white wedding - Irish Wheelchair Association

Transcription

SPOKEOUT
€4.00 · SUMMER 2013
Lifestyle magazine for people with limited mobility published by the Irish Wheelchair Association
WHITE
WEDDING
IWA custom-builds
white wheelchair
for special day
p25
p17
IWA Annual
Conference & AGM
Spokeout_summer_13_cover.indd 2
Life begins at 50
p35
House swap
holiday
05/06/2013 16:55
MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS....
INTRODUCTION
T
he cover of this bumper
summer issue features
Debbie Smith, who
recently celebrated her
marriage to partner Paddy in a
white wheelchair, custom-built by
IWA’s new Wheelchair Solutions
service. Inside, you can read Debbie’s emotional
personal story (p5), or learn about wheelchair
customisation (p7 & p9) and individualised mobility
aids (p13).
You can also enjoy interviews with Limerick-based
Eithne Foley (p35), who is about to embark on her
first house swap holiday, and with artist Ann Kennedy
(p25), who talks about mental health, settling into her
Greystones home and making the most of life.
On p38, we have an update from Canadian sisters
Maura and Kyra McMahon, who are planning a
wheelchair trek of the Camino de Santiago this
autumn.
Finally, on p17 we bring you news from the IWA
Annual Conference & AGM in Sligo, which saw
the launch of IWA’s new strategic plan and the
announcement of IWA’s first ‘Volunteer of the Year’
award.
Joanna Marsden, Editor
Kiara Lynch
Regular Spokeout contributor Kiara
Lynch is currently enjoying strawberry
season on the family farm in Longford.
She’s also busy finalising plans for her
belated two-stop honeymoon this September. She’s
wondering, should she go and see grizzly bears while
she is in Vancouver, and will she be able to drag her
husband away from Hawaii’s volcanos long enough to go
snorkelling with turtles and dolphins?
Jenny Kerr
Jenny Kerr from Kells in Co Meath
describes herself as a person “with more
life experiences than qualifications”.
Since joining the IWA Youth Media Group
in 2012, Jenny feels she has a forum to openly express
thoughts and feelings on issues that matter. She is also
an active member of her local IWA centre, and says IWA
has helped her build confidence by introducing her to new
activities, such as powerchair football and boccia.
Dave Humphreys
Motoring journalist Dave Humphreys
says he eats, sleeps and breathes
cars by choice, not just because he
has to. Despite being a self-confessed
workaholic, when he gets those rare few hours to switch
off, he enjoys music and film. Something of a social media
guru, Dave always has one eye on technology and what’s
going to be ‘the next big thing’.
Anita Matthews
EDITOR
Joanna Marsden
COVER PHOTO
Robert Smith
EDITORAL ASSISTANCE
Kiara Lynch
Colette Molloy
Mairéad Farquhason
DISTRIBUTION
Shanahan Direct Marketing Ltd
EDITORIAL DESIGN MANAGER
Layla Hogan
DESIGN ASSISTANT
Jessica Fitzgerald
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
DESIGN MANAGER & EDITORIAL
DESIGN THIS ISSUE
Diarmuid O’Connor
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES TO:
The Editor, Spokeout,
Irish Wheelchair Association.
Blackheath Drive,
Clontarf, Dublin 3.
Tel: (00 353) 1 818 6455
Email: joanna.marsden@iwa.ie
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES TO:
Philip McGaley 01 2011052 /
087 2666568
The copyright rests with IWA and no
material may be reproduced without the
permission of IWA.The views expressed
in the publication do not necessarily
represent the views of IWA.
recycle
When you have finished with
this magazine please recycle it.
Spokeout is distributed quarterly by
post to 20,200 IWA members and to
Government bodies and other disability
interest groups.
ISSN NO: 1393-8517
Anita Matthews returned to IWA’s
Communications Department in March
2013 after spending two years in
Australia. Having adjusted to the wet and
windy weather again, Anita is enjoying life at home and is
indulging in the things she never thought she would miss
about Ireland, such as a good cup of tea and homemade
brown bread.
SPOKEOUT ON CD AND TAPE
Spokeout is now available on both tape and CD. Please
contact Colette Molloy on 01 818 6485 or colette.
molloy@iwa.ie
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Please send your name, the name of your organisation (if applicable), address
and telephone number, with a cheque or postal order for €15.00 (payable to
IWA) to: Spokeout subscriptions, Irish Wheelchair Association, Blackheath
Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3
2
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06/06/2013 12:40
Contents
COVER STORY
TRAVEL
5 White wedding
Debbie Smith celebrates her
wedding in a custom-built white
wheelchair
33 Holidaying at home
Accessible holiday
accommodation in Ireland
35 House swap
A guide to accessible house
swapping
38 Camino wheelchair trek
Update on Maura and Kyra
McMahon’s Camino de
Santiago trek
MOBILITY
9 Wheelchair Solutions
The opening of IWA’s new
Wheelchair Solutions showroom
13 Bling your mobility aid!
Ideas for mobility aids with
personality
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
& AGM
17 IWA Conference 2013
News from IWA’s Annual
Conference & AGM in Sligo,
including CEO’s message
21 New IWA strategy launched
The publication of IWA’s new
strategic plan
23 Volunteer of the Year 2013
Winner Tony Hassett on his
motivation for volunteering
NEWS
41 Getting creative
Cartoons by Johnny
Connaughton
59 CIL Disability Studies Course
Information on CIL’s annual
Disability Studies Course
62 Fundraising news
Fundraising events around the
country
65 Inclusive Charity Cycle
Fundraiser attracts cyclists, handcyclists and tandem enthusiasts
LIVING
REGULARS
CARTOONS
42 Garden of your mind
Seasonal gardening inspiration
and advice
MOTORING
45 Hitting the road
Choosing the right car and
adaptations
FEATURE
YOUTH
25 Life begins at 50
Artist Ann Kennedy on turning her
life around
51 Young love
Jenny Kerr on the challenges of
relationships
CAREERS & EDUCATION
SPORT
29 A day in the life
Myra Cummins, ALS Co-ordinator,
on her unusual career path
55 Star of the future
Nine-year-old track athlete
Shauna Bocquet
5
9
38
66 My Life
William Ahern’s personal view on
living with a disability
67 Regional news
What’s happening around the
country
70 Crossword
Crossword No 20 by Gordius
70 Letters
Letters to the editor
72 Small ads
Sell on items or pick up a bargain
55
SPOKEOUT
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05/06/2013 16:56
COVER FEATURE
BANNER
WHITE WEDDING
hen at ten years of age Debbie Smith was
suddenly paralysed by the Transverse
Myelitis virus, she adjusted quickly to life in a
wheelchair. “So much had gone on in my life
already. Two of my brothers and one sister had died from
cystic fibrosis, and having seen my siblings ill, I was able to
make the distinction between being ill and being disabled.
I was still alive, so being in wheelchair didn’t seem like a
big thing. Once I got function in my arms back, I focused
on what I could do. I set about re-learning the basics and I
didn’t dwell on negative thoughts.”
Debbie returned to her family in Donaghmede after
spending a year in the NRH. “Although my parents were
advised to send me to the CRC school, they wanted
me to go back to my own school and my own friends. I
remember the school put in a big ramp for me, and the
week before I went back my mum taught me how to play
ball in the wheelchair and how to hold the rope for skipping
in the playground.”
As a teenager, Debbie became involved in sport and
in 1989, at the age of 17, she was selected to represent
Ireland at the New York State Games for the Physically
Challenged. “It was while I was training in the Phoenix Park
that I first met Paddy, who was a volunteer driver. It was
a showery, freezing December day and after the training
session we all went to the pub. From then on, the more I
saw him, the more I liked him. We became friends and got
together a year or so later. It was on and off because we
were so young and I was busy studying – but at the back
of my mind I always felt he’d be the person I’d marry.”
Debbie adds: “When it came to disability, Paddy just sort
of got it. He’d automatically get down to my height when
“You have this image of all
these perfect girls walking down
the aisle in white, and I was
worried about how this would
work with a wheelchair”
ALL PHOTOS BY ROBERT SMITH
W
Having experienced her share of tragedy, Debbie Smith saw her wedding to longtime partner Paddy as an opportunity to celebrate the positive things in their life.
This meant making the process fun, and not allowing access requirements or a
boring black wheelchair to get in the way! JOANNA MARSDEN reports
Debbie and Paddy at Ross Castle, Killarney
SPOKEOUT
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BANNER
Both the
priest and
Paddy sat
down beside
Debbie for
the vows
we were chatting. He’d offer to help but if he wasn’t sure
about anything he’d ask. And he was great at giving me a
jockey back!”
Debbie and Paddy got engaged in 2003. “We were in
Holland for a few days when he first asked me, but it was
all very informal, so I told him I’d think about it! When we
got back I said, ‘You’ll have to ask me again properly’. So
this time he bought a ring and got down on one knee by
the cross in the Phoenix Park.”
The couple were in no rush to set a date. “We were
still studying so we knew it was going to be a long
engagement, but Paddy was like one of the family already.
My dad and my younger brother David used to argue
over who would walk me
down the aisle. David and
I were very close so he’d
always wanted to do it. In
the end, David agreed with
my dad that he would wheel
me while my dad held my
hand. That was their big
compromise!”
During this period, Debbie
moved with her parents to
Naas in Kildare, where she
started working with Kildare Youth Services and later with
IWA’s National Mobility Centre, where she still works today,
maintaining the parking permit database and giving advice
on motoring issues.
In 2009, Debbie found out she was pregnant. “I was
very surprised, because I’d assumed I wouldn’t be able to
have children, although we’d hoped to adopt. But I was
very lucky. After our son Josh was born, Paddy and I finally
moved in together. We
still hadn’t set a date
for the wedding, but it
was great to be a proper
family and we wondered
why we hadn’t done it
sooner.”
Just after Josh’s first
birthday, Debbie’s brother
David, who had cystic
fibrosis, became ill and
died. “He was only 28
and we’d been close all
our lives, so I found it very
hard. Life can be short,
and it made me wonder
what Paddy and I were
waiting for, so we finally
set a date for April 2013.
We hoped our wedding
would be something to
look forward to, and an
opportunity for the family
to spend time together and celebrate the positive things in
our lives.”
Debbie and Paddy decided to limit the wedding to
100 family members and booked the Castlerosse Hotel
in Killarney. “Killarney is a special place for my parents
(Patrick and Bernadette) and for my brothers and sisters
(Denise, Karen, Yvonne, Robert and Damien) because
it’s where we had our big family holidays as children. The
hotel was largely wheelchair accessible and they also
had cottages and lodges on the grounds. Everyone has
different requirements but for me it worked. We also found
a great accessible florist – Blooms in Killarney. I did most
of my wedding planning over the phone and it was a very
positive experience – once I
explained my requirements,
people were very helpful.”
One aspect that had
always worried Debbie
was finding a dress. “You
have this image of all these
perfect girls walking down
the aisle in white, and I
was worried about how
this would work with a
wheelchair. I knew I wanted
to wear a dress, but I couldn’t get my head around how
I was going to try dresses on. Even if I found a shop that
was somewhat accessible, how would I get a perfect white
dress on without touching it off my wheels? I knew most
shops asked you to wear gloves to protect the dresses,
and I was dreading the whole process.”
In the end, Debbie’s mum suggested she try Classy Lass
bridal shop in Clane “I was amazed because it turned out
“These days, a wheelchair
doesn’t have to be a horrible
thing. They used to be heavy and
black, but now they can build
a lightweight chair around you,
customising breaks, handles, seat
backs and wheels”
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05/06/2013 17:12
COVER FEATURE
to be a lovely experience. I went in thinking about practical
things like not having an opening in the back of the dress
because of my scars, not having a train, and not showing
my arms, which are very muscly from pushing the chair!
But all that went out the window when I fell in love with a
really impractical dress than met none of my criteria. But it
was ‘the one’, and the wonderful alterations lady worked
with me to reduce the train and take out some layers, so it
would look right with a chair.”
Since her shoes wouldn’t be visible, Debbie decide to
wear a pair of runners that her brother David had given
her. “Most girls make a big deal about shoes for their
wedding, but I wasn’t going to do this. Instead I thought,
I need a new wheelchair anyway – maybe I could get
something a bit special?” Debbie had heard about IWA’s
new Wheelchair Solutions service. “After looking at some
brochures, I decided to go for it, and the whole process
was brilliant. The staff measured me up and ran through
the pros and cons of all the different frames. I’ve had
several spinal fusions so IWA’s Occupational Therapist Vijoy
helped me explore a new type of back support. It wasn’t
about wanting to hide my chair for the wedding. Choosing
the chair was actually a fun experience, and I knew I was
going to enjoy using it. These days, a wheelchair doesn’t
have to be a horrible thing. They used to be heavy and
black, but now they can build a lightweight chair around
you, customising breaks, handles, seat backs and wheels.
And of course you can have absolutely any colour – so
naturally, I went for a specific shade of white that matched
my dress!”
When the day of the wedding finally arrived on Saturday
April 20th 2013, Debbie’s father (with some help from
Josh) wheeled her down the aisle. “Of course there
was a sadness that David wasn’t around, but on my
wedding morning my mum had a surprise for me. She
had embroidered David’s name into the end of my veil, so
I could feel that in some way he was behind me as I went
down the aisle, as he’d always wanted to be. That meant a
lot to me.”
At the altar, both Paddy and the priest sat down beside
Debbie. “We faced each other with our knees together,
and the priest sat between us on a small seat. For a few
minutes, we felt like we were the only people in the room.”
Debbie adds, “The whole wedding was a lovely, personal
occasion. Instead of me working around access issues,
everybody was flexible and it felt like my chair and my
dress were made to work for me. Sometimes if you are in
a chair, it’s easy to look at what you can’t do, but if you get
out there and go for what you want, people really do their
best to accommodate you.”
Debbie, Paddy and Josh are now planning their family
honeymoon in late June. “It’s nice to have something to
look forward to. Most of the time, we’re busy getting on
with life like any other family. As well as working fulltime, I
do the usual things any mother does, like the crèche dropoffs and pick-ups. Josh is used to the fact that his mummy
A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO PURCHASING A
CUSTOMISED WHEELCHAIR
1. Contact Wheelchair Solutions on 01 818 6453
or email wheelchair@iwa.ie and speak with a
member of the team about your requirements.
