TandemKate

Calvin and Hobbes hits the nail on the head again…

I think the Richmond doc is talking about the little triangle ramps at the sides of the main dropped kerb, not the main slope?
The gradient would depend on the kerb height either way - with a 100-120mm standard kerb 600mm length is too steep- 1:6+, above ramp gradients.

Graphic titled “We think Disabled people should be allowed to make similar trips at similar speeds to non-disabled people” Drawings of: Left, an adult using a powerchair with a pram attached to the front, accompanying a young child riding a balance bike. Centre, a parent riding a cargo trike with four children of various ages in the front section. Right, an older adult sitting on a mobility scooter checking a phone. A toddler and older child are being towed in a cycle-type trailer behind the mobility scooter. All three adults are saying “Nursery drop-off… school… work… prescriptions… pick up kids… visit auntie… home for dinner… swimming… bedtime – (then in bigger writing) no problem!” At the bottom, hashtag MobilityJustice and the Wheels for Wellbeing logo.

Our society expects people to be able to make journeys at certain speeds. When rules force Disabled people to go more slowly than non-disabled people doing comparable trips for no good reason,

Language spoken: Both.

I’m enjoying this far too much in my family’s census records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Of course there are only 2 languages in the world, right?

(What the recorders meant is “Welsh and English”. That is not what they wrote!)

I’m in both the “Disabled women” and “carers” categories quoted as being less able to work if unable to work remotely.
And yep, I’m only in work because I can work both remotely and extremely flexibly!

Decline in remote jobs risks shutting disabled people out of work, study finds Research project warns fall in homeworking roles could undermine efforts to reduce unemployment

Many disabled and chronically ill people are demonized for not working full-time jobs, when the truth is they can be forced out due to inaccessible policies. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

A table with top line device max permitted powered speed (mph) and below it two columns, e-cycle and class 3 invalid carriage. Left column is route type, from top footpath/footway, bridleway, cycle track, cycle lane, bus lane., carriageway. Table shows with road speed limit and prohibition signs that e-cycles are not allowed on footpaths or footways, but can go up to 15.5mph powered on bridleways, cycle tracks, cycle lanes, bus lanes and on road carriageways. Class 3 "invalid carriages" (mobility scooters and powerchairs) are allowed at 4mph on footpaths and footways, but still only at 4mph on bridleways, and only 4mph if allowed at all on cycle tracks, cycle lanes and bus lanes. Class 3 "invalid carriages" are allowed to go at up to 8mph on road carriageways.

How slow can you go!

Did you know that powered mobility aid users are only allowed to go up to 4mph on traffic-free cycle routes?

Find out more about weird restrictions and grey areas in UK mobility aid laws in our detailed resources!

wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/wp-content/u...

Yep, which makes the 4mph restriction on mobility scooter and powerchair users on cycle tracks extra-specially nonsensical…

Hah, the priest at my wedding and my gran affectionately flung North Welsh vs South Welsh insults at each other. Never met before, got on like a house on fire. Almost entirely by being rude, in a language almost nobody else there spoke!

Don’t often see cotoneaster bushes growing those. Must be a special variety?

You could start a number plate collection? Make number plate jam?

Ah, 1930. The first “invalid carriage” law passed, eugenics on the rise, routine lifelong institutionalisation of Disabled children and any girl or woman who go pregnant outside marriage while poor…

We have equality laws not eugenics laws now.

It’s time for new mobility aid laws too.

Graphic reads "UK mobility aid laws weren't written for wheelchair and mobility scooter users. It's long past time for an update. Photo of a 1939 advert for Argson Invalid Tricycles (right, credit Egham Museum Trust) and a photo of a 1940s Argson Invalid Motor Trike (left, credit Science Museum). These were very popular devices and are near identical to devices available from the beginning of the 20th century through to the 1970s.

UK mobility aid laws were written in the 1920s, when people used devices like this Argson motor trike. The rules have just been tweaked a few times since then.

A century on, it’s long past time for Disabled people to have equal pedestrian, cycling and cycling-equivalent mobility rights.

Photo of people cycling indoors in a hall. In the front of the image is a white girl with blonde hair on a red tricycle. To her right is a white woman with dark hair and wearing a high vis orange vest. She is also on a tricycle and is smiling. Next to her is a black man with a blue top and blue flat cap on a tricycle. In the background are a couple of people in high vis vests and some more cyclists.

Looking for something to do this half-term? Then come along to one of our inclusive cycle sessions at the Ladywell Centre in Lewisham.

