall aim of the project is to improve specialist employment support for both disabled people and those with a long term health condition.
The Journey 2 Employment project will work with you to understand you needs and develop a personalised journey plan to overcome the barriers you face and set your own goals. Every person’s journey will be different, depending on their needs and experiences. Some of the options on offer will include CV or interview coaching, training in work related skills and arranging work tasters shadowing placements relevant to the job you want.
The exciting thing about the Journey 2 Employment is that it looks at the whole of the person and includes support and encouragement to take up new hobbies or activities and get involved in your local community as well as the more traditional work related support. You will be able to develop your confidence and learn how to make a positive impression on potential employers.
Your Journey 2 Employment is focussed around a six week course of support and training tailored to your own needs and aspirations, but the support doesn't end there. There is ongoing access to a peer support job club, mentoring and support in volunteering roles and even in paid employment if you need help settling into a new job or applying for support in the workplace through Access to Work.
Check out The Get Involved Group’s blog at www.getinvolvedgroup.wordpress.com
for more info and events in Brighton and Hove!
Secure the future of inclusive dance in Sussex
The Wheelchair Dance Sport Association UK (WDSA) is looking to introduce more inclusive dance in Sussex.
Working closely with the Exercise, Movement & Dance Partnership (EMDP), they are looking for individuals and organisations who are interested in taking their Level 2 Instructor course, to run inclusive dance groups in their communities.
On completion of the Level 2 course, attendees can run mixed ability dance groups, have access to an online portal with a host of different songs & choreography and gain WSDA affiliation.
If you're interested in finding out more about the WDSA's Level 2 Instructor course, contact George Boustred, WDSA's External Relations Officer:
By email [email protected] or by phone on 0300 111 3045 or visit the website at http://wdsauk.co.uk/
(N.B. George was a guest on the GIG’s last radio show which discussed disability and sport. If you’d like to have a listen go to www.radiofreebrighton.org.uk and scroll down and click on the Fed radio box.)
The Wheelchair Dance Sport Association UK (WDSA) is a charity dedicated to making inclusive dance available to people with and without disabilities across the U.K.
To view more sporting opportunities and events please visit: http://www.activesussex.org/disability-sport/
Alzheimer’s Society have a new Carers Support Group in Hove
Venue: Hove Library, 182-186 Church Road, Hove BN3 2EG
Dates and Times: Fourth Tuesday of each month, 2-4pm
Our group provides a friendly and supportive environment to talk to other carers about how dementia affects your life. You can discuss issues you might be facing with others who understand, as much as possible, what you’re going through. You can also share practical information and advice about what has helped you.
Our staff and trained volunteers run the group to help you get the most out of the sessions, and are on hand to offer you information and advice.
If you would like to know more please contact our Dementia Support Worker, Joanna Pooley, on 01273 72 62 66
Or email: [email protected]
Other Alzheimer’s Society Services in the Brighton and Hove area include:
Sussex Dementia Care and Support Service
Home Support Service for people with dementia and their carers, offering respite, support and help to remain independent and stay at home for as long as possible. The service is available across Brighton and Hove and is delivered by a team of 11 Home Support Workers.
Activity Groups - Brighton and Hove
Activity groups for people with dementia supported by care assistants whilst their carers attend the monthly carers support group.
Carers Support Groups – Brighton and Hove
The groups provide a safe, friendly environment where carers can talk about dementia with others who find themselves in a similar situation
Carer Information and Support Programme (CrISP)
The Carer Information and Support Programme or CrISP course runs for 6 weeks in a range of venues and locations. It provides effective support and up to date, relevant and evidence based information in a group environment.
Dementia Cafés
Provide entertainment and support for people living with dementia and their carer’s to meet where they can learn from the experiences of others and socialise with professionals in the field of dementia
Dementia Support Service
One to one Support and information for people living with dementia, their carers, relatives and friends.
Brighton and Hove Information Provision
Provision of phone Information & Support during office hours 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Singing for the Brain
Singing for the Brain is a fun and relaxing activity that can help promote confidence. It provides a way for people with dementia and their carers to enjoy time together, express themselves and socialise with others.
For further information on any of our services please contact our Brighton office:
Telephone: 01273 72 62 66 (Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm.)
Email: [email protected]
Check out The Get Involved Group’s blog at www.getinvolvedgroup.wordpress.com
for more info and events in Brighton and Hove!
Brighton Festival and AccessibilityAre you interested in going along to events at the Brighton Festival this May, but concerned about accessibility?
