September 2023 newsletter

Find out more about National Inclusion Week in the 'Be an Inclusion Champion' section below.

Your monthly update on Inclusion Barnet services, plus community events and news affecting Disabled people including mental health issues and long-term conditions.

Update from our CEO

Inclusion Barnet News

User Voice meeting 28 September

We're delighted to invite members to our next User Voice Meeting on 28th September 12pm to 2pm. It's going to be an informative, yet sociable occasion, that you can join in person at South Friern Library, or online.

Please do book a FREE place by clicking the blue button below for more information about the event and booking details.

Our CEO, Caroline Collier will be there and we'll also have guess speakers from the Transformation Team, Adults and Health Directorate at Barnet Council:

• Natalie Soffer, Engagement and Co-Production Project Lead
• Suko Khumalo, Engagement and Coproduction Officer

If you live, work or study in Barnet and are not a member but curious about what we do and think you might be interested in becoming a member you are welcome to join this event to find out more. Carers are also welcome.

See you there and look forward to meeting you! 

How we're celebrating National Inclusion Week

It’s National Inclusion Week this September 25th to October 1st, 2023 and this year's theme is 'Take Action Make Impact'. It encourages employers to focus on making their workplaces more inclusive.

At Inclusion Barnet, inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do and so it is a happy coincidence that recent work we have been doing on creating an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) statement coincides with this awareness event.

Our EDI statement is being developed by our Communications team, with input from our staff and trustees, while also considering the feedback we receive from the people using our services. This process has led to new ongoing staff discussion groups being set up to explore the steps needed to truly embrace inclusivity. Our new EDI website pages will be available soon.

Learn more about this important week and how organizations can join in below.

Healthy Heart update

In August, the Healthy Heart team attended the Barnet Asian Women’s Association (BAWA) event at the Art Depot in Finchley, part of celebrations for South Asian Heritage Month. HH’s Riffat and Salna then went along to BAWA to speak about the HH project, with assistance from a Gujarati interpreter. As a result, all 30+ members chose to receive the intensive programme.

There is currently a summer break from the weekly sessions at the Centre of Excellence in Grahame Park and West Hendon Hub, until 8 September.

From 13 September onwards, these sessions will run again, and anyone who is part of African, Caribbean, or South Asian communities can drop into West Hendon Hub on Wednesday mornings (11am-1pm). Here you can get info on high blood pressure, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease, and have a blood pressure check. More at the link below.

HH are also very pleased to support the launch on 13 September of a hypertension / diabetes education programme with Everglades GP surgery. It’s hoped this will lead to regular peer sessions at the surgery led by HH staff.

The report for year 1 of the project is now in its final stages too. Look out for updates on our website! 

Leavers and Starters

Leavers

Last month we said goodbye to Ellen Cheshire after three years as our Community Organisation Support Lead and to Yosra Elhamamy, our dedicated Touchpoint Enquiries Worker. They have made invaluable contributions to our work and we wish them all the best.

Starters

No new starters this month but we’re currently scheduling interviews for the new peer vacancies we advertised during August in the Inclusion Barnet team. These are all paid roles, for people with lived experience of disability.

Get to know us

Charlie Hall

Peer Communications Coordinator

With the growth of our organisation, the Communications team has now expanded to 4 people! This month, Charlie Hall, our Peer Communications Coordinator, shares what's involved in being part of the Inclusion Barnet Comms team.

1.    How long have you worked at Inclusion Barnet?

I joined Inclusion Barnet in May 2023. I was excited to join a Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisation and bring my own lived experience of disability to the role.

2.    What’s the main project that you’re working on right now? 

I’ve mostly been working on refreshing our website and giving it a new look! On the Comms team, my role involves doing behind-the-scenes work to ensure a smooth experience for our users. I’ve also been creating new content for our social media channels so our followers can stay up to date with our projects.

3.    How does having lived experience impact your role? 

As a disabled person myself, disability awareness is very important to me. I face access barriers in my everyday life which has made me passionate about highlighting the Social Model of Disability and educating others on accessibility. 

4.    What’s the best thing about working at Inclusion Barnet? 

Working with supportive and open-minded colleagues. Everyone is always open to learning and it creates a really positive atmosphere where everyone wants each other to succeed.

5.    What’s your favourite way to spend time when you’re not working? 

I enjoy being in nature and visiting farms so I can pet all the animals!  

Consultations and campaigns

Consultation on London parking and penalty charges

As part of their review into London Parking and Traffic Enforcement Penalty Charges,  London Councils' Transport and Environment Committee have launched a consultation. 

London residents, and businesses, charities, and community groups can share views on the consultation by completing the 15 minute survey on their website.

Campaign for more public toilets in Barnet

In 2022, Age UK consulted almost 600 older Londoners for their views on public toilet provision in the London boroughs where they lived. The results of this survey were used to form recommendations for local authorities.