Alternatively, complete and submit an enquiry
form available online at www.iwa.ie/wheelchair
2. Arrange to meet with a member of the Wheelchair
Solutions team to discuss your individual
requirements and personal needs when it comes
to the design and specification of the new
wheelchair. (This is a nationwide service and
members of the team can arrange to meet you at
a convenient location.)
3. Wheelchair Solutions will prepare a quote
and include additional details including colour
preference, finish and extras.
4. Place your order for your brand new customised
wheelchair and pay your security deposit.
5. Your wheelchair will be delivered to you personally
by a member of the Wheelchair Solutions team.
The wheelchair will be tested and any necessary
adjustments will be made on the spot.
6. Final payment is made in full.
7. One month later, Wheelchair Solutions will contact
you directly to ensure all is going well and you are
completely satisfied with your purchase.
8. One year later, Wheelchair Solutions will contact
you to arrange a complimentary annual service.**
**Terms & Conditions Apply
uses a wheelchair, and he recently looked at me and said,
‘Some mummies are in a wheelchair but all daddies can
walk!’ He also said, ‘When I grow up, I want to have big
muscles like Mammy!’ I never expected it, but I got my
‘normal life’, and a normal life is a very big thing if you think
you can’t have one.”
Josh, Paddy and Debbie
xxxx
SPOKEOUT
7
05/06/2013 17:12
MOBILITY
BANNER
WHEELCHAIR
SOLUTIONS
W
Weatherman Martin King forecast a bright future for IWA’s new
Wheelchair Solutions division when he officially opened the Clontarf
showroom in April. ANITA MATTHEWS, IWA Communications
Coordinator, explains the services on offer
heelchair Solutions, the newest division
of the Irish Wheelchair Association, was
officially opened by TV’s best-known
weatherman, Martin King, at the end of April.
Martin joined CEO Kathleen McLoughlin to celebrate the
opening of the Wheelchair Solutions showroom, which
provides an accessible and welcoming environment for
all customers. The event was attended by IWA members,
staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and
representatives from the HSE.
Wheelchair Solutions provides an extensive range of
manual wheelchairs and mobility scooters, as well as a
nationwide wheelchair rental service. The new division can
be utilised by people with disabilities and mobility issues,
people who have been recently discharged from hospital,
people with a short term injury or other illness, and elderly
people who would like to rent a wheelchair for a period of
time. The rental service is designed to be flexible, offering
hire periods from one day to ten weeks, and is also open to
tourists travelling to Ireland who require a wheelchair while
on holiday.
Customers of Wheelchair Solutions can expect an allinclusive service with specialist advice on their individual
requirements and needs. Wheelchair Solutions carries
a high quality, modern and functional range of manual
The Wheelchair Solutions team (l to r): Clive
Hough, Colin Whelan, Paddy McInerney, Eric Molloy
Cutting the ribbon on the new showroom are: CEO
Kathleen McLoughlin; Francis Genockey, who was involved
in IWA’s early wheelchair repair services in the 1970s; and
weatherman Martin King
and powered wheelchairs, and other products available
include daily living aids and appliances designed to assist
those with mobility and dexterity issues. While in the shop,
customers can also access advice, product information
and technical resources.
In addition, products can be purchased online from
www.iwa.ie/wheelchair and will be delivered within 3-4
working days. The range of products available online
includes: kitchen utensils, adapted cutlery, walking aids,
communication equipment including mobile phones and
a variety of wheelchair accessories. Two new products,
which recently arrived in stock and are proving very
popular, are wheelchair gloves in a variety of styles and
sizes and ‘gel therapy balls’ designed to provide variable
resistance training for hands, fingers and forearms.
The Wheelchair Solutions team is highly experienced and
expert in the area of assisted living requirements, clamping
equipment and wheelchair supplies. Located in IWA
Clontarf, the showroom includes a workshop where repair
specialists can assist individuals with general wheelchair
SPOKEOUT
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05/06/2013 18:25
MOBILITY
WHEELCHAIR RENTALS – A FOUR-STEP GUIDE
1. Contact Wheelchair Solutions on 01 818 6453
or email wheelchair@iwa.ie. A member of the
team will discuss the rental procedure and
specifications suitable to each customer’s
individual requirements. Wheelchairs can be
rented from a period of one day to ten weeks with
prices starting at €10.00. Customers can also
contact the team directly by completing an online
enquiry form ww.iwa.ie/wheelchair
2. Wheelchairs are available throughout Ireland and
can be collected or delivered from various IWA
locations nationwide. The Wheelchair Solutions
team will liaise directly with customers to arrange
a suitable drop-off or collection point.
3. Wheelchair is collected and payment is made in
full upon collection.
4. Wheelchair is returned to IWA location.
repairs and parts replacements. Customers can browse the
range of products in a modern, purpose-built store which
was designed specifically to meet the needs of people with
physical disabilities.
IWA Architect André Negri designed the layout of the
building and features include a gentle ramp to the front
of the building leading to automatic opening doors. The
floor finish is level throughout with wide doors and all
specifications are as per the IWA Best Practice Access
Guidelines. The shop also has an accessible bathroom for
customer convenience, fitted to the highest standards.
Niall McDonnell from Kildare was one of the first
customers to purchase a new manual wheelchair from
Inside the new Wheelchair Solutions showroom
Wheelchair Solutions. Niall ordered a custom-designed
wheelchair which met his personal requirements and was
pleased with the end product. “I am delighted with my new
wheelchair. The service has been excellent, from the initial
fitting to the final adjustments once the chair had arrived,”
said Niall. “Wheelchair Solutions were great at giving
me information about how the various parts of the chair
needed to suit my personal requirements. This included
selecting a much improved back support system which will
address issues I had been having with my back.”
As part of IWA, Wheelchair Solutions understands the
many challenges people with disabilities face in regard
to budgetary constraints and difficulties in accessing the
appliances required to meet their individual requirements.
With this in mind, Wheelchair Solutions aims to provide an
affordable line of products that are functional and which
assist people with all aspects of their daily activities.
For further information visit www.iwa.ie/wheelchair or
contact Wheelchair Solutions on 01 818 6453
10
05/06/2013 18:25
MOBILITY
Bling your MOBILITY AID!
Are you sick of boring old black everywhere on your
wheelchair, power chair or walking aid? Then why not inject
some personality into your mobility equipment with these
ideas from KIARA LYNCH?
INVACARE DECORATIVE SPOKE-GUARDS
The Invacare decorative spoke-guards
are available on the Action 3 Junior
manual wheelchair with 20” or
22” wheels. Designs available
for the Action 3 spoke-guards
are a spider web, a yellow
smiley face or a flower. The
Kuschall wheelchair range also
has a number of decorative
spoke guards available
on 22” and 24” wheels.
The designs include
aliens, pirates, snakes,
and Kuschall branded
options in black and red.
Available at from approx
€130-€200 per pair
excl. p&p from Invacare.
Email ordersireland@invacare.
com or call the office on 01 810
7084 for further information.
SUGRU
Sugru is a new
self-setting
rubber that can
be formed by
hand. It moulds
like play-dough,
bonds to almost
anything and
turns into a
strong, flexible
silicone rubber
overnight. It feels like
modelling clay, and it’s that easy to use too. It can
be moulded around brake levers on a manual wheelchair or
around a joystick on a power wheelchair to add colour and
bling to your wheelchair or create a better grip.
Available in different sizes and colours at approx €8 - €15
excl. p&p from www.sugru.com
‘BURGUNDY FLOWER’
FOLDING CANE
These folding adjustable walking
sticks with T- shaped handle are
lightweight and easy to use. They
fold away neatly for easy storage
when not in use. Cane is suitable
for a maximum user weight of
114kg (18 stone).
Available at €18.99 excl. p&p
from the Irish Wheelchair
Association’s Wheelchair
Solutions online shop.
Tel: 01 8186 453.
Web: www.iwa.ie/wheelchair
EASICARE SPOKE-GUARDS
Easicare spoke-guards are
available for 20”, 22” and
24” rear wheels. There are
standard designs in the
range and custom designs
are also available. Script or
print can be put on all of
the spoke-guards,
but customisation is
subject to copyright!
There is an extra
charge for the spokeguards if an image
has to be purchased.
Available at approx
€170-€230 per pair
excl. p&p from Vicki
Murphy at MMS
Medical. Email:
vickiodonoghue@
mmsmedical.ie. Tel: 021 461 8000. Further
information can be found at www.mmsmedical.ie
SPOKEOUT 13
05/06/2013 17:26
MOBILTY
PRIMO VTRAK TYRES
The Primo Vtrak tyres are rubber
tyre covers available in 24”, 25” and
26”. (You also need an inner tube.)
The tyres are used on everyday
wheelchairs and in sports such as
wheelchair tennis. They are available
in grey, red, yellow or blue. Available
at approx €19 excl. p&p from
www.epc-wheelchairs.co.uk
OHYO
Ohyo is a collapsible dishwasher-safe
water bottle with a nozzle that can be
re-used over 10,000 times. The nozzle
means it can be used one-handed
instead of having to unscrew a bottle
cap each time you want a drink. The
wide bottle neck of Ohyo makes it very
easy to fill and refill.
Available at approx. €10 for a pack of
two excl. p&p from www.ohyo.me
‘WILD ROSE’ FOLDING ADJUSTABLE
COLOURED WALKING STICK
These folding height-adjustable walking sticks have received a
hard anodised treatment that prevents damage to the attractive
surface. The wooden handle is shaped to fit comfortably in
either hand. Made from aluminium, making them extremely
lightweight, they are available in three height-adjustable
lengths. User weight limit is 115kg /18 stone.
Available at €25 excl. p&p from Murray’s Medical. Tel: 01
866 3330. Web: www.murrays.ie
Other products worth looking at....
www.glamsticks.co.uk
www.coolhubcaps.com
www.pimpmychair.com
www.zazzle.co.uk
www.conformuk.com
SPOKELIT
Just clip a SpokeLit bike light onto the
spokes of your wheelchair and give it a
squeeze – the bright LED light inside glows
or flashes making your wheels highly visible!
In the flashing mode, SpokeLit lights will
trace a dashed arc of light as your wheel
spins along, whereas the glow mode will
keep your wheel illuminated when you’re not
moving. 2 x CR2016 batteries are included
and fitted. Each pack contains one SpokeLit
wheel light with glow and flash modes.
Available in a range of colours at approx. €8
excl. p&p from www.glow.co.uk
OHYO GIVE-AWAY
The guy behind Ohyo is Guy Jeremiah, an environmental scientist from Sheffield, UK. Guy came up with the idea
of a collapsible water bottle in 2008 after witnessing first-hand the environmental damage caused by bottled water.
It takes a 1/4 litre of oil and 7 litres of water to make 1 litre of bottled water, and there are enough plastic bottles
discarded every year to stretch to the moon and back 50 times! Very few plastic bottles are recycled – most end up
in landfills taking centuries to decay – and research shows that bottled water isn’t any cleaner, better for you or tastier
than tap water. The guys at Ohyo have kindly given us ten Ohyos to give away. To be in with a chance of winning,
send your name, address and contact number to: Ohyo Competition, Spokeout, Irish Wheelchair Association,
Blackheath Drive, Clontarf. All entries will be entered in to a draw that will take place on Friday 27th July.
UUTENSIL SPUDNIK POTATO MASHER GIVE-AWAY WINNERS
Oliver Patrick Hickey, Co Offaly and William Cooper, Co Wexford.
These are just ideas! Spokeout does not endorse any specific products or suppliers. We advise readers to shop around and, if
appropriate, check with an OT to ensure a product is suitable for an individual’s needs.
14
05/06/2013 17:26
ANNUAL CONFERENCE & AGM
IWA Conference
2013
I
Delegates at IWA’s recent Annual Conference & AGM in Sligo enjoyed
an afternoon discussion with Charlie Bird and an inspirational keynote
address from John Lonergan, Former Governor of Mountjoy Prison.
ANITA MATTHEWS, IWA Communications Coordinator, reports
WA’s AGM and Annual Conference took place on
Saturday, 18th May 2013 in the wild and beautiful
countryside of Rosses Point, Co Sligo. Members and
staff joined community and voluntary organisations,
public sector representatives and not-for-profit agencies
at the Radisson Blu Hotel for the largest event in the IWA
calendar.
The AGM was extremely well attended with members
travelling across the country to participate in an election
of the Board, receive updates regarding the business of
the Association during 2012 and to witness the launch of
the new three-year strategy: Driving on – Determining Our
Future: A Strategy for People 2013 – 2016.
Following lunch, delegates returned to the conference,
eagerly anticipating the afternoon session which
was chaired by broadcaster, journalist and television
documentary presenter, Charlie Bird. The highlight of
the conference was an inspirational and moving keynote
address from John Lonergan, Former Governor of
Mountjoy Prison, in which he drew attention to the work
IWA has undertaken over the past 53 years and how the
organisation has influenced a major change in the public’s
attitude and perception of disability. He also acknowledged
the importance of raising awareness in relation to issues
which affect members.
John joined CEO Kathleen Mc Loughlin; Liam O’Sullivan,
Director of Care Alliance Ireland; and President of IWA,
Eileen O’Mahony on stage, while Charlie Bird opened up
the conference to the floor for members to express their
opinions, highlight pressing issues and draw attention to
challenges facing them in the economic climate.
The Minister for Small Business, John Perry TD, attended
the latter part of the conference to address delegates and
assured them he would bring the many urgent issues he
had heard on the day to the attention of Government.
Marian Harkin, Independent Member of the European
Parliament for North West constituency, later attended the
conference dinner and presented the IWA’s Volunteer of the
Year Award to Tony Hassett, who is from Tipperary and has
volunteered with the Association for thirteen years.
