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Sources of specific information
Sources of support to enable health and social care professionals
Sources of specific information
To develop a database of local sources see the Local information template and A guide to sources of information in your area
Benefits and other financial support
The Department for Work and Pensions publishes information leaflets and offers guidance on its website There are translations of some leaflets.
The Government-run Benefits Enquiry Line offers confidential advice and information for people with disabilities, and their carers and representatives, about social security benefits, how to claim them, and assistance with completing forms (Tel: 0800 882200)
Citizens Advice Bureaux has practical, reliable, up-to-date information on a wide range of topics, including benefits, housing, employment and debt, consumer and legal issues. This includes details of reliable sources of advice, including local CABx. Has information in English, Welsh, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu and Chinese. Includes useful factsheets to print off.
Dial UK has trained benefits advisers who may be able to help with completing forms.
Carers UK have information about financial support for people who are carers.
Contact a family has fact sheets on some aspects of financial support (these mostly relate to disabled children).
The Disability Alliance publishes the Disability Rights Handbook and provides various services to disabled people, their families, carers and professional advisers about social security benefit entitlement and other entitlements, including the provision of advice, information, campaign work, research and training.
There are two excellent information booklets on Disabled Living Allowance (DLA) and Incapacity benefits which can be downloaded for free from the University of Birmingham's website. These relate to people with mental health problems, but are applicable to people with any long term condition.
Consumer Credit Counselling Service provides free and confidential advice about budgeting and debt management 0800 138 1111.
Support for carers
Carers UK has information on all aspects of caring
Also the Princes Royal Trust for Carers provides support for young carers
Driving
The DVLA has a page of information about driving if someone has a medical condition. This includes a customer service guide and an “at a glance” guide for medical practitioners.
Door to Door – a travel guide for disabled people has some information on motoring.
Ricability has different information reports on choosing a car for various circumstances (e.g. following a stroke, if you have cerebral palsy, if you have MS etc.).
Education
Information sheets are available to print off from the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities website.
Employment
Information sheets are available to print off on the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities website.
The Shaw Trust provides education and employment opportunities for disabled people in the UK.
Employment Opportunities is a national charity dedicated to creating routes into employment for people with all disabilities and medical conditions.
Remploy is an organisation which creates independence for disabled people through work. Increasingly it is focusing on finding disabled people jobs in mainstream employment through its specialist recruitment service for people with a health condition or disability.
Equipment (including wheelchairs)
The Department of Health produces a guide designed to provide information about rights and services for disabled people, older people, people with mental health problems and carers. Part 2 provides information about support for everyday needs including equipment.
The Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) has a wide range of fact sheets that provide advice on choosing different kinds of wheelchairs, equipment to help mobility around the house, and clothing.
RADAR produce a booklet on buying a powered wheelchair or scooter which can be downloaded from their site.
Remap provides novel equipment solutions matched to the precise needs of the individual. Remap is a registered charity with Panels (groups) of volunteers across the UK. The equipment Remap supplies is provided free of charge to the client.
AbilityNet helps disabled adults and children use computers and the internet by adapting and adjusting their computing equipment. (There may be a charge for this service).
Ricability has reports with practical information on a wide range of equipment including continence aids, household products including bathing aids, mobility, telephones and alarms.
The Disability Equipment Register is a not-for-profit organisation providing a service for disabled people and their families to enable them to buy and sell items of used disability equipment on a direct one-to-one basis.
Possum Controls design environmental control systems and communication aids for people with a range of disabilities.
For help with buying equipment you could try the neuro-related voluntary organisations.
Holidays
Tourism for All UK provides holiday information for disabled people (information sheets have a small charge).
Accessible travel is a service to book accessible holidays abroad.
DisabledGo provides information on accessibility in a range of different locations. Enter place visiting and facility required e.g. Café in York and will find accessible options can also refine search by selecting which aspects of access you require. Note: only some towns and boroughs are included – does not have universal UK coverage.
Holiday Care has various information sheets for a small cost covering UK and some destinations abroad Also has a database of respite care facilities.
RADAR publishes a guide to accessible holidays in the UK (costs £10).
Virgin provide good information for disabled people about access in destinations and airports – with a dedicated team to help people with special travel needs.
For information on travel insurance for people with long-term conditions:
Cancer BACUP produce a useful fact sheet on travel insurance which can be downloaded and printed (5 pages). It is designed for people who have cancer, but much of the content applies to any long-term condition and lists some providers of travel insurance.
