MEGOBAPP NEWSLETTER
ISSUE ONE OCTOBER 2004

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Welcome

Welcome to MEGOBAPP's first Newsletter which has been possible because of the funding from Community Chest.

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What does MEGOBAPP stand for?

MEGOBAPP is an acronym of "Manchester Environmental Group of Blind And Partially-sighted People".

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What are the aims of the Newsletter?

Its primary concern is to bring MEGOBAPP to the attention of other Visually-Impaired people who might share its aims. It will also take the opportunity of highlighting some of its activities over the past year or so, as well as looking at its direction for the near future. It will highlight issues of concern to the Group with a view to bringing about a change.

It will also refer to other Visually-Impaired groups with perhaps a brief mention of what they are doing.

Finally, we would hope to include some useful information.

We hope you will find this Newsletter informative and interesting.

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What is MEGOBAPP?

As its name suggests (Manchester Environmental Group of Blind And Partially-sighted People) MEGOBAPP is a group of blind and partially-sighted people identifying issues which create barriers to visually-impaired people in the external and built environment, in the provision of information in an accessible format, attitudinal issues, etc.

Its primary concerns lie in the area controlled by the Manchester City Council.

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What has it done?

Although its current membership is somewhat limited it has:

* Produced a substantial report dealing with various aspects of Metrolink which are of concern to visually-impaired people and has distributed these to Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Transport Consultative Committee and members of the Access Review Forum. Whilst the GMPTE initially were not prepared to accept the recommendations, some of these are currently emerging on the old system and more will be incorporated in the Phase III (if this happens).

* It has visited Piccadilly Railway station on two occasions and produced reports on these. Copies have been passed to both the station Management and GMPTE. The reports identified issues concerning mobility, obstructions, information, etc., within the complex together with proposals for overcoming these barriers, including the provision of audible directional and general information units.

* A visit has been made to Leeds to look at the provisions in that City by way of audible information both on Leeds City station and within the City's environment. A short report was produced on this visit, a copy of which was passed to GMPTE. Since this action, we observe that "React" units are being installed in the Moor Lane Bus station, Bolton, which will be looked at by the Group when completed.

* The Group has also carried out some research on the character fonts preferred by visually-impaired people and the size of these for large print documentation. Some 193 questionnaire packs were circulated, 88 responses were received, of which some 80 had a bearing on the findings. Copies of the report were sent to a number of individuals, organisations and the local authorities. Whether a larger-scale survey will be carried out will depend on resources.

Copies of the various reports were made available in large print, Braille and audio tape.

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What of the future?

MEGOBAPP will continue to press for improvements at Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria railway stations;

It will be looking to bring about improvements at bus stations;

It will be pressing for the removal of hazardous areas within the external environment;

It will be considering and pressing for improvements within the built environment both in public and domestic buildings;

It will be pressing for the circulation of information in an accessible format as identified by individual visually-impaired people,

And it will be pressing for directional and general information to be provided in a manner that ensures it is available to all members of the community.

Other issues will emerge in the forthcoming months which MEGOBAPP will wish to address.

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How can you help?

MEGOBAPP is a relatively small Group. Despite its small membership at the moment, it has addressed many issues. Whilst every effort is made to reflect the views of all visually-impaired people, we realise that, in order to achieve this objectively, it is essential that we expand the Group substantially in order to embrace the views, not only of more visually-impaired people, but visually-impaired people from the ethnic minority, deaf/blind and multi-impaired communities.

If you or a friend have a visual impairment and are interested in ensuring that the requirements of blind and partially-sighted people are met within the Manchester area, then your views and support are urgently needed. Don't delay - contact one of the Officers.

Officers of MEGOBAPP

Ron Goulden (Chairperson); 0161-798-9137;

Joseph Innocent (Secretary);

Damien O'Connor (Treasurer); 01457-835096;

Steve Jones (Publicity Officer).

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Piccadilly Gardens - Part 1
Pinball

The refurbishment of the Piccadilly Gardens area has deterred many blind and partially-sighted people from visiting this part of Manchester. What are they missing?

Whilst the Council sails its flagship on accessibility, blind and partially-sighted people are far from convinced that they have got it right.

Amongst their developments in the area of Piccadilly Gardens the Council appear to have incorporated some leisure pursuits for visually-impaired people. As will be seen from the photograph, a "pinball"-type game can be found in this area. Unfortunately, the cuts and bruises that result can act as a "turn off".