Charlie Bird facilitated an open forum during the
conference. Pictured is Donal O’Boyle, Donegal, posing a
question to the panel
Helen O’Neill, Josie Buckley and Kathleen Wolfe from IWA
East Cork
SPOKEOUT 17
05/06/2013 17:31
Patrick Gogarty from Laytown, Co Meath, with his mother Kathleen
MEP Marian Harkin presents Tony
Hassett with his award for ‘Volunteer
of the Year 2013’
John Lonergan delivering his key note address
John Finn and Michael Hickey catch up at the conference
Tomas McCluskey and PJ Gorey enjoy the range of stands
promoting IWA services
John Lonergan and Martin Naughton share a joke before the
afternoon session begins
18
05/06/2013 17:31
CEO’s message
CEO KATHLEEN
McLOUGHLIN reflects
on the recent Annual
Conference and the launch
of IWA’s new strategic plan
President of IWA Eileen O’Mahony and Finance Director
Geraldine Etchingham
Minister for Small Business, John Perry TD, with Kathleen
McLoughlin, CEO
Josephine Dywer, National Development Coordinator, with
IWA Director Tony Cunningham
IWA’s Annual Conference is an occasion that says
a great deal about the spirit of IWA. Each year
every one of our 20,000 members receives an
invitation to this event, and many of them make an
extraordinary effort to attend and have their say in
the running of our Association.
This year’s Annual Conference was particularly
vibrant. Charlie Bird was our charismatic facilitator
and we also had many excellent speakers and
special guests – John Lonergan, Former Governor
of Mountjoy Prison; Liam O’Sullivan, Director of
Care Alliance Ireland; Minister for Small Business,
John Perry TD; and Marian Harkin, Independent
Member of the European Parliament for North West
constituency.
The event provided an opportunity to discuss
the current challenges facing IWA, and to examine
some of the ways in which IWA is responding to
these challenges by changing the way it does
its business in order to safeguard services.
An important part of this has been the recent
organisational restructuring, which has seen us
move from a regional model to a national, servicedriven model. This new structure enables our
directors to focus on critical service areas, and also
provides for a dedicated customer service unit and
a stronger focus on volunteerism.
These changes place us in a strong position
as we embark on our three-year strategic plan:
Driving on – Determining Our Future: A Strategy
for People 2013-2016. This plan, which was
launched at the Annual Conference, reflects the
views and ambitions of over 2,000 members and
other stakeholders who engaged in our year-long
consultation process.
You can read more about the plan on p21 of this
issue, or perhaps take time to download it from our
website or request a copy from your local centre. I
hope, as you read through the pages, you will see
some of your own priorities reflected. Underlying
the whole plan is our shared determination to
provide the highest quality services, and to ensure
that these services continue to be built around the
individuals who receive them.
SPOKEOUT 19
05/06/2013 17:31
IWA member John Mangan chats with Charlie Bird after
the conference
Founding member Oliver Murphy with Former Governor
of Monutjoy John Lonergan
Liam O’Sullivan, Director of Care Alliance, Ireland
Kathleen McLoughlin, CEO of IWA, opens the conference
Arun Assen from Limerick puts his views forward
Kayleigh McKevitt from Dublin participates in the open forum
during the afternoon session
20
05/06/2013 17:31
ANNUAL
CONFERENCE
ANNUAL
CONFERENCE
& AGM
NEW IWA
STRATEGY
LAUNCHED
A
IWA’s new strategic plan, which was launched at the Annual Conference, is
the result of an extensive consultation process during which IWA listened
to members and other stakeholders, and acted to address the issues that
matter to them, writes Strategy Facilitator NATASHA SPREMO
t the recent Annual Conference and AGM,
IWA’s new organisational strategy ‘Driving On –
Determining Our Future’: A Strategy For People
2013-2016 was presented to members. This
strategy was developed following extensive consultation
with IWA members, staff, branches, funding agencies such
as the HSE, and other statutory bodies including local
authorities. During this consultation, over 2,000 individuals
attended consultation meetings or submitted their views
regarding the issues the strategy should address and the
direction IWA should take over the next three years. The
guiding principle underpinning the strategy development
was: “We Asked, We Listened, We Heard, We Acted.”
A huge number of messages heard during the
consultation related to the general economic environment
within Ireland at the moment. Members expressed
real fears that service and funding levels would be cut,
impacting significantly on the lives of individuals. To
address these fears, six key objectives are identified in the
strategy and these are to:
1. Support independent living and enhanced quality of life;
2. Retain and enhance services;
3. Ensure financial stability and sustainability for the
Association;
4. Raise our profile;
5. Continue to develop sport and youth activities;
6. Mobilise support.
developed, shaped and delivered as a strategy for people
by our members. It signposts what we are planning to
achieve over the next three years.”
For further information on the new IWA strategy ‘Driving
On – Determining Our Future’: A Strategy For People
2013-2016, log on to www.iwa.ie/strategy or contact your
local IWA Resource and Outreach Centre.
Under each of these objectives, a number of immediate
and specific actions have been identified to ensure that
IWA acts to address the issues identified by members.
Speaking to members about the strategy, CEO Kathleen
McLoughlin said: “We have set ourselves an ambitious
plan and together, with courage and determination, we
can make our objectives a reality. This plan has been
SPOKEOUT 21
05/06/2013 17:45
ANNUAL
CONFERENCE
ANNUAL
CONFERENCE
& AGM
VOLUNTEER OF
THE YEAR 2013
T
“
IWA’s inaugural ‘Volunteer of the Year’ award was won by Tony
Hassett, who has been running a weekly wheelchair basketball club
in Nenagh for 13 years. Tony told JOANNA MARSDEN about his
very personal motivation for volunteering
he main reason I got involved in sport for
people with disabilities is that I came very
close to being a wheelchair user myself,” says
Tony Hassett, who is a retired public servant
from Nenagh. “About 20 years ago, I broke my neck in
an accident and ended up spending six months in the
NRH. I had several spinal fusions and doctors told me
I was unlikely to walk, but I was very lucky and made a
better recovery than expected. Nonetheless, the whole
experience gave me an insight into what it is like to live as
a wheelchair user. To this day, I remain appreciative of the
fact that, of all the people in St Joseph’s Ward at that time,
I was the only one to walk out.”
In 1999, Tony was approached by a local IWA member.
“They suggested I get involved by setting up a sports
group, and our current Wednesday night basketball group
evolved from there. Over the years we’ve also played
indoor hurling, boccia and wheelchair rugby, but wheelchair
basketball is the sport the group enjoys most.”
Tony has always been involved in sports coaching and
also organises a charity run every Christmas. “Seeing
people get active is what makes me tick. Over the years
I’ve coached athletics, hurling, soccer and aqua jogging. I
enjoy watching people improve. The wheelchair basketball
group started off at a pretty poor standard but they have
come on hugely and are now at a good level.”
Tony adds, “Recently some grant opportunities have
opened up and we are hoping to acquire new sports chairs
for the team. The ordinary chairs are just not suitable for
serious basketball. Once we get new chairs, our aim is to
get into the National Wheelchair Basketball League.”
Despite this ambition, Tony emphasises that the club is
not solely about competitive basketball. “We also cater for
those who have a recreational interest. Competitive or not,
everyone gets the same enjoyment. It’s a mixed group of all
ages, with about 20 members in total. People come from
Limerick, Thurles, Borrisokane and Nenagh. The social
aspect is huge. After the session we always have tea and
coffee, and when we travel around the country playing
matches, there is great old banter along the way.”
Tony says new members are always welcome. “I know
there are lots of wheelchair users out there – maybe some
of them are shy, but new blood is good for the whole team.
And it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are, you will
still be looked after! Sport is a fantastic way of breaking
down barriers. And it’s not just about disability – our group
includes guys from Sir Lanka and Afghanistan.
“What I do well is motivate people and get the best out
of them. No matter how disabled a person is, they still have
potential. Nothing showed that like last year’s Paralympics.
I’ll never forget the blind soccer for example – simply
unbelievable!”
When Tony heard he had been selected from 83
nominations to win ‘Volunteer of the Year’, he says
he felt “very humbled.” “My family are very proud. My
wife, Ann, and my children Danny and Lily, all work in
caring professions so they understand why it’s special.
They also know I was only a fraction away from being a
wheelchair user myself and that I’m only too glad to have
an opportunity to ‘pay it back’ in some way. I do look at
volunteering as a way of giving back, but I also get a lot out
of it. I have a great relationship with the members and if I
ever feel depressed or like I’ve had a bad day, it disappears
when I catch up with them.”
Tony Hassett speaking
at the Annual
Conference, following
the presentation of
the award
SPOKEOUT 23
05/06/2013 17:47
FEATURE
BANNER
LIFE BEGINS AT 50
Artist Ann Kennedy, who lives in Greystones, Co
Wicklow, tells JOANNA MARSDEN how, after decades
struggling with undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome, her
life only really began in her 50s
Ann (front) with her twin sister Margaret. Ann is a keen gardener and
this photo was taken at last year’s Bloom festival in the Phoenix Park.
Photo courtesy of Brenda Fitzsimons
I
“
always wondered why I was different,” says Ann
Kennedy. “I remember in the 1970s when I was in
art college in Dun Laoghaire, I felt so depressed and
disconnected from other people. I did the rounds
of various psychiatrists and every so often I would get
dragged up to St John of God’s where they’d fill me up
with drugs. It was a revolving door and in the end I lost all
my confidence. I became a shadow of myself and it got
to the stage where I couldn’t talk to other people, even at
family events.”
Ann struggled with her sense of being different during
her 20s, 30s and 40s, until in her early 50s she was finally
diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. “It had taken a
very long time to get a diagnosis, because awareness
of Asperger’s and similar conditions is a relatively recent
phenomenon, but finally I had an explanation that
accounted for some of the ways in which I was different –
for example, why I identified more strongly with elements of
my environment than I did with the people around me, and
why I found communicating verbally difficult at times. It was
also explained to me that these personality traits had been
exacerbated by the fact that I hadn’t been given hearing
aids as a child even though I had severe hearing loss.”
In 2002, a few years before this diagnosis, Ann recalls
an incident which changed the direction of her life. “I had
undergone surgery for Crohn’s disease and afterwards
I was placed in an old folk’s home for the recuperation
period. One night, at about 3am, I became very ill, and
it later transpired that my wound had burst because
of infection. It took some time for the staff to take me
SPOKEOUT 25
05/06/2013 17:51
BANNER
seriously because they had become so accustomed to my
‘so called’ mental health issues, which included regular
self-harm. The episode frightened me because it made
me realise that my behaviour was causing serious physical
health problems to be overlooked. I said to myself, ‘If you
don’t do something now you are going to end up like this
forever.’ I realised that by allowing people to treat me as if I
was insane, I was actually putting my life in jeopardy.”
Resolving to change her life, Ann sold a family heirloom –
a collection of art journals created by her Great Aunt Ginnie
– to the National Library in Dublin, and she used the money
to pay for psychotherapy. “My goal was to get off all the
medication, give up smoking and stop self-injuring. I wanted
to make the most of my life and to preserve my physical
health.” Looking back, Ann says the counselling was “short
and effective”. “I’ll never forget my counsellor. She was an
angel who gave me back my life. I began to realise how
lost I had been – trapped in my world with only my dog for
company – and I decided to take control of my life.”
While Ann’s mental health has improved dramatically
since 2002, far exceeding her initial hopes, her physical
health has deteriorated. Both she and her twin sister,
Margaret, suffer a rare combination of a Parkinson’s-type
neurodegenerative process and a muscle-wasting disorder,
and are now wheelchair users. “Margaret gave me a plaque
which I have on the wall in my
house,” says Ann. “It reads, ‘Once
I sorted my head out, my body fell
apart’. It certainly feels that way
sometimes!”
Ann and Margaret face an
ongoing battle to find the best
ways of treating and managing the conditions with which
they live, and are also committed disability activists. “People
with disabilities are less vocal than they used to be. When
Margaret moved back to Ireland about three and a half
years ago, after working as a lecturer in the UK for 30
years, I found it very upsetting to see her having to beg
Ann’s Jackson Pollockstyle studio
for basic services. Sometimes it feels like you have to fit
in a particular box just to be allowed to live! There is no
tolerance for difference in this country. And there are so
many human rights concerns – I mean we still haven’t even
ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of People with
Disabilities! We are backward, and now it seems like we
are embracing the conservatism spreading across Europe
and getting worse.”
Ann uses her mixed media art as a way of expressing
her frustration on political
issues, creating unique posters
or placards for use as part of
advocacy campaigns like last
autumn’s successful Dáil campaign
to reverse Government cuts to PA
services. She also aims to highlight
“the discrimination and misperceptions that have at times
led to poor physical healthcare for people with mental
health issues.”
Equally, she uses her art to celebrate the positive
aspects of her experiences. Currently, funding from
the Arts and Disability Forum in Belfast is enabling her
to photographically document the work of the Dublin
Dental University Hospital in Dublin 2. “This hospital has a
wonderful ethos of care – something that you rarely come
across today – and I want to do everything I can to ensure
it is recognised and preserved.”
Art is also a way of managing her thoughts and
emotions, and communicating with other people. “I
use art as a tool for my personal sanity and as a way to
explain things to myself and to others. There are so many
misconceptions about people with disabilities, particularly
in relation to mental health. Whatever people may think, I’m
not a ‘mental case’ – I am just different. In the years I have
left my aim is to put together a body of work that is more
than the sum total of how others perceive me.”
Ann adds: “Before I became completely overwhelmed
by mental health issues, I was a successful professional
artist. After college, I became a published children’s writer
and illustrator, a greeting card artist and designer, and I
“I’ll never forget my
counsellor. She was an angel
who gave me back my life”
Ann with her beloved therapy dog Maggie Mai
26
05/06/2013 17:51
FEATURE
“I use art as a tool for my personal
sanity and as a way to explain
things to myself and to others”
even worked on the animated film Watership Down. I also
rented out a small studio space which allowed me to paint
in oils. But being diagnosed so late in life has left me with
a relatively short time to devote to my work. I sometimes
feel like my life was taken away from me at 19 and given
back to me in my mid 50s. It makes me sad to think of the
wasted years. But I don’t think I’m alone in this situation –
lots of people with disabilities feel disappointed when they
think about the time they’ve had to waste trying to get the
right support. In an ideal world this just wouldn’t happen
– I mean we have enough to deal with just living with a
disability…”
Despite these regrets, Ann feels very positive about her
life going forward. “Today I am unrecognisable – a different
person – because I have come so far. I don’t get it right
all the time but I adore life. I think technology is wonderful
(my laptop is a lifeline to me) and I astounded everybody
by learning to drive at the age of 53! I can’t imagine not
driving now because it has given Margaret and I such
independence.”
