Today I went out to Shrewsbury for the AGM of the new Shropshire Disability Network, a network of disabled people across the county of Shropshire. Thanks to Chairman Geoff Forgie and colleagues for a very interesting meeting, including a presentation from guest speaker Sonia Roberts, Chairman of the VCS Shropshire Disability Forum. The meeting was a great example of how a network made up of organisations providing services to disabled people (the Forum) and an organisation representing disabled individuals or organisation of disabled people (the Network) are working together in partnership to improve services and give a voice to disabled people genrally in the very rural county of Shropshire, including Telford and Wrekin which is now a separate local authority area. Personally I think this has got to be the way forward as long as the voice of disabled people themselves is empowered to drive forward the collective agenda.
It was also interesting to hear feedback from a gentleman named Martin Heath, a steering group member of the Shropshire Disability Network who has been investigating the rules and regulations in Shrewsbury concerning blue badge parking. Martin's research shows that there are many ambiguities around blue badge parking in Shrewsbury and even the local council don't really seem to know the full situation, let alone local traffic wardens who, it is claimed, reach draw some questionable interpretations about different regulations.
What is your experience? I made the suggestion today that the Regional Disability network could carry out a wider debate around the interpretation and provision of blue badge parking in different parts of the West Midlands Region. Watch this parking space!
Don't forget to check out the new disability blog at the website of Birmingham Disability Resource Centre at: http://www.disability.org.uk/
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