Largest Greenfield Festival Gives Green Light on Accessibility

Glastonbury Festival is taking an extra step this year to enhance access for musicians and attendees with disabilities.  Set in the UK, this five day festival of contemporary performing arts will play host to a stage designed specifically for people with disabilities.  The stage will be fully accessible for wheelchair users and offer sign language interpretation.

Spokesman John Shearlaw said: “We usually consult organisations representing disabled people to ensure we make the festival as accessible as possible. This year, we wanted to go a step further and see whether we couldn’t do something more.”  Organisers joined with Club Attitude to make it happen.  Club Attitude works to improve people with disabilities’ access to live performances.

Set to kick off on June 24th, this year’s lineup will be underscored by artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Lilly Allen and Fleet Foxes.  These chart topping artists will be in good company with five hours of programming from some of the best disabled artists including Heavy Load and Spaceships Are Cool.

• Posted:28 Apr 2009 at 04:05 pm

Gain Work Experience with BBC

BBC is currently offering a chance for people with disabilities to gain paid work experience across the UK.  Through their work placement scheme Extend, applicants with relevant experience who are keen to start a career in broadcasting can apply for a 6 month placement within the BBC.  Though this placement does not guarantee future employment, more than half of last year’s participants gained further work within the BBC family.

Diversity is a priority explains BBC. “The BBC aims to be a true reflection of the nations and regions we serve, both in terms of output and employment. We are working hard to create the kind of working environment and culture that recognises and values people’s differences. And we’ll achieve this by attracting, recruiting and developing the most creative and talented people from every section of the community.”

Learn what its like to be an Extendee by reading interviews with previous participants.  But hurry because deadline for applications is May 10th.

• Posted:27 Apr 2009 at 11:55 am

My Week in Townley Hall

Jess here, Kanchi blogger and now trained in transformational leadership!  This month Kanchi was given a brilliant opportunity by Lucca Leadership to attend its first Leadership Foundations program hosted in Ireland.  The residential program was to last a full week in Drogeda on the beautiful estate of Townley Hall.  Luckily I was free to attend since traveling home for Easter would entail crossing the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
Lucca Leadership is a global organisation which offers transformational leadership programs for young people (aged 12-30).  What is transformational leadership?  Lucca describes it as “an approach to leadership that creates sustainable solutions, and avoids solutions that benefit some at the expense of others”.  By helping young people discover their potential, passions and teaching them tools for effective leadership, Lucca hopes to inspire a new generation of leaders who will serve for the good of all.    
 
In essence, Lucca offers the training, development and support for young people to “be the change they want to see in the world”.    
 
I arrived in Drogheda not knowing what to expect.  I knew I would be making friends with people from all over the world, but with no itinerary to cling to, I was forced to go with the flow.  Though the idea of “rolling with it” is not a foreign concept to me, it has become habitual to plan ahead, devising solutions for obstacles which may arise due to my visual impairment.  But Course Director Robert Muhall’s words “There are no obstacles, only opportunities” were a great indicator I would be in good company.
 
And I was.  The Lucca team, who had gone through multiple Lucca courses, volunteered their time to support the almost 30 participants.   It was a week of hands on learning… not just about leadership styles and strategy, but about how awareness of yourself and the needs of others are the foundations of leadership.  My preconceived notions of what it takes to be a great leader were challenged through team building tasks.  We also took a case study day trip up to Northern Ireland where we meet Brendan Duddy, a chip shop owner who led by acting as a “secret peacemaker” during peace process.  
 
Knowing I would be asked “How was it?” by friends and colleagues, I tried to formulate a few sentences describing my experience but were only able to come with with three words: effective, personal and well run.  I left at the end of the week more aware of my leadership skills and how I would like to use them. 

• Posted:24 Apr 2009 at 04:15 pm

Fire Station Artist’s Studio Awards

Fire Station Artist’s Studios has extended the deadline for its two residency awards for disabled artists.  Friday, May 1st is now the last day to apply for a chance to live, work and learn in the center of Dublin City.