(in the print version there is a photograph of a line of grey bollards approximately 75mm high along the front of the shops in the pedestrian area).

Although the City Council "Design for Access" Manual 2 calls for the highlighting of such obstructions and possible tactile warning surfaces, it is not surprising that Manchester Engineers Design Consortium (MEDC) find difficulty in understanding the needs of visually-impaired people.

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Welfare Rights
Pension Credit

There have been many advertisements concerning Pension Credits, but to whom does it apply?

Pension Credit is a new entitlement for people aged 60 and over which could provide additional money each week. It is intended to guarantee everyone aged 60 and over a minimum income of £102.10 a week if you are a single person, or £155.80 if a partner is involved. Whilst the person applying for Pension Credit must be at least 60 years of age, their partner does not.

You can, however, still apply for and receive Pension Credit if your income is in excess of the above figures if you are a severely disabled person or have certain housing costs.

When assessing the level of income, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are ignored.

You can call them on 0800-991-234 to obtain an application form in your preferred format or you can seek help from them in completing the form over the telephone. If completing the form over the telephone you will need to be aware of your National Insurance number, the amount of money coming in and details of any savings and investments that you may have.

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Have Cane, Won't Travel!

All of us have our own particular mobility "hurdles", which sometimes appear so daunting that it is easier just to stay at home, isolated and frustrated.

What do you find most difficult to cope with as a visually impaired person, and what could be done to make it easier for you to get around independently?

MEGOBAPP's next project is to ask as many VIPs as possible, what difficulties they encounter when walking around or trying to use public transport.

On the 9\th of March, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association launched their "Guide to Street Obstacles" as part of the Safer Streets campaign. They are using a three dimensional model of a street with an A to Z of hazards as follows -

A - is for A boards;

B - bollards;

C - cyclists on pavement and cycles discarded outside shops;

D - debris from building work eg. Piles of sand;

E - electric cables;

F - food;

G - gum;

H - hedges overgrown;

I - irregular walking surfaces;

J - jagged glass, broken bottles etc.;

K - kerb stones;

L - lamp posts;

M - mess from other dogs;

N - narrow walk ways as a result of obstructions;

O - obstacles;

P - pot holes in badly maintained pavements;

Q - queues;

R - road works, badly fenced;

S - scaffolding;

T - trash, bin bags and loose rubbish;

U - umbrellas;

V - vehicles parked on pavements;

W - wheelie bins;

X - crossings;

Y - youngsters on roller blades and skateboards;

Z - zig-zagging around unnecessary street obstacles.

114 MPs have signed an 'Early Day Motion' backing the initiative, it will be interesting to see what happens next.

For obvious reasons, the GDBA campaign is centred around guide dog users, so we at MEGOBAPP have decided that we would like to find out what people across the whole visually impaired spectrum find most difficult.

I was a guide dog user myself, for over ten years, but since “Kandy” retired and I am back on the cane, I am again experiencing the stress that the most simple journey involves.

My particular 'hate list', are -

Bus drivers who don't pull in at the bus stop, even when you have a guide dog, white cane and orange bus pass wallet to indicate that it may be difficult to 'stick your hand out'.

Pedestrian crossings without any audible or tactile signals (zebra crossings).

Lamp standards and posts, placed in the centre of pavements, and so thoughtfully painted grey.

There are probably as many "pet hates" as there are VIPs so tell us what you think. If you would be prepared to take part in our survey, please ring Carole on 0161 681 2654 or Ron on 0161 798 9137 (both numbers have answer phones) and give us your name and address, we will send the survey forms out to you in print, on tape or braille.

When the result of the project is known, we can circulate them to planners, so that they can no longer say they are unaware of the problems they cause us.

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Health Matters

As a group of blind and partially-sighted people, MEGOBAPP have found that visually-impaired people (VIP) are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain equal service from NHS Trusts.

Amongst the issues that have been highlighted are:

1. Many VIPs have developed strategies which enable them to be independent in a known environment, but in a strange environment, the degree of disorientation is extreme. It is therefore important for staff to be aware of some basic facts when meeting the needs of VIPs.

