Category Archives: learning difficulties
Mum wins fight with Bournemouth Council over care for disabled son
Mum wins fight with Bournemouth Council over care for disabled son – and calls for resignations
11:00am Friday 25th May 2012 in News By Melanie Vass
A MUM who has spent 18 months fighting to retain her severely disabled son’s care package has forced Bournemouth council to back down.
Lorraine Zavadil, 53, took on the council after it originally tried to cut the budget for her son Tarik’s care package by almost 70 per cent.
This would have meant that 28-year-old Tarik, who has congenital cerebral palsy, epilepsy and profound learning disabilities, is registered blind and is unable to speak, would have been unable to keep his current carers, some of whom have worked with him for over 10 years.
Minister backs learning disability eye health campaign
Care services minister Paul Burstow has backed a charity’s campaign to improve eye health services for people with learning disabilities.
by Dan Parton (Editor) on May 11, 2012 in News
The Liberal Democrat MP gave his support to SeeAbility’s ‘eye 2 eye’ campaign on a recent visit to the Morden Eye Centre, where he saw teenager Roshni Kothari receiving an enhanced sight test for people with learning disabilities. This was Kothari’s first sight test in the community, having previously been treated at Sutton Eye Hospital.
Recent research commissioned by SeeAbility and Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) highlighted that there are 1 million adults with a learning disability in the UK. People with learning disabilities are 10 times more likely to have serious sight problems than other people, with 6 in 10 people needing glasses. People with severe or profound learning disabilities are most likely to have sight problems.
Disability does not mean inability
‘Disability does not mean inability’ this was the mantra from disability rights campaigner and trustee of Cardiff People First, Peter Lewis. I first met Peter while working for TPAS Cymru some 10-12 years ago. He was a passionate campaigner for portraying people not as disabled, but enabled to live with a physical or mental challenge in their lives. Although Peter was born with a learning disability, he believed that individuals living with a medical condition should be empowered to get involved in choices about their care and support, rather than being isolated recipients of it.
His death last week was a tragedy for his family, friends and colleagues, but more so for the people he had yet to influence. Peter died after being stabbed in Roath, Cardiff on the 28th April. Police have arrested and charged a man in connection with his death.
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