International Year of Disabled People (Hansard, 18 January 1982)

§ Mr. Wyn Roberts

Specific grants totalling some £28, 000 were paid to the Wales Council for the Disabled to establish a Wales access committee, a voluntary committee to co-ordinate the activities of the voluntary sector in Wales throughout the year, and to help with the cost of a seminar on disablement.

The education department awarded grant up to a maximum of £15, 250 to the Youth Hostels Association (South Wales region) to carry out modifications to its Broadhaven hostel to facilitate access by the disabled, to purchase a specially adapted minibus and to enable the warden to make a detailed study of hostelling by the disabled. Another grant of the order of £2, 650 was awarded to the Friends of the Young Disabled to enable a party of disabled youngsters to spend a week's holiday at the hostel.

Grant of £70, 000 was made to the Medical Research Fund towards the setting up of a new bio-engineering and rheumatology unit at the University hospital of Wales, one of the objectives of which will be to develop aids for disabled people.

The Secretary of State launched the development of an all-Wales strategy for the development of comprehensive community-based services for mentally handicapped people. A working party comprising representatives of all those involved in care has been set up to produce the strategy by May 1982. It is proposed that an additional £1 million should be made available each year from 1983–84 to translate the strategy into services on the ground.

A scheme was launched offering £80, 000 spread over four years, to match on a pound for pound basis voluntary funds raised specifically for local projects designed to afford relief and support to families with a mentally handicapped member, thus deferring or possibly avoiding the need for hospital admission.

A new artificial limb and appliance centre was opened at Morriston hospital, Swansea, early in the year and proposals were published for the construction of another new ALAC at Rookwood hospital, Cardiff. Tenders were also invited for the building of Wales' first medical rehabilitation demonstration centre for the disabled at Rookwood hospital.

Special emphasis was given under the urban programme to schemes which combine the aim of alleviating special social need in urban areas with helping disabled people. 19 schemes, involving total expenditure of some £295, 000, will receive 75 per cent. grant from the Department. In addition, young disabled people benefited from the approval of 20 Easter and summer holiday projects costing some £23, 000 in total.

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An electric conveyor for invalid chairs was installed at Caernarvon Castle and the Department continued with its policy of providing access ramps and toilets for the disabled wherever possible at ancient monuments.

In conjunction with the Wales Council for the Disabled and the Society of Architects in Wales, an award scheme was mounted to identify public buildings which provided the best means of access for disabled people.

In conjunction with the Welsh housing consultative committee and the housing management advisory panel, a report was produced to provide useful practical guidance for staff concerned with the adaptation of local authority dwellings for physically disabled people.

A staff development package on visual handicap was produced to help staff in social services departments understand the needs of visually handicapped people and to work with individuals in a caring and constructive way. The package, which is divided into five modules each consisting of a video programme, a number of tasks and suggestions for further reading, takes a little over seven hours to complete.

A Welsh-speaking member of staff was provided to accompany a mobile exhibition on the theme of transport for the disabled which was mounted by the Department of Transport.