Open to Disabled people of all ages and impairments, the sessions take place on Fridays at 10:30am, 11:30am or 12:30pm.

Government mobility consultation update: Deadline now 22nd April, BSL and audio versions of the consultation document available.
Check out the Wheels for Wellbeing resources for more!

A dark green graphic with the words Helen Got Cycling! at the top. The Wheels4Me logo is in the top right-hand corner. Underneath is the text “Helen tried out our Van Raam Midi; a comfortable and compact, up-right trike with e-assist and a great look. Just one of many on our scheme! Want to find out if we have a cycle might suit you? In a grey box are the words “loan for FREE!” and underneath that a white box with the words “Enquire Now”. To the right is a yellow circle with a photo inside of a white woman sat on a Van Raam Midi. She is wearing a cycle helmet, a white jacket and pale blue trousers. In the background you can see brickwork and black railings. At the bottom of the graphic in a yellow box are the words “contact us 020 7346 8482”, email info@wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk , Visit our website, wheels4me.co.uk

Helen got cycling!

Helen tried out our Van Raam Midi; a comfortable and compact, up-right trike with e-assist and a great look.

Just one of many on our scheme!

Want to find out if a cycle might suit you and loan one for free?!

Get in touch today to find out more. www.wheels4me.co.uk

A message from his parents.

Using the mobility scooter, I couldn’t have reached to hold a gate then reversed while holding the gate to pull it open, then held it open while going through. All things I can do on a bike, no problem!
And I’m ambulatory with good balance (at the moment), strong hands and arms and good dexterity!

Hmm, debatably accessible. Thinking “less inaccessible” is probably the fair description of your pictures. I couldn’t open any of the gates on our walk and couldn’t have opened your pictured gates either - but the kissing gate wasn’t even usable with assistance!

Me driving a tramper scooter through a muddy gateway, with the gate off its hinges leaning at a jaunty angle

A big man in a blue coat and a teen in a pink coat just finishing rehanging a wooden pedestrian gate which has a very tight auto-close spring!

Yep, I’d brought minions! Husband is 6ft 2 and non disabled. Lifted the gate off its hinges. Then couldn’t rehang it alone - so minion 2 helped realign hinges.
I couldn’t actually have got through any of the 4 other gates unaided, either - just the aid required for this one was rather silly!

Me, trying to see if I reversed and positioned a tramper scooter really carefully it would be possible to get through a kissing gate. So, I’m kind of stuck on a mobility scooter in a wooden kissing gate on the middle of a field.

I tried a tramper scooter today!

It was great, even with top speed set to 2-3mph - “promenade” not “brisk walk”. Handled very muddy ground.

Didn’t handle the kissing gate, though.

Would be lovely if the places that hire these things made the walks they tell you you can go on #accessible …

John's story John works as a barrister and was regularly commuting to work until a stroke compromised his health. He got in touch with us with a concrete goal in mind: to be able to improve his fitness and work towards commuting to work again by wheels. There is a photo of John on the right-hand side. He is a white man with a beard wearing glasses, a tan jacket, brown and white checked shirt and a brown checked cravat. There is a smaller photo of him from the back on his electric tricycle. The Wheels4Me logo is at the bottom.

John's Story After several phone calls to ascertain his needs and a trial trip to Wheels for Wellbeing’s HHV session we supplied him with an electric tricycle. When the time came to return the cycle, John got back in contact to request an extension as he was seeing such a huge improvement in his health and fitness. He said the loan has been illuminating in showing him that he does not need e-assist and loved the exercise and challenge. There is a photo of John on the right-hand side. He is a white man with a beard wearing glasses, a tan jacket, brown and white checked shirt and a brown checked cravat. There is a smaller photo of him from the back on his electric tricycle. The Wheels4Me logo is at the bottom.

John's Story After considering an application through Access to Work he ultimately found and purchased his dream, light-weight, vintage tricycle which he now enjoys riding all around North London. He tells us he wouldn’t have known what he was capable of or had the fitness or confidence to find or cycle it if it hadn’t been for the loan scheme and could not be more impressed by what we offer, a service he considers incredibly important. There is a photo of John on the right-hand side. He is a white man with a beard wearing glasses, a tan jacket, brown and white checked shirt and a brown checked cravat. There is a smaller photo of him from the back on his electric tricycle. The Wheels4Me logo is at the bottom.

After sustaining a stroke that affected his mobility, barrister Jon was looking for a tricycle to see if it could help in his rehabilitation with the end goal of being able to cycle to work as he once used to.

