FIDN needs a volunteer with experience of Sage 50 Accounts
FIDN needs more Management Committee members
The Fieldfare Trust Phototrails
Fife Law Centre
New Appointment
Dunfermline Sound
Mid-Fife Newstape
Visioncall
LibriVox: free audiobooks
ricability
Internet support
The Trusted Traders Scheme
RNIB National Library Service
Short Breaks Funding for Carers - Time to Live
Locked out of the Disabled Toilet? use a RADAR key
THE ILEOSTOMY AND INTERNAL POUCH SUPPORT GROUP
USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
FIDN OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS:
The below are some useful contact numbers related to safety
Kirkcaldy High Street has been upgraded in a £4million regeneration projectled by Fife Council with funding from the Scottish Government.
FIDN 2011 AGM 14th September 2011
Videos are available of the presentations of our At our Network Meeting in The Pitbauchlie Hotel, Dunfermline 27th July 2011
START TO GET INTO THE HABIT OF "REVERSE PARKING " READ THIS MESSAGE AND UNDERSTAND WHY YOU MUST GET INTO THE HABIT OF REVERSE PARKING
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS)
As you may now know, our Chairperson, Michael Tonks became ill at our AGM and had to leave the meeting. We now find that he is seriously ill with a heart condition and unable to continue with his duties until he convalesces for a while, and I’m sure we all wish him a speedy recovery.
To fill the gap, Jack Carr our Treasurer, has been elected by the committee as his deputy, and will carry out the duties of Chair for Michael.
At the AGM the committee was elected and at the following Management Committee meeting, the office bearers were elected as follows:
Jack Carr – Deputy Chairperson and Treasurer.
Pauline Medd – Vice Chairperson.
Brain Turnock – Secretary
Unfortunately James Page has had to retire from the committee through ill health,and we thank him for his stalwart work over the years on transport issues.
Thanks also go to Steve Harper who has retired from his long and illustrious time in the position of
Vice-chairperson.
Both will be sorely missed.
Brian Turnock will be taking over responsibility for all transport issues and we wish him well in his new position.
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The Fieldfare Trust is running a Fife based project which aims to make the core path
networks of the area more inclusive with funding from the Leader Programme and local councils. Better outdoor access opportunities for all disabled people are a key goal and disabled volunteers already becoming involved in the project.
Fieldfare Trust has two websites running just now. Their website has information on paths such as gradient, barriers and surface conditions so that disabled people can view the path before visiting, enabling people to make their own judgement on whether it is accessible for them.
This website has a new and expanding database of trails throughout the country. Phototrails is here to help everyone discover and enjoy access to the countryside, tailored to their own needs and preferences.
This website aims to help all lovers of the countryside to find locations where they can enjoy the enormous benefits of recreation in the great outdoors. Each walk is described through a slideshow of photographs, providing information which lets you see just what the walk is like. They include information on the surrounding environment, the walk distance and the features and highlights that you will find along the way.
You can search for walks near to where you live or, you can plan routes that you might do while visiting friends or taking a holiday.
This website contains the Photo`s taken of the trails that have been assessed in the UK plus details of the conditions of the trails at the time it was assessed.
Below are the trails that have been done so far in available Fife:
Birnie Loch (Collessie), Blairadam - Blairenbathie Trail (Kelty), Blairadam - Glen Trail (Kelty), Blairadam - Keltyhill Glen Trail (Kelty), The Den (Cardenden), Devilla - Red Squirrel Walk (Kincardine), Drum Road (Lochgelly), Dunfermline - Clackmannan Cycleway (Dunfermline),
Lochgelly Public Park (Lochgelly), Lochore Meadows (Ballingry), Magus Muir (Strathkinness), Pittencrieff Park (Dunfermline), Ravenscraig Park (Kirkcaldy), Woodend Community Woodland (Cowdenbeath).
The second website only contains a map with the trails on it with a bar below containing the photos taken along the trail`s
Photo maps are a way you can have a look at some of the paths the Inclusive Networks Project team have surveyed.
This website only contains Photo`s and trails that are not yet ready to go onto the other website. Below are the trails that are available on this website in Fife:
Beveridge Park (Kirkcaldy), Dunnikier Park (Kirkcaldy), Long Braes Plantation (Kirkcaldy), Middle Den (Kirkcaldy),Rabbit Braes Community Park (Kirkcaldy), The Braes (Lochgelly), Valleyfield, West Fife Cycleway, Stenton Pond.
