|
Megobapp Newsletter Welcome A happy and prosperous 2007 to all “Megonews” readers from the Officers of MEGOBAPP. It seems but yesterday that we were compiling the September issue. This is perhaps not surprising in view of the slightly late production of that copy and the intervention of the festive season. With that now behind us, we need to look to the immediate future. With the limited funding currently at our disposal, it is important that we cut our cloth accordingly and avoid any additional financial strain on the pockets of our members. This edition of “Megonews” will again be available in standard and large print, Braille and on audio cassette. If you require your copy in a format other than that currently provided, or you have a visually-impaired friend who wishes to have the newsletter, then let us have a postal address, a note of the preferred format and we will do the rest. And what is in “Megonews’” tenth issue to whet your appetite and tantalise those taste buds? There will be an old fogy’s thoughts on the bus service, a glance at the Visually-Impaired Steering Group, as well as some snippets of information, technology corner and entertainment news. What will be missing from this quarter’s edition will be the photographs, due to camera problems. Missed some of the previous issues of “Megonews”? then you can catch up on these by going to our accessible website: http://www.megobapp.org.uk. And if you want to communicate your views you can either contact one of the Officers shown at the end of this item or email the Group on: info@megobapp.org.uk. We do like to hear from readers who agree or disagree with the views expressed; at least we then know we are not talking to ourselves. Officers of MEGOBAPP:
Update Those Shared Spaces In last quarter’s copy we referred to the practice of “shared spaces” in various places and mentioned that taking effect in the Ancoats area. At the meeting of the Access Review Forum in October this issue was raised with Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, who showed considerable interest. As a follow up, a meeting was arranged involving representatives from the Access Review Forum, Council Officers along with Regeneration Officers and Designers of Old Mill Street. A visit to the site showed a 25 metre wide area with a two-way, single-lane traffic way for buses and cars, which had traffic calming features, separating two 10 metre areas which could be defined as “pedestrian open spaces”. Whether such a complex could be described as a “shared space” might justifiably be questioned. As far as the vehicular movement area was concerned, this was not segregated from the “open areas” by kerbs or tactile markings, merely by a painted line. Whilst there is a designated crossing point, this is neither tactile marked or defined as an official pedestrian crossing. The “open spaces” have a surface constructed of various materials, some areas of which are already showing defects. These areas contain numerous seats, posts and newly-planted trees (the trees have a tripod support and are in a small circular area three to four inches below the surrounding surfaces). Unfortunately, no colour contrasting nor tactile warning surfaces are proposed for these obstructions. Despite the numerous obstructions no consideration has been given to the provision of a tactile and colour guidance surface to provide a safe passage through the area for a visually-impaired person. The Designers had given some thought to the provision of a warning strip suitably positioned to draw attention to the edge of the canal which passed along one side of the open area. However, the samples produced were totally inadequate, being flat-topped corduroy-type blocks which would not be detectable under foot. The barriers to visually-impaired people created by the non-highlighting of the seats, posts and trees were exacerbated by the lack of kerbs or tactile markings, together with lack of a pedestrian controlled crossing. Is it possible that those involved in this project will be re-considering many of its features, and that they will be coming back to the representatives of disability groups for them to approve any changes proposed for this area. --------- oO0Oo --------- Visually-Impaired Steering Group – In October of 2004 MEGOBAPP expressed their concerns at the general attitude towards meeting the needs of the visually-impaired community in Manchester. This concern was appreciated by Cllr Pagel, who felt that the Council should be supportive of the development of a strategic plan to address the issues of the blind and partially-sighted community. Following discussions in January 2005, it was decided to “start the ball rolling” with a conference in February involving visually-impaired individuals, representatives from Council Departments and also from selected outside bodies. It was Cllr Pagel’s view that Vicky Rosin would be ideal to spearhead this initiative. From the workshops at this conference certain adjustments were considered necessary to provide an improved service to visually-impaired people.