Ann is currently busy adapting the bungalow she bought
close to her sister Margaret in Greystones, Co Wicklow.
When she is more settled in the area, she is hoping she
can get her Chihuahua, Maggie Mai, back to working as a
therapy dog. “Having worked with older people in the past,
I would like to try her with a disability group this time,” says
Ann.
Ann is also an enthusiastic gardener, and has already relandscaped her new garden, creating a circular accessible
pathway, and transforming an ordinary shed into an art
studio with a Jackson Pollock-style exterior. “It’s a bit
avant-garde for some of my neighbours, but has been
admired by others!”
When the workmen finish, Ann says she is looking
forward to “documenting her life experiences”, exploring
her new locality and working on her garden. “I spent
decades feeling alienated from a world I never understood,
but I am in a much better place now, and I can finally focus
on my art and enjoy the world around me. I feel I now have
a window in which I am still young and energetic enough
to really ‘love’ life and that is what I intend to do!”
EXAMPLES OF ANN’S ART
Above: A mixed media piece on the theme of disability
Above: A
photographic piece
titled ‘Sunflower
homegrown’
Left: A mixed
media piece titled
‘Reflections with my
heart’
A photographic piece titled ‘When someone tells me God
is watching’
SPOKEOUT 27
05/06/2013 17:51
CAREERS & EDUCATION
Myra Cummins
A DAY
IN THE
LIFE...
From her upbringing in a rural farming community, through 25 years with the
Presentation Sisters and nearly 15 years as a Co-ordinator in IWA’s Assisted
Living Service, Myra Cummins tells JOANNA MARSDEN why she has
always been inspired by community spirit and the warmth of people
I
“
grew up in a farming family in a close knit rural
community in County Roscommon,” says Myra
Cummins, who works as an Assisted Living Services
(ALS) Co-ordinator in IWA Tuam. “In times of
difficulty, people called on each other to help. That kind of
connectedness with others can be hard to achieve these
days, with most of us living in urban housing estates and
driving off to work every
morning. That’s one of the
reasons I value the great
sense of community that
exists in IWA. It is wonderful
to know that if I am
struggling with any situation,
I can call on my colleagues
for support and guidance. I also feel incredibly honoured to
be welcomed into the homes of so many members. They
invite me into their lives and show me such trust, warmth
and hospitality. For me, the time I spend face to face with
members has always been the most meaningful part of my
job.”
Myra began working in IWA in 1999, having followed a
somewhat unusual career path since leaving school in the
late 1960s. “I went to boarding school at the Presentation
Convent in Tuam, and when I finished I decided to stay
on and join the Presentation Sisters. In those days it was
normal for a handful of
students to do this, and I
hoped that it would be a
rewarding life. Like all young
people I had moments when
I used to daydream about
a wildly different life – like
becoming a beautician and
moving to Hollywood – but above all I knew I wanted to
work with people and not be stuck in an office.”
As part of her work with the Presentation Sisters,
Myra undertook training in institutional management and
“For me, the time I spend
face to face with members has
always been the most meaningful
part of my job”
SPOKEOUT 29
05/06/2013 18:35
BANNER
CAREERS & EDUCATION
catering, so she could assist in the running of the school
and convent premises. She worked in this area until 1987,
when she moved to Dublin to undertake a Diploma in
Pastoral Development in All Hallows College, Drumcondra.
This lead to a change in career direction and when
Myra returned to Tuam, she started working with local
community groups. “New housing estates were springing
up around Tuam and there was a demand for community
support services such as household management courses
for young couples. I also became involved in youth
groups and women’s groups, including domestic violence
support.”
Community-focused work suited Myra and in the early
90s she undertook a Diploma in Community Development
in NUI Galway. Inspired by the course, she got together
with other likeminded individuals to begin working on a
proposal to establish a Community Development Resource
Centre in Tuam. “This project was successful and when the
centre opened in 1992, I became its first chairperson.”
Since the late 70s, Myra had also been volunteering
with the Tuam Branch of IWA. “IWA organised a holiday to
St Jarlath’s College in Tuam
in 1976 and soon after the
Tuam Branch was founded.
Within a few years, IWA
Tuam was organising regular
holidays and running two
afternoon sessions in the
local social service centre.
“Those were great times in IWA. Decades later, I still
regularly meet people who talk about IWA holidays as the
best days of their youth. For many members, it was the
first time they’d been away, and their sense of excitement
at the newness of everything was contagious. There
was such a bond of friendship between members and
volunteers. Those were the days before health and safety
– we’d just hire a few holiday cottages and off we went!
There were no accessible bathrooms, no hoists – but
we certainly never said no to anyone because of their
requirements.
“IWA was very small in those days, and you got to know
members from all over the country. We all grew to love
Paddy Byrne, who was the main contact at national level,
and if we could think of any excuse at all, we’d invite him to
Tuam. I look back on those holidays and know I wouldn’t
be the person I am today without them.”
In the late 90s, Myra found herself questioning her role
in the Presentation Community. “For some time, I had
been questioning the future of that way of life for me. I was
working with marginalised people and I started wondering
whether my own life was cut off from the reality they faced.
How could I empathise with people struggling to survive
if my own bills were paid and I didn’t have to think about
earning a living? I began to feel it was time for me to forge
an independent life and in August 1998 I left the order.”
Myra admits the year she left was a challenging time.
“For the first time in my life, I needed to find accommodation
and paid work to survive.” Fortunately, around this time, IWA
was beginning to develop services in the west and in 1999
Myra successfully applied for the position of Community
Development Officer. “The ALS was in its infancy so my role
was to work with various community groups and regional
developments partnerships, and also to oversee Resource
and Outreach Services in Clairemorris, Belmullet, Tuam and
Galway. There was a big push for ALS service development
and a huge sense of optimism in IWA at the time.”
Within a couple of years the expansion of services meant
that dedicated service coordinators were taken on in
Resource and Outreach Centres, and Myra’s role became
that of dedicated Assisted Living Services Co-ordinator. The
rapid pace of change continued, as supported housing and
independent living units were developed and more and more
members starting using ALS. “The only downside for me
has been the increased administration,” says Myra. “When
I started, payroll meant simply sending an email up to the
Finance department. These days, payroll is done locally and
it takes us about 30 hours each month. I have to be honest
and say I’d rather be out there
meeting people!”
Despite increased
administration, Myra believes
changes to the ALS service
have been very positive. “Our
PAs are a wonderful group of
people – multicultural, highly
flexible and committed. Increasingly, working as a PA is
being viewed as a profession, and people are leaving other
areas of employment and undertaking a FETAC qualification
because they want to work in the area. And in recent years
it’s been great to see so many men moving into this type of
caring work and really enjoying it.”
She also feels the introduction of training in the
administration of medication has made a great difference to
the lives of many members. “IWA has always been good at
seeing a need and adapting its services to meet that need.
These days we use the word ‘person-centred’. We didn’t
have that word back in the 70s or 80s, when volunteers
were running holidays, but I think we already had that ethos.
Basically, every person is recognised as an individual – there
are no boxes or categories into which we fit people.”
Like many staff, Myra says she is regularly inspired by the
attitudes of the members with whom she works. “I meet
people with such physical challenges and such acceptance.
I ask them how they are and they say things like, ‘I couldn’t
be any better!’ Everyday they find something to be grateful
for. It has changed the way I see my own life, and I know
over the years I’ve got so much more than I’ve ever given.”
“Basically, every person is
recognised as an individual – there
are no boxes or categories into
which we fit people”
Myra Cummins retires in June. For information on Assisted
Living Services, please contact your local office, or contact
Claire Crehen Dowdall in IWA’s Clontarf office on 01 818
6400 or assistedliving@iwa.ie
30
05/06/2013 18:35
05/06/2013 17:59
BANNER
TRAVEL
Holidaying AT HOME
These accessible hotels, reviewed by KIARA LYNCH,
might prove handy bases if you fancy a night away or
feel like taking advantage of some of the festivals around
the country this summer
THE LOUIS FITZGERALD HOTEL
Naas Road, Dublin 22
Tel: 01 403 3300
www.louisfitzgeraldhotel.com
The luxurious four-star Louis Fitzgerald Hotel is a family
hotel located on the outskirts of Dublin City, close to
the M50 and N7. This Dublin hotel might suit those
staying in the capital or travelling further afield. The
main hotel entrance has level access and there are nine
designated parking spaces located between 6m-12m
from the hotel entrance. There are 190 bedrooms and
11 of these are wheelchair accessible. The accessible
rooms are all on the ground floor. The accessible
rooms all have low pile carpet and space to fit a hoist
under the beds. The en suites have a high toilet with
surrounding grab rails, and a roll-in shower with a fixed
shower seat and surrounding grab rails. The bar and
restaurant are fully wheelchair accessible. There is a
bus stop approximately 100m from the hotel, from
where the number 69 bus services the city centre.
The Louis Fitzgerald Hotel is offering IWA members
a special rate of €35 per person sharing for overnight
stay plus full Irish breakfast. Just quote ‘IWA’ when
booking.
HODSON BAY HOTEL & SPA
Athlone, Co Westmeath
Tel: 090 644 2000
www.hodsonbayhotel.com
The Hodson Bay Hotel & Spa sits on the shores
of Lough Ree. The hotel allows you to enjoy
the scenic countryside and is only a five-minute
drive from Athlone town centre. The four-star
hotel mixes traditional charm with modern
luxury and has much to offer by way of facilities
and services. The chief hotel entrance has
level access and there is a designated parking
space 25 yards from reception. There are 181
bedrooms and six of these are wheelchair
accessible. Accessible rooms are available on
every floor. The accessible rooms all have low
pile carpet and space to fit a hoist under the
beds. The en suites have a standard toilet with
surrounding grab rails, and a roll-in shower
with a fixed shower seat and surrounding grab
rails. The bar and restaurant are fully wheelchair
accessible. The Hodson Bay Hotel is located
1 hour from Dublin and Galway and is easily
accessible from the M6.
FIND OUT MORE: For more access information on these hotels, visit the new ‘Holidaying at home’
section on IWA’s website www.iwa.ie Although IWA does its best to ensure the information provided is accurate,
we always advise you to contact the hotel directly before booking to ensure facilities meet your requirements.
HOIST HIRE: Need to hire a hoist? In the east, contact JS Dobbs, Baldoyle, Dublin 13.
Tel: 01 839 1071 or visit: www.jsdobbs.ie In the north/north-west, try Evolution Healthcare, Co Tyrone.
Tel: 028 8772 7855 www.evolutionhealthcare.co.uk
SOMEWHERE TO RECOMMEND? If you have visited a good hotel, or perhaps are a hotel owner
interested in having your hotel featured, email: kiara.lynch.work@gmail.com
SPOKEOUT 33
05/06/2013 18:01
BANNER
TRAVEL
HOUSE SWAP
Over the years, Eithne Foley from Limerick has often been disappointed by
hotels that claim to be fully accessible, but are actually not. Eithne is now about
to embark on her first house swap and she tells seasoned house swapper
SUSAN DENNEHY about her experience so far
First time house swapper Eithne Foley
(left) on a recent trip to the London Eye
with her sister Cora, who she describes
as a “wonderful travelling companion”
E
ithne Foley is 44 years old and lives in a beautiful
home, designed with her needs in mind, in rural
Limerick. Eithne has MS and currently uses a
wheelchair full-time. She loves to travel, although
in general she finds that Ireland is far more accessible
than mainland Europe. Eithne likes to be independent
when she can and that’s why it is so crucial that holiday
accommodation doesn’t have things like carpet or doors
that open towards you. It was frustration that led Eithne
to look into house swapping as she thought to herself, ‘I
cannot be the only person in a wheelchair who needs a
real holiday.’
House swapping, also known as home exchange,
is where you, literally, exchange homes with another
person or family for a specific length of time. Usually it is a
simultaneous exchange, where you occupy each other’s
homes on the same dates. It has been popular in mainland
Europe for years and is fast growing in popularity here
in Ireland. Essentially, it is an exchange not a transaction
and so no money changes hands. In theory, it seems like
SPOKEOUT 35
05/06/2013 18:03
BANNER
a brilliant way to have a holiday that costs less – but is it
really? And how does it work if you are a wheelchair user?
In my own case, I first began to consider a house swap
because myself, and my family, really needed a holiday but
we were on a tight budget. My youngest daughter uses
a wheelchair and so we too were looking for accessible
accommodation. Initially, I had some concerns about
strangers staying in my home but I put them to one side and
began by doing a search online.
There are many websites listing homes of people who
are looking to exchange. In fact, you may be overwhelmed
by the results when you google ‘house swap’ – I know I
was. The sites fall into three categories: there are general
sites, general sites with an option to search for wheelchair
accessible listings, and listings that are specifically for
people who need accessible/adapted accommodation.
In our case, we limited our search to two websites, www.
matchinghouses.com, a site specifically for people with
disabilities that contains adapted homes only, and Intervac,
which is a general site with an option to search for disabled
access.
First we had to register and create our own profile on the
website. This consists of filling out a form online where you
must answer standard questions about you, your home and
your location. You may also be asked ‘do you require pet
care?’ or ‘would like to exchange cars?’ and so on.
You are also given the option to post photographs of your
home. The photographs are most important as this is what
people tend to look at first. It is a good idea to have a good
exterior picture of your home, and good clear pictures of
access and adaptations are really helpful. Potential house
swappers will often scrutinise your home in advance of
making an offer to exchange.
It was exciting checking the emails from people wanting
to swap. We received several, but unfortunately we had
to dismiss most of these, as they were not accessible. It’s
worth noting that accessible and adapted mean different
things in different countries. For example in the US, an
accessible home means one with adequate wheelchair
pathway access. If you need a roll-in shower or a raised toilet
you need to ask specifically for an adapted bathroom.
