News
SIA members attend QEF Mobility Open Day
On 29 October three SIA members attended the Queen Elizabeth Foundation mobility open day in Carshalton, Surrey. This full day event provided the opportunity to speak to therapists and clinical staff about a variety of travel options, such as driving, accessible transport, flying, community transport and wheelchair services.
First, our members were able to meet with the specialists at QEF and go through a short driving assessment. They discussed their current needs and spoke about equipment, adaptations, posture and ergonomic set up that could help them in the future. This included things such as the use of hoists on their vehicle, swivel seats, transfer plates, straps/cushions, hand controls and wheel attachments to help with control and grip.
Sylvia, who joined us for the day told us how useful particular session was, and even more so that she was able to do it within her own car, “I’ve been driving for over 20 years since my injury and I’d be totally lost without my car. I need to drive to socialise, to go on holiday and to get to work. I kind of knew that my posture wasn’t great driving, but because I’ve been doing it for so long I just thought this is what I do and didn’t really think about what could be changed. But today I’ve been shown so many extra bits of kit, some of them not very obtrusive, like seating straps and cushions to help my seating position and comfort during driving in the future.”
“It’s been a fantastic experience. I’ve learned so much and the information I’ve been given is so comprehensive, and its been a really worthwhile day that I’d highly recommend.”
Later in the day our members were also able to experience what it is like to fly as a disabled person with the TryB4uFly team, and the half an aircraft cabin that brings the experience to life. For one of our members Peter, who was newly injured this was especially useful to improve his confidence and to know that he will be able to fly again. They discussed access requirements and demonstrated some useful equipment that could help them when travelling abroad.
He said, “The aviation travel aspect was one of the main draws coming along today. They told us about the process from booking, getting through the airport and onto the plane which was so useful. So much so that we are now looking forward to coming back for a full assessment to get us travelling abroad again one day.”
As the day continued our members were able to try some of the hand controls on the driving test track alongside the QEF instructors. In addition, they were also able to see the driving rig in action, a real life reaction test using accelerator and brake pedals. Finally, they met with the Transport for London (TFL), and spoke with a number of mobility car providers about what new technology is available.
“It’s been really informative and the questions we had before (and some we didn’t) have now been answered. Being able to travel is very important to my independence and my mental state, so its been good to hear what’s out there to make my life easier.”
Reflecting on the day lead clinical specialist at the QEF Paul Graham said, “We encourage everyone to come along to events like this, to find out what we do and also what’s out there for them. Speak our specialists who really know their stuff, and most importantly try things as well. You can see stuff on the internet, and watch videos all you like, but you really need to get your hands on the kit to understand and experience what its really like.”
Finally, we hear from Susie Turnbull, one of the Travel with Confidence therapists who supported the members to get the most from event. She said, “It’s been a really good experience for all of the SIA members who joined us today. They explored all the different services available to them and were able to discuss solutions that they didn’t know before they came today. Whether they have been newly injured or have been injured for many years, this event provided information and access to expertise that is invaluable to people with spinal cord injury to live a more independent and fulfilled life. Thank you so much to the whole team at QEF for inviting us along and we look forward to supporting more of these fantastic events in the future.”
“It’s been such a great experience and I’d say a massive thank you to SIA and the team at the QEF for such a good day. They really know their stuff, and they have so many different ideas and they’ve been really helpful, really open, and really lovely.”
QUEEN ELIZABETH FOUNDATION
Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People (QEF) is a disability charity based in Surrey, with national reach. They have more than 85 years’ experience of developing innovative services which support almost 10,000 disabled people a year to achieve their potential and increase their independence.
