LIFE-IN-A-WHEELCHAIR EXPERIENCE FOR COMPANY’S ABLE-BODIED NEW RECRUITS.
A press release:
Staff joining a Hampshire-based business specialising in insurance for wheelchair users will go through an induction and training course which will include becoming a wheelchair user for a day to appreciate what it’s like to be dependent upon mobility equipment.
Blue Badge Mobility Insurance (www.BlueBadgeMobilityInsurance.co.uk), based in Petersfield, was established by businessman Mark Effenberg after he struggled to find insurance cover for his teenage son who relies on a wheelchair.
“I have a son who uses a wheelchair, but I recently had a knee operation which also put me in a wheelchair for several weeks and which really brought home to me how different life and life’s challenges are when you try to live normally with mobility issues,” said Mark Effenberg.
“To help my team better understand the challenges of being wheelchair-reliant we’ve introduced a policy whereby new recruits must spend a day with a wheelchair. As it is sometimes as challenging being a carer for somebody in a wheelchair as it is being in that wheelchair, they will be sent off in pairs – one in the chair, one pushing or helping when necessary.
“We’ll simply set them a task. For instance, go and buy a specific item from a shop in Oxford Street, London, or Portsmouth, or Winchester.
“They’ll also note people’s reactions and the obstructions they come up against, plus the additional costs and delays they incur as a wheelchair user compared to an able-bodied traveller and shopper.
“We’re not looking to catch anybody out or expose shortcomings, simply to enable our team to better understand mobility issues.”
Hampshire-based Blue Badge Mobility Insurance will provide policies covering use, protection and liability relating to scooter, wheelchair and home equipment, and will price-match like-for-like policies currently on the market. Other care-related insurance products will be launched throughout 2014 – all aimed at people who want to remain independent and receive care at home, and for those that care for them.
Typical guideline premium prices will be £24 a year for wheelchair cover, and from £59 for electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
Same Difference 
Reblogged this on Britain Isn't Eating.
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At last someone with some sense. You cannot understand the difficulties and problems until you are in the situation.
My hub who has only ever known me with limited mobility and is aware of problems in manovering a wheelchair doesn’t understand why I get so upset when I can’t get in somewhere.
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