June 2012 Edition 01

The City and County’s Trusted User Led Organisation for Disabled People

Choice Unlimited event was a huge success

An event for disabled people, older people and carers in Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland brings in 2500 people See inside for full coverage

Welcome to the first edition of LeicestershireCIL Voice by Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL). You may have noticed we have a new image. Our newsletter will be packed with exciting news stories, refreshing coverage of our latest events and information on our current projects.

Newsletter Highlights …………………………………………………….. Page 3

Headline News ...........................…….....................….......... Page 4

A Special Guest to attend AGM …….....................…............ Page 5

The Death of a True Disability Champion……………………….. Page 6

Claire Lomas: Her Marathon Journey …………………………….. Page 6

Reassessment for Personal Independence Payment ……... Page 7

Feature Story: Choice Unlimited ……………………………………... Page 8 & 9

Meet the New Trustees …………………………………………………… Page 10

Transitions Project Comes to an End ……………………………….. Page 11

Mobile Phone Scam ………………………………………………………… Page 12

Training and Development ……………………………………………… Page 13

Upcoming Projects …………………………………………………………… Page 14

Who is Who? ……………………………………………………………………. Page 15 Throughout the newsletter you will see a barcode like image. This is called a QR code and can be scanned with smart phones for direct links to websites. This one on the right is for LCIL.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of LCIL or the editors. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the facts are correct, we do not accept any liability for errors. Thank you to Crippen for allowing us to use his publications. Produced and edited by Shivani Shah, Sophie Mason and Tejal Patel. If you would like this newsletter in an alternative format then please contact us and we will do our best to meet your access needs.

Contents

Goodbye…

Event Feedback…

Meet our Trustee…

New Project…

Below is a snap shot of highlights over the last quarter. Some of these items feature in this newsletter and others can be found on our website.

Highlights

Jeremy Moore, ODI…

Goodbye…

Disability Rights UK - Holiday guide for disabled people

Since Disability Rights UK (formerly Radar) started producing a holiday guide over 30 years ago, there have been substantial improvements in the regulations and legislation affecting the provision of accessible accommodation and the other services needed by disabled guests.

Potential loss of legal aid and how it will affect disabled people In the time of austerity and cut backs on many areas affecting disabled peoples’ lives, the proposal to cut legal aid is a disturbing one for disabled people.

Patients with learning disabilities receive poorer care, doctors’ poll shows Most doctors believe that patients with a learning disability receive poorer care than rest of the population, according to a poll commissioned by the General Medical Council.

Welfare Reform Bill: what’s the story? The welfare reform bill is the new ‘hope’ put forward by the coalition government. It aims to bring in universal credit to replace a whole set of benefits under.

The Leveson Inquiry – Failing Disabled People? One organisation contacted Leveson this week to see if there was any progress and was told that all our evidence had been considered – but was not considered important enough to deserve oral session.

Headline News

For details of these stories please go to www.lcil.org.uk If you do not have access to the internet please contact us on 0116 2225005 and we will post you details of the stories you are most interested in.

We can now announce to our readers, that the Guest speaker at the LCIL 2012 AGM has been arranged and it will be the Director of Independent Living and Office for Disability Issues. Mr Moore has already visited LCIL in March of this year and continues to maintain a positive working relationship with the team at LCIL who are working on the Right to Control Project.

Eric Day, Disability Equality Manager and Dominic McDevitt, Information Officer, also had a positive meeting with Mr Moore at the Government’s Disability Strategy Event in Westminster on March 22nd.

Before working at the DWP he was a non-executive Director of the Student Loans Company for four years. He has also held a senior appointment at HM Treasury.

We hope that our input to a high level member of staff at Independent Living and Office for Disability issues will give up the opportunity to try to increase our opportunities to influence policy where possible.

Our Chief Executive, Steve Cooper, said “Since being appointed as CEO for LCIL and started in October 2011. It has always been evident that LCIL and the ODI have a strong working relationship. I am very pleased that relationship has continued to develop.

April this year has seen the ODI support LCIL and it’s REDP partnership when Phil Murray from the Office for Disability Issues Field Support Team for Right to Control visited and clearly enjoyed the Choice Unlimited event, his attendance recognised his role with Leicester City’s status as a RTC, Trailbazer. Again in April LCIL, met with Mary Hennessey, Head of Communications from the Department to discuss future commissioned work for the Network of Networks, again not only for LCiL, but on behalf of all the ULO’s based around the UK directly involved in the Network of Networks programme. After meeting with Jeremy Moore, Director of Independent Living and Office for Disability Issues earlier this year at LCIL, we are now able to announce that Jeremy Moore will be our guest speaker at our 2012, AGM, September the 6th. All venue and times for this event will be announced very soon, so please monitor our web site.”

