It’s bad enough that I need to use mobility aids – but why do they so often have to look so ugly?

I am young (I’m in my 30’s) and I need help in the house. I have done for 3 years, and about 2 years ago I decided it was high time to stop struggling and do something about it.

I had two choices.

I could get a carer to come in and do loads and loads of things for me. This was not practical – the cost would be huge and my dignity, self respect and independence would have gone out of the window.

I could get some mobility aids to help me do the things that I  needed to do, but had difficulty doing on my own.

Really, I had no choice. I had to get some mobility aids. However, when I looked through magazines and the internet for equipment I needed – I was depressed and shocked. I didn’t want to live with such ugly equipment around me. Just because I have a disability doesn’t mean I don’t have taste.

Everything seemed to be so basic, have absolutely no design qualities and often was made out of ugly grey plastic. OK, they probably did the job. You could argue that mobility aids don’t need to look good they heed to help people get more out of their lives. I wasn’t satisfied with that though. I wanted choice. So many choices had been taken away from me. I wanted control over how my house looked. I didn’t want my Fiancée living amongst such awful aids either. Just looking at some equipment made me feel very old and disabled. No one should be made to feel like that by a piece of plastic. It’s so unnecessary.

My advice is shop around for mobility aids. Sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised. Chrome seems to be cropping up more and more. Manufacturers seem to be taking more care in how items look, not just what they do. I read that 1 in 3 people in the UK are disabled or are close to somebody who has a disability. [Source: Office of National Statistics Census 2001] And that the 10 million disabled people who live in the UK have a combined annual spending power of over £80 billion. [Source: DWP 2004] No longer do we have to make do with aids that other people say we have to use. We have the power to say no, and that we want better.

Some people will just need 1 or 2 mobility aids to make a big difference in their life. Others need so much more. Sometimes social services will help, sometimes not. My advice is always shop around for what is best for you and what you are happy using.

In the UK, VAT is currently set at 17.5% and consumers pay it on goods and services that they buy.

A few things are VAT exempt, like children’s clothes and mobility products when purchased for a person with a disability.

VAT relief and disabled people.

Disabled people don’t pay VAT on equipment that has been designed solely for disabled people.
The product is described as being ‘zero rated’.

This doesn’t mean that anyone can be exempt from paying VAT if they buy a product that is designed for disabled people. For example if a fully able bodied person buys a walking stick for themselves – they need to pay VAT. However if a person who is ‘chronically sick or disabled’ buys the same walking stick, they can qualify for VAT relief, and not pay the 17.5% on the item.

Who qualifies for VAT relief?
The law says that there are 3 ways to be eligible for VAT relief:

• You have a long term mental or physical impairment that hinders you in carrying out everyday activities.
• You have a condition that doctors treat as a chronic illness. For example, this could be diabetes or Multiple Sclerosis.
• You are terminally ill

Using the same example of a walking stick, if you have broken your leg, and want to buy a stick to help you, you would not qualify. This is because your situation is temporary and not long term.

What products are ‘zero rated’?
The product has to be supplied to a ‘chronically sick or disabled’ person and be for personal or domestic use.
The product could be:

• A wheelchair,
• An adjustable bed,
• A stair lift,
• Computer software that is designed specifically for disabled people.
• Gadgets and devices that are designed solely to make everyday tasks easier for disabled people. These are usually called mobility aids  or mobility equipment.
• Vehicles that have been permanently adapted for use by a wheelchair user.

Services provided to disabled people can also be included. For example; adaptations to buildings. However, the rules can be complicated, so it is best to take advice on whether the work is eligible for VAT relief before commencing any work. Also included in this category would be the servicing, maintenance and installation of disability equipment, or it’s adaptation so a disabled person can use it.

When buying a piece of Mobility Equipment or service, either online or in a shop, you need to complete a declaration before the zero rated product can have VAT relief applied. This generally means you need to supply your name, address and whether the item is for you or you are purchasing it for an eligible person. You also need to declare the reason that you (or the person you are buying the item for) are chronically sick or disabled.

The Sunday Telegraph today revealed how bad some councils are at improving homes for the elderly and disabled. Something we are sadly aware of here at City Mobility.

Some councils are taking up to 8 years to provide, often simple mobility aids such as handrails to disabled and elderly people. Mobility equipment is so important for many people – it can mean they keep as much of their indepenence as possible and can help to delay, limit or stop a deterioration in their condition.

About 40,000 people a year in the UK are awarded a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) so that their home can be adapted for them. This usually means things like ramps, stairlifts or handrails.

The really sad fact is that some people are waiting so long for mobility equipment that they can wait no longer and are forced to give up living in their own home and move or are moved to care homes. We think this is totally unacceptable and is the reverse of government promises that vulnerable people, such as the elderly and disabled should get more support to stay in their own homes.

Carole Cochrane, Chief Executive of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, said the failings meant elderly and infirm people were being left trapped for years, often unable to move around even within their homes.

She said: “We see many elderly people finding themselves, effectively, a prisoner in parts of their homes as they wait for basic equipment. It is unacceptable that people have to wait so long for adaptations to their homes.

The Daily Telegraph report was by Laura Donnelly, Health correspondent, and was published 02 May 2010

As a young person with a disability it annoys me when I see businesses, especially online that do not offer services to disabled people. Life is hard enough with a disability without the need to look at complicated websites.  I spend most of my money shopping online as it is a lot easier for me than going to the shops. I am sure I am not alone! – However there are only a few websites that are easy to use and cater for disabled people.

Here is some food for thought…………..

• 1 in 3 people in the UK are disabled or close to somebody who has a disability.
  [Source: Office of National Statistics Census 2001]
• 10 million disabled people live in the UK with a combined annual spending power of over £80 billion
  [Source: DWP 2004]
• UK’s 50 to 70 year-olds currently runs at £300 billion a year, and this group buy more designer fashion, premium cars, and other expensive goods than any other group.
  [Source: The Guardian]
• 33% of people in the UK aged 50 – 65 have a disability; 42% of people over 65 have a disability.
  [Source: Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005]
• 67% of disabled people choose businesses which are good at serving disabled customers
  [Source: Employers' Forum on Disability customer survey, 2006]

So to conclude…….

It makes sense for business to fully include disabled people like myself – a wheelchair user. They have a spending power of over £80 billion and taking a person’s disability into account is not only important it is essential!