• Posted:23 Apr 2009 at 04:20 pm

Fetching Photos of Service Dogs… and Horse

Most people are aware of the role dogs can play in helping people who have physical disabilities.  For example, service dogs can act as guides for people who are blind, or alert a person with a hearing impairment their alarm clock is sounding.  However, the assistance our four legged friends provide is not always this apparent.  Dogs can be trained to sense an owner’s oncoming panic attacks and even seizures.

“There are also proven medical advantages.”  Deborah Agulnik writes. “Patients who have interacted with dogs have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and in many cases require less medication than before.”  This can be instrumental in treatment of poor mental health.

Read the full article “Cause to Heal” and see pictures of service animals on guardian.co.uk to learn about the support psychiatric assistance dogs offer.

But dogs are not the only animals which sport a spiffy service harness.  Miniature seeing-eye horses are becoming popular.  Visit msnbc.com to learn why Mona Ramouni needed to opt for Cali, her guide horse, over a dog.

• Posted:22 Apr 2009 at 04:55 pm

BBC Searches for Wheelchair Dancers

A nationwide search for dancers who use wheelchairs has begun.  Dancers will compete for spots on BBC3’s newest program, Wheelchair Dancers.  But by no means do you need to be a professional.  Participants will be paired with a semi-professional dancer and together they will learn and compete in what is known as a “Combi” event.  This means one person will use a wheelchair, and the other will not.  Winners of the competition will then have the chance to compete in an international wheelchair dance sport competition.  Deadline for applications is May 14th, 2009.

Watch three time World Champions,Piotr Iwanicki and Dorota Janowska, compete with their Pasa Doble in the 2005 European Cup.

Wheelchair dance sport has been a Paralympic Sport since 1998 and today is practiced by athletes in 22 countries.

• Posted:20 Apr 2009 at 10:45 am

Radio Interview with Caroline Casey

Last Saturday, Founding CEO of Kanchi, Caroline Casey, appeared on the Eamon Dunphy Show.  She chatted in depth about her personal history, eyesight and journey from Management Consultant to Social Entrepreneur.

Listen tot he entire interview on RTE One

• Posted:17 Apr 2009 at 03:29 pm

One Wild Life

Craving an adventure around the world? Author Claire Mulvany, can take you on a journey from Dublin to Cambodia, discovering how unassuming persons are truly making a difference. Released this month, One Wild Life recounts her eleven month adventure with excerpts from her diary and blog. Interviews with “changemakers” she met along the way tell of their journey towards a better world.  Claire hopes to inspire young people into realising their potential, passions and ability to use their talents to effect social change.

Read a few pages of One Wild Life on amazon.co.uk which features fellow Dubliner Caroline Casey.

Claire’s book just might inspire you to set off on your own adventure.

• Posted:17 Apr 2009 at 02:25 pm

Cause Celeb

Around one in 400 babies are born with cerebral palsy each year in Britain.  Isabella, daughter of famous footballer Phil Neville, is such a baby.  Neville talks with BBC about his 5 year old daughter and the challenges and joys of parenting. Watch full video interview

Cause celeb is a video series which raises educated awareness around disorders and disability.  High profile celebrities speak out about their personal experience, giving light to real stories. It also provides a great resource for learning the unknown facts about a particular condition.

• Posted:16 Apr 2009 at 05:02 pm

ASDA to sell Mobility Products

ASDA, a well known supermarket in the UK, will start selling wheelchairs and other mobility aids this Saturday to better serve their customers.

“It said becoming the first mainstream retailer to offer mobility aids would help ‘eradicate the stigma’ around disability.  The move comes after research has shown that pensioners will make up almost a quarter of the population within 23 years.  The aids will also be targeted at younger people with disabilities and those suffering from sports injuries.”

In cooperation with Mobileease, ASDA will offer a range of 15 products.

Read full article in Mail Online

• Posted:15 Apr 2009 at 04:52 pm