These included the unacceptable time gap between a person being registered visually impaired and their contact by a rehabilitation officer; the need for front-line staff to be provided with visually-impaired awareness training; and points of contact where customers’ issues could be resolved. As the Physical Disabilities Service of Adult Social Care (PDS) appeared unable to appreciate their deficiencies on the issue of delayed referrals, a consultancy was engaged to spell these out. Whether the cost of this was money well spent is a matter of opinion. V.I. awareness training has been commissioned for a six-month initial period, with a likely extension envisaged. A list of Departmental Champions (to act as a contact within each Department) was produced, but with constant changes in the roll of staff members, and the limitation in the circulation of such a list, its usefulness must be questioned as opposed to an easy-to-remember, central contact telephone number for all such enquiries. Apart from the foregoing issues, we have seen the establishment of a Sensory Impaired Team housed at the Manchester Deaf Centre in Chorlton-on-Medlock. The drawing together of those Officers dealing with the V.I. community is likely to be seen generally as a step forward. There could, however, be some doubts as to whether their amalgamation with the Officers dealing with the issues concerning the deaf community (incorporating deaf, deafened, hearing impaired and deaf/blind people) and its location at the Manchester Deaf Centre is wholly beneficial to those of the V.I. community, both as regards to its location and the possible leaning towards a particular sector. The future structure of consultation is somewhat clouded. Whilst the continuance of the Visually-Impaired Steering Group is suggested, a further level of involvement has been referred to with the inclusion of representatives of outside bodies along with those from VISG. Perhaps there is also a need to consider the relationship, if any, between a VISG and the Partnership Board with its Council Member lead and the inclusion of Council Officers. Bearing in mind what appears to be the situation and its relationship towards the development of a strategic plan for the visually-impaired community on a similar basis to that established for the deaf community, it is not surprising that one is left wondering whether the vision of October 2004 has been de-railed? Is an overall Sensory Impairment Team ideal or is it empire building? Have the original views expressed in October 2004 been hi-jacked by the PDS? Who is actually controlling the direction? This leads to the main question: whose hands are on the tiller? Has the helm been taken from the grasp of VIP’s and firmly placed in those of the PDS? --------- oO0Oo --------- Recreation and Sport Bowling Following the Commonwealth Games of 2002, Manchester Heaton Park has been left with three flat greens in quite good condition. In the 80’s and early 90’s the former flat green at Heaton Park was the scene of an annual competition for teams of visually-impaired bowlers from all parts of the United Kingdom participating in the Manchester National Games, organised by “Northern Sports”, an organisation of visually-impaired sports men and women. Since the demise of that organisation in the mid/late 90’s, bowls for visually-Impaired players has not been part of the Manchester scene. Is there sufficient interest amongst local visually-impaired people in the game to establish regular sessions of lawn bowls again? If you are interested, give Ron Goulden a ring on 0161 798 9137, or email him at * * *
Sailing If a “life on the ocean waves” is what you enjoy, then perhaps the following dates may liven up the “old salt” in you. 11-13 May: Friday evening to Sunday afternoon; East Anglian Sailing Trust; £50. Contact Carol Bloyce at c.bloyce@btinternet.com or on 01473 724780; River Orwell and Essex/Suffolk waters. 18-20 May: Friday morning to Sunday afternoon; London Sailing Project; £75. Contact office@ronatrust.com or 01489 885098. River Hamble and the Solent. 30 June-7 July; Saturday to Saturday; “South Coast Blind Week”; £160. Grant Morris at foxys@ukgateway.net or on 01225 462236. The Solent and beyond. * * * Tandem Riding Fancy a spin on two wheels? Manchester Velodrome may be able to offer you this opportunity. Manchester Velodrome may be able to provide a visually-impaired person wishing to wheel round the track on two wheels the chance of doing so on one of their track tandems by also providing a steerer. Give them a ring on 0161 223 2244, email: tdo@manchestervelodrome.com; or write to --------- oO0Oo ---------
SnippetTrial of a new Audio Book System Manchester Public Libraries are conducting a trial of a new way to deliver their audio book service. If the trial is successful, and some copyright issues can be resolved, audio books on CD and cassette will gradually be replaced by an MP3 format, downloaded onto a specially produced player. The player is a compact piece of equipment, about the size and shape of a television remote control. It fits neatly into a pocket and can be used with or without an earphone. The buttons are raised for ease of use and set out in a logical sequence. In the trial, four books were available at a time, for each user It is possible to re-WIND or fast forward through each book by paragraphs, chapters, full disk or whole book. The volume can be turned up quite high, and it is possible to lock the buttons to prevent “skipping” by accidental pressure. Batteries would be re-charged when new audio books are downloaded by the library service. The player would then be collected by, or sent out to the user. A MEGOBAPP member took part in the trial and found the player to be excellent. When a “straw poll” was taken at a meeting, other members were favourably impressed. The system has been produced by an Australian company named Audio-read.
