Swanson Gathering

Good Afternoon, Team,

I have just been informed of a grant you can apply for, from the Laura Fergusson Trust.

Little info about this …

They have been successful in securing a Care in the Community grant aligned with our Gym Spaces Project.

Disabled people and their families and whānau who have been impacted by COVID-19 can now apply to us for funding support for physical activity and education activities. Each disabled person can apply for up to a maximum of $2,000 as long as funding remains available.

For example, you can apply for funding for:

• Gym membership costs (for the disabled person & their support person)
• Personal trainer sessions to set and understand your training needs
• Vocational opportunities as a personal trainer
• Adaptive equipment for home use.

More about the Care in the Community fund

Care in the Community (CIC) is a Government funded welfare response to support people significantly impacted by COVID-19. Managed by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), the funding supports the wellbeing of disabled people and their families and whānau.

The fund prioritises helping with:

• connecting people with social networks and communities
• support for family or whānau
• precautions to prevent exposure to COVID-19
• connecting with support networks.

MSD have guidelines for how the funding can and cannot be used. For example, the funding can’t be used for:

• Support provided by Community Connector service
• Ongoing costs, such as subscriptions
• Items already purchased
• Food (you can get food through “Food Secure Communities Programme” and “Special Needs Grant” for food)
• Purchasing cash assets
• Purchasing a vehicle
• Alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco, or vaping products
• Lotto products
• Gambling purposes.

For more information, please click the link below and follow the instructions.

https://laurafergusson.co.nz/our-work/apply-for-funding/

Regards

Georgia Cameron

Dear Fellow wheelies.
Please impress on any business that you use that their Covid-19 QR Codes need to be low enough for people who use wheelchairs to reach. This is a great opportunity for you to educated business owners, politely that placing things within our reach is good for everyone. Able bods can easily reach down so they are not affected by a QR code at 1400mm above floor level.

Remember that unless we alert people to our needs, they won’t know.

Regards
Robert Berger

Hello,

How are you? Just checking if you got my earlier email about a useful guide I wanted to suggest on spinalsupport.nz?

I found your resource section and immediately thought about sharing this in-depth guide to help make travelling easier for people with disabilities. Feel free to check it out below:

The Full Guide to Flying with a Disability
https://www.parking4less.com/flying-with-a-disability/

• This guide offers lots of helpful information such as:
  Understanding the struggle disabled travellers face when they try to fly. Figures show 57% of these travellers said they had difficulty when accessing an airport or flying. 33% of people also said they were unhappy with the service provided for them at the airport.
• The barriers disabled travellers face when they fly. Did you know that 26 wheelchairs are damaged across the world on a daily basis? and some of these can cost tens of thousands to replace!
•  Practical advice on the best places to visit as a disabled holidaymaker, how to book up a hotel room which is right for you and how to get special assistant on your flight if you need it. The resource also covers medical information which you might find useful.
• Other helpful tips and resources that can make planning and taking a trip abroad safe and easy for those with disabilities.
  Are you open to suggestions? I think a lot of people (including your readers) could find this topic useful!

I’d love to know what you think and if you could point me to the right person to talk to about including our guide on this page? – https://spinalsupport.nz/travel-transport/

Thanks in advance!

Regards,