Great 'What discounts can I get when I'm disabled' Hunt

If anyone is in receipt of Carer's Allowance, some council run gyms will give discount if you join, you will have to ask about it as they will not tell you.

There is a definitive guide on not just discounts for us disabled people but also incentives and benefits, produced by RADAR called: "If only I'd known that a year ago ... 2010" and it costs £14.99. It has probably saved me thousands of pounds over the years and yes, I wish I'd bought it years before I actually did! :j

I'm not sure if I can paste about it but I'll try ...

If Only I'd Known That a Year Ago

Subtitled 'A guide for newly disabled people, their families and friends', this book provides an introduction to relevant services, rights and facilities. Covering areas such as accommodation, aids and equipment, education and employment, discrimination, health and social services, transport, sport and leisure, benefits and personal relationships, it gives all the information needed to 'start the ball rolling' and the signposts to gain more detailed knowledge as required.

Also, invaluable for some of us, the National Key Scheme for accessible toilets. [Note for those that don't yet know: disabled toilets are toilets with broken bowls, missing toilet seats, no chain or door lock and half a dozen toilet rolls preventing it from being flushed, hence, the toilet is disabled!!! Accessible toilets are the ones that have been built or adapted so that disabled people can get access into them and to use them. Funnily enough they are not, as a lot of non-disabled people seem to think, provided for them to have prolonged sex sessions in!]. The keys also fit a lot of these new self-cleaning street toilets that put the fear of God in me every time I use one; worried that I'm taking too long and will get flushed away! :rotfl: The cost of a key about £3.50 and can pay for itself within a short time (pun intended).

National Trust (England) has an admission policy for disabled people which admits the "necessary companion" or personal assistant of a disabled visitor free of charge, on request, while the normal membership, or admission fee, applies to the disabled visitor. To save having to ‘request’ a companion's free entry each time you go, you can apply for an 'Admit One' card to be issued. There's no charge for the card, it is in your name but it takes quite a long time to arrive so book early! Maybe take a deep breath before checking out their website; the text is archaic and a bit patronising! :eek:

I guess the definitive guide to discounts and benefits for disabled people attending the arts, ballet, opera, theatre and concerts (in London) is the Artsline. It promotes access for disabled people to arts and entertainment venues, promoting the clear message that access equals inclusion. It has a massive online data base of venues and events but this covers mainly Greater London with, sadly, no coverage of the rest of the UK. In it you can find details of how to get on to the Access List of the Royal Opera House, Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, etc. and get mega-discounts. Warning: in some cases the venues claim that discounts only apply to recipients of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or the Blue Badge and not to all disabled people, but I believe this is unlawful and probably should be challenged.

As you probably know, under 16s and over 60s get to swim free in many boroughs, and in some enlightened boroughs, disabled people are also encouraged to swim, either with free swimming or major concessions. I'd be grateful if everyone and anyone would post where their borough is, and whether swimming is free for disabled people or concessionary (and, if you know, how much). Many thanks in advance!

Wokingham Borough Council run a scheme called the CAN Card - I'm not sure if other local authorities do this but it might be worth asking them. This is for disabled/autistic children, you get a card with their photo and when shown it gives concessions and carer free access to quite a few attractions not just the Wokingham area.

Also Legoland in Windsor have a Hand Stamp scheme which allows the disabled child and up to three people to use the exit of certain rides to queue jump - you need to take a letter or