birding with a disability (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Rowlands]

It opens as pdf file Henry, although if you don't have Acrobat Reader it might not open for you.

And if you don't have or want the bloated Acrobat reader, Henry, download and install Foxit Reader (only 1.5Mb) from http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php - all you do once it's installed is right-click the pdf link and choose save as ... then open it with Foxit.



Thanks for posting the link, Chris - I hope that more councils etc., will follow the examples that have been set up in my area, Monmouthshire (a lot of it down to Ian Smith, who didn't get a mention in the document - thanks Ian!).

Cheers,

Andy.

 

[Henry B]

Thanks for the info guys ,but I still can,t see file. Tried the Foxit thingy but ...erm PCs are smarter than me.

 

[christineredgate]

Henry,go to the Adobe website and down load Acrobat 7.0 .Then you can open any documents like the above,it does not take a second-it may be Acrobat reader 8.0 now.But the file Chris has mentioned is pretty large,52 pages,so if you do not have a Broadband connection,it may not be a good idea.There are lots of facts and figures etc,along with Gov't leglisation.
Chris,thankyou for the link.

 

[Henry B]

Gave up after an our of gobldigoock, sorry folks.

 

[Nina P]

Thanks for the link Chris, I got a bit of bother at a place I visited with the grandkids in August, seems like the Purbeck District Council are doing a disservice to disabled by banning a path for wheelchair access because the site is in an SSSI, as if disabled don't matter when it comes to allowing them to see things in that kind of area! I really thought DDA was hot on that kind of thing, but I have to get the person who told me the council were causing trouble, but I lost their number, so will have to do some research and quickly as it must be done in three months!Talk about make it difficult!

 

[Andrew Rowlands]

Henry,go to the Adobe website and down load Acrobat 7.0.Then you can open any documents like the above, it does not take a second-it may be Acrobat reader 8.0 now.But the file Chris has mentioned is pretty large, 52 pages, so if you do not have a Broadband connection,it may not be a good idea.There are lots of facts and figures etc,along with Gov't leglisation.

Umm, Christine - I think you need to get the perspective right

The pdf file is @ 800Kb or @ 3 minutes on dial-up,
Foxit Reader is @ 1.5Mb or @ 6 minutes on dial-up,
Acrobat Reader is @ 20.5Mb or @ 80 minutes on dial-up.

Henry, did you get the zipped version of Foxit? There is an installer version http://us01.foxitsoftware.com/foxitreader/foxitreader_setup.exe which may be easier for you to install.

 

[Henry B]

Andrew, I did download the 1.5mb size ,but got lost what to do after that. The Adobe thing ,well I just gave up,sorry.

 

[Andrew Rowlands]

Andrew, I did download the 1.5mb size ,but got lost what to do after that. The Adobe thing ,well I just gave up,sorry.

Have you double-clicked the Foxit installer and followed the wizard to install it Henry?

 

[christineredgate]

Umm, Christine - I think you need to get the perspective right

The pdf file is @ 800Kb or @ 3 minutes on dial-up,
Foxit Reader is @ 1.5Mb or @ 6 minutes on dial-up,
Acrobat Reader is @ 20.5Mb or @ 80 minutes on dial-up.

Henry, did you get the zipped version of Foxit? There is an installer version http://us01.foxitsoftware.com/foxitreader/foxitreader_setup.exe which may be easier for you to install.

Sorry,Andrew,did i get it wrong.The file downloaded via Adobe reader very quickly,but as was scanning through the pages,I noticed it said at the bottom,page 4 out of 52.I'll have another look.

 

[christineredgate]

Yes,there are 52 pages.On the first page with the large orange banner,at the bottom,it says page 1 of 52.

 

[Henry B]

adobe

OK, I checked that I actually had Adobe and I did not, where it went to is anyones guess. [my excuse]. 52 pages in glorious colour, looks an interesting read. Thanks for help guys.. 3

 

[Karl J]

Hi

guess i'm dragging this thread up from the depths somewhat, but anyway i'm interested in one aspect that i dont believe has been brought up yet

does anyone carry medical info with them in case of emergency ? and whats the best way of carrying it ?

i'm (slowly...) having to get used to the idea that after a brain operation in July and now being on chemotherapy (with various other pills & potions for the side-effects) i arent able to do as much as before the op.
And if i'm being totally honest, the realisation isnt coming easy, but what can you do but accept it, after all if it wasnt for modern medical science there's little doubt i'd be a whole lot worse off.

but one thing thats occured to me is that if i were to keel over in the middle of nowhere and need scooping up by ambulance, there are things the paramedics perhaps ought to know before they start doing too much. I do have a Steroid Card to carry about so i guess a few extra notes on that would be easy enough, just interested what other people do (if anything?)

