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 Calling disabled parents!
Calling disabled parentsDisabled Parents Network (DPN), a nationwide membership organisation of and for disabled parents, is running a series of consultation events across the UK, as follows: Essex – Saturday 5 November 2005; The events will give disabled parents the opportunity to meet other disabled parents and the chance to influence DPN’s future development. The events are free to attend, and help with the costs of travel, accommodation and personal assistance may be provided. Childcare will be available. DPN is especially keen to hear from disabled parents who are currently under-represented in the organisation: disabled parents from ethnic minority communities, disabled fathers, parents with hidden or sensory impairments, parents with learning difficulties and parents with mental health issues. For further information, visit www.disabledparentsnetwork.org.uk or contact: Laura Bowey Audacity Magazine online parenting forumAudacity Magazine (The Disabled Magazine for the Abled Mind) is a free monthly online publication offering independent news, entertainment and lifestyle features geared towards the disability community in the United States and the world. The online forum includes a parenting corner where disabled parents can share stories, tips and advice about how to raise a happy child. The magazine also includes a selection of articles on disabled parenting. You can subscribe to the magazine or take part in the online forum at www.audacitymagazine.com Royal Society of Medicine nominates DPPiWe are honoured that the President of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), Sir John Lilleyman, has named DPPi as the society’s charity for the current academic year. We will certainly be able to make good use of any funds raised through its various charitable activities. An additional and welcome benefit will be the opportunity this gives us to let many more medical professionals know about the particular needs of disabled parents and about our work. One way by which the RSM are helping us is the sale of our Christmas cards. Please order from RSM. Tel: 020 7290 2961. Disabled Parents Network information briefingsDisabled Parents Network (DPN) has published a series of 10 briefings giving practical information and advice about disabled parenting. These cover Introduction; What the law says; Services; Getting your needs assessed; Making a care plan to meet your needs; Direct payments and disabled parents; Maternity services and support for new parents; Making a complaint; Advocacy, advice and legal help; Contacts and publications. Hard copies of the briefings (including a slipcase) are available free to individual disabled parents.They are also available to organisations of disabled people, CABs and other advice outlets on request and for a donation of £25 towards printing, postage and packaging. The briefings can be downloaded free of charge as PDFs from DPN’s website: www.DisabledParentsNetwork.org.uk Please advise DPN if you need any of the briefings on tape, in Braille, on a diskette or CD as a Word file, or in large print. To order a copy or for further information please contact DPN: Parenting leaflets launched by DfES and ASDAThe Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has teamed up with supermarket chain ASDA to create a series of free pamphlets addressing a range of parenting issues. Created with input from charities Parentline Plus, Fathers Direct and the National Family and Parenting Institute, the booklets cover issues such as bullying, homework, fathers’ involvement in parenting, eating well and staying healthy. The free booklets are available from the foyers of 40 ASDA stores and can also be downloaded as electronic PDFs from: www.parentscentre.gov.uk/news?asset=News&id=21485. The DfES, ASDA and all the charities involved in the project would greatly appreciate feedback from parents and carers – via asdabooklets@parentscentre.gov.uk Articles for the Blind scheme extendedRoyal Mail has extended the scope of its Articles for the Blind scheme to include carriage of large print materials (minimum 16 point). This means that parents with a visual impairment will now be able to send and receive large print materials such as books, papers and letters completely free of charge. This is in addition to items previously covered under the scheme, including but not limited to spoken audio, video and electronic media, Talking Books and Talking Newspapers, games, measuring equipment and mobility aids. The scheme applies to individual customers who are blind or partially sighted and have close-up vision with spectacles of N12 or less, and organisations working with blind and partially sighted people who mail out items specifically prepared for use by blind/visually impaired individuals. Weight, size and other restrictions apply. For more information, visit www.royalmail.com or call the Royal Mail Customer Service Department. Tel: 0845 774 0740 ‘Alison Lapper Pregnant’ unveiledOn 15 September, Marc Quinn’s ‘Alison Lapper Pregnant’ was unveiled at a public ceremony in Trafalgar Square, London. The sculpture, which will remain on the fourth plinth for 18 months, was one of two works selected from an original shortlist of six other artists in March 2004 and endorsed by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. It is a portrait of disabled artist Alison Lapper when she was eight months pregnant. Carved from white marble, it weighs 12 tonnes and stands 3.55 metres high. Ken Livingstone said "‘Alison Lapper Pregnant’ is a bold, modern and complex work that challenges people’s notions of beauty and disability. It also questions our assumptions of who should be the subject of a statue or memorial." Alison Lapper, with whom Quinn collaborated on the piece, said "I regard it as a modern tribute to femininity, disability and motherhood. It is so rare to see disability in everyday life – let alone naked, pregnant and proud." For further information, and to view the portrait, go to www.fourthplinth.co.uk DPPi training pilots up and runningDPPi is piloting two new training courses at the National Centre for Disabled Parents in north London. Introduction to disabled parenting: an overview: This half-day course is intended to provide a valuable insight into disabled parenting for occupational therapists, midwives, health visitors, parenting organisations and others working with disabled parents. One-handed parenting: This full-day practical course is primarily aimed at occupational therapists but would be useful for any health professional involved with disabled parents with children up to 18 months. Please contact the National Centre for Disabled Parents for course dates, to book a course or to find out more. Tel: 020 7263 6399 E-mail: training@dppi.org.uk
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