The MS Society has a booklet on MS and insurance which lists possible providers of travel insurance. Other providers of travel insurance for people with a pre-existing medical condition include:
www.itssoeasytravelinsurance.com
www.totaltravelinsurance.co.uk
Health and Social Care Services
Getting the Best from Neurological Services - This popular guide from the Neurological Alliance provides an overview of the services for people with neurological conditions – available to download from the Neurological Alliance website.
Getting the Best from Social Services – is available to download from the MS Society.
Choices – A guide to the health and social care services is available to download from the Parkinson’s Disease Society
Housing
Information about the Disabled Facilities Grants scheme is available.
Legal Advice
Community Legal Service direct provides a free legal service for advice on benefits, debt, education and employment, community care and rights for disabled people. Free information leaflets are available and fact sheets. Also has a search facility to search for information from a wide range of providers on various legal and financial issues.
Citizens Advice Bureaux has practical, reliable, up-to-date information on a wide range of topics, including benefits, housing, employment and debt, consumer and legal issues. Includes details of reliable sources of advice, including your local CAB. Has information in English, Welsh, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu and Chinese. Includes useful factsheets to print off.
Disability Law Service provides legal advice and representation on issues that relate to disability.
Leisure
RADAR produce a booklet called Leisure Time: Days out (costs under £10).
RADAR hosts a search facility to get access information for a range of facilities, including hotels, shops and restaurants throughout the UK.
DisabledGo.Info provides information on accessibility to various facilities in a range of different locations (search can also be refined by selecting which aspects of access you require). Note: only some towns and boroughs are included – does not have universal UK coverage.
Sportability, a registered charity which provides sport and challenging pursuits for people with paralysis around the UK. People with conditions such as spinal cord injury, stroke, MS and others, are able to participate in a whole range of sports such as scuba diving, sailing, archery, angling, abseiling, quad-biking, gliding, canoeing, clay pigeon shooting, go-karting, wheelchair tennis.
Arts Online provides an information and advice service on access to the arts for all disabled people (London).
The Good Gallery Guide – is a web-based directory of art galleries in England, Scotland and Wales that are accessible to disabled people.
The National Trust has details about how to check accessibility to its sites. They also have a comprehensive accessibility guide to all National Trust sites which can be downloaded. But be warned, this is a huge document (over 200 pages).
Thrive gives information and advice to disabled people and older people on easier gardening.
The Spinal Injuries Association has a regularly updated fact sheet on sports and leisure organisations indexed under type of activity and by organisation.
Relationships and sex Outsiders runs activities to help isolated people with physical and/or social disabilities to gain confidence, make new friends and find partners. Offers advice on sexual problems. Outsiders has recently taken over some of the roles of SPOD (the former Association to aid the sexual and personal relationships of people with a disability), including its helpline (see Contact button on the website). Updated versions of their leaflets are available on this website under the Leaflets button. They are working on providing a list of helpful books, contacts and counsellors around the country.
The Parkinson’s Disease Society has a leaflet to download on sex and intimate relationships.
The MS Society has a leaflet to download on sex, intimacy and relationships. They also have a leaflet on "Women’s issues” including pregnancy and contraception.
The Spinal Injury Association produces a booklet – sex matters – for people with spinal cord injury. They also have a free fact sheet on Fertility and fatherhood and another on Motherhood.
The Sexual Dysfunction Society has a helpline and produces fact sheets on all aspects of impotence, including treatments.
Safety
Telecare includes detectors or monitors (for example, motion or fall detectors) often linked to community alarm systems that trigger a warning at a control centre that can be responded to within defined timescales. The Department of Health are keen to develop the use of telecare in England to support people with long term illness and disability living in their own homes. Locally, telecare services are provided and funded through various mechanisms and organisations. To find a local service try www.asap-uk.org.
Various organisations provide medical alert identification systems for individuals with hidden medical conditions and allergies. These usually take the form of body-worn bracelets or necklets, for example:
The Medic Alert Foundation
Meditag
SOS Talisman
Transport
Door to Door is a transport and travel website for disabled and less mobile people. It has been developed to give disabled people information about transport and advice about travelling using all forms of transport.
In some areas social car schemes are available. These are operated by volunteer drivers using their own cars, and are usually available only for local trips. Sometimes journeys may also be restricted in other ways, such as taking people to doctors' surgeries or to hospital appointments.
The Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) provides social car schemes in some areas.
Both St John Ambulance and British Red Cross provide transport services for disabled people. Wheelchair accessible vehicles are available for those who need them. However, a mileage charge is made so they can be quite expensive for longer journeys.
Shopmobility is a scheme which lends manual wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs and powered scooters to members of the public with limited mobility to shop and to visit leisure and commercial facilities within the town, city or shopping centre. All schemes operate slightly differently; some provide Shopmobility as a free service while others make a charge.
