Useful Information

The first instalment features Government benefits and other concessions on offer to those with Arthrogryposis and people with disabilities generally. Links are provided for information only.

Disability Living Allowance (for children up to 16yrs)

DLA has two components:

Care – help with personal care needs
Mobility – help with getting around

Visit www.gov.uk/disability-living-allowance-children/overview for more information.

Personal Independence Payments (for adults up to 64yrs)

PIP has 2 components:

Care – help with personal care needs
Mobility – help with getting around

Visit www.gov.uk/pip/overview for more information.

Attendance Allowance (AA) (for adults of 65yrs and over)

Help with personal care needs only, there is no mobility component.

Visit www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance/overview for more information.

If you are in receipt of any of the above benefits, and if you meet the eligibility criteria, you may also be able to access these additional provisions:

Carer’s Allowance

Additional financial help if you look after someone with substantial caring needs. www.gov.uk/carers-allowance

Access to Work

Help and support for disabled people to enable them to work. Can pay for practical support if you have a disability, health or mental health condition to help you:

Start working
Stay in work
Move into self-employment or start a business

www.gov.uk/access-to-work/overview

Blue Badge

Helps you park closer to your destination. The criteria for this varies from borough to borough so check with your local authority to see if you are eligible. www.gov.uk/blue-badge-scheme-information-council

Motability/drivers

Exchanging your mobility allowance to lease a car, scooter or powered wheelchair. www.motability.co.uk

Electric Cars & Accessibility: What Drivers with Disabilities Need to Know Electric Vehicles & Accessibility – A Driver’s Guide | Auto Trader

Disabled Person’s Railcard

Get 1/3 off Standard and First Class Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance fares for you and a friend. www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk

Dial -A-Ride Schemes

Most cities and towns have Dial-a-Ride schemes and it is impossible to list them all here. Use this link to find out more. dial-a-ride and it will give you a place to start looking for your area’s scheme.

London Dial-a-Ride

Door-to-door transport scheme. https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/dial-a-ride/

Freedom Pass

(London Only) – Free travel on London Buses and Underground. Criteria vary from borough to borough so check with your local authority to see if you are eligible. You can find the website for your local authority here: http://directory.londoncouncils.gov.uk

Taxicard Scheme

Subsidised travel in certain London Taxis www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/taxicard

Information Services

Information and advice services are sorted alphabetically.

Accessible Property Register

Started in 2003 the Accessible Property Register specialises in promoting wheelchair-accessible and adapted property, including wheelchair access holiday accommodation. accessible-property.org

Ask SARA

AskSARA (from the Disabled Living Foundation – see below) helps you find useful advice and products that make daily living easier. Pick a topic, answer a few questions and receive a report on what may be available. asksara.livingmadeeasy.org.uk

Care Choices

Care Choices aim to provide you with the information you need to find social care services in your area. There is also a comprehensive search tool to find care services in your local area. www.carechoices.co.uk

Carers UK

Charity offering advice and support for carers, including benefits checks and help with household finances. Call 020 7378 4999 or visit www.carersuk.org

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice offer advice and information for all aspects of life. There are local offices and telephone services throughout the country, with advice tailored to the area of the country you live in. www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Contact

A charity that provides help and information – including benefits and tax credits – for families with disabled children. 0808 808 3555 (Monday-Friday 9:30 am-5:00 pm). www.contact.org.uk

Disabled Living Foundation

The Disabled Living Foundation is a national charity providing impartial advice, information and training on equipment for independent living. www.dlf.org.uk

Driving Mobility

Driving Mobility is a network of 16 independent organisations offering professional, high-quality information, advice and assessment to people who need to gain or retain independence through mobility. www.drivingmobility.org.uk

Evenbreak

Evenbreak aims to help inclusive employers attract additional disabled candidates that they may not find through any other recruitment channels. Disabled jobseekers can be confident that employers who have chosen to place their vacancies on this site are serious about looking beyond their disabilities to identify what skills they have to offer. www.evenbreak.co.uk

Family Fund

This charity gives grants to parents of children who are disabled or ill. 01904 550055
www.familyfund.org.uk

Independent Age

Independent Age provides clear, free and impartial advice on the issues that matter as we get older. Care and support, money and benefits, health and mobility, with regular friendly contact and a strong campaigning voice. www.independentage.org

Money Advice Service (England and Wales)

The Money Advice Service offers advice and guides to help improve your finances, tools and calculators to help keep track and plan ahead and support over the phone and online. www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

Money Advice Service (Scotland)

The Money Advice Service for Scotland helps to improve your finances. www.moneyadvicescotland.org.uk

RICA

Rica, founded through Consumers Association, publishers of Which? is now an independent charity and the trading name of the national research charity Research Institute for Disabled Consumers. Their focus is specifically on issues of concern to disabled and older consumers, providing independent research and information. www.rica.org.uk

Shelter

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through advice, support and legal services. www.shelter.org.uk

The Movement Centre

The Movement Centre provides life-changing children’s physiotherapy, and we specialise in Target Training. We help children who have Cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome or other diagnoses to achieve new skills, through increased strength and control of their movement. For the children who come to The Movement Centre, their future is transformed. If you would like to find out more about our children’s physiotherapy or Targeted Training we would love to hear from you. http://www.the-movement-centre.co.uk/

United Kingdom Homecare Association

The United Kingdom Homecare Association Ltd (UKHCA) is the professional association of home care providers. UKHCA helps organisations that provide social care (also known as domiciliary care or homecare), which may include nursing services, to people in their own homes. Their website offers a search tool for finding local care providers. www.ukhca.co.uk

Discounted Leisure Activities

CEA Card for Cinemas

National card scheme to help participating cinemas ensure they make reasonable adjustments for disabled guests. The added benefit is that of ensuring a complimentary ticket for someone to go with them. www.ceacard.co.uk

Theatres – London

London theatres run a number of different Access Schemes for audience members with disabilities. Visit their website to find specific booking lines for disabled access, which are often priced at discounted rates. Some theatres allow a carer to see the performance for free. You can find details of assisted performances, including BSL interpretations and audio descriptions here: www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/access

Useful Information