Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos

Phil Friend (OBE Ph.DFRSA) himself a wheelchair user, is acknowledged as the UK's foremost consultant on disability matters.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos

March 30, 2019

Hello everyone just a quick note to let you know that I’m planning to develop a new podcast in which I interview disabled people about the things they use to overcome the barriers they face because of their disability. I’ll keep you posted as to when this will become available.

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Disability at Work - A Different Approach

March 25, 2013

For nearly thirty years I, and many others have provided disability equality training designed for, and targeted at line managers, HR professionals and other interested individuals. Given that most people acquire their impairments during their adult lives an important emphasis has been placed on helping employers and managers become more confident when managing disability in the workplace. Looking back I can see that this approach has provided some positive benefits and the workplace is no longer quite so problematic for disabled employees. Sadly I also think that this strategy has failed to deliver on two really important levels. Firstly, the disabled employee has to rely on being part of an organisation that places real importance on equality policies and practices. Even when this is the case the disabled employee is often separated from the equality process and has to sit and wait while their manager gets trained or the organisation decides to treat disability as a higher priority. ...

Aches, Pains and Appliances

October 27, 2018

The other day as I was shaving I remembered my mother, this often happens. I’m not sure why the act of shaving invokes these memories, but it usually does. My mother died back in 2001; it was a good death. She was lying in bed and asked her devoted carer, Chrissie, for a cup of tea, and when Chrissie returned with it, she had departed this life. I recall that whenever I visited my mother particularly towards the end of her life, the first half-an-hour of our conversation was spent in cataloguing and discussing her ailments, aches, pains, and other trials and tribulations. She would sit in her velour covered armchair in her flannelette nightie with her nasal cannula in place and hold court. It was impossible to move her off health topics until she had exhausted every possible nook and cranny. These memories were in part awakened because of a recent weekend I spent in rural Yorkshire with some good friends all of whom are now in their 60s and 70s. We all arrived at our host’s lo...

DWP denies fraud cover-up, Fitness to Work Test needs surgery, New idea for funding rail access, Don't make us beg for our rights, Minister branded a coward, Access to Work inquiry

May 16, 2014

I think this is the longest break between blogs I can remember. I haven’t had dozens of emails complaining so I can only assume I’ve got away with it or you just didn’t notice the silence!! You remember me telling you about the flood we experienced back in February, well here we are in May still battling to get things moving and I do mean literally, moving. I can now exclusively reveal why our house insurance premiums are so high! We’ve had visits by loss adjusters, three surveyors, a house drying company, builders and a removal firm and nothing has changed. As an example of exorbitant costs try this for size! We are having furniture and fittings removed from four ground floor rooms and stored so that the building work can start. The removal firm wanted to charge the insurance company £5000 for removal plus £80 per day storage. I’m in the wrong business does anyone know where I can hire an accessible van? The good news is that we have managed to find some temporary accommodation ...