This summer Eithne plans to exchange her home and her
car with a woman who lives in Toulouse, France. They have
been emailing back and forth for two months. “You have to
build a relationship first,” says Eithne, “then you start looking
at detail.” While Eithne can transfer herself, the other woman
cannot and so they have had to get down to the nitty gritty
of how they will manage in each other’s home. However,
according to Eithne, while it has been time consuming, at
least it has been pleasant as her swap partner understands
the issues. As Eithne puts it, “At least I am talking to a
person instead of a travel agent.”
Once you have found a partner and have agreed a swap,
it is a good idea to prepare a document that will let your
partner know what is ‘do-able’ in your local area. A list of
local restaurants and amenities that are accessible can make
or break a holiday for a wheelchair user.
In Eithne’s case, she has sourced one hour of nursing care
a day for her guest, something that makes house swapping
invaluable when you think how difficult that would be to
organise without local contacts. In addition, Eithne’s mum
and dad live next door to her, and her sister lives on the other
side, so this means that her French guest and her boyfriend
will have people to call on if they have any questions or
problems. Likewise Eithne hopes to benefit from the network
of family and friends of her house swap partner in Toulouse –
“People are only too happy to help a friend.”
Some organisations with house swap listings have their
own standard contract. Once you agree to exchange with
a partner, you both fill out and sign the contract. Terms
might include whether or not you pay for telephone calls,
obligations such as pool cleaning etc.
If you are swapping cars as well, which is very common,
then you need to ensure you are covered either on your
When looking for a house swap partner, Eithne focused on posting good exterior and interior photos of her
home, which highlighted access features.
The exterior of Eithne’s home, The fridge and sideopening oven in Eithne’s
showing the large garage and
kitchen
level access to front door
Eithne’s living room
with reclining chair
The en suite
roll-in shower at
Eithne’s house
36
05/06/2013 18:03
TRAVEL
An impressive wooden ramp stretching to the water’s edge on Gruissan Beach, close
to the house where Susan and her family stayed in the South of France
Susan’s husband, Stephen, and their children,
Martha, Sean and Grace in the ancient village of
Minerve last summer
own or your partner’s insurance. Eithne has a brand
new adapted car and will be careful to ensure her swap
partner’s boyfriend has fully comprehensive, and not third
party, car insurance, just in case.
Eithne sees this holiday as an experiment. It’s her first
house swap and she says she will “try it this time and see if
it works” – “It may not, but I am willing to give it a go.”
House swapping may not be for everyone. It can take
a lot of time to set up your holiday. It would also be fair
to say that there is some work involved in preparing your
home and gathering information for your partner before the
swap. However, on the plus side, you do not have to pay
for accommodation and can have a terrific holiday, all for
the cost of your flight.
I’m glad to say, our own exchange holiday last year was
a huge success, so much so that we will exchange again
this summer. The house we stayed in was a little gem – a
bungalow with its own small swimming pool situated in a
tiny village among the vineyards of the Minervois region
of Southern France. The real bonus, however, was the
friendliness of the neighbours. One dropped by with
recommendations of places to go that were accessible.
His father was a wheelchair user and he knew where
we should go and where we should avoid. He gave us
directions to a great beach with a wooden ramp that
stretched all the way to the water’s edge, which meant that
our daughter had her first swim in the sea since she was a
baby. Now that is the stuff of real holidays.
As for my fears of having strangers in our home, it is true
we never met our house swap partners face to face, but
in many ways we did get to know them. We exchanged
several emails. We lived in their home. We enjoyed their
belongings and their lovely garden. We spent time with
their neighbours and they spent time with ours. When we
arrived we found they had left us a welcoming gift, just as
we had left one for them. As I think about it now, giving and
receiving is what house swapping is really about, and all
you really need for that is to be to be open to both.
USEFUL SITES
Matching Houses: A fee-based listing service of
accessible homes. No charge until database fills up.
www.matchinghouses.com
Intervac: A fee-based listing service for all homes
with an option to search for ‘disabled access’
homes. 12 days free trial available.
www.intervac-homeexchange.com
Green Theme International: A fee-based listing
service with some accessible homes.
www.gti-home-exchange.com
FURTHER READING:
There is also a book to guide you through the
process. The Home Exchange Guide: How to find
your free home away from home by M.T. Simon and
T.T. Baker
SPOKEOUT 37
05/06/2013 18:03
BANNER
Maura and Kyra with
their mother Erin, taking
advantage of the wheeleasy
boardwalks in Portugal while
on holiday last Christmas
CAMINO
WHEELCHAIR TREK
T
In October this year, Dublin-based Canadian MAURA McMAHON and her
sister Kyra, who lives in Vancouver and is a wheelchair user, are hoping to trek
part of the Camino de Santiago. In our spring issue, Maura sought help from
Spokeout readers in planning the trip, and she now tells us about the fantastic
response she received, as well as her recent five-day ‘recce’ to the Camino
he world is an incredible place. When my sister
first had her car crash over 20 years ago, it was a
major reconnaissance mission to find restaurants
and footpaths that would be accessible. Today,
we are planning to do the final (and minimum) section of
the Camino de Santiago by wheelchair. Thank you to all
the Spokeout readers who have contacted us since the
Spring 2013 issue to help us plan our journey. We have
heard from people across Ireland and Spain about trail and
accommodation accessibility, and are now more convinced
than ever that we can accomplish this incredible feat by
chair.
In the last issue
Spokeout,
I wrote
of about my sister’s
car crash which happened in the mid 1980s, and how she
has dealt with the challenges of her spinal cord injury since
then. Over the years, Kyra has inspired, awed and, as
sisters do, infuriated us with the courage she has adopted
to live life in every way possible. Doctors told us then that
her lifespan would be shortened from the usual 70 odd
years expected for women, to something in the order of
50 years. And now, as that time approaches, we do what
we have always done – we push the limits of life to see
how far we can go… in a chair. It seems Barack Obama
really had something with his Irish mantra:
Is féidir linn.
Taking the lead from the inspirational people we see all
around us in Ireland, we have started making plans for
each of the five stages we will travel through this October
from Sarria to Santiago. Elevation is an issue for every
stage, and although there are cycling paths, I know firsthand these are not always accessible for chairs. We are
currently debating about whether my sister’s typical modus
operandi, a Quickie chair, is the best option in light of the
sporting options available now from places like Trekinetic or
hand-cycles such as the Quickie Shark RT. We are hoping
that some Spokeout readers might be able to get in touch
and help us make an informed decision about this.
In challenging my sister to do the 100 kilometre Camino
trek, I realise it will be the hardest thing we have ever
physically done. For inspiration, we look to Irish role
models like Mark Rohan who literally blew the wheels off
the competition in the recent Paralympics; Mark Pollock,
who continually challenges the limits of medical science
and physical endurance; and Edel Reck who conquers
extreme sports around the world from her chair. We have
never accepted “no” as an answer since the day of Kyra’s
crash, and we have no intention of doing so now. Fingers
crossed, is féidir linn!
Contact Maura at: maurarose@hotmail.com or visit
Maura’s blog at http://caminowheeleasy.blogspot.ie/
38
05/06/2013 18:05
TRAVEL
MAURA’S CAMINO GUIDE
SPOKEOUT
As I write, it’s late May and I’m just back from an
information-gathering preparatory ‘recce’ during
which I walked five days from France into Spain on the
Camino, trekking over the Pyrenees, past Pamplona and
into Puerta la Renta. Over the five days, I made some
observations and gathered some tips which may be of
use to other travellers:
• Flights to/from airports near the Camino mean the usual
waits for wheelchair users. On my flight to Biarritz this was
compounded by the fact that airlines deplane directly from
their steep metal stairs onto the tarmac.
• The hostels/auberges/albergues en route are not wheelchair
friendly and cannot be booked ahead for the most part. Some
do have private rooms but access to these rooms would
require able body hoisting, lifting, and pushing to get a chair
inside. Linens are provided in the nightly rates but towels are
not. (Penneys still has quick dry sports towels for a fraction
of the price elsewhere!). Bring a pillow case and sleeping bag
liner to help keep you warm when blankets aren’t available.
• Camaraderie everywhere on the Camino is incredible. You
will be walking with the same group of people from town to
town and everyone is willing to help in any way they can and
share whatever they have. It helps you to just keep going and
find your way even on long, tough days.
• Food and drink are available at all of the local shops for
next to nothing. We brought a packed lunch each day but
found we had too much food as it was nice to stop to rest
over a cuppa and delicious pintxos (Basque tapas) in the little
towns we passed through. Vegetarians can make do with the
local menus but vegans would find it difficult.
• Phone reception is generally good, even in the mountains.
There is a dedicated phone number for medical assistance
(112) but I’m not sure how quickly someone would be
able to find you on the Camino if there was an emergency.
SmartPhone Apps can help with GPS coordinates.
• Internet access at the hostels and small towns is spotty,
and the limited number of machines makes accessing them
tricky at times.
• Toileting is troublesome on the Camino even for the able
bodied. Stop in every town you walk through just in case, and
be prepared with toilet roll or tissue.
• Medical assistance is available from
chemists and doctors in the towns
you walk through each day so you
can always stock up on plasters and
paracetamol.
• Money is one thing that is not an
issue. Accommodation includes
breakfast; packed lunches from local
shops are inexpensive; and our three
course dinners (including all the wine
you can drink) were only a tenner!
Breakfast was always bread and tea/
coffee so we bought local cheese and
fruit for sustenance.
• Footpaths on trails were generally
hard-packed surfaces that would make
for easily rolling. Steep declines are
much worse than the inclines, and
often these were covered in loose
stone and difficult for
Maura McMahon in full
even the able bodied.
trekking mode
Footpaths through towns
are paved and in good
condition even in rain, but
some of the roads have
heavy traffic including large
lorries.
• Weather varies just
like in Ireland. You need
at least three changes of
clothes for sun and rain,
and two pairs of reliable
walking shoes or sets of
wheelchair tires. I also
packed a light pair of
sandals for evenings so
my shoes and feet could
dry out. I wore a fleece hat
and running jacket every
day which kept me dry in
the lashing rain but most
people had ponchos to
keep them completely covered. A poncho will easily cover my
sister and whatever chair she uses but I am concerned about
its bulkiness and impact on her peripheral vision.
• Pack as little as possible even if you intend to use luggage
transportation services between stages. These are available
for a few euro a day but your bags will be collected early so
you still have to decide what to carry for the day. Bring a small
rucksack and handheld LED torch. If you’re staying in hostels,
they turn the lights off early and it’s hard to find your way back
from the loo! Other indispensable items are earplugs and an
eye mask for when early trekkers turn on the lights at 5am,
teabags, flask, and nuts to maintain protein levels.
• Before you go, train, train and train some more! We naively
thought if we were able to do the Aware 16 mile Harbour to
Harbour Walk without falling apart, we would be ready for the
Camino, but nothing could be farther from the truth! You will
need to build up enough stamina to cover 4-5 hours of terrain
walking, rolling or even crawling for at least five consecutive
days. My sister swims, lifts hand
weights, and does CrossFit when she
can afford it.
• The craic on the Camino is mighty
but bring along a book to read for
when you find yourself in the middle
of nowhere. Famous fiction like Paulo
Coehlo’s The Pilgrimage, and The Sun
Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway
will get you in the mood. For fact,
John Brierley wrote the proverbial
Bibles for different stages of the
Camino; and John Higginson has
an excellent cyclists’ guide. Michelin
also has a pocket guide, Camino
de Santiago, with detailed elevation
and amenities (including wheelchair
accommodation) for each stage of the
French Way, available at Eason’s for
Kyra’s shadow
less than €7.
39
05/06/2013 18:05
CARTOONS
GETTING CREATIVE
When it comes to the
elusive creative gene, some
of us have it and some of us
clearly don’t!
Cartoons by
JOHNNY CONNAUGHTON
with inspiration from Kiara Lynch.
Sixteenth Birthday
SPOKEOUT 41
05/06/2013 18:06
GARDENING
Outdoor eating area with pergola
GARDEN OF
YOUR MIND
I
One of the greatest
pleasures of gardening is the
time spent contemplating,
dreaming and planning,
writes HELEN ROCK
t has been said that most gardening is done in the
head, which could very well be true. All keen gardeners,
by their nature, invariably spend long hours happily
thinking about their
gardens; about its function
and design, its planting,
its seating arrangements,
and so forth. Getting it
right takes time and careful
observation of the site and
its unique spirit. Time must
be spent patiently watching
the fall of sunlight and shadow, before a big decision can be
made, such as where to pave an area for eating al fresco
– and should you put a pergola over it, for hanging grape
vines, perhaps.
It takes time to find the right place to put a pond, a place
where birds can have a bath and wonderful irises and lilies
will grow in the water and dramatic looking dragonflies
will flutter and hover on sunny days. Perhaps you’d like a
summerhouse with trellised sides and shingle roof, tucked
away in the scented heart of the garden, with lavender
and lilies planted at your knees and roses, jasmine and
honeysuckle twining up all around. More gardening time
could be spent there in contemplation of nature, or sitting
and reading about gardening
and browsing through the
seed and plant catalogues,
taking notes and perhaps
sketching out ideas for the
vegetable plot.
And we must not forget
a hive for the honeybee, if
at all possible. All over the
world, honeybees are dangerously in decline, a dire state
of affairs accelerated by the overuse of pesticides known
“More gardening time could be
spent there in contemplation of
nature, or sitting and reading about
gardening and browsing through
the seed and plant catalogues”
42
05/06/2013 18:10
CAREERS
LIVING
Roses
Oriental poppy
“Everything grows so quickly in
June, with its optimum conditions
of light, warmth and moisture. It
can be a heady time in the garden”
as neonicotinoids, mass killers that were finally banned
by the EU at the end of April, though only for a two-year
trial period, despite damning scientific evidence against
them. As we all must know, without bees and other wild
pollinators, entire ecosystems will collapse, and the future
production of all the food on the planet will be in jeopardy.
An appalling vista.