Guest Speaker at Our 2012 AGM

Dominic McDevitt Information Officer

Information Officer

April 2012 saw the sad news of the death of the veteran campaigner for the rights of Disabled People Lord (Jack) Ashley of Stoke. Lord Ashley was committed to the cause of Disability Rights and was unafraid to confront the Government of the day, regardless of its’ political affiliation. In 2009, an example of this can be seen from his championing of the Independent Living Bill, in 2009. He told Debbie Jolly (LCIL), while working for the European Network on Independent Living in 2008 that:

“Throughout my Parliamentary career, I have fought for all disabled people to have the same choice, dignity, freedom and control as every other citizen. These are the central principles of ‘Independent Living’.”

Lord Ashley will be sorely missed but we hope that his commitment will leave an inspiring legacy for future generations of disabled people to fight on.

Dominic McDevitt – Information Officer

Every year fundraisers raise millions of pounds for charities across the UK. Claire Lomas walked the London Marathon. Claire who is paralysed from the chest down had a clear determination to help the charity Spinal Research, and with the aid of her ‘robot suit’ she walked the full 26 miles in 16 days! She doesn’t qualify for a medal, but this is hardly an issue when she has reached around £100,000 of donations for the charity Spinal Research and she was presented with the Virgin Trophy for her massive achievement.

“Spinal Research is the UK’s leading charity funding medical research around the world to develop reliable treatments for paralysis caused by a broken back or neck.” http://www.spinal-research.org/about-us/

Claire Lomas: Her Marathon Journey for Spinal Research

Lord Ashley of Stoke CH, Dies at 89: A Champion of Disability Rights

[Picture source: BBC]

[Picture source: Thisisleicestershire]

Our next newsletter will have an inside exclusive with Claire Lomas.

All existing claimants of DLA who are aged between 16 and 64 when PIP is introduced in April 2013 (around two million people) will be invited to claim PIP and will be assessed for the new benefit if they choose to claim it.

This will apply to those on both fixed and indefinite awards. People aged 65 or over on that date will not be reassessed for PIP but will remain on DLA as long as they continue to satisfy the entitlement conditions.

There are two broad categories of existing DLA claimants who will go through the reassessment process:

Natural reassessment – where an existing DLA claimant enters the reassessment process due to reporting a change in their care or mobility needs which might affect their award or where a fixed-term award comes to an end; and

Managed reassessment – where the DWP selects people randomly by computer. Random selection will require that set numbers of awards are selected per week based on even geographical coverage.

The timetable for reassessment From April 2013 there will be a pilot of the new assessment involving a few thousand people not receiving DLA. In June 2013 it will no longer be possible to make a new claim for DLA but only for PIP. From October 2013 any existing DLA claimant reporting a change in their care or mobility needs will be invited to claim PIP.

The need to make a PIP claim Claimants will have four weeks from the date that they are notified of their requirement to claim in which to do so. Where a claim to PIP is not made within the time limit DLA will initially be suspended and the claimant told that they can have the suspension lifted if they make their PIP claim within a further four week period. If no contact is made by the end of this period then their DLA claim will be ended.

The Reassessment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Dominic McDevitt Information Officer

FEATURE STORY After 3 months of hard work and dedication by the Regional Equality & Diversity Partnership (REDP) Team, the staff and CEO of LCIL, and the REDP Core Partners - we brought to the public on Thursday 5 April 2012; Choice Unlimited. Choice Unlimited was supported by Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, and Voluntary Action LeicesterShire.

Iris Lightfoote, Chair of the Regional Equality & Diversity Partnership said: “This is a timely event for users and suppliers and an opportunity for REDP to demonstrate its ability to devise

appropriate approaches for the dissemination and collection of information”

There was an estimated 2500 people who came to the event! The Welford Road Stadium staff said it was the busiest event they had ever held.

The event was opened by Matt Hampson, founder of the Matt Hampson Foundation and former Tigers and England prop. He said 'when you are in a wheelchair, a lot of things in your life get taken away from you, and the things that you can control become very important. So events like Choice Unlimited give disabled people a voice and enable them to steer their lives in the direction they wish it to go'.

Choice Unlimited is an answer to questions people may be having to Personalisation and how changes in the way people receive funding to improve their daily lives mean they can make their own decisions about what services and products they need and how to obtain them. Choice Unlimited showcased a range of products, services, ideas, information and innovations available to those with this new spending power. It will also help people make informed decisions about spending their personal budgets wisely and getting everything they need. In total there were 152 organisations that attended Choice Unlimited. These organisations were from the Public, Private and Voluntary Sector. We put each organisation into a category to help ensure the event had a variety of exhibitors.

Public Service

Charities and Advice

Education and Housing

Health and Wellbeing

Care Providers

Legal and Financial

Recreational

Cuisine/ Catering

Testimonials from Choice Unlimited

“I think that this was the best organised and attended event that we have ever attended and we will certainly be interested in having a stand next year. Well done!”

Sallyann Robinson – Care and Repair

FEATURE STORY

“Aspiro is a social enterprise providing employment support and often with our type of service we can fall through the cracks in terms of mainstream marketing. The 2012 Choice Unlimited Event was a particular success for our business as we engaged with over 20 service users as potential customers and we talked to 60 professionals about our services - not bad for a day’s work! The event was very well organised with information being provided to us by email every step along the way. We take our hats off to REDP and LCIL for making this a positive experience for our business and our staff who worked on our stall.”

Peter Smith - Aspiro

Nirmala Jivan

I was born in Elbrougun, a small village in Kenya. At that time there was no buses, no lights, no schools and the nearest hospital was about 40 miles away. My father kept the village shop and my family moved to the town of Molo, so I was able to go to school there. In 1963, Kenya became independent and we were unable to keep our shop, so we moved to Jalalpur, Gujarat, India in 1964, where I continued my studies. In 1989, I joined my brother and sister in Leicester. My health by that time was quite poor. I had problems with my eyesight and arthritis in my joints. In 1990, I started to spend my days at the Douglas Bader Centre where I made many friends who are still with me to this day. I enjoyed the friendship and I learnt lots of new skills. I became a member of the Pukaar Group, a group for disabled Asian ladies, and I also became a member of the Client’s Committee at Douglas Bader, where I am the Vice Chair. I also joined the Leicester Disabled People’s Access Group, where I am the Vice Chair also. Last summer, I was privileged to be given the opportunity to join the Board of Directors at LCIL. I hope my skills will be able to make a difference for everyone involved.

Meet the Trustees

Announcement

Running a Charity can be a complicated affair especially when it comes to the financial side of things, so we are extremely happy to announce our new Treasurer

Len Kalkun

Len joined us in February 2012 and he will be maintaining an overview of the organisation's financial affairs, ensuring its long term financial viability.

LCIL’s Transition Project is coming to an end. This 4 month initiative, managed by LCIL, commissioned by Leicester City Council, and funded by the Office for Disability Issues, was set up to find out more about young disabled people’s aspirations and plans for the future.

The two project workers, Joanna Downes and Monica Glover, have met with over 140 people: young disabled people, parents, families and carers, teachers from schools and FE colleges, and professionals from the voluntary and statutory sectors.

The final report, which runs to over 70 pages and includes an executive summary, will be presented to the city’s Transitions Partnership on 31 May 2012. The report details young disabled people’s ambitions, concerns and achievements. It also identifies gaps in current services, good practice, and opportunities for further research. We hope that the report will contribute to the development of the Right to Control trailblazer both locally and nationally, and that life chances, employment opportunities and independent living for young disabled people will be improved as a result.

Monica Glover Disabled children’s Development Worker

LCIL says Thank You

Right to Control Transitions Project Comes to an End

As the Transitions Project comes to an end, we will inevitably have to say goodbye to Joanna and Monica who have been with us since January 2012. Even though, they have only been with us for a short period of time, they have made a significant impact to LCIL and all our staff members here. We presented both Joanna and Monica with a bouquet flowers at their last staff meeting to show our appreciation for the work they have done. [Picture: Joanna & Monica]

Our colleagues from Nottinghamshire Police have received a number of reports recently regarding what appears to be a mobile phone scam, this may be operating in our area, so please pass this information on your friends and colleagues so that they are aware.

Incidents involve innocent people's homes being used as a delivery address for mobile phones that they have not ordered. Police believe the phones are being ordered by criminals using a bogus account and they are using residents' addresses to have them delivered. The scam usually involves one or more mobile phones being delivered to a home owner who has not ordered the goods. The occupant is usually confused as to why the mobile phones have been delivered to their address when they haven't ordered them. In the meantime the occupant receives a phone call from someone claiming to be from the mobile phone company that the phones have been sent from. They tell the home owner that the phones have been delivered to their address in error and that someone will visit them to collect them. However, mobile phone companies have stressed that they would never send someone to collect the mobile phones, and that they would instead send out an envelope for the phones to be returned in via the post. Please be aware of this scam and anyone who receives mobile phones that have not been ordered should make contact with the mobile phone supplier that they have been delivered from and send them back to the supplier using the envelope they provide you with. Please report any incidents of this nature to Leicestershire Police on 101. You are advised not to hand over the mobile phones to anyone. If an individual

does visit your property to collect the mobile phones, please call Leicestershire Police on 999 immediately.

