Frequently Asked Questions
ASCS (Advice Service Capability Scotland) receives hundreds of enquiries each month on a vast range of disability-related issues. Listed below are some of the more frequently asked questions and our answers.
Please feel free to Contact Us for further information, or if you have a question that is not listed here.
Hiring wheelchairs
Buying disability equipment
Hiring a car
Buying or selling secondhand equipment
Blue badges
Grants to buy equipment
Holiday information
Statistics
Leisure/sports activities
Information on the DDA
Exemption from paying road tax
Support Groups
Hiring wheelchairs
Q: Where can I hire a manual wheelchair?
A: The British Red Cross loan manual wheelchairs and other daily living/medical equipment on a short term basis. Contact your local Red Cross branch for more information. You will find their contact details in your local telephone directory, or go to http://www.redcross.org.uk/
Disabled Trust for Scotland loan manual wheelchairs on a short or longer term basis. They deliver to the whole of Scotland. Contact them on 0141 332 3446 or go to http://www.dtfs.org.uk/ for more information.
Some Disabled Living Centres hire manual wheelchairs for a small charge. Contact ASCS for details of your nearest centre or go to http://www.assist-uk.org/
Wheelchairs can be hired from commercial companies. For information about companies in your area, contact ASCS.
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Buying disability equipment
Q: Where can I buy a ramp/hoist/electric wheelchair/scooter etc?
A: There are a number of companies in Scotland and the UK that manufacture and sell a range of mobility equipment and daily living aids. Some companies also hire out big pieces of equipment, such as wheelchairs and hoists. If you are looking for specialist disability equipment, contact ASCS for details of companies nearest you.
If you are unsure about which type of equipment would best suit your needs, then you can get impartial information and advice from one of the five Disabled Living Centres around Scotland. Each Disabled Living Centre displays a wide range of equipment and products that you can try out, and professional staff are on hand to advise and answer questions. Contact ASCS for details of your nearest centre or go to http://www.assist-uk.org/
Remember, you may be entitled to some aids to daily living from your local social work department. Contact the Community Occupational Therapist based there. For wheelchair entitlement, talk to your GP in the first instance.
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Hiring a car
Q: We are coming to Scotland on holiday and would like to hire a wheelchair accessible car to travel around.
A: The Order of Malta in Stirling has a number of wheelchair accessible cars and vans for hire. Vehicles have to be collected and returned to Stirling. Contact Order of Malta: 01786 465355.
The Disability Income Group in Aberdeen has two wheelchair accessible vehicles for hire. They have to be collected and returned to Aberdeen. Contact John Guest: 01224 587212.
ASCS also has information about a few companies who have wheelchair accessible cars for hire. Contact ASCS.
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Buying or selling secondhand equipment
Q: I want to sell my old scooter. Are there any places in Scotland that buy or sell second-hand equipment?
A: Disabled Living Centres in Scotland sometimes keep a list of second-hand equipment that individuals want to sell. Contact ASCS for details of your nearest centre or go to http://www.assist-uk.org/
Some disability magazines advertise second-hand goods for sale. Disability Now has a classified ads section and placing an advert is free. Able Magazine also has an ads section.
Mobilise has a second-hand mobility goods section on their website where individuals can place adverts.
Some commercial companies sell reconditioned or used equipment. Contact ASCS for more information.
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Blue badges
Q: How do I get a blue badge?
A: The blue badge scheme provides parking concessions for people with severe mobility difficulties who travel either as drivers or passengers.
Local authorities issue blue badges. If you think you may be entitled to one, contact your local council or social work department to make an application. Contact details in the phone book.
The Blue Badge scheme is also recognised by European Union member states and some other European countries. Blue Badge holders are entitled to the same parking concessions that are given to disabled people in those countries.
A leaflet describing the concessions in each country is available to download from the Department of Transport website - European Parking Card for People with Disabilities - How and Where to Use it. Hard copies of the leaflet can be ordered from the Scottish Executive Development Department, Transport Division 2, Area 2-D, Victoria Quay, Leith, Edinburgh. EH6 6QQ.
Tel: 0131 244 0860. Email: blue.badge@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
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Grants to buy equipment
Q: I am looking for some financial help to buy a specialised bed. Are there any grants available for specialist equipment?
A: Some pieces of specialist equipment for disabled people can be paid for by statutory organisations, such as social work or health boards. If you need special equipment to help you manage at home or with your mobility, speak to your local social work department to see if they can provide it. They will have to carry out an assessment of your needs first.
