MOBILITY MATTERS
HULL FIRM CUT OFF CALLS FROM STROKE VICTIM
A stroke victim feels that he has been treat- ed like a “weirdo” after the phone was put down on him four times by taxi operators. William James, 74, of east Hull, suffered two strokes in a month, which left him with a speech impairment. As a result, he was cut off on four separate occasions as he tried to book a cab with his usual firm.
The pensioner told The Hull Daily Mail: “I had two strokes and since then I have to think about every word I speak. It makes me feel like I’m some kind of weirdo. It’s left me really frustrated. “It’s a shame because when I do get a taxi the drivers have been
impeccable.”
Co-owner of the firm has apologised for the distress caused to Mr James. He said: “I would like to make a groveling apology to Mr James. We are not in the business of turn- ing away customers. “We have now put the fact that Mr James has had a stroke on his details so when he calls the operator will be aware of his situa- tion.”
The Stroke Association regional manager for Yorkshire and Humber, Julia MacLeod, said: “About one third of the 150,000 people in the UK who have a stroke every year go on to have communication difficulties called apha- sia or dysphasia.
“Losing the ability to speak can be frighten- ing and frustrating for the person, especially as reading and writing can also be affected.” Tips from the Stroke Association on help- ing someone with aphasia: •Establish whether the person can say or signal yes or no, so questions may be asked.
•Remember the per- son who has had a stroke has not become less intelli- gent.
•Give the person time to take in what is being said and do not interrupt them.
•Speak in a normal tone, but more slow- ly, using short sentences.
EDINBURGH DISABLED CHARITY’S FURY AT CUTS TO TAXI SCHEME
Charity campaigners have hit out at council plans to make cut- backs to a taxi scheme which provides a “life- line” for the city’s disabled.
Growing budget con- straints mean the city council wants to make changes to the Taxi- card scheme, which allows around 8,000 users to make jour- neys at a reduced rate. Users of the scheme pay just £2 for the first £5 of their journeys, with a maximum of 104 journeys a year. But council plans could see one of a number of different constraints being put on the scheme, includ- ing charging users more money or slash- ing the number of
journeys the pass can be used for.
It comes after council bosses removed con- cessionary travel on trains, introduced a £20 charge for dis- abled Blue Badges and put a cap on pay- ments for carers. David Griffiths, chief executive of Edin- burgh-based disability charity Ecas, told the Edinburgh Evening News: “One of the points of disability and equality legislation is to stop disabled peo- ple being picked on. There’s going to be cuts, but we must do it strategically and sen- sibly. “For some people, Taxicards mean the difference between getting out and not
getting out.
“There’s a common misconception that 100 per cent accessi- ble buses can solve all the problems, but they’re of no value at all if you can’t get to the bus stop to use them.”
Mr Griffiths also said he would be referring the council to the Equality and Human Rights Commission due to the relatively small number of users being consulted on the council’s plans. Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, the city’s transport convener, said: “The council is facing some extreme- ly difficult financial decisions affecting every department and service.”
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0800 142 2815 PAGE 46 PHTM SEPTEMBER 2010
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