RNIB and NLB merger A circular has been produced concerning the above merger as follows:- As you will know, for the last year or so NLB (National Library for the Blind) and RNIB (Royal National Institute of the Blind) have been working together with a view to merging library services into a single unified service. An enormous amount of work has been done on both sides to achieve the merger which will bring about real improvements to the library services available to people with sight problems in the UK. I am delighted to be able to tell you that on the 15th December the Trustees of both organisations approved the merger, which will create the new RNIB national library service. For the time being, there will be very little change in services. Customers should continue to use the usual telephone numbers, E-Mail addresses, etc. In due course we will move towards a single point of contact. We will make sure customers are informed before any changes take place. If you have any questions about the new service, please contact Pat Beech on 0161 355 2000.
The Shaw Trust The Shaw Trust is a National Charity that provides training and work opportunities for people who are disadvantaged in the work place due to disability, ill health or other social circumstances. They do it through pre-employment activities, training, creating jobs through social enterprise and working in partnership with over 2,500 employers.
People wishing to access help through Shaw Trust must be receiving one of the following: Incapacity Benefit (long or short term), Incapacity Benefit Credits only, Disability Living Allowance, Industrial Injury Benefits, Income Support with Disability Premium, Income Support pending appeal against disallowance, Housing Benefit, Council Tax with Disability Premium or War Pension with Unemployment Supplement Anyone wanting support into employment should contact Shaw Trust on free phone 0800 085 1001. --------- oO0Oo --------- Technology Corner Smart Card to open up computing Intelligent cards that enable visually-impaired people to customise computers and ATM’s automatically were unveiled at a Conference in Birmingham a little while ago. The Special Needs Application program interface, or SNAPI, puts a user’s preferences on a smart card. The cards are said to be able to be used in cash dispensers, ticket machines and public access computers. SNAPI is software which standardises the coding of an individual’s preferences so that they can be stored on a smart card. The Department for Transport had incorporated the new standard into its specification for ticket machines. The Banking industry has said that it will implement SNAPI at some point in the future, has yet been given. For Dr. Gill, the appeal of the technology is that it stores information about a person’s preferences rather than about their disability. “For example, if a person chooses large characters it may simply be because they don’t want to wear glasses in public.” One limitation is that not every machine will be able to comply with what the user wants: a user may well request speech output from a cash dispenser but very few ATM’s currently have speech enabled. “You could put it into a ticket machine and pay with cash – it wouldn’t need to know who you were, just your preferences for using that machine.”
Vocally Diallers - New Product Available New Vocally Diallers (Makes telephone calls without having to dial a digit!) from "Madhouse Software Productions Ltd Madhouse Software Productions is a fairly new company that develops Electronic Assistive Technology and their ethos is “Empowering the Individual through assistive technology”. A new product range called the “Vocally Diallers”, which Madhouse Software has just obtained the right to distribute and retail in the UK and Europe may be of interest to you. The Vocally Diallers are a product which enable voice dialling from your home telephone, you can read more at http://www.madhousesoftware.co.uk/madhouse/vocallydialer.html --------- oO0Oo -------- On or off the Bus As I sit in my armchair warming my feet in front of a blazing fire, my thoughts wander to those “good old days”; the days when Manchester Corporation had its own public bus service; when each bus had a conductor with a joke, a helping hand and able to keep you informed as to where you were on the route. Those were the days when Manchester was to the fore in what they did, earning the reputation that “What Manchester did today the rest of the world did tomorrow”. In the 70’s we saw the merging of Manchester Corporation bus service with those of other local Boroughs under the umbrella of the Greater Manchester Council and the establishment of Greater Manchester Buses, a bus service that maintained many of the features it inherited from its predecessors. The demise of the Greater Manchester Council saw the establishment of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority/Executive (GMPTA/E) who took control of the running of GM Buses until deregulation forced Authorities to look to privatisation for their public transport needs. Privatisation brought about a reduction in services. When was the next bus due? Where was its destination? When on the bus, would we know when we reached our destination? These are some of the questions facing visually-impaired bus users today. The recent introduction of a limited amount of “Realtime” displays on some routes has given an indication to those able to access the print format their likely waiting time, but those unable to access this form of information are left wondering and unaware of the time lag. The reluctance of the GMPTA/E and bus operators to install the technology able to supplement the printed display with an audible output is a discouragement for VIP’s to venture onto the system. Other parts of the country have not been so “short