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Fife Law Centre is a registered charity which aims to improve access to justice and legal advice in the local Fife community for those who either have difficulty accessing legal services or who cannot afford other forms of legal representation.
The Law Centre opened on 4 November 2009 and is headed by AfshanRathore, its Principal Solicitor. It currently has offices at BRAG in Crosshill near Lochgelly (open Monday – Friday) and at the Adam Smith College ‘Our Space’ Centre in Leven (open Tuesdays and Thursdays). The Centre has links with various local voluntary organisations such as Frontline Fife and Citizens Advice and Rights Fife (CARF) and so the solicitors can travel to see potential clients at a variety of locations throughout Fife.
The current core areas of the Law Centre’s work include:-
Employment Law
Housing Law
Child Law issues
Small Claims
They can also offer general legal advice in other areas however, if an issue is out with the remit of the Law Centre’s work (e.g. criminal law, divorce, wills and executries) or is a matter which requires more specialist advice, they will endeavour to refer the enquiry to another law firm or relevant organisation for further assistance (as appropriate).
The Law Centre also anticipates holding a series of legal seminars throughout the year for both local law firms and voluntary organisations, and separately can provide more specialised advice/presentations to individual organisations on request.
Email:
Adam Smith College,
Levenmouth Campus,
Victoria Road,
Leven, KY8 4EU
tel: (01592) 862 153
Opening Times:
Tues & Wed 1.30pm - 4.30pm
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One of our committee Jack Carr ,has been asked to be a member of an Assessment Team, for Civic Trust Awards.
The Civic Trust Awards scheme was established in 1959 to recognise the very best in architecture, design, planning, landscape and public art. Awards are given to
projects of the highest quality design, but only if they are judged to have made a positive cultural, social or economic contribution to the local community. To find out more go to
Jack will be the Inclusive Design Assessor for this area and his role is to ensure that the scheme has been designed with the needs of all users in mind. This ranges from people with decreased mobility, to parents with small children, to people with sensory impairments and everything in between.
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Talking Newspaper for the Blind
Dunfermline Sound Talking Newspaper is a free service bringing recorded local news to the visually impaired living in West Fife. We are an independent, self financing voluntary organisation.
Our service is provided by Volunteer Readers who commit to about 4 hours every month. If you would like to help please contact the Secretary.
There are various ways you can contact us:-
Write to us at
Dunfermline Sound
PO Box 3
Dunfermline
Fife
Telephone our 24 hour Answering Machine on 01383 740820
Someone will return your call as soon as possible.
How it works
Each Thursday, copies of the Dunfermline Press are taken to our studio to enable volunteers to read news which is recorded onto a computer and then onto a master MP3 CD.
Individual copies are the made for every listener. These are inserted into special postal wallets with the listener's name and address and taken to the Royal Mail Sorting Office for delivery with Friday's mail. This real time news is rare in the Talking Newspaper Services.
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Provides talking audio tapes and cds containing news from the local newspapers for people who have difficulties reading due to visual impairments or disabilities.
Objectives:
To make local news accessible to people who have difficulties reading.
Adult or Child Services: Both
Cost/Fee Structure: Free.
Tel: 01592 757039
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We provide free (NHS funded) home eye tests to anyone in the UK who has a disability and cannot access their local opticians and feel it would be a very beneficial service for your visitors to know about.
The link to use to go to the free eye test section would be or phone 0845 050 1831
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LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. There are several options for listening. The first step is to get the mp3 or ogg files into your own computer:
LibriVox: free audiobooks
LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net. Our goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books.
LibriVox Objective
To make all books in the public domain available, for free, in audio format on the internet.
Our Fundamental Principles
Librivox is a non-commercial, non-profit and ad-free project
Librivox donates its recordings to the public domain
Librivox is powered by volunteers
Librivox maintains a loose and open structure
Librivox welcomes all volunteers from across the globe, in all languages
What We Do
LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain, and then we release the audio files back onto the net for free. All our audio is in the public domain, so you may use it for whatever purpose you wish.
Volunteering for LibriVox is easy and does not require any experience with recording or audio engineering or acting or public speaking. All you need is a computer, some free recording software, and your own voice. We accept all volunteers in all languages, with all kinds of accents. You don’t need to audition or send us samples. We’ll accept you no matter what you sound like.
We operate almost exclusively through Internet communications on our forum, where all your questions will be answered by our friendly community. We have a flat structure, designed to let people do just what they want to do.
Website
Ricability is an independent consumer research charity providing free, practical and unbiased reports for older and disabled people.