 

[Nina P]

My husband had a brain op for a rather rare illness ( in the same vein as yourself) he has to carry a medic alert tag, this costs around £20 each year and this carries vital info for the paramedics to access with one call. Originally he carried a card with the steroids but now he has to have regular injections that regulate his thyroid and hormone levels and pituitary activity.
I have always carried something with my address on until I started carrying a mobile phone, the reccommendation is to have an ICE in the phone directory. I=in C=case of E= emergency this put into your mobile phone will give vital time for the paramedics or police to solve the problems. I also have my Drs surgery tel no in there for ease of access in case of emergency. Fortunately I have not had recourse to need this, so far, and I hope I really don't have any need to.
Hope this tip will be of some use to those who may find this a good idea to carry with them.

 

[Karl J]

Hi Nina(hope all is well with you- and yes reading betwen your lines, it does indeed sound possibly similar ), i thought i hadn't looked in on this one for a while now so decided in that case it must now be relevant and not before time !!! to pop back in and have another look.I will apologise now if i drift OT but am posting this now while some things are are still quite fresh in my memory!!! I Hope mods / Adminwilll see fit to leave it here as i feel it is in an appropriate place and not meant to contain insulting /innapropriate remarks or make false accusation of any part of the British Road Safety or anyother set-up. And i have sought, with my wordingto try to lessen as much as possible*anything others may find uncomfortable / objectionable . And let's be quite clear, i certainly aren't the first (nor will i be the last)person to go through something like this !!!

Anyhow i ended up in a "scooping up" job last week when i got knocked off my bike by some, er, individual who didn't even have thetime or common courtesy to put his mobile phone away before blasting past so close knocking me off onto the pavement / verge.shortly before hotfooting it away through the red lights to make good his escape or have his reg. plate revealed.I did, however, feel, at the time, him stopping to ask if i was ok (alive ?)would have been a decent gesture under the circumstances but sadly that wasn't to be either . Anyhow after a week + bit(in hospital losing all track of time etc) later at heaven-only-knows-what-cost-to-the- NHS (ok i don't know for sure but i am willing to bet those CT/ MRI scanners they shove you in plus Drs +nurses pay means it is not a cheap deal at any rate !!!!!!! i was then sent home with a pile of pills, a totally uncontrollable unsteerable zimmer, AND a wheelchair... (wHAT A learning curve THAT IS!!!. Jeez the looks some people give you when they see a w'chair coming towards them in Tesco's. wHY LOOK UP TO THE CEILING FOR GOODNESS SAKE (whats up there that'lllchange anything ??and lets not forget the massive pile of pills i am now stockpiling !!!And although i am now starting to get back upstairs in my house i feel it may be a short while longer before i venture back onto a bike again (no not never, just not for a little while.


Re. dog tags etc...In the back of the ambulance, on the way to A+E at the time, i had a discussion with the paramedics re. medic alerts / dog tags etc. as mine was only hand-written on the back of a Barclays Bank Personal Bankers appointment card and laminated (same size as most other cards in my wallet, if not as easy for the OH to buy shoes with it !!!Anyhow back OT, yes i went through the chemo last year and thought that was that but apparently not so fast i am now told the darn thing is coming back so iexpect to be seeing the Oncology dept of Norfolk + Norwich hospital again pretty soon for a different type of chemo this time round.!!! At lesst it isn't more surgery for this one - had that last year - (July 07) and it wasn't thought to be the best option this time around by the Neurosurgeons at Addenbrookes (who, you tend to assumehave a reasonably good grasp of their subject don't you

the other thing i have come across though hven't bought one is a green ICE bottle (In case OF Emergency that stays in the fridge and has written instructions / current med' instrucvtions kept inside , plus your previous relevant med history, scarsallergies etc . Apparently it is (one of ) a paramedics priority to find it if they arecalled into your home for a pick up, and the fridge is the right place to leave it..They also reckoned the most regularly incorrect piece of info people put down is Current Medication..

 

[Chewbaxter]

Don't know if this has been mentioned before (sorry if I'm repeating)...

The Disabled Birders Association is a relatively young organisation seeking to improve access for people with disabilities to reserves, facilities and services for birding. We have members across the world but the majority live in the UK. There is a separate chapter in the USA.