sighted”. The Leeds area provided audible information on some of its bus routes several years ago, whilst Transport For London are installing such a system with G.P. input (see “Megonews” Issue No. 7, March 2006 – “Next Stop Announcements”). The principle of “talking bus stops” have been with us even longer. Leeds amongst other areas took this on board. The GMPTA/E for its part concluded that the installation of the “REACT” system at Bolton More Lane Bus Station – at a cost of many thousands of pounds – was the way to fully satisfy the information requirements of visually-impaired bus users. The apparent failure to bring this installation to fruition two or three years since fitted may be due to their realisation that they had bought a “pig in a poke”,in view of the much superior systems available in the market place (see “Megonews” Issue No. 2, November 2004 – “Talking Signs are here”). A system incorporating a means of communication with a driver would eliminate the danger of being left at the bus stop. It is perhaps not surprising that we are told that the Royal National Institute of the Blind are supportive of the “REACT” system; after all, “REACT” is their system. Apart from these discouraging features, VIP’s face other difficulties within the public transport environment. These include: 1. Badly designed bus shelters without highlighting; 2. Bins and street furniture badly positioned in close proximity to bus stops; 3. Face-high timetable frames with sharp edges protruding from bus stops. In their efforts to make bus services accessible, Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) (as well as the Manchester City Council) are looking to raise the level at bus stops to provide access to the low floor vehicles which operators appear to be acquiring. Whilst this process temporarily relieves the operators from purchasing really accessible vehicles it would, on the one hand, appear to merely put off the day when they will be compelled to acquire fully accessible buses and, on the other hand, the raised boarding points could produce an additional hazard to visually-impaired people due to the high level of the kerb. If the proposed cheaper material and a limited raised area is approved, then an excessive number of these boarding points will be springing up like mushrooms on the City’s streets. The raised boarders are apparently considered by the Authorities to be a hazard to VIP’s with the inclusion of a white line to draw users’ attention to the higher than usual kerb. Their wish to provide a tactile warning was rejected by the Department for Transport on the grounds that their proposal could not be considered as a platform.
Revision of the Disability Discrimination Act, effective from this December, would appear to place greater responsibility of Authorities and operators to meet the access needs of disabled people. Whether such a requirement relates to the needs of visually-impaired users is not clear; but if it is accepted that the failure to make appropriate adjustments to enable more VIP’s to comfortably use the public services, then perhaps these should be incorporated. --------- oO0Oo --------- Entertainment News Brochures
Both the Manchester Library Theatre and the Royal Exchange Theatre will shortly be producing their brochures for the Spring and Summer season. These are available in standard and large print, Braille and in an audio format. If you have not received a copy in the past but would like to do so, then don’t waste any time; contact the Library Theatre Marketing Section on 0161-234-1919 or the Royal Exchange Theatre Box Office on 0161-833-9833. The Lowry also produce a brochure in standard and large print as well as on CD. If you are interested give them a ring on 0161-876-2000. Both the Bolton Octagon and Oldham Coliseum also provide advanced information in various formats. Ring the Bolton Octagon on 01204-522481, or the Oldham Coliseum Theatre on 0161-624-1731, they will both be in a position to meet your needs. These Theatres normally provide a “touch Tour” of the scenery prior to the performance. Places on these need to be reserved when making your booking.
Audio Described Performances The following information has been supplied to us by Anne Hornsby of Mind’s Eye to whom we are extremely grateful. January 2007 10: “Golden Goose”; Library Theatre, Manchester; 2.15pm. 10: “Cinderella”; the Oldham Coliseum; 7.30pm. 12: “James and The Giant Peach”; at the Bolton Octagon; 7.15pm. 13: “Golden Goose”; at Manchester Library Theatre; 2.30pm. 24: “Mama Mia”; at the Palace Theatre, Manchester; 7.30pm. February 2007 10: “The Vortex”; at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; 4pm. 22: “Dead Funny”; at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre; 7.30pm. 28: “Wedding Dance”; The Bolton Octagon; 7.30pm. March 2007 8: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”; at Manchester Library Theatre; 7.30pm. 10: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”; at Manchester Library Theatre; 2.30pm. 15: “Look back In Anger”; at Oldham Coliseum; no time available. 20: “Death of a Salesman”; at Bolton Octagon; no time available. 31: “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf”; at The Royal Exchange, Manchester; April 2007: 12: “Chapter Two”; at Library Theatre, Manchester; 7-30pm. 14: “Chapter Two”; 3pm. 28: “Marivaux”; at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; 4pm. May 2007: 2: “How the Other Half Lives”; at Oldham Coliseum; no time available. 9: “Absurd Person Singular”; at the Bolton Octagon; no time available. June 2007: 7: “Someone who’ll watch over me”; at the Library Theatre, Manchester; 8pm. 9: “Someone Who’ll watch over me”; at the Library heater, Manchester; 3pm. In addition: 19 April: tbc Manchester Art Gallery visit. Regular screenings at the Cornerhouse (pre recorded).