The organisers of the festival have made a video containing information about accessible performances which you can watch by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEih4MwgNSE
Audio described performances:Unlimited: Three Films, Saturday 7 – Sunday 29 May, 10am-5pm
Drop into Brighton Dome throughout the Festival to see three films examining society's attitudes to real lives: Richard Butchins’s 213 Things About Me, about the traits of a young autistic woman (transcript available); Him, Sheila Hill’s reflection on Tim Barlow's extraordinary life as a soldier, a deaf man and a Buddhist (audio described & captioned); and Craig Simpson’s It’s Like…, a collaboration with choreographer Janice Parker (audio described). (http://brightonfestival.org/event/8146/unlimited_three_films/)
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, Saturday 21 May, 2:30pm
Catholic schoolgirls go wild as the choir trip to Edinburgh goes badly wrong. Funny, sad and raucously rude, this exhilarating cocktail of singing, sex and sambuca finds six girls on the cusp of change. Love, lust, pregnancy and death collide head-on in a single day in this blisteringly funny musical play about losing your virginity and finding yourself. (http://brightonfestival.org/event/8153/our_ladies_of_perpetual_succour/)
A touch tour for this performance on the 21st May will be held at 1pm. A Touch Tour is when visually impaired patrons have access to the stage and set before a performance as a way of firming up the descriptive information they may have already received – it provides them with extra detail to allow them to engage with the production. (http://brightonfestival.org/event/8154/touch_tour_-_our_ladies_of_perpetual_succour/)
Touch Tours for performances:Anatomy of the Piano (for beginners), Sunday 8 May, 1:45pm
Using music, humour and visuals to tell the fascinating story of the piano and some of the great musicians who have transformed what it can do, Will discovers that through music you can go anywhere you want. (http://brightonfestival.org/event/8458/anatomy_of_the_piano_for_beginners_-_touch_tour/)
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, Saturday 21 May, 12:15pm
Adapted from Dave Shelton’s award-winning novel and featuring live music and movement, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat is a funny, thoughtful and thrilling voyage to discover the meaning of friendship and adventure. (http://brightonfestival.org/event/8526/a_boy_and_a_bear_in_a_boat_-_touch_tour/)
Catapluf’s Musical Journey, Saturday 28th May, 1:45pm
Created by Adriano Adewale, known for his amazing ability to create magical soundscapes from the ordinary and the everyday, this family show is packed full of music from every corner of the globe. (http://brightonfestival.org/event/8266/cataplufs_musical_journey/)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Sunday 29 May, 11am
This riotous new production is led by a joyful ensemble of players who will delight with songs, romance and chaos, and hurl Shakespeare's anarchic comedy into the 21st-century. Remember to bring a picnic and dress for the weather. (http://brightonfestival.org/event/8263/the_two_gentlemen_of_verona/)
To book tickets to the above shows and Touch Tour please call 01273 709709 or email [email protected]. For further information see www.brightonfestival.org/access or call 01273 26 15 41 / 525.
Find your Right Track to Wellbeing WHEN: Tuesday 12 April, 10.30am – 3pm
WHERE: Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Brighton, BN2 1RL
Do you want to get out and about more, but find aches or pain with your muscles, joints or bones stopping you?
You're not alone. Around 10 million adults in the UK live with conditions such as back, hip, or shoulder pain, osteoporosis or arthritis.
Doing what matters to you, whether that's meeting friends, shopping, getting active, or learning a new skill, can improve your wellbeing. But living with pain can make it difficult to get started.
If this sounds like you, or someone you care for, come to our open day at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church in Brighton on 12 April.Meet people facing similar challenges and share your experiences. Get specialist advice on how you can manage your condition. Find out about free or low cost support, activities and groups near you. Take part in free taster sessions, from mindfulness to gentle exercise
To find out more and register your place visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/right-track-tickets-21669944387 or phone us on 01273 20 89 34.
This event is for anyone over 18. It's hosted by Right Track, a collaboration of voluntary organisations, on behalf of local NHS service provider, Sussex MSK Partnership Central. Brighton & Hove Right Track partners include the Fed Centre for Independent Living, Carers Centre, National Osteoporosis Society.
Do Something Great – Volunteer!Volunteering at The Fed is great for us, and also for you, as our recent survey shows:
• 73% of volunteers have learnt new skills
• 59% of volunteers are aware of new opportunities and areas of interest as a result of volunteering
• 41% of volunteers have increased in confidence
• Volunteers rated their experience of volunteering at the Fed 4.5 out of 5
Some of our current GIG volunteer roles include:Get Involved Group – admin support and communicationAre you interested in helping disabled people to get their voices heard? Would you like experience working in a friendly office environment, and collate information for our monthly newsletter? Would you like to get involved in events and meetings to support the Get Involved Groups activities? Contact Lilly on 01273 20 89 34 or at [email protected] for more information on any of these roles!
Accessible City Guide VolunteerThe Accessible City Guide is the Fed's online access information guide to Brighton & Hove, providing information around accessibility that covers local venues, facilities, tourist attractions, events and festivals.
The Guide has suffered a little over recent months as there has been little staff time to keep the reviews and content up-to-date, so it needs a bit of TLC! Also, we are in the process of developing a new website for the Fed as a whole, so it’s a great time to get involved and help us get the Guide back on its feet.
So we're looking for a volunteer to join our team to manage our database of accessible venues and places to visit, updating information and inputting reviews from Brighton and Hove residents who have submitted their opinions for our Guide. It would really benefit from a fresh pair of eyes.
The Guide has been created as a result of an overwhelming need for older people, disabled people and their carers to inform others about what venues are accessible in Brighton & Hove. Providing residents with this Guide is enabling people to find out about a wider range of venues and attractions that are accessible, improving accessibility and helping
more people to live independently by getting out and about. It also provides an opportunity for disabled people and older people to have an input into the Guide, creating informal volunteering opportunities through submitting reviews and utilising their lived experience to better inform others.
To find out more about these roles, please contact Lilly on 01273 20 89 34 or email [email protected]
To find out about The Fed’s other volunteering roles, including Advocacy, Disability Advice, Reception and Admin, Shopmobility Drivers, Communications, and Payroll, contact [email protected] or call 01273 89 40 40.