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Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 7:35 pm Post subject: my son has Cerebral Palsy and loves it!!
Hello
We have an Adria Altea 542 uk caravan and our youngest son has diaplegia Cerebral palsy...he uses a wheelchair for long distances and if the weather conditions are against him...he is also visually impaired and epileptic...but this doesn't stop him from enjoying his caravaning!!!...we bought a van with fixed side bunks and whilst he needs help getting into the van once in hes fine...the only down side is the size of the bathroom but he manages...we always take the radar key with us as the access to the disabled bathroom/showers always require the nationally known key...and for £ 3.50 having access is great...
Although a word of warning alot of sites state they are disabled person friendly (as all public places should be now by law) but aren't...we have fallen fowl to this on alot of visits...
I do now question them thorougly before booking and confirm the booking in writing stating we have a disabled person with us!!! and keep a copy with me whilst there.
Joined: May 29, 2007
Posts: 1587
Location: North Wales, Near Colwyn Bay
Caravan: Buccaneer Caravel (06)
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 2:46 pm Post subject:
Good for you and him , its the same with anything if the person selling it seems not to know too much they are probaly spinning a line. Research is the key to all good camping holidays in my experience.
Joined: Jun 03, 2007
Posts: 192
Location: Newport Wales
Caravan: Bailey Discovery Se
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:38 pm Post subject:
Having recently become disabled myself we finished with tents and bought a caavan, i do have probs still with the van and would like a fixed bed eventually but the whole caravanning experience is great for me as i tend to rest while away and chill get away from the things i cant do , some sites need to do more to be more disabled friendly, i have rfecently bought a scooter to get me around the sites a little better but i find if we go to commercial sites i cant get in the entertainment complexes with it as they are packed to the brim with tables and chairs, its a bit if a nightmare having to ask people to move in a little, yet if i dont take it i cant walk the way back to the van, so i tend to stay in the van while the kids and hubby have time at the fun clubs
I think caravanning gives that freedom to take your time do what you wnat when you want and not to worry.
Joined: May 29, 2007
Posts: 1587
Location: North Wales, Near Colwyn Bay
Caravan: Buccaneer Caravel (06)
Towcar:Mercedes ML 280 CDI (09)
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 11:14 pm Post subject:
Visualize wrote:
Having recently become disabled myself we finished with tents and bought a caavan, i do have probs still with the van and would like a fixed bed eventually but the whole caravanning experience is great for me as i tend to rest while away and chill get away from the things i cant do , some sites need to do more to be more disabled friendly, i have rfecently bought a scooter to get me around the sites a little better but i find if we go to commercial sites i cant get in the entertainment complexes with it as they are packed to the brim with tables and chairs, its a bit if a nightmare having to ask people to move in a little, yet if i dont take it i cant walk the way back to the van, so i tend to stay in the van while the kids and hubby have time at the fun clubs
I think caravanning gives that freedom to take your time do what you wnat when you want and not to worry.
Just a thought but can you get a cover for the scooter to leave it outside if it rains? you could then join your family in the club house etc? (sorry if am way out here but dont know your situation and you say you cannot walk the whole way back to the van so i persume you are semi mobile)
A cover like >> THIS << may be what you need to keep you all together
Having recently become disabled myself we finished with tents and bought a caavan, i do have probs still with the van and would like a fixed bed eventually but the whole caravanning experience is great for me as i tend to rest while away and chill get away from the things i cant do , some sites need to do more to be more disabled friendly, i have rfecently bought a scooter to get me around the sites a little better but i find if we go to commercial sites i cant get in the entertainment complexes with it as they are packed to the brim with tables and chairs, its a bit if a nightmare having to ask people to move in a little, yet if i dont take it i cant walk the way back to the van, so i tend to stay in the van while the kids and hubby have time at the fun clubs
I think caravanning gives that freedom to take your time do what you wnat when you want and not to worry.
I know EXACTLY the problem, although not so much whilst caravanning, just when out and about generally, and as a result I now no longer go "out" at weekends, as so many pubs offer zero or minimal seating, and I can't stand, and taking the scooter is not a very practical option, and the effort involved means I just dont go rather than bother..
The Disability Discrimination Act has made about 1% difference to me, that is - as near nothing as makes no difference. Yes undoubtedly I could use it to take legal proceedings as a way of "recompense" but this is only an option for very specific cases, if I was to issue a writ for every time I was discriminated against and prevented from using a service or similar, I would be full time in Court and stressed beyond belief. Most businesses have done nothing about compliance, and I suppose I am letting them get away with it, surely if someone say, Black or Jewish was being discriminated against so overtly, then there would be justifiably an outcry, but there is not really any effective support for the disabled to get their legal RIGHTS, and unless it is a major national issue, or something you could get the press and TV interested in, the Disability Rights Commission is just a toothless quango, and has nothing to offer in terms of practical help.