If anyone with a medium to large sized town garden
has the right conditions in which keep a happy hive, they
can help stop the decline, particularly that of the native
black Irish bee. In old Ireland, everybody with a plot of
land seemed to keep bees, and cows. It wasn’t called
the land of milk and honey for nothing. So important were
the pollinating bees and their honey that enshrined in the
Brehon Laws is a whole set of bee laws and bee statutes. If
you have a quiet, sheltered part of the garden, ideally facing
south-east and away from prevailing winds and away from
house windows, then that could be where you put your
hive. Contact the Federation of Irish Beekeepers to find out
more.
IN THE GARDEN
This has been an exceptionally cold year to date. Even so,
it’s fairly safe to say that by the time you read this in June,
all danger of frost will be over and tender plants, including
hardy varieties of tomatoes, can go outside by day, to be
hardened off gradually. This means bringing them in at
night, for at least five days. The sweet tasting, smaller and
bushier kinds don’t need staking and will grow very happily
in prepared ground or in big pots, in sunshine and with
protection from the prevailing wind. Give them a high potash
feed every week after they’ve set their first truss of yellow
flowers.
Everything grows so quickly in June, with its optimum
conditions of light, warmth and moisture. It can be a heady
time in the garden, surrounded by classically beautiful
flowers, such as roses, paeonies, honeysuckle, Oriental
poppies, hardy geraniums, irises, alliums, delphiniums,
billowing herbs and strawberries. But all this loveliness fades
and you cannot rest on your laurels for too long, if you want
Honeysuckle
Geraniums
WHAT’S ON
• 16 JUNE (Sun): Irish Specialist Nursery
Association (ISNA) Plant Fair. Lodge Park, Straffan,
Co Kildare, 10.30am-4.00pm. www.isna.ie
• 19 JUNE (Wed): Workshop, ‘Identifying Irish
Butterflies’, Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, 10am4pm. Includes a presentation, an educational walk
and a follow-up discussion. Places are free but
limited. Bookings can be made online at www.
biodiversityireland.ie/home-page/event-registration/
• 21 – 23 JUNE (Fri – Sun): Mallow Home &
Garden Show at Cork Racecourse, Mallow, Co
Cork.
• 29 JUNE (Sat): ‘Growing Cut Flowers for
Pleasure’, Lavistown House, Kilkenny, 10am-4.30pm.
Ciarán Beattie of Leitrim Flowers chemical free
enterprise shows how to grow wonderful cottage
flowers for yourself and how to cut and display
them to best effect. €80 including lunch, coffee and
snacks. €50 deposit to reserve. Tel. 086-840 7754;
info@lavistownhouse.ie
• 6 & 7 JULY (Fri – Sun): Galway Garden Festival,
Claregalway Castle. www.galwaygardenfestival.com
• 13 JULY (Sat): Botanical Painting course with Lynn
Stringer, Lavistown House, Kilkenny. Suitable for
novices and improvers. €70 including lunch, coffee
and snacks. Deposit and contact details as 29 June.
• 20 & 21 JULY (Sat & Sun): Rose Festival, St Anne’s
Park, Dublin 5.
• 27 JULY – 4 AUGUST: Carlow Garden Festival.
See www.carlowgardentrail.com
• 27 JULY (Sat): ‘Painting for Pleasure’, Lavistown
House, Kilkenny. Artist Trevor Geoghegan guides
you through painting outdoors in the garden. €70
includes lunch, coffee and snacks. Deposit and
contact details as 29 June.
• 18 AUGUST (Sun). Annual Farmleigh Plant Fair,
Phoenix Park, Dublin 8, 10.30am-4.00pm. Adm free.
SPOKEOUT 43
05/06/2013 18:10
LIVING
Mildew can be a problem now, particularly in late June if
the weather is very dry. You’ll see it on roses, pulmonarias,
early geraniums, acanthus and spurge, for example. Rather
than spraying with a dangerous fungicide, cut all the culprits
hard back and water them really well. You’ll be rewarded
with a second, fresh flush of leaves and often a second,
lesser, flush of flowers. Early potatoes should be ready
to harvest by the end of June, once the first flowers have
opened. If the weather is wet and blight strikes now, act
quickly by cutting off all foliage and burn, if possible, but
don’t compost. Early potatoes should be okay beneath the
ground if you do this. And very importantly, keep on top of
weeds, as they too love the optimum growing conditions
in June and July. By August, you’ll deserve to relax in
your garden and it will look all the better for your timely
interventions.
to keep the flower garden looking great until the end of the
season.
There are certain things you can do to keep the show
going, and summer bedding is a good way to start. Some
people grow their own bedding plants from seeds and
cuttings but more buy them in. There are some great easy
annuals, including Cosmos, which are best grown from
seed to ensure you get the tall, graceful varieties. When
buying bedding, make sure the plants are firmly rooted
in their pots or plugs: if they are wilting and coming away
too easily, don’t buy them. They could be infested with the
dreaded vine weevil.
When planting up pots with summer bedding, or indeed
with anything, including tomatoes, salads and most fruit,
use a soil or loam based compost, rather than a lighter, peat
based one. It will be more nourishing, need less watering,
last all summer and, because it’s much heavier, your pots
are most unlikely to blow over in a strong wind.
44
05/06/2013 18:10
HITTING
THE ROAD
Turlach Cotter beside his Volkswagen Golf
D
DAVE HUMPHREYS talks to two IWA
members about learning to drive, choosing
the right car and adaptations, and what driving
means to them
riving can mean different things to different people.
It is something that most able-bodied people
take for granted, whereas for others – including
many people with disabilities – it can completely
change their way of life and have a hugely beneficial impact
on their confidence. I recently met up with Turlach Cotter from
Drumcar in Dundalk and David Griffith from Finglas in Dublin
to discuss exactly what driving means to them. Turlach hadn’t driven a car before his accident in 2002 as
the cost of motoring was quite high at the time, but during his
time in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire,
he had an opportunity to go out with an instructor and see
what driving would be like. This was his first taste of the
freedom that motoring can offer. As it turned out, several
years passed and it was only when he moved into a new
home further out of town with his now wife that the idea of
becoming a driver became more prominent. “I didn’t want to
be hanging around waiting for lifts and once we got the house
out of town I just had to do it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever
done.” Turlach admits he was nervous starting out, but once he
had met driving instructor Steve McManus through the IWA
in Navan, his nerves were soon put at ease; “Not only did I
pass my test with him, but he was brilliant throughout and I
consider him a friend now. I passed my test first time and the
sense of achievement was great.” Turlach saw this as a huge
milestone in his life and it set him up for the next step, which
was to find a car that would be right for him. “I’d done my test in a Ford Focus, which I had enjoyed
driving, but when I went looking for one I found it a bit too
sporty, and getting the chair in and out wasn’t that easy. I
didn’t really want a saloon car as it would be a bit too big for
parking, so in the end I went for a Golf”. Turlach’s three-door
Volkswagen Golf does make for a very suitable car as the
doors are longer and open wider, compared to a five-door
version – making getting in and out that little bit easier. His
hand controls are quite a straightforward affair and, crucially,
don’t get in the way when he is getting in and out of the car. Since getting the car, Turlach’s sense of independence and
freedom has grown a great deal and has allowed him to do
things that before would certainly have been a lot harder. “I
play a lot of basketball now, and being able to drive myself to
events all over the country means a great deal to me. Not long
after getting the car I was able to drive my wife up to Donegal
46
06/06/2013 12:38
MOTORING
David Griffith behind the wheel
for a break, and it was great being able to drive her, whereas
before she had always been the one driving me”. Turlach’s
says factors like this are often overlooked but can mean so
much to somebody – because as well as giving a person
great freedom, driving enables them to give lifts to friends
and family. For Turlach, the right car and the right adaptations
have made driving hassle-free. “I even know which petrol
stations to go to, so I don’t have to get in and out of the car.
It’s things like that which make such a difference”. One of
Turlach’s favourite things to do is to drive to football matches
in places like the Aviva with his twin sons. I then met with David Griffith who has spina bifida and is
without doubt a fully qualified petrol-head! Naturally given his
love of all things car-related he was eager to get motoring
as soon as he reached a certain age. One of the catalysts
that prompted David to get on the road was a visit to Rally
School Ireland, where he got to experience passenger rides
in some of their race cars. Although the day was great, it
left him with a desire get behind the wheel for himself and
drive. David began the process of learning when he was 24
and took the sensible approach of doing all his license work
before investing in a car. Once he had gotten his lessons and
passed his test, he then set about looking for a car, ultimately
deciding on a pre-owned car rather than a new car as the
cost of adaptations needed for him wasn’t as high as it can
be for others. Like Turlach, David also settled on a three-door
Volkswagen Golf to which he has been able to add some of
his own touches. “It’s opened up my world. I have a job now which I couldn’t
have managed before due to the public transport situation.
These days all my close friends live in Dublin, which isn’t
very convenient, so I have to travel to see them – but at least
having the car means that I can do this whenever I want.”
Passing the test was a massive confidence boost for David,
and he says it has acted as a motivation to other people he
knows to start motoring themselves. David did point out just how many different adaptations are
now on the market, making it possible for virtually anybody to
get behind the wheel for themselves, should they desire to.
“There’s a number of different companies out there that can
do almost anything now,” he adds. But he is also keen to
stress that anyone considering learning to drive should give
it some careful thought and consideration first. “There will
be a few people who, once assessed, will find out that they
can’t drive, and this can be a very upsetting thing if they have
already set their heart on the idea. My advice is, before you
make any decisions, go and get an assessment done and
then you’ll know.” David’s love of driving now extends to rally driving in
an adapted vehicle at Rally School Ireland. (For more
information, read David’s article about Rally School Ireland in
the Autumn 2012 Spokeout, available online at www.iwa.ie).
For someone like David who is so into cars, being able to
drive gives him a great sense of pride, especially now that he
owns his own car. He also knows that his knowledge of cars
stood to him when it came to making the purchase. “Some
things that people don’t always consider is practicalities
like the seats and how much side support they offer. I need
lumber support and when I used to travel in my mam’s jeep,
the seats were very flat so when we came to roundabouts
I’d have to really hold on or else I’d be sliding across the
seat”. Given that David is such a keen car enthusiast, I had
to ask him what would be his dream car, to which he replied
instantaneously – a Nissan GTR. SPOKEOUT 47
05/06/2013 18:07
05/06/2013 18:11
FEATURE
YOUTH
Young LOVE
Inspired by the example of people close to her, 27-year-old JENNY KERR
from County Meath is looking for a relationship based on honesty and
respect, but is worried that in a world of casual relationships and social media
this might be hard to achieve
E
veryone has their own image of what being in love
should be like. When I imagine it, I tend to focus on
the relationships of the people closest to me. For
example, my parents, who were married two years
before I was born. Both their families lived in Kells, and I
guess you could say they were childhood sweethearts.
They tell me it was “love at first sight” and they still laugh
and have fun together. This is the kind of relationship I
would like to experience one day.
I feel the reason I am single at 27 has a lot to do with my
specific vision of what being in love should be like. I would
one day like to meet someone who brings out the best
in me and who loves me for who I am, not how he would
like me to be. Unfortunately, it often feels like this ideal
is lost in today’s society. From what I have experienced,
being in a relationship has become a very casual concept
for many young people, with a disproportionate focus
on appearances and dressing in a way that will attract
attention. To me, being in a relationship seems to have
become more Fifty Shades of Grey and less PS I Love You.
Jenny Kerr
“...online people often treat
each other in ways they would
never do in person”
Since I was a teenager, the presence of social media in
our lives has increased dramatically. It has helped us keep
in touch with friends and family, and has also helped fans
of music, sport and entertainment to keep up to date with
their idols. However, there is also a downside to using
social media as a way of connecting with others. Take the
boy-band One Direction, for example. Their fans have been
using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to
abuse other fans and even the band members’ girlfriends.
This is where social media sites are not very helpful,
because online people often treat each other in ways they
would never do in person. This makes me wary of using
online dating websites or social media to meet people. Do
you really get a full picture of what a person is like in real
life? I would much prefer to meet a person face to face.
Of course, being in a relationship when you have a
disability can be particularly challenging. When starting
out, a disabled person has to factor in many different
issues. They have to work out where to go on their date
and make sure the place is accessible and has all the
SPOKEOUT 51
05/06/2013 18:12
YOUTH
facilities required. They then have to arrange for accessible
transport to take them to and from the venue, a simple
thing which I have found has become very difficult due
to the recession. And very importantly, a disabled person
has to consider how their disability affects their body –
talking to my friends, I have
discovered that it’s the
personal care issues that are
often the most challenging
when it comes to dating and
being in a relationship. A
disabled person should also
consider the issue of their
personal assistant, if they require one. Don’t get me wrong,
having a personal assistant is great because it gives a
disabled person independence, but I just wonder, is having
an assistant with you on a date an invasion of your privacy?
I think that relationships should be based on love, trust
and respect. I feel that what’s on the inside should be as
important as what is on the outside. Take the classic film
Grease for example. I didn’t like the ending because it
implied that women had to change their appearance to
attract a guy. In my opinion if you want a guy to like you,
you should just be yourself. Concentrate on the most
important thing which is your happiness and hopefully the
rest will fall into place. As the saying goes, “If it is meant to
be, it will be”. Take your time
and don’t rush things, and
always remember to treat
people the way you would
like to be treated. This is my
philosophy – and I’m hoping
it will work for me!
“Is having an assistant
with you on a date an
invasion of your privacy?”
Jenny Kerr is a member of IWA’s Youth Media Group. She
can be contacted at email: jkrolling26@gmail.com
To read more views on young people and relationships,
visit the IWA Youth microsite at www.iwa.ie/youth or if you
would like to share your views on relationships in a future
issue of Spokeout (whatever your age), email the editor at
jmarsden@iwa.ie
52
05/06/2013 18:12
SPORT
STAR OF
THE FUTURE
KIARA LYNCH talks to
one of our likely future
athletics stars, nine-yearold Shauna Bocquet from
Galway, about her sporting
achievements so far and her hopes of
one day becoming a Paralympian
S
hauna Bocquet is an up and coming wheelchair
athlete from Galway. She first started to play with
a wheelchair basketball team, the Tornadoes
(now known as the Galway Speeders) in Galway
City, when she was four years old. Over the years, she’s
tried many other sports such as table tennis, hand-cycling,
wheelchair racing, swimming and kayaking. She enjoys
all sports – “They are great fun and a good way to make
friends”– but she has shown a particular natural talent for
wheelchair racing.