81% said toilet provision was bad and 90% felt toilet provision was a consideration when planning a journey, citing reasons such as illness or disability.

As a result, Barnet Council secured funding for five changing place toilets but no other advancements appear to have been made. Age UK have created 5 areas for action and you can get involved too. See their website below for more details.

Sign the petition for Government to debate
ticket office closures in parliament

If you missed the chance to respond on the Ticket Office Closure consultation, there's still time to sign a petition to get this debated in Parliament.

At the time of writing this newsletter a petition to require train operators to keep ticket offices and platform staff at train stations has already reached over 83 thousand signatures. Only 17 thousand more needed. Will yours be one of them?

You have until 18th October to sign it...but there's no time like the present:

Key updates on ticket office closures

As you know, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) proposed plans to close nearly all ticket offices at railway stations. This raised major concerns, particularly around the rights of disabled people to travel spontaneously and safely. RDG extended the public consultation window to allow more time to respond, and it closed on 1 September 2023. 

Here are the key updates since our last newsletter:

·       Concerns about the potential loss of Turn Up and Go have been heightened by news of a government questionnaire which rail companies must complete as part of their plans. The ‘Major Changes’ spreadsheet was obtained by disability rights campaigner, Doug Paulley, via a freedom of information request. It asks rail operators how they will support disabled passengers who book a minimum of 2 hours in advance. Crucially, it does not ask how they will support the right to travel spontaneously, like non-disabled people can.

·       Protests were held at railway stations on 16 August, and on 31 August there was a march to 10 Downing Street organised by the RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers). Also, photos shared on social media by the RMT show queues at ticket offices across the country, illustrating how much these are in fact used and needed.

·       The letter drawn up by the TFA (Transport for All) detailing evidence of how damaging the proposed changes would be for disabled people, has been signed by over 50 disabled people’s organisations and allies.

·       Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE), Andy Street, has been one of many people to speak out against the proposals.

So what happens next?

With the consultation closing on 1 September, its organisers, Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, have 35 days to look at the responses and decide whether to object to any of the proposed changes. If rail companies ignore any objections they bring, disputes will be referred to the Transport Secretary.

We await their response...

Barnet Community News/Events

Barnet bids for London Borough of Culture

Barnet Council wants to develop Barnet as a culture destination and plans to put in a bid to become the London Borough of Culture in 2027.

The Council would like to get your ideas on how this can be achieved, by asking you to complete a short questionnaire. Alternatively, you can share your ideas and/or back the bid on social media, by using the hashtag #OurBarnetCanvas. 

More details and the questionnaire are available at the link below.

Day Community Participant Volunteers wanted

NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB) is seeking to recruit up to eight Community Participant Volunteers, to sit on Committees / Group as well as the Community Partnership Forum.

This is an opportunity to make a difference to health and care services in North Central London. 

Please note that NCL ICB welcomes all applications and please do not be concerned if you if you do not feel you have experience in every aspect of the role.

The ICB will ensure that Training and Development is provided to help people to settle and evolve in the role.

The deadline for applications is 25th September.

Day Travel Cards to be withdrawn

The Mayor of London has considered responses to the proposal to stop selling one day travel cards and instructed Transport for London (TfL) to give 6 months notice for the provision of these to end. In a statement on their website, TfL said:

"this remains reversible [...] We and the Mayor remain open to discussing all options with both the Department for Transport, the Rail Delivery Group and the train operating companies". 

However they added that any alternative options must enable them to still "deliver considerable savings and generate significant amounts of new additional income".

There has been concern that the loss of these cards will mean increased costs for companions of disabled people. At the moment, one day travel cards remain available while discussions are held but it's unclear for how much longer.

Be an inclusion champion

Tip of the month: know your hashtags

As Patrick M Garvin recently posted on his Twitter account @A11yAwareness, the word accessibility is often shortened to 'a11y'.

The hashtag #a11y can therefore be very useful when you're looking on Twitter and LinkedIn for accessibility materials or if you want to alert others to information you're sharing on the subject.

The 11 in this context represents the 11 letters between a and y in the word accessibility. 

CPR Community Network create video using BSL

The CPR Community Network is a partnership which aims to ensure no-one dies through lack of emergency first aid provision in the community. As part of this, they have created a British Sign Language Emergency First Aid film, featuring Deaf Actor, Alex Nowak, and Deaf/Hard of Hearing First Aiders.

They also worked in collaboration with 999BSL, an Emergency Video Relay Service (VRS) that connects a Deaf person to emergency services via a British Sign Language interpreter.

The partnership is between St John Ambulance and the NHS, supported by the Association for Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), who represent Ambulance Trusts, British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK).

The BSL Emergency First Aid film can be embedded in websites using the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3NP3iI7_fk&t=55s

Volunteer with us

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