The Lowry Centre – Gallery and Theatre
Here at The Lowry we offer services that make both the galleries and theatres more accessible to visually impaired people. We offer various theatre events that are accompanied by audio description and can arrange a free personal guide to take you around the galleries. All Lowry-produced printed material is available in large print and we also produce an audio season brochure which you can receive on CD or download from our website. If you join our advanced notice email service, My Lowry, not only will you be the first to know when the events you are interested in are announced, but we will also send you a reminder approximately one month before each audio described theatre performance. Don’t forget that The Lowry offers a money back guarantee on all accessible performances so that you can try out the service and see what you think; if you are unhappy with the service, please speak to a member of staff on the night of the show. When you ring to book for an accessible performance, make sure you let Box Office know your requirements, so that our trained staff make sure you get seats in the best areas of the theatre to make best use of the services. If you really don’t enjoy the service that we have provided, we do offer a money back guarantee so that you can try it out risk-free. You can download audio tracks with information about events at The Lowry from our website here: http://www.thelowry.com/visitorinformation/accessibility.html or if you would like to receive our season’s events on CD, please ask Box Office to add your name to the list by ringing 0870 787 5790. In the Galleries: As you'd expect, nowhere else in the world can match our Galleries for their vast and fascinating range of L. S. Lowry's work which changes with each exhibition. However, there's much, much more, with enticing displays of contemporary and historical art in our three exciting gallery spaces. Open: Sun to Fri 11am Sat 10am. Close: Closing times daily 5pm. Admission is free. We offer a free personal guided tour of the galleries for visually impaired people including, for example, the content of the painting, its colours, size, style and potential impact on the viewer, as well as placing the painting in its historical context. If you would like to have such a tour of the galleries, please book 2 weeks in advance by contacting the Box Office on 0870 787 5790. In the Theatres: Mon 12 – Wed 14 February: Feelgood Theatre Productions; “Not About Heroes” By Stephen MacDonald. A critically-acclaimed celebration of the friendship of WW1 poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, direct from a West End run. Times Evenings 8pm, Tue and Wed mats 1.30pm; Tickets £12; Audio Described Performance on the evening of Wed 14 February with a touch tour from 7-7.30pm, free to ticket holders but must be booked in advance. Sat 3 March: Opera North; “Orfeo”; Claudio Monteverdi. 400\th anniversary production of the work which invented opera. Features the exotic early instruments for which Monteverdi composed his extraordinary score. Sung in Italian with English titles. Times Evenings 7.15pm; Tickets £13 - £50; Audio Described Performance, Sat 3 March with a touch tour at 6pm. Tue 6 – Sat 10 March: National Theatre; “The Seafarer”; Written and directed by Conor McPherson. A powerful, funny and unsettling Irish contemporary drama by the author of The Weir and Shining City. Times Evenings 8pm, Wed mat 1.30pm, Sat mat 3pm. Tickets £16 - £22; Audio Described Performance on the evening of Wed 7 March with a touch tour at 6.30pm. There are a whole host of performing arts activities for people of all ages, please ask the Box Office for more information or go to www.thelowry.com. For more information about any of our events, please contact the Box Office on Tel: 0870 787 5790 or by Email: boxofficemanagers@thelowry.com.
Theatre Training for Young Actors Graeae Theatre Company is running a series of drama workshops called “Scene Change”” for young disabled people with physical and/or sensory impairments. These workshops will provide an opportunity for young disabled people from 16 to 25 to explore acting and performance skills with professional tutors from Graeae Theatre Company. The workshops will be fully accessible with access support provided for individual requirements and will take place at the Lowry Centre, Salford, on Saturday, 24 and Sunday, 25 February. For further details contact Alex Bulmer at Graeae Theatre Company on 0207 700 2455, or by email: Alex@graeae.org. Alternatively, you can contact the Lowry Centre on Tel: 0870 787 5790. --------- oO0Oo -------- And Finally.. That’s about it for this time round. “Megonews” will hopefully be back with you to provide some interesting reading over the Easter break. Meanwhile, no doubt some of this quarter’s content has given you some food for thought. MEGOBAPP does not necessarily support or has verified the technology and similar content. This newsletter is available in standard and large print, Braille and on audio cassette. If you are a visually-impaired person or have a visually-impaired friend involved either residentially or otherwise in the Manchester area and would be interested in becoming part of the Group, either give one of the Officers a ring or email: info@megobapp.org.uk. If you would like to find what topics have appeared in earlier editions of “Megonews”, these can be viewed by going to our Website: www.megobapp.org.uk. Officers of MEGOBAPP: Chairperson: Ron Goulden – 0161-798-9137; --------- oO0Oo ---------
|