“Wheelchair racing is my favourite sport. I love how I
can go so fast and get my speed up all by myself,” says
Shauna. Last September Shauna was loaned a track chair
by IWA-Sport and she hasn’t looked back since. Paul Ryan,
IWA Sports Development Officer for the Munster region,
suggested Shauna take part in a few 5-kilometre races to
see how she got on. Since then, Shauna has completed six
5-kilometre races and one 4-mile race, and she has also
won the IWA ‘Wheelchair Track Athlete of 2012 Award’–
and she’s only nine years old!
Shauna’s parents, Loic and Elaine, have always enjoyed
sports and Loic says they wanted Shauna “to have a
chance be a part of the fun and comradeship that comes
from being part of a team”. With this in mind, in 2008 they
contacted IWA-Sport to find out what sports were available
in Galway. Mark Barry, IWA Sports Development Officer,
put them in touch with a volunteer who was starting up a
wheelchair basketball team in Galway, and that was how
Shauna’s involvement with the Galway Speeders began.
Loic adds: “It’s so important to get your child involved in
sport – we simply can’t encourage the parents of children
with disabilities enough. It helps your child grow their
personality, self-esteem, self-confidence, not to mention
their circle of friends!”
Shauna’s younger brother and sister provide her with her
own personal cheer squad at her track races and other
competitive events! As part of the Galway Speeders team,
Shauna at the finish line in Claregalway on 16.9.2012
Shauna also loves attending the basketball blitzes, which
are run by IWA-Sport and take place monthly from October
to May in various locations around the country. “I’ve made
friends from both the Rebel Wheelers from Cork and the
Dublin Swifts,” she tells me.
Shauna’s parents are both very supportive and proud
of her sporting achievements. Elaine says, “There are
too many proud moments to pick just one! The first time
Shauna scored in a basketball blitz, her first 5K, seeing her
swim with her school friends… the list is endless!”
Shauna was glued to the TV last summer watching
the Paralympic games and she’s even met some Irish
Paralympians. “I like Mark Rohan because he is funny,
friendly and he won two Gold medals at the Paralympics
in London – he’s my favourite Paralympian.” She met Mark
Rohan at the Paralympic Talent Search Event in UCD last
October and got to spend time with him again at the IWA
Angel Campaign photo-shoot in Croke Park last November.
Shauna was also delighted to meet Orla Barry at the
IWA-Sport Athletics Games in Cork last September, and it
was Orla who presented Shauna with her IWA Wheelchair
Track Athlete of 2012 award in February at IWA’s head office
in Clontarf. Shauna says, “Orla is very nice because she
SPOKEOUT 55
05/06/2013 18:13
SPORT
Shauna with Michael McKillop at the Paralympic
Talent Search in UCD, October 2012
Shauna and her friends with Orla Barry at the IWA-Sport
Athletics Games in Cork in September 2012
Shauna at the finish line
in Westport House on
27.3.2013
brought her Bronze medal to show everybody.”
Shauna met Michael McKillop at the Paralympic talent
search in UCD as well. She tells me excitedly, “He’s friendly
and very fast at running and he let me wear his two Gold
medals!!” Now, having held these Paralympic medals,
Shauna’s greatest hope is to get some medals of her own
SHAUNA’S BIG RACES SO FAR!
RACE 1: 16.9.2012
A 5k race in Claregalway for SelfHelp Africa. Shauna’s time was 28
minutes and she won a candle.
RACE 2: 11.11.2012
A 5k race in in Athenry for Western
Alzheimer. Shauna’s time was 30
minutes. Her school principal ran it
with her and Shauna won a medal.
RACE 3: 2.12.2012
A 5k race in Carnmore for the local
GAA club Carnmore. The name
of the race was the ‘Turkey Trot’
by competing in wheelchair racing at the Paraylmpics
one day.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Galway Speeders: www.speeders.ie
IWA-Sport: www.iwasport.com
and there were turkeys at every
cross road! Shauna’s time was 29
minutes.
RACE 4: 27.1.2013
Shauna’s first 4 mile
(6.5 km) race in Coldwood for
Coldwood N.S. Shauna’s time
was 38 minutes and her teacher
ran with her. Shauna won two
lights, a water bottle and a
calculator.
RACE 5: 27.3.2013
A 5k in Westport House as part of
the ‘Join Ray for 5K’
national campaign. It was a
very cold day and Shauna
completed the race in less than
30 minutes.
RACE 6: 14.4. 2013
This was a 5k race in New Inn,
Galway, for St-Killian’s Secondary
School in New Inn. Shauna’s time
was 31 minutes and she won a box
of chocolates.
RACE 7: 28.4.2013
A 5k race in Athlone. Shauna’s time
was 28 minutes.
56
05/06/2013 18:13
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
NEWS
CIL DISABILITY
STUDIES COURSE
The Center for Independent Living is currently inviting applications for its annual
certificate in Disability Studies, a course which is designed to challenge thinking about
disability and how to create a fully equal society
T
he Center for Independent Living (CIL), Carmichael
House, runs an annual certificate course in
Disability Studies from October to the end of
April. This part-time course is accredited at level
7 on the National Framework of Qualifications and is run in
conjunction with the National University of Ireland Maynooth.
All participants are welcome however CIL advises that those
with some experience of disability, either in a personal,
academic or professional sense, will gain the most.
The course is designed to explore theories and
perceptions of disability in society, as well as accessibility
issues. It aims to challenge participants’ thinking around
disability and how as active citizens we can create a society
that fully accepts social equality for all. Aaron Foley, who
completed the course this April, says. “The course content
was very interesting from the start, and it deeply affected the
way I think about society and challenged my perceptions of
equality, offering valuable insights into the real life difficulties
and obstacles faced by people with disabilities in Ireland.
To get the most from this
Aaron Foley
course, participants need
to immerse themselves
in the recommended
reading material and
to actively think about
the issues raised in the
course literature. The
course then allows you to
find an area of disability
you are passionate about,
to research your chosen
subject and produce an
academic research paper.
For me that was a really
fulfilling experience, and I
would highly recommend
the course to any
individual interested in this
area. The tutor, Paul Fagan, has a depth of wisdom and life
experience that he imparts with the course content, and this
makes for a really interesting course.”
For more information, please contact The Center for
Independent Living team. Email: info@dublincil.org
Tel: 01 873 0455
SPOKEOUT 59
05/06/2013 18:16
BANNER
NEWS
FRIENDS OF IWA MONTHLY DRAW
February 2013 winners
1st Prize €2,000: Mary Fitzgibbon, Dublin
2nd Prize €1,500: Patrick Scully, Dublin
3rd Prize €500: Anna May Bohan, Co Longford
March 2013 winners
1st Prize €2,000: Julie Graham, Dublin
2nd Prize €1,500: Stephanie McNamara, Limerick
3rd Prize €500: Angela Crossan, Co Donegal
Friends of IWA Draw March Winner Julie Graham and April
Winner Dave Barry, both employees of IWA, are presented
with their cheques by Francis Genockey, Fundraising
Development Officer, at IWA Headquarters, Clontarf
April 2013 winners
1st Prize €2,000: Dave Barry, Dublin
2nd Prize €1,500: John Downey, Dublin
3rd Prize €500: Philip Kiernan, Cavan
To enter the Friends of IWA Monthly Draw, visit www.iwa.ie/Friends-of-IWA or contact Verona Doyle,
Friends of IWA Monthly Draw Co-ordinator, on 01 818 6418.
Join IWA’s Marathon Team
Ireland has an exciting calendar of marathons in
2013. CHARLENE HURLEY, Fundraising Development
Officer, encourages readers to join the action
Today Irish people tend to enjoy a more active and healthy
lifestyle, and in recent years walking and running has
increased in popularity. IWA is currently looking for people
who enjoy keeping fit socially to join the IWA team and
take part in events across Ireland, while raising funds for
IWA services at the same time.
As we go to print, the Association has approximately
80 participants taking part in the Flora Women’s Mini
Marathon. Ladies are taking part at an individual level or as
a group and are actively raising funds for the Resource and
Outreach Centres located in their communities. Each year
IWA is delighted to have a dedicated team participating in
Ireland’s largest female event.
If you missed this year’s Flora Women’s Mini Marathon,
there are plenty more local marathons and events to take
part in later in the year. Budding marathon enthusiasts will
be preparing for the Dublin City Marathon which
takes place on Monday 28th October 2013 and
the Evening Echo Cork Women’s Mini Marathon,
which will be held on Sunday 15th September 2013.
To support IWA and help raise funds for the essential
services the Association provides throughout Ireland,
consider participating in one of the many events taking
place nationwide over the coming months. For full listings
of events visit www.iwa.ie/events.
For more information about how to get involved,
contact Helen Power on 01 818 6469 or alternatively
email fund@iwa.ie. You will then receive your
sponsorship cards and t-shirt.
SPOKEOUT 61
05/06/2013 18:16
05/06/2013 18:17
BANNER
NEWS
INCLUSIVE
CHARITY CYCLE
IWA’s 2013 Inclusive Charity Cycle is different from
other fundraising cycles because it will unite cyclists,
hand-cyclists and tandem enthusiasts, says organiser and
participant CIARAN TIGHE
At the finish line in Eyre Square Galway last year are (l
to r): Robert Kuzma (IWA volunteer), Stuart McLindon
(IWA staff), David Barry and Ciaran Tighe
L
ast year, myself and a few other lads who work in
IWA-Sport and the IWA Youth Service decided to
raise funds by cycling from Dublin to Galway. The
event turned out to be great fun, and a real personal
challenge for us all, so this year we decided to take things a
step further by formally launching the IWA Inclusive Charity
Cycle 2013.
The cycle will take place on August 1st 2013, starting
in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, and ending in Eyre Square,
Galway. The route will pass through some of Ireland’s most
beautiful countryside and will arrive just in time to celebrate
Ladies Day at the Galway Races. The event is open to all we
are hoping that people with disabilities will participate using
hand-cycles or adapted cycles.
The 200-kilometre route is an ideal event for both
beginners and experienced sportive cyclists. We hope that
approximately 50 participants – be they cyclists, handcyclists and tandem enthusiasts, and regardless of age
or experience – will sign up for the event and assist us in
raising money for the services provided by IWA-Sport and
the IWA Youth Service.
This year the event is being organised by myself and Dave
McGrath in IWA-Sport, together with Youth Officer Dave
Barry. We’ve done a bit of research and we believe the
inclusive nature of the event will make it the first of its type
in Ireland. Joining our team will be Irish Paralympic cyclist
Cathal Miller and comedian PJ Gallagher, both members of
the Clontarf Cycling Club. Cathal is keen to encourage more
cyclists to get involved: “It is the perfect platform to promote
disability cycling, and cycling as a whole. This cycle is a
tough challenge, but a great introduction to sports cycling
and events. I encourage all cyclists, whether you are a
beginner or advanced, to register for the challenge!”
To register for the IWA Inclusive Charity Cycle, visit the
IWA-Sport Facebook Page or email cycle@iwa.ie. Cyclists
have the choice of registering for the event as an individual
or as a team of three (relay or in stages). Individual entry is
€60 with a minimum of €200 sponsorship, and a team of
three is €60 each with a minimum €500 sponsorship. Cost
includes overnight accommodation, barbecue, goodie bag
(including a t-shirt for each cyclist), cycle support vehicles
and mechanic, discounted gym membership, and organised
training spin sessions.
For further information, contact Ciaran Tighe
(IWA-Sport) on 087 244 4601. And remember hand-cycles
are available to lease from the IWA Gym in Clontarf.
Three of the participants in this year’s cycle (l to r):
Paralympic athlete Cathal Miller, David McGrath
(IWA-Sport) and comedian PJ Gallagher
SPOKEOUT 65
05/06/2013 18:18
VIEWS
MY LIFE
WILLIAM AHERN, from Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, values his independence and
affectionately calls his home a ‘three-roomed palace’. He sent Spokeout this
reflection on living with a disability
I
am an OAP, an amputee who walks with the aid of two
artificial limbs and two walking sticks, a polio survivor
and have Asperger’s Syndrome. All these are what
make me what I am and even though they have placed
a few limitations on me I have lived a full and satisfying life.
I have been a disability activist at local and national
level for over 35 years and feel that the current budget
cut-backs have set policies towards the disabled back
by several years. Over the years I
have been an active member of my
local IWA branch but in recent years
my social life has been restricted by
my study commitments – it is one
of my aims to get active with them
again when I get going! I live in my
own apartment which is built on to
my sister’s bungalow and I call it
my three-roomed palace, because
everything I need is within those four
walls. I am independent in all aspects
of personal care; a lady comes in once a month to clean
the place, and my laundry is done by my sister.
Last October I completed an honours arts degree in
UCC. I studied sociology and philosophy. It was hard work
– a 24/7 lifestyle –
but I enjoyed it. As
part of my degree
I had to write a
10,000 word thesis
and as the subject I
chose ‘happiness’.
It was a fascinating
subject but I am
still vague as to
what happiness
is. As part of my
thesis, I questioned
what is this
euphoric state we
are always striving
William at his recent
for but never
graduation from UCC
seem to achieve
because, no matter what we have, we always want more?
I looked at my grand nephew and grand nieces, who live
every moment of every day and are happy, and I thought
as adults we should learn from them. I noted that while
there are many studies of the ills of the mind, such as
depression and anxiety, and their possible treatments,
happiness has only been studied for the past thirty years.
There are no legitimate drugs or treatments to suddenly
give you happiness and only you can
make this work.
I have been writing all my life and
have been published in England and
in this country. I write short stories,
long stories and – when I cannot find
an ending – poetry (both rhymed and
free verse), as well as the occasional
newspaper article. Often, an idea for
a poem will start to germinate in the
middle of a lecture and it will have to
be jotted down; sometimes it reaches
a satisfactory conclusion – often it does not work out and
is binned!
