Equipment and Adaptations
If your child has severe physical difficulties, which make it hard to manage everyday things such as meal times, toileting or getting around, you may be able to get special equipment or adaptations in your home to make life easier.
Daily living equipment
You may be able to get some things to help with looking after your child at home on loan. Toilet seats, bath aids, ramps and other equipment might be available following assessment. Ask your health visitor, social worker, or occupational therapist.
There are constant changes and developments in the kind of equipment and gadgets that are available, and it's sometimes useful to be able to see what's on offer. Some of us have found it helpful to visit independent living exhibitions or centres. The Disabilities Living Centre in Nottingham has a permanent display of equipment and runs occasional exhibition days specifically on children’s equipment. The centre doesn't sell the equipment but they will tell you the cost and the suppliers details. The Disabled Living Foundation has a telephone helpline, factsheets and a separate website Living Made Easy with a directory of equipment.
The Centre for Accessible Environments is also based in London. They provide information by telephone, letter, email or face to face and also provide a consultancy service.
The biggest annual exhibitions of equipment and useful gadgets, are Naidex, the Kidz exhibitions run by Disabled Living and the Mobility Roadshow (which also has dozens of exhibitors of products not just to do with cars/vehicles and wheelchairs). The dates and venues for these are advertised their websites, and in papers like Disability Now (DN). There are also adverts in DN and local newsletters for second-hand equipment, or you can try the Disability Equipment Register as well.
Fledglings helps families with a child with disabilities to find practical affordable products to meet everyday needs.
Disabled Gear - a FREE ads website for buying and selling 2nd hand disability equipment.
The Red Cross runs a short term wheelchair loan service in Nottingham and Long Eaton.
Specialist equipment
The Children’s Development Centre at The City Hospital in Nottingham, serves City and County residents. There are occupational therapists and physiotherapists at the Children’s Development Centre on City Hospital Campus in Nottingham, at the Children’s Therapy Centre in Mansfield and at the Children’s Development Centre at Bassetlaw Hospital. They can assess and advise on techniques and equipment to make everyday tasks easier for you and your child. Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists will assess each child individually. If your child would benefit from equipment, your child’s therapists will recommend where it can be purchased and how it should be used. Some larger pieces of equipment are available on loan from the Integrated Community Equipment Services. Your therapist will arrange for the loan to take place.
REMAP is another organisation which will try to make equipment to suit your child's individual needs, which you may not be able to get anywhere else. Your child’s therapist can advise you should you need to access this service.
For buggies or wheelchairs, your will have to attend the Wheelchair Clinic for an assessment at the The City Hospital in Nottingham. Referral is usually by an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist.
Whizz-Kidz is a charity which can often help with financial costs where, for example, you'd like your child to have a better wheelchair than can be provided on the NHS. Whizz-Kids can make up the difference in cost if you can't afford it yourself.
A wheelchair voucher scheme has been developed that gives wheelchair users more choice. It enables people to have a 'voucher' equal to the cost to the NHS of a wheelchair, leaving them free to pay the additional cost to an agreed supplier for the more expensive chair that they want. Ask for more information at the Wheelchair clinic or contact the Nottingham Mobility Centre 0115 9691169 ex 57544 based at the City Campus, Nottingham University Hospitals.
School equipment
If your child needs specialist equipment at school, you should discuss the situation with your child's school. If your child sees a therapist at the Children’s Development/Therapy Centres they will liaise with the services below about the equipment needed. The Physical Disability Support Service based at Fountaindale School 01623 792857 can provide equipment and support for county schools preparing to admit a child with physical disabilities or to support a child who lives in the county but is attending a city school. The Inclusive Education Service at Oakfield School 0115 9153265 can provide equipment for children living in the city and attending city schools.
Adaptations to your home
Getting major adaptations to your home can be a slow process.
You need to start by contacting the Disabled Children’s Teams in the city or at Welbeck House, Meadow House or the Hall in the county. They will arrange for an Occupational Therapist (OT) to visit you at home to assess how you and your child are managing everyday activities and discuss the options available.
For major adaptations you may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant. These grants are not means tested if the young person with disabilities is under 19. Only works recommended by the Occupational Therapist will be paid for and these have to be considered essential and not just desirable. The maximum grant is currently £30,000. The grants are available for owner occupiers and for private tenants who intend to stay in the property. Adaptations to council properties will be funded differently.
Moving home
It may be that your present home isn't suitable and can't be adapted to meet your child's future needs. If you are a council or housing association tenant you should speak to your housing officer about transferring to a more suitable home. Your occupational therapist can help you with applications for rehousing and your doctor or health visitor may be able to provide information to support your application. Although it's often a long wait, sometimes if you need specially adapted accommodation you will have a better chance of being able to move, or your name can be put forward to another housing association that has appropriate flats and houses.
Although it's a national publication it's also worth looking in Disability Now as many people advertise there when they are selling property suitable for households with a disabled person (or you could place a 'wanted' advert). If you're on the internet there's also a property website dealing exclusively with accessible homes for sale – 'The Accessible Property Register'.