2. VIPs travelling alone: None of our Group has ever found any provision for meeting and guiding VIPs who arrive at hospital alone. There perhaps needs to be a single telephone number which would alert the hospital, and result in a volunteer or member of staff meeting the patient at a specified entrance.

3. Some of the general points when dealing with sight-impaired people are:

(a) The staff need to ask if help is required; then listen to the VIPs wishes about the kind of assistance they need.

(b) As the usual signage is of no use to VIPs, it is necessary for staff to check whether patients know how to locate cafes, toilets, etc., while they wait to receive treatment.

(c) Even so, the signage should be improved by the use of a larger font size, a clear character font (e.g. tiresias, arial, Helvetica and the like), a suitable colour contrast (i.e. black on a pale yellow or cream background) and placed at a height of around two metres above floor level. Perhaps the inclusion of audible information units should be incorporated in certain areas.

(d) VIPs may not be aware of vending machines, etc., and would require help to use such equipment.

(e) VIPs have no means of identifying or contacting a member of staff. This means that frequent contact needs to be maintained in case further assistance is required.

4. Staff need to be made aware of how to guide a blind person, i.e. perhaps by offering an arm so that they are able to follow the movement of the guiding person.

5. Printed Information: As the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) now states that disabled people should not receive an inferior service, it is important that VIPs should have such leaflets as Pre-Operative and After Care information as well as appointment details and contact telephone numbers in a format that they find accessible to them.

Some of the difficulties experienced in the hospital environment, are prevalent when a VIP visits their own GP. The locating of the appropriate reception point in a multi-practice environment, the finding of a seat in the waiting room and guidance to the actual surgery. As with hospital areas, the signage should be sufficiently clear and properly positioned to be accessible to those with a sight loss.

GPs, too, need to ensure that communications to their blind and partially-sighted patients are accessible to them and that they are not required to rely on neighbours to read material which may be personal.

These difficulties could be overcome inexpensively; some thought, some awareness training and appropriate communication would ease the problems.

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Piccadilly Gardens - Part 2
Chicken Run

The Manchester City Council have attempted to bring excitement and thrills into the lives of those visually-impaired people daring to visit the Piccadilly Gardens area of the City.

Apart from the bruising "pinball" experience referred to earlier, they have incorporated a "chicken run" at the opposite side of the Gardens.

Those visually-impaired people passing through the Gardens and beneath the archway are suddenly confronted with the Metrolink tramway, where vehicles travel in both directions at frequent intervals.

The attached photographs show the approach from the solid archway which deadens the sound of approaching vehicles. Apart from this poor feature, no tactile warning surface has been inserted to tell blind and partially-sighted people of the pending danger, but then, does anyone expect MEDC (Manchester Engineers and Design Consortium) to get anything right.

(in the print version there are two photographs showing a view from the arch across the tram lines facing towards Piccadilly Plaza. The first shows there are no highlighted or textured warning surfaces before the tram lines or across Piccadilly, and the second shows a tram passing the archway).

The dangers highlighted in this particular newsletter are but two of the many poor features in the Piccadilly Gardens area. More will be highlighted in future newsletters.

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Win a Prize

Meanwhile, we challenge readers to send us a list of the poor features they can identify in the Piccadilly Gardens area and the one with the greatest number (provided this is in excess of six additional hazards) will receive a prize of £10.

In the meantime, Councillor Pagel's vision of Manchester being the most accessible City in Europe is perhaps more properly described as a mirage.

Come and join us Martin in a walk around Piccadilly Gardens area and leave your car behind.

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Entertainment Matters
Audio-Described Performances

In the Manchester area, both the Royal Exchange Theatre and the Library Theatre, Central Library, provide good audio descriptions for most of their shows.

In addition, both venues produce seasonal brochures in Braille, large print and on cassette. If you would like a copy in your preferred format, why not give them a ring and ask for one.

The Royal Exchange Theatre Marketing Section can be contacted on 0161-833-9333.

The Library Theatre Marketing Section can be contacted on 0161-234-1919.

Why not give them a ring and obtain your free brochure in your preferred format.

The Royal Exchange Theatre will be providing audio-described performances in their new season commencing at the end of August for:

"Kes" on Saturday, 2 October, at 4 p.m.

"Volpone or the Fox"; Saturday, 20 November at 4 p.m.

"London Assurance"; Saturday, 18 December at 4 p.m.

Half price tickets are available for a visually-impaired theatregoer and their companion.