We would never compromise the needs of birds or other wildlife with our push to get better access for people, but do believe that good design that gives access to people with mobility problems etc. does give improved access to EVERYBODY. Half our members have a disability and half do not - we welcome all as it will only be by an alliance of disabled and able-bodied people that change will happen. Please join us - Membership is FREE to all.


Click Here to go to Website

:t:

Neil.

 

[Jaff]

I think it's a good thing this thread has been resurrected so people can update with any new info.

Forgive me if it's been covered somewhere in this thread or somewhere else on the forum but a list of the reserves with excellent disabled access I think would be a good idea. I know Martin Mere WWT here in the Northwest is brilliant for people in wheelchairs, there's nowhere you can't go.

 

[halftwo]

Karl,

So sorry to hear your woes. Hope your recovery from the b'stard who knocked you off the bike goes quickly and we hear of more BIGBY birding from you soon.
I do hope the next lot of chemo works fully effectively for you - I'm sure I'll not be the only one to keep my fingers crossed for you.
Very best wishes,

H

 

[geordie graham]

Hi everyone I have just come across this resurrected thread.I am 50 and was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and a demyelinating neuropathy approx 10 years ago which in basic terms means I am in constant pain and have mobility problems.Being unable to work for the past ten years and having to spend large amounts of time laid down,on one of my better day I went to my local nature reserve and witnessed something that made a big change in my life.Whilst sat in a hide with several other birders/photographers I watched kingfishers both sitting on a perch and also diving for fish.I also saw the photographs that were taken and decided that was to be my new hobby which is just as well as I think I was about to go mad.I also found this site and others.I don`t know about anyone else but If I can get out into the countryside and see wild birds and animals it makes what would be a normal agonising and frustrating day a lot easier.Unfortunately the mobility has worsened over the years and I am now a proud owner of a mobility scooter.It took a while to get over my bloody-mindedness and finally get one and have found it to be at times a godsend.The only problem is that when I need to use it I have to take my wife with me to get it in and out of the car.Because it is portable it means it is light and is really only suitable to smooth surfaces which a lot of the countryside walkways and bridleways are not.I know you can get ramps but the ones I have seen are about £400.Well thats all about me and I hope that all fellow disabled birders, wildlife watchers and photographers are still able to get out and about.I don`t know about you but when you are hit with a major problem all of a sudden the free and simpler things in life mean a whole lot more.Good luck everyone.

Graham

 

[Chewbaxter]

I think it's a good thing this thread has been resurrected so people can update with any new info.

Forgive me if it's been covered somewhere in this thread or somewhere else on the forum but a list of the reserves with excellent disabled access I think would be a good idea. I know Martin Mere WWT here in the Northwest is brilliant for people in wheelchairs, there's nowhere you can't go.

Good idea Jaff :t:

Here's some info. re: Pennington Flash, Leigh, Greater Manchester... one of the Parks Officers very kindly emailed me this, and I've permission to reproduce.

At Pennington Flash Country Park there is a disabled toilet, there is an information point with a sightings board in the same building. The sightings board is dependant on visiting birders providing sightings and if it is not up to date this is usually due to a lack of contributions.

There is also a site leaflet that includes a map that shows the location of the hides (this will be revised in the near future).

The main car park is pay and display but it is free to vehicles displaying a disabled parking permit (blue badge). Please remind people to display their badge the right way up because the Parking Attendants will book vehicles that display them the wrong way up. The current pay and display charge is £1 per day. An annual parking pass can also be purchased for £40.

Six of the seven bird hides are located on the reserve circuit. The path that forms this circuit is made from compacted crushed stone and is relatively flat. Some of the hides a permanently open but others are locked overnight. Opening times of the locked hides can vary because a couple of the regular birders have keys. Sometimes they open them early before the Rangers are on duty. The hides are always open from approx 08:30 am to sunset, this is also the time that a Ranger may be present on site. The feeding station is usually opened at about 9am when the bird food is also put out.

The rest of the site has similar compacted stone paths and is generally accessible.

The telephone number at the visitor centre is 01942 605253 and there is an answering machine when staff are out of the office.

There is no café on site but there is a burger van. His operational hours are approx 10:00 till 18:00 in summer and 11:00 till about 3:00 in winter.

For sat nav users the postcode is WN7 3PA. The country park is signposted from the A580 East Lancs Road.

Also click HERE for more info. about Pennington Flash



Neil.

 

[christineredgate]

Jaff,Martin Mere is not the most user friendly disabled site.One is not not able to to negotiate through the reserve,unless someone is around to open the gates to allow mobility scooters through.Quite difficult.