I have noticed that in the past year or so my mobility has
declined and the idea of walking a half mile to the village,
getting a bus into town and spending a couple of hours
there before returning home is no longer realistic. My family
are very good to me and there is always a car and driver at
my disposal but now I have to hire a wheelchair if I want to
go any further. I have started the process of acquiring one
of my own. Time will tell if this decline will lead to further
limitations.
I have many interests such as local history, the subject of
men’s health and reading. I have many books – they seem
to stick to my fingers when I enter a bookshop! My other
main hobby of the moment is spending time with my grand
nephew, aged four, and my three grand nieces aged seven,
three and one. I find watching them grow up fascinating.
“I looked at my grand
nephew and grand
nieces, who live every
moment of every day
and are happy, and I
thought as adults we
should learn from them”
If you would like to submit a 500 word article on your life,
or what your local IWA centre means to you, write to ‘My
Life’, Spokeout, IWA, Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3
or email jmarsden@iwa.ie
66
05/06/2013 18:18
REGIONAL NEWS
EVENTS
CARD GAME
HELD IN
MEMORY OF
OLD FRIENDS
Members and staff in Clane Resource Centre recently held
a ‘25’ card game in the centre in memory of members
Margaret McEvoy and Fran Connolly, who passed away
last year. Both Margaret and Fran were avid card players,
and the event provided an opportunity to share good
memories and a few stories about their much-missed
friends. The winner was Christy Kenny, a former IWA staff
member, who came back to participate and support the
event. The event will be held annually.
John Fox, Danny Phelan and Jim Daly
KARAOKE
NIGHT BENEFITS
DONEGAL
SERVICES
Aoife McClean (winner) with Hughie McClean and Nathan
O’Donnell
A charity karaoke night was held in February at
Arena 7, Letterkenny, with all proceeds going to IWA
Donegal services. The X-Factor-style event was well
attended and everyone enjoyed the entertainment.
Thanks to the great support, €1,000 was raised.
Daniel Boyce and Mary Brogan dancing at the event
SPOKEOUT 67
05/06/2013 18:19
REGIONAL NEWS
Thursday
Computer Club
in Clontarf
As part of the weekly computer club in the Clontarf Day
Centre members of the Dochas Programme (under 65s)
showed members of the Sonas Programme (over 65s)
how to complete their property tax payment online.
MALIN CELEBRATES
VALENTINE’S DAY
Members in Malin Day Centre had a ‘black and red’
dress-up day to celebrate Valentine’s Day. A hamper was
raffled on the day raising €430 for local IWA services.
Back (l-R) is Brian Mellon, Arthur McMonagle, Marie McGonigle, Patrick McLaughlin, Eunice Toland, Eleanor Farren
(Connolly Foundation), Shane Mellon, Gerard McElaney, Geraldine Fullerton, Des Doherty, Liam McLaughlin.
Front (L-R): Brendan Doherty, Paula Connell,Vincent Doherty, Brendan Cavanagh, Ernie McLucas, John Barr
68
05/06/2013 18:19
05/06/2013 18:20
CROSSWORD
Crossword
To be in with a chance of winning one of two €50
‘One4all’ gift tokens, which can be used in 4,500
outlets nationwide, simply send your completed
crossword along with your name and address to:
Spokeout Crossword, Irish Wheelchair Association,
Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Correct entries
will be entered into a draw on Friday 27th July and two
winners drawn.
Crossword No. 20 by Gordius
ACROSS
1. Evil. (3)
3. Run-down, in ruinous
condition. (11)
8. I creep about with cooking
directions. (6)
9. Added together. (8)
10. Begin with the southern
floozy. (5)
11. Pavarotti was such a
singer. (5)
13. Flower. (5)
15 & 19d. What is displayed on
a windscreen - might the
average ruler give it a hairdo?
(7,6)
16. Wherein to embark on or
disembark from a train. (7)
20. Command. (5)
21. Give way. (5)
23. Sadistic. (5)
24. A camping mix-up for the
military undertaking. (8)
25. Views. (6)
26. Soft drink made by a molten tribe. (6-5)
27. Arid. (3)
DOWN
1. These hunters sound
disrespectfully like nuns!
(5,2,4)
2. Ruler with absolute authority.
(8)
3. The storage facility opted
out. (5)
4. At which goods are sold to
the highest bidder. (7)
5. Charge for reassembling the
bidet. (5)
6. Temporary occupant. (6)
7. Performed. (3)
12. It’s sought out by one with a
nose for surgery! (11)
CROSSWORD WINNERS FOR
SPRING 2013
13. Five-stringed instrument. (5)
14. Engine or car. (5)
17. Offended. (8)
18. Go forward. (7)
19. See 15 across.
22. Male duck. (5)
23. Such a grave has many
gravestones! (5)
24. The young of a wolf. (3)
P Twomey, Raheny, Dublin 5
J Phillips, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10
YOUR VIEWS Got something to say? Write to us at Spokeout,
Irish Wheelchair Association, Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3
MOTOR SCOOTERS AT THE RDS
Dear Editor
I live near the RDS in Ballsbridge
and, if I want to attend an event, I
can easily drive there and park in a
disabled space. I have a Disabled
Person’s Parking Card and I cannot
walk far. I was wondering, could the
IWA arrange for motor scooters to
be available for hire at the shows?
Yours, etc.
June W Moran, Dublin
Editor’s note: We discussed your
letter with Clive Hough, Manager
of IWA Wheelchair Solutions.
Clive explained that IWA manual
wheelchairs are available to hire
at many RDS events, and if not
available, can be booked directly
with IWA’s Wheelchair Solutions
team at email wheelchair@iwa.ie
or tel: 01 818 6453. Unfortunately,
mobility scooters are not currently
available for hire, but Clive will
forward your comments to the
RDS, and will let them know that
IWA would be very happy to work
with them if they were to consider
introducing scooter hire at events.
The views expressed on this page do not necessarily represent the views of IWA
70
05/06/2013 18:21
LETTERS
SPOKEOUT SPRING 2013
Dear Editor
Hearty congratulations to you
and all concerned with the spring
issue of Spokeout. The articles
were first class, especially those
dealing with the benefits of
watching wildlife, especially the
beautiful birds.
The article on Sligo dealing
with the IWA Annual Conference
was chockfull of information on
the whole of this sometimes
forgotten county.
The cartoons bring a smile
A blue tit feeding.
Photo by Terry Flanagan
to your face and sometimes
a nudge in the direction of
NEED FOR SHOWER CHAIRS IN HOTELS
Dear Editor
Today, Spokeout arrived and I’ve been studying it with a
view to organising a few days in a hotel during the summer
for my adult daughter Romy, my husband and me, and a
carer. The Cavan Crystal and the Pillo are mentioned by
Kiara Lynch as being accessible but there is an immediate
problem. Each of them has a fixed seat in the shower
and there is no mention of a proper shower chair on large
castors and with a seat opening.
Last summer, we went to the Carlton in Galway and,
while customer care, bedrooms and food were of high
standard, showering Romy was a major problem as the
shower area had a tray with a lip and there was no shower
chair. Eventually, a substitute shower chair was provided
but it was not suitable for hygiene and washing purposes.
It is such a pity that so many otherwise high quality
hotels are falling down on this aspect of accessibility. What
is required is really simple and easy to organise – they just
need to spend a few hundred euro on a properly designed
shower chair.
Another common problem in our experience is toilet bowl
location. We are aware of very few hotels or other buildings
where the bowl is located on the long wall with a space
of a metre on either side to accommodate transfer from
both sides. Almost all
toilet bowls are located
either on the short wall
or in a corner, rendering
them unsuitable for
many wheelchair users.
It is beyond belief the
occupational therapists,
architects and local
authority planning
officers are still allowing
this to happen.
understanding the many problems of wheelchair users.
The gardening stories make me ashamed of my puny
efforts. These people are so inspired!
Yours
Marie McDonagh, Dublin
Dublin
Editor’s note: Thank you for taking the time to write
such a kind letter. We passed your comments on to
Patrick Harte, Declan Hamilton and Terry Flanagan in
the Clontarf bird-watching group, who were delighted
to hear that you enjoyed reading their stories. Staff
in IWA’s Sligo were also pleased at the feedback –
they are very proud of their county and are keen to
encourage more people with disabilities to visit!
In light of the challenges of finding hotel accommodation
which is suitable for Romy, we have decided against taking
a holiday this year and will settle for a few day trips instead.
My hope is that by raising this issue, more hotels will invest
in proper shower chairs and upgrade bathroom access, so
that in the future we can all enjoy the many other wonderful
facilities they offer.
Yours, etc.
Sheila Ward,
Co Monaghan
Editor’s note: We understand your frustration and
know it is shared by other members. In the past few
months, IWA’s Communications Manager Mairead
Farquharson has been working with IWA’s Access
team to review the type of information provided in
Spokeout’s holiday reviews. As a result, you might
have noticed that in the spring edition we reduced our
reviews to two rather than three per issue, to enable
us to provide more detailed information regarding
accessible bathroom facilities. By highlighting features
such as fixed shower seats, we hope readers will
be able to make an informed choice based on their
requirements. We would love to feature hotels that
provide a separate shower chair of the type you
describe, however, in our experience these are very
rare and, where shower chairs are provided, they tend
not to be the type that would suit your daughter’s
needs. Another option that has worked for other
members in the past is to hire a suitable shower chair
from a local provider. If any readers are aware of
any hotels with showering facilities that might suit
Romy and others with similar requirements, we
would love to hear about them!
SPOKEOUT 71
05/06/2013 18:21
SMALL ADS
If you have an item for sale or wanted, a holiday contact or a personal advert, please send approx 25 words to Small ads,
Spokeout, IWA, Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Small ads are free-of-charge to members. Adverts for accessible
holiday accommodation and services are €20.00 (cheques or postal orders payable to IWA Ltd).
FOR SALE
Cars and accessories
2006 TOYOTA YARIS LUNA 1.3
PETROL AUTOMATIC
Red, five-door hatchback.
Immobiliser and CD player.
Spinner on steering wheel.
Adapted to left accelerator,
can easily be removed for right
accelerator. Adaptation receipts
available. 40,000 km. €6,000.
Tel: 087 386 6764 (Waterford)
2000 RENAULT KANGOO
PETROL
Automatic, lowered-floor
conversion, full wheelchair
restraint plus 12 volt winch and
ramp. Immaculate condition.
48,000 miles. Tel: 087 774 3943
(Limerick)
2010 RENAULT MASTER
Drive from wheelchair. Ricon lift,
automatic open/close doors,
lightened steering, hand controls.
Bought December 2012. Cost
€39,995, sell €30.000 ono.
Tel: 074 952 0200 (Donegal)
2004 SUZUKI WAGON R 1.3
PETROL AUTOMATIC
Complete independence allowing
driver to drive from their motorised
wheelchair – no need to transfer.
Remote operated rear door
opening with ramp. Dual controls,
hand controls, electronic clamp
system. 13,000 miles. €6,500.
Tel: 086 896 4598 (Meath)
BRITAX CHILD’S CAR SEAT
Five-point harness, chest clip,
adjustable crotch and head strap.
Excellent condition. Suit 3-11
years of age; 15-36 kgs weight.
Price €85. Tel: 087 205 2468
(Dublin)
SWIVEL SEAT
Perfect condition. Cost €1,600,
sell €500. Tel: 085 737 2525
(Dublin)
SWIVEL SEAT WITH BASE
Ready to go. €300. Phone 087
970 7141 (Galway)
ELAP MOBILITY SWIVEL CAR
SEAT
Complete with head rest. Good
as new. €500. Tel: 086 824 5946
(Wicklow)
Wheelchairs, scooters and
adaptive equipment
YAMAHA JW ACTIVE (JWX-1)
POWER CHAIR
Great for getting around, easy to
lift and fold for travel. Very strong
structure. Can be used on curbs.
Practically new, perfect condition.
Two batteries and chargers,
including one long distance
Lithium ion from UK. Can also be
used as a manual chair. Serviced
regularly, history available.
Included: brand new rain cover
and cushions. Extending ramps
at extra cost. €7,000 new, asking
€2,650 euro. Tel: 086 087 0718
(Wicklow)
MANUAL CARBON FIBRE
WHEELCHAIR
Excellent condition. Detachable
wheels, 15” seat. Frame weight
4lbs and is four times strength
of steel. Cost €4,200 new. Will
consider any reasonable offer.
Tel: 065 682 0589 (Clare)
TRILO TRIKE
Specialised hand cycle bike
recommend for kids with Spina
Bifida or kids with lower limb
restrictions. Excellent condition
as was never used. Suitable for
boys and girls 6 years up as it can
be adjusted as they grow, to give
years of fun. Cost €1,400. Sell
€1,000 ono.
Tel: 086 317 5647 (Roscommon)
ULTRALITE 480 MOBILITY
SCOOTER
Battery operated. Portable and
lightweight. Excellent condition.
Used once. €850 ono.
Tel: 085 103 7569 (Dublin)
RECK MOTOMED VIVA 2
Upper limbs and lower limbs.
Little used. Purchased Lyncare
€4,712.95 in 2012. Best offer
secures. Will deliver.
Tel: 087 917 9065 (Tipperary)
PREMIERE HEAVY DUTY
MOBILITY SCOOTER
Indicators back and front. Needs
a charger. Good condition. €500.
Tel: 01 298 8060 (Dublin)
INVACARE ACTION 2000
MANUAL WHEELCHAIR
Perfect condition. One lady owner.
Best offer secures.
Tel: 086 858 6584 (Dublin)
DELTA PLATFORM LIFT
Electronic wheelchair lift, suit
indoor or outdoor setting. Used
nine times. Space saving design,
robust construction. €5,000 ono.
Tel: 01 296 6747 (Dublin)
WANTED
PORTABLE FOLDAWAY HOIST
Portable foldaway hoist wanted.
Reasonable price.
Tel: 086 362 1380
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN IWA
Interested in working with the Irish Wheelchair Association?
If so, make sure to regularly visit our website (www.iwa.ie) for the latest vacancies.
IWA is an equal opportunities employer.
72
05/06/2013 18:22

white wedding - Irish Wheelchair Association

Transcription

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