The Manchester Library Theatre will be providing audio descriptions to the following shows:

"Vincent in Brixton"; Wednesday, 13 October at 7-30 p.m. and Saturday, 16 October at 3 p.m.

"Beyond Belief"; Wednesday 17 November at 7-30 p.m. and Saturday, 20 November at 3 p.m.

"Merlin and the Cave of Dreams"; Wednesday, 8 December at 2 p.m., Saturday, 11 December at 2-30 p.m., Thursday, 6 January at 7 p.m.

Complimentary Braille programmes are available from the Front of House and Box Office staff at both venues, but these need to be ordered seven days in advance. There are "touch tours" of the stage set and properties available one hour before curtain up, but a place needs to be booked with the Box Office in advance.

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Manchester Art Gallery

We are currently working on a comprehensive Access Guide to Manchester Art Gallery, due to be launched in the autumn. The guide will contain all the information you may need to help you plan your visit to the Gallery and will be available in all formats. There will be an update in the next edition of this news bulletin. As a reminder, here is a summary of our current access for visually-impaired visitors: In addition to regular audio-described events, access for visually-impaired visitors includes:

Visitors can also request a sighted guide in advance of their visit by contacting Zoe Renilson on 0161 235 8869 or via Zoe's email address z.renilson@notes.manchester.gov.uk. All of these services are free of charge.

This season's audio-described event is on Thursday 14 October, 1.00-3.00.

This practical workshop is designed for visually-impaired visitors with companions and is based around the Helen Chadwick exhibition.

Taking inspiration from the sculptural works in the exhibition, you can cast in plaster of paris to create your own artwork. As this is a practical workshop, please do not wear your best clothes. The event is free but you will need to book in advance. Contact Zoe Renilson on 0161 235 8869.

You may also be interested in a special Music in the Gallery event on
Sunday 31 October, 1.00-3.00 when Blackburn People's Choir will sing a selection of world music to celebrate Black History Month.

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Audio Described 'Tele'

Members of the National Federation of the Blind of the U.K. have been pressing for a higher percentage of audio described programmes on Terrestrial and Sky television. It is estimated that something like six per cent of programmes are audio described currently, though it is felt that the percentage should be at least ten per cent.

BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have agreed to make their audio description available on Sky. This follows Five's decision to do so last year. This means that any Sky customer will be able to enjoy BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five's audio description (currently about six per cent of their output). Sky already provides some audio description on a limited number of its own Sports and Movie Channels.

If you're a Sky customer set your preferred language to "narrative" to hear the description. Whenever audio description is present you'll pick it up. Unfortunately the information comes as a mixed signal, which means that everyone in the room will be able to hear it. There is no way of isolating the description or changing the volume which you can do if you are a Freeview (Digital Terrestrial) customer and have the Netgem Box.

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Extant seek visually-impaired actors

Extant tc are seeking to cast five visually-impaired male actors for its first professional small/middle scale =uk touring production happening in spring of 2005.

Its aim is to experiment with audience access and to present this new play, ‘Resistance’, in a physical style. It is seeking male actors aged 18 upwards with any degree of visual impairment to audition in London at the end of September 04 - start January 05. Approx. 15 weeks; contract - Equity minimum.

For further details contact Extant before 20 Sep on 0208 780 0334 or extanttc@btinternet.com.

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A Further Prize

Having now come more or less to the end of this Newsletter you may think that the temporary name of the Newsletter 'MEGONEWS' is inappropriate. We are therefore looking for a suitable name for it.

If you have any ideas why not submit them for entry in a prize draw? The sender of the chosen title will receive a prize of £10.

Telephone your submission to one of the officials or E-mail to:
r-goulden@supanet.com

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Future Newsletters

MEGOBAPP will be delighted to receive any of your comments on this Newsletter with your suggestions as to the topics you would want to find in the pages of future issues.

We will be including more pictures of the bad features of the Piccadilly Gardens area, and the poor features identified in Piccadilly Bus Station and its comparison with bus stations in other areas, as well as any comments and suggestions received.

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If you would like to be part of the organisation and are visually impaired, why not make contact or become a MEGOBAPP member. The monthly meetings of MEGOBAPP are generally scheduled for the second Friday of each month, commencing at 5-30 p.m. and more often than not are held in Manchester Town Hall.