Cerebral Palsy Scotland volunteer Bernie Hunter examines how accessible groups have coped during Covid restrictions, and recommends three great accessible groups that you might like to try.

Things are looking a bit brighter this summer and we are on the road to activities restarting after being brought to a halt due to the pandemic. It has been a challenging time for accessible groups to find alternative ways of continuing to provide services. In this blog, I will explain what these obstacles were as well as suggesting groups that are suitable for people who have additional support needs.

In spring last year when the country went into lockdown due to Covid-19, a lot of services had to stop including accessible groups. There are a range of clubs that provide activities such as music, dance and art – not to mention the social aspect of people coming together, which is really important. Like everyone, organisers had to find a new way of keeping their groups going but they had to make sure that it was inclusive.

Many clubs had to accept that they couldn’t have a social environment during lockdown so they turned to the online video calling platform, Zoom. It was a totally different way of working for both organisations and participants which required learning but thankfully they found new ways that allowed them to continue services and people could participate in activities, safely at home.

Here are some accessible groups that are available for people who have additional support needs:

Paragon Music

Paragon is an inclusive music and dance organisation that creates an accessible pathway into the arts. Professional musicians and dancers bring people together to create music and dance, helping participants to learn new skills and perform in front of live audiences. During spring 2020, it was clear that the organisation was not going to be able to run music and dance workshops in person so they turned to Zoom. To begin with, it was a challenge as not everyone has musical instruments in their houses so Paragon had to provide instruments and equipment. Despite the difficulties they faced Paragon still managed to operate by running their workshops online and presenting a range of fantastic livestreams on YouTube.

The Glasgow based organisation is located in the CCA in Sauchiehall Street and is hoping to restart workshops in person in the next couple of months. Check out Paragon’s website for details.

I have observed that I dance more in one place mostly due to the fact that I no longer had a partner to assist me with moving my wheelchair- Eilidh McGrath (talking about dancing on Zoom in her bedroom)

PLUS

PLUS is a charity that supports children, young people and adults who have additional support needs along with their families. Working across the Forth Valley, they focus on breaking down barriers when it comes to social isolation that many young people can face, and even more so during the Covid-19 pandemic. PLUS provides a wide range of services from social events to community activities and specific groups such as after school events. One to one support is also available within family homes and out in the community, and the charity also offers support to families which happens via their parent & toddler and the parent support group.

Based in Stirling, the charity provides the service across the wider Forth Valley which includes Falkirk. People can join PLUS through a referral which can be made by families, health visitors, social work or education. The services that PLUS deliver can differ, depending on where people stay and this is due to funding in regions. PLUS members have to supply funding themselves which can be done through their own budget or from social work. You can get more information on the PLUS website.

Like many other charities, PLUS had to stop their services in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic which meant having to cut down to just three staff members. The charity was delighted to receive Covid-19 funding which allowed them to reopen with more staff in June 2021. There has been changes in the way PLUS works, ensuring everyone has confidence when attending the services, such as new safety measures. During lockdown, PLUS was providing online services via zoom. Activities such as signing, music & quiz sessions. As restrictions start to ease further, PLUS is now building up to restart larger groups and provide more services like they did before lockdown. There is a substantial waiting list with lots of referrals but the charity is hoping to reduce the list, over the coming months.

When I’m at PLUS I feel happy it’s a great place to meet friends and have a laugh. We are like one big happy family when I’m working, I feel like I have a purpose to take care of the young people that I support -Harris Menshawi (PLUS volunteer)

Nordoff Robbins Scotland

Nordoff Robbins is a charity that provides music therapy sessions to people who are living with disabilities, people who are isolated or have life-shortening conditions. The charity creates an opportunity for people to go along to music sessions and try instruments, play with others and enjoy music. Nordoff Robbins work in partnership with a range of different organisations including schools, NHS and other charities.

The charity offers an Open Access service where people can make direct referrals in order to attend the music sessions- find out more information on the Nordoff Robbins website.

Nordoff Robbins has four centres across Scotland- Fife, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow (currently closed to Covid-19 restrictions). The pandemic has had a big impact on the charity so Nordoff Robbins had to find a new way of providing music therapy to people. They have managed to continue a small service online using Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

I really enjoyed the music therapy sessions in school and online during lockdown. They were really fun and interactive and the people were so friendly! – Ryan Callaghan (Nordoff Robbins participant)

Cerebral Palsy Scotland volunteer Bernie Hunter writes about the impact that Covid-19 restrictions have had on disabled access to public spaces including pavements, shops, bars and supermarkets.

As the Covid-19 restrictions start to ease and things are becoming a bit more normal again I have been finding out about how the access world has changed slightly for people who use mobility aids, since the start of the Covid-19 rules. In this recent study, I will explain what the differences are when it comes to accessing places compared to pre-lockdown.

Over the past 16 months, life has looked a lot different for us all. We have had to get used to changes due to the pandemic. The restrictions were brought in to try and slow the spread of Covid-19 which was the right thing to do as everyone’s health has to come first. As the virus started to get under control, the hospitality industry was allowed to open but only to operate outdoors. This resulted in a lot of businesses having to set up tables and chairs outside their pubs and restaurants for customers. It was the only way that they could open. While this was all a better environment for people to be in, it wasn’t always the best set up for everyone.

People who use mobility aids have noticed a big access change when they are out and I’m not talking about places having disabled access – I’m actually talking about when someone in a wheelchair or a walker tries to go along a pavement. Most pubs have set up beer gardens right outside their venues which sometimes can mean that the table and chairs are directly on the pavement, not leaving enough space for mobility aid users to get by. Unfortunately, these changes have not been a plus for people with access needs. Although customers are apologetic (it isn’t anyone’s fault that there is obstructions) but this leaves the wheelchair or walker user feeling embarrassed that they have had to ask someone to move to let them past.

There has been changes in shops due to the social distancing requirement, some stores have made the aisles wider- this has benefited people who use wheelchairs as there is more room to get around the shop. This is a welcome change, but it isn’t like that in every store, some places have cut down floor space to allow social distancing to happen by putting up screens and barriers.

Parking has also been a problem for blue badge holders- the accessible parking bays are located near to the shops entrance but due to stores having to introduce a ‘queuing system’ and making sure social distancing was in place, a lot of shops blocked off their disabled bays to let more people queue. This left people with access needs with no choice but to park a bit away from shops.

Let’s talk a bit about how access has changed in eating places. One restaurant has unfortunately blocked off their accessible ramp and side entrance so that they can have a beer garden. This means people who use mobility aids don’t have suitable access into the restaurant. The venue has bought a portable ramp since, but it is very steep and dangerous… resulting in making customers nervous and requiring assistance to use it.

Considering the restrictions, everyone is more understanding that changes were needed to make places a safer place when Covid-19 appeared but we should remember that all of the world still must be inclusive. Everyone has a right to access, nobody should be faced with challenges when out and about.

In a recent Cerebral Palsy Scotland Twitter poll, we asked if people noticed a change in accessing places since the Covid-19 restrictions started- 60% said yes and 40% said no.

Thank you also to everyone who responded to our Facebook request and shared their own experiences of changes to access during Covid-19 restrictions – you made all the difference to this blog.