A dark green graphic with the words Julian Got Cycling! at the top. The Wheels4Me logo is in the top right-hand corner. Underneath is the text “Julian tried out our Van Raam Easy Rider Compact, with e-assist, comfortable seat and semi-recumbent riding position. Just one of many on our scheme! Want to find out if a cycle might suit you?” In a grey box are the words “loan for FREE!” and underneath that a white box with the words “Enquire Now”. To the right is a yellow circle with a photo inside of a white man sat on a Van Raam Easy Rider Compact. He is wearing a cycle helmet, a bright blue jacket and black trousers. In the background are shrubs and a road with a white car going by. At the bottom of the graphic in a yellow box are the words “contact us 020 7346 8482”, email info@wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk , Visit our website, wheels4me.co.uk

Julian got cycling!!

Julian tried out our Van Raam Easy Rider Compact, with e-assist, comfortable seat and semi-recumbent riding position.
Just one of many on our scheme!

Want to find out if a cycle might suit you and loan one for free?!

Get in touch today to find out more. www.wheels4me.co.uk

Graphic titled “We think Disabled children should be allowed powered aids that let them run, cycle and explore with their friends”. Drawings of children using different aids smiling towards the reader, from left to right, a using a kick scooter, a manual wheelchair with power attachment, a standard bicycle which could be an e-cycle and a powerchair. At the bottom, hashtag MobilityJustice and the Wheels for Wellbeing logo.

At the moment, the law means Disabled children and young people who use mobility aids can't run, scoot or cycle with their friends.

Find out more about what you can do to help give Disabled people the same journey-making choices as non-disabled people at wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/disabled-chi...

Titled "Careless laws cost rights", has "Ghostbusters" logo-style pictures of people using different mobility aids coming through "banned" (general prohibition) signs. From left, a child using a manual wheelchair with power attachment, two adults on a tandem mobility scooter, a person using a powerchair with a pram attached to the front, a person using a manual wheelchair with an e-assist handcycle attachment, a child using a powerchair. Subtitle "New mobility aid laws must provide equal mobility rights for all" and hashtag MobilityJustice.

Current rules about mobility aids are complicated, confusing & don't make much sense.

These two resources look at existing rules, the consequences they have for Disabled people, & options for possible changes.

wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/consideratio...

wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/wp-content/u...

Ooh look, presentations on the really important mobility aids regulations changes consultation! The consultation, despite its name, covers all powered and unpowered aids, including all cycles and e-cycles - come along to find out more!

Graphic titled "mobility aid regulations are out of date. Disabled people need future-proofed laws that enable us to choose the mobility aids that work best for us." There are three mobility aids shown - a recumbent e-trike with one rider, an in-line tandem mobility scooter with two riders, and an invented robot dog based on a Boston Dynamics walking robot combined with a powerchair, with one rider. The people using these devices are saying: "My e-trike is my mobility aid" "Our tandem mobility scooter is our mobility aid" "My robo-dog is my mobility aid". A man standing on the left is holding a scroll which reads "Ye olde invalid carriage regulations 1988" and saying "Er..."

To help with your responses to the DfT’s consultation on powered mobility aids, we are hosting a series of free webinars to discuss mobility aid regulations and how we can ensure Disabled people have the same journey-making choices as non-disabled people

The poor sleepy hedgehogs got all wet! It was quite nearly a tragedy- but you can be reassured- it seems they were all OK, and Ivan and Big Dog got… washed down into the town together with the hedgehogs, and therefore saved the day.
Glad I was inoculated against overthinking by Clangers.
Oh, wait…

In further news, Ivan and the dog have saved the town! The water supply was being blocked by… a pile of sleepy hedgehogs who hadn’t noticed they were getting wet?

Hmmm.

I guess it makes as much sense as a lot of Octonauts or Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service?

Cover of Ivan the Invacar and the cave has a cartoon picture of a little blue one-person Invacar with a white top, big expressive headlight eyes and a big fluffy brown dog leaning out of the window.

Ivan the Invacar!
I’ve just splashed £2.22 on “Ivan the Invacar and the Cave”
The question is, does this count as work, and should I therefore not be reading it on Saturday?
Also, is that £2.22 legitimate expenses?!
#Accessibilty #disability

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (TV adaptation) here. The book’s better but the TV version is still really good - & little miss is now old enough to watch it!
The characters are just wonderful. Kid2 and I think Childermass is probably the best….