There are also a number of charitable trusts that give grants to individuals in need for a range of things, including household goods, mobility equipment, holidays and respite care. Contact ASCS for details of charitable trusts to apply to.
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Holiday information
Q: Where can I find information about accessible holidays in Scotland?
A: ASCS holiday factsheet provides information on accessible holidays in Scotland and the UK, including accessible holiday accommodation, holidays with care provided, holiday companies, and activity holidays.
Tourism for All is an organisation that specialises in holiday information for disabled people. They publish accessible accommodation guides for the UK and abroad, as well as guides to respite care, family holidays, equipment hire, transport etc., There is a small charge for publications.
VisitScotland publish an Accessible Scotland guide which lists accessible hotels, guesthouses and self-catering accommodation throughout Scotland, as well as information on access to tourist attractions. You can get a copy of the guide by calling 0845 22 55 121, or ordering online at http://www.visitscotland.com/
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Statistics
Q: How many disabled people live in Scotland?
A: The Disability Rights Commission has published Disability in Scotland: Key Facts and Figures and Disability in Scotland: A Baseline Study. These publications bring together available statistical information on disability in Scotland, including approximate figures for the number of people in Scotland with a disability. You can download the publications from the Equality and Human Rights Commission website or order them from their helpline.
The number of people in Scotland with cerebral palsy is estimated to be 15,000 to 20,000. A Cerebral Palsy Register for Scotland (CPRS) was recently set up to register children with cerebral palsy in Scotland born after 1990. More information about the register can be obtained from www.napier.ac.uk/cprs.
Social Focus on Disability 2004, published by the Scottish Executive, provides social statistics on the position of disabled people in Scotland. This information has been collated from a range of survey and data sources, including the Scottish Household Survey, the Labour Force Survey and the 2001 Census. Chapters include statistical information on employment, housing, income and benefits, and health and care. Available to download from the Scottish Executive website: www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/resfinds/sfod04-00.asp
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Leisure/sports activities
Q: Where can I get information about leisure/sports clubs or activities in my area?
A: ASCS has some information about social clubs and leisure and sporting activities for disabled people in different areas in Scotland. Contact us for details.
Local disability organisations often keep information about leisure activities in their area. You can find contact details of local disability organisations on the Update (national disability information service) website.
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Information on the DDA
Q: I have a small restaurant. What do I have to do to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act?
A: The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) protects disabled people from discrimination in the areas of employment, access to goods and services, and education. New duties for employers and service providers under the Act have come into force over time since 1995.
Since 1 October 2004, disabled people's rights to access goods and services have been extended. Service providers have to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of their premises to make their service accessible to disabled people. Service providers include shops, restaurants, doctors' surgeries, churches, hospitals etc.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have produced a range of publications to help small and large businesses and other service providers understand what the DDA means to them. These publications explain the law and what is meant by the term reasonable adjustments, as well as giving practical suggestions for what service providers can do to make their service more accessible. Most publications can be downloaded from the EHRC website, or you can order printed copies.
The EHRC have also produced guidance on the employment and education parts of the DDA.
Capability Scotland’s Equality Unit provides information and training to organisations and businesses on their obligations under the DDA.
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Exemption from paying road tax
Q: I have a blue badge. Am I entitled to a refund on my road tax?
A: Not necessarily. Having a blue badge does not automatically exempt you from paying road tax (Vehicle Excise Duty). To be eligible for road tax exemption you need to be in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, or the War Pensioners Mobility Supplement. If you receive either of these benefits, you will receive an exemption certificate from the benefits agency.
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Support Groups
Q: Where can I find out about support groups in my area?
A: There are a variety of support groups around. Some are national and some cover a local area. Some support people with a specific condition, such as dyspraxia, whilst others support people with a wide range of disabilities, such as support groups for parents of children with special needs. Some are run by paid staff, whilst others depend on volunteer help.
If you are looking for a support group in your area, please contact us and we’ll try to help you find one.
Other organisations that may be able to help include:
Contact a Family have details of UK support groups for specific medical conditions in their Directory. They also have a website: http://www.makingcontact.org/ where families of disabled children or adults, their friends or disabled adults themselves can contact others with a similar disability, or other disabled people from the same area.
The Challenging Behaviour Foundation http://www.thecbf.org.uk/ has a support network for families and carers of individuals with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. The Foundation will try to put you in touch with another family for mutual support and encouragement. If possible they will put you in touch with a family in your area.
Carers Centres have support groups for carers. You can find your local centre on http://www.carerscotland.org/.
Enable http://www.enable.org.uk/ has local branches and groups across Scotland that support children and adults with learning disabilities and their carers.
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