New guide on Bathing
The guide aims to help people who have difficulty getting in and out of the bath. It shows what might help - bath boards, bath seats, lifts and hoists and small gadgets and where to go for further advice
Product assessments
Ricabilityhas independent reports available on: Wheeled walking frames, riser recliner chairs, medicine boxes dispensers.
Driving and car adaptations
There are free driving reports are available in print and online: Choosing a car, Car Controls, Getting a wheelchair into a car, Getting in and out of a car, There are specific guides: Motoring after amputation, Motoring after brain injury, Motoring after a stroke, Motoring with arthritis, Motoring with cerebral palsy, Motoring with multiple sclerosis and Motoring with restricted growth.
Online electric wheelchair/scooter guide
Ricability electric wheelchair/scooter guide now has data on over 100
wheelchairs/scooters.
The online Ricability guide, funded by the Department of Health and the Motability Tenth Anniversary Trust, takes you through the various features and options available when you are looking to buy an electric wheelchair or scooter. You can search these to obtain a shortlist of electric wheelchairs/scooters to try.
Ricability has independently measured and collected information on some chairs; while information for others has been supplied by manufacturers. This database is a useful starting place to find out about what to consider before buying a chair. There is also useful information about insurance, training, maintenance and where to try before you buy.
Product reviews
is a Ricability website where anyone can read and post reviews about products people they have found easy or difficult to use. Categories include: Around the Home, Bathing and Personal Care, Motoring, Household Appliances, Leisure and Travel, Phones and Alarms, Transport, TVs and Computers, Wheelchairs and Scooters
Digital TV product testing
Ricability is carrying out an ongoing programme of independent testing of digital TV products: indoor aerials, set-top boxes, digital TVs and digital TV recorders. The results are available free online at digitaltv.org.uk or on audio-cassette/cd.
Ricability contact details
For more information about obtaining copies of Ricability reports or finding out more our research please contact Ricability, Unit G03, The Wenlock Business Centre, 50-52 Wharf Road, London, N1 7EU
Tel: 020 7427 2460 Textphone: 020 7427 2468 Email:
website
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These days, the internet is part of everyday life.
From paying bills online to ordering weekly shopping, there are increasing numbers of people using the web.
But many Fifers may feel a bit lost when it comes to using the internet.
The good news is Fife Council is doing everything possible for people who need it.
The Community Learning section of the councils local and community services is helping Fifers and is working with the libraries service to try to reach those who need skills, success and support.
From encouraging adults learners to use technology, to offering free internet and computer use at 44 centres including libraries, youth cafes and community use schools, there has been plenty going on.
Fife`s team of digital champions and buddies has also been hard at work helping others learn how to use the internet.
Why not pop into your local library and ask how you can join the race online?
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Need household improvements or repairs?
Car sales or servicing?
Trusted Trader is an online directory of local tradesmen who have made a commitment to treat their customers fairly.
You can check out customer recommendations online to help you make an informed choice of who to use. Want to know more? Go to: are you a `home improvement` business, a household related service or in the motor trade?
You can join the scheme, for details and an application form Email:
Tel: 01592 583141
For more information contact
Trusted Trader Scheme
Tel:01592 583141
By Post: Fife Council, Kingdom House, Kingdom Avenue, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT
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About the library
RNIB National Library Service is the largest library in the UK for readers with sight loss. We offer a wide choice of fiction and non-fiction books in audio, braille and giant print for adults and children.
Whether you want to read for pleasure or learning, relaxation or inspiration, we can help you discover a new world of accessible books and reading.
From our library service, you'll have access to:
a comprehensive collection of unabridged audio books from our Talking Book collection, professionally read and recorded
a range of braille titles including books suitable for adult braille learners
giant print books in 24 point type allowing you to make the most of any remaining sight you may have
a free bi-annual magazine, Read On, packed with book reviews, author interviews and library news
New Books, our free bi-monthly listing of all new titles available from the library
braille music scores, giant print sheet music, and audio tutorial CDs if you wish to learn to play an instrument by ear
a community of readers where you can share your love of books by taking part in reading activities, events and our web forum.Choose your books independently from our online catalogue, or contact our knowledgeable reader services team for advice. We can help you find what you are looking for, or discover something new for you to read.
Joining is simple. Contact us on 0303 123 9999 or email .
For further details, see our page on joining the library.
Good news! It's free to join and use the library, except for the subscription based Talking Books service. That costs £82 per year which includes all of the books you want to read and the loan of a DAISY player.