Marion Lewis (NHWN, Force Lead NHW Volunteer, Leicestershire) Leicestershire Police

Mobile Phone Scam

In a marketplace that now expects employers to recognise equality and diversity and the needs of the individual and society, the Equality Standard could be for you.

The Equality Standard will help your business: - Achieve tangible business benefits - Reduce the risk of litigation - Achieve fairness in the workplace and embrace diversity - Improve competence when seeking to bid for work with the public sector

Principle components of the Equality Standard are: - Business/ leadership commitment to equality - Policies and procedures that actively promote equality - Promotion of a diversity culture

The Equality Standard is awarded in recognition of promoting good equality and diversity practices in the workplace. For more information please contact the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP) team on 0116 285 9440 or email info@redp.org.uk

What do “equality and diversity” mean to you? How do they relate to your business, company or organisation? Do you value equality and diversity? Do you think you’re good at them? Do you think they’re good for you?

REDP can help you understand the benefits, challenges and rewards of embedding equality, diversity and human rights in the workplace, in the boardroom and on the shop floor. We’ll work closely with you to help you understand the letter of the law – and appreciate the spirit too. Our experienced and knowledgeable team of trainers and advisors can help you choose a bespoke package of training, professional development and interventions to suit your needs and interests.

For more information and details: TEL: 0116 285 9440, Email:info@redp.org.uk website: www.redp.org.uk

Equality Standard: Want to Become an Employer and Supplier of Choice?

REDP: Training and Development

Brokerage LCIL are moving towards running a Brokerage Service in the Leicester City and County. As Brokers, LCIL will be able to support disabled people. This will mean we will be encouraging people who have a direct experience of working

with disabled people to become self-employed brokers for LCIL.

Currently, our CEO Steve Cooper is holding discussions and negotiating with the Coalition for Independent Living (CiL) who will be supporting and funding the plans for LCIL to be the Brokerage Providers. There has been a meeting with Steve and other organisations that have shown an interest in being part of the Brokerage Scheme. LCIL are hoping to provide additional service of Brokerage in the East Midlands and these discussions are underway.

We will be informing you of further developments around this area in the near future, including employment opportunities for disabled people within the Brokerage Scheme, so keep a look out on our website. [Full details are on the back page].

Transforming Local Infrastructure

Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) has been awarded £941,996 by the Office for Civil Society's Transforming Local Infrastructure fund from 1st April 2012. The successful bid will improve the support available to local community groups across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Working alongside VAL who is the lead organisation will be a range of partners including LCIL.

This project will focus on the following areas:

- An improved relationship with local businesses - working with them to address the needs of the local community - Improved and rationalised local support for frontline groups - Creating more efficient, effective and enterprising local support for frontline

groups

Upcoming Projects

Board of Directors

Chair: Michael Gilhooley Treasurer: Len Kalkun

Trustees: Avantika Patel Rhona Kingett Martin Holt Pat Overty Kate White John Hargrave Nirmala Jivan Vilas Pankhania

Chief Executive Officer: Stephen Cooper

Staff members:

Alan Rowsell ICT Project Development Officer

Carolyn Pascoe Researcher (REDP)

Debbie Jolly Policy and Project Officer

Dominic McDevitt Information Officer

Eric Day Disability Equality Manager

Zanna Guide Dog to Eric Day

Kelly Jussab Equality & Diversity Policy Officer

Kevin George Finance Officer

Laura Horton REDP Manager

Liz Harrison Equality Officer

Michelle Headley Admin Assistant

Sophie Mason Project Officer

Shivani Shah Facilities & Personnel Officer/ PA to CEO

Steven Souter Support Worker to Eric Day & Liz Harrison

Tejal Patel IT Systems Administrator

Volunteers

Jacob Denham Jai Parmar Sangeeta Shet Sunny Das Michelle Noyce Varsha Chohan Salima Dhaled

Who is who?

Zanna Banana’s blog will be featuring in the next newsletter. Stay Tuned!

How to find us

Keep up to date with LCIL: - Latest news on disability - Upcoming events - Updates on LCIL projects - Networking

…and much more

Office opening times: Monday – Friday 9am – 4pm

Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living, 5-9 Upper Brown Street, Leicester LE1 5TE Telephone 0116 222 5005 Email: admin@lcil.org.uk

Textphone: 07910 864 594 Fax: 0116 222 5008 Website: www.lcil.org.uk

LCIL is located under the archway on Upper Brown Street on the 2nd Floor