That said, if it really is a problem, you get nowhere on asking, and given it is worth the bother for you in a specific case, try getting a Law centre involved, they may help you to get access as you are legally entitled to. After all, moving a table or two is not exactly rebuilding the place! Law centres are generally free [http://www.lawcentres.org.uk/ ]
The last site I used, back in October 2006 was totally disabled unfriendly...... showers were narrow, no seating of any sort, to be honest not very accessible for an able bodied person never mind disabled! Made them unusable for me; the toilets were standard type, and normally that is no problem as I am "ambulant" ie. not wheelchair bound, yet the cubicles were so small as to make them unusable, especially as they had no handholds of any sort - I had to use the van facilities all the time as with that I can pull myself upright. Thankfully My "new" van has it's own shower, and as small as that cubicle is, I can use it mainly seated, and get dressed in the main body of the van so it offers more room for me.
I suppose I WOULD win a case taken to the County Court to get recompense for being excluded from using the facilities like I was, but in practice the bother and hassle of doing that would get in the way of me living my life too, so I just will not use the place again, despite it being in an area I go back to again and again.[U][U]
Joined: May 29, 2007
Posts: 1587
Location: North Wales, Near Colwyn Bay
Caravan: Buccaneer Caravel (06)
Towcar:Mercedes ML 280 CDI (09)
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:11 pm Post subject:
was it a club site?
If it was you should complain, did they cliam to be disabled friendly (i know they all should but sometimes its not practical)
Add them to the campsite database as a disabled unfriendly site (at least any of our members will then see this) Put a note in its description to warn other disabled persons. (i am sure that is alowed is it Dave?)
Good luck in your quest for quality campsites that cater for the disabled and dont forget to report back here when you find them and add the good ones to the database too.
Joined: Jun 03, 2007
Posts: 192
Location: Newport Wales
Caravan: Bailey Discovery Se
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:34 pm Post subject:
Thanks Rob for you post it is something i might have to look in to as whirlwind says although the DDA has been enforce in law the actual difference it makes to most disabled people is practically non existent, i think over the years things may change as the DDA act is still in its infancy and once test cases go through the courts we may see alot more improvements
______________________________________________________________ Shelley, Lee , Kids and Mollie the Labrador
Joined: May 29, 2007
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:07 pm Post subject:
Also as new buildings go up they have to comply with disabled access from the planning stage, i think that includes new build houses too to some extent.
Joined: Jun 03, 2007
Posts: 192
Location: Newport Wales
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:32 am Post subject:
Yes i think your right their doors and stairs have to be wider to allow for stairlifts and wheelchairs and i have heard not sure if this is the case though that when they build a house on not so flat land where as before you could ave a garden like mount everest they now have to landscape flat so that it can be accessed, my sister has a garden in her old house and you could sledge down it in the snow lol
______________________________________________________________ Shelley, Lee , Kids and Mollie the Labrador
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:15 pm Post subject: Re: my son has Cerebral Palsy and loves it!!
keren wrote:
Hello
We have an Adria Altea 542 uk caravan and our youngest son has diaplegia Cerebral palsy...he uses a wheelchair for long distances and if the weather conditions are against him...he is also visually impaired and epileptic...but this doesn't stop him from enjoying his caravaning!!!...we bought a van with fixed side bunks and whilst he needs help getting into the van once in hes fine...the only down side is the size of the bathroom but he manages...we always take the radar key with us as the access to the disabled bathroom/showers always require the nationally known key...and for £ 3.50 having access is great...
Although a word of warning alot of sites state they are disabled person friendly (as all public places should be now by law) but aren't...we have fallen fowl to this on alot of visits...
I do now question them thorougly before booking and confirm the booking in writing stating we have a disabled person with us!!! and keep a copy with me whilst there.
cheers
Keren.
Hi Keren, my wife is disabled too and needs the toilet freqently (part of her
problem) while I had heard of the Radar key I didnt realise quite what it was
we live in NE scotland where can we find details of the Radar key scheme
as it sound just what she needs. When we book we tend to use CC sites
and say that we have one walking disabled but DONT want a pitch next to the toilets as the club tends to put you there and the noise disturbs my wife
( very light sleeper) and try to get a pitch within 50/60 yards we have a end bathroom van with great facilities so the site faciities are less important now
I admire the way you dont let adversity get you down.keep on vanning!
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, its the same with anything if the person selling it seems not to know too much they are probaly spinning a line. Research is the key to all good camping holidays in my experience.
