Wightlink challenged over lack of disabled access on FastCat for next three months

The CEO of Wightlink explains that passengers with mobility issues unable to use the FastCat in the next three months will be able to fly with Hovertravel on their Wightlink tickets

Just before Christmas, Wightlink announced there would be changes at their FastCat terminal in Portsmouth from 5th January, as major structural repairs and maintenance commenced.

The work is expected to last three months and as the current boarding ramp will be closed, passengers will be directed to an alternative route to board the vessel.

Full article here: https://onthewight.com/wightli...

Bus stop improvements in Scartho to make access easier for disabled passengers

North East Lincolnshire Council and its regeneration partner EQUANS are upgrading a series of bus stops in Scartho.

Engineers from McCann & Co will install new sloped, raised kerbs at 10 bus stops. The new kerbing will make using public transport safer and easier – especially for people with physical disabilities.

Work will take place at the following locations during January and February 2022. Temporary traffic lights will be in place at each site between 7:30am and 6pm, to allow the works to take place:

Full article here: https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/bus...

Lowestoft beach huts allocation changed for disabled people

The allocation of 72 new beach huts for rent or sale has been altered following criticism it failed to meet disabled people's access requirements.

Work is already taking place on the £2.6m project to replace brick chalets along Jubilee Parade in Lowestoft.

The ground-level huts were meant to be for rent, while ones on an upper tier were for sale.

Following objections from Waveney Disability Forum, huts for sale and hire will now be on both levels.

The change accommodates people with physical disabilities or difficulties who may not be able to use the steps for the upper tier, East Suffolk Council said.

Craig Rivett, Conservative deputy leader at the council, said: "We are trying to be as accommodating as we can and this is where we feel we have got the best approach."

Full article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-...

China excels at the Paralympics, but its disabled citizens are fighting for access

China has dominated the medal count at the last five Paralympic Games. That's in stark contrast with the lack of disability access in Chinese society.

Full article here: https://www.npr.org/2022/01/03...

70% of physicians unaware of how to treat someone with a disability

Passed in 1990, the American Disability Act (ADA) is a civil rights law in place to protect people from being discriminated against based on disability in everyday life and within healthcare, however 32 years after its introduction it has become apparent that most physicians lack understanding of how to be accommodating to those with disabilities as is required of them by law.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reported during a survey they found that more than a third knew little or nothing about their legal requirements as illustrated in the ADA and more than 70% did not know who determines the “reasonable accommodations” required to provide equitable care to people with disabilities.

25% of the population have some form of disability and despite being one quarter of the entire population “they often confront barriers to basic health care services such as physical examinations, weight measurement, and effective communication with their physicians,” said lead author Dr Lisa I. Iezzoni.

Full article here: https://www.openaccessgovernme...

FOOD INSECURITY RISES AMONG DISABLED PEOPLE, BUT SOLUTIONS EXIST

Even before COVID-19 hit, disabled people were at greater risk of food insecurity because of higher rates of unemployment, lower earnings, and transportation and accessibility barriers. The pandemic only exacerbated these disparities. In 2020, disabled adults were twice as likely to be food insecure as adults without disabilities.

At the root of the issue is poverty, said Mia Ives-Rublee, director of the Center for American Progress’ Disability Justice Initiative and coauthor of a new report on food insecurity in the disabled community during the pandemic. “Disabled people are more likely to be impoverished, so of course that correlates with food access,” she said.

Unemployment hit disabled people harder than their nondisabled counterparts. During one pandemic joblessness spike, when the overall unemployment rate was 7.9%, it was 12.6% among disabled adults, the report found.

Full article here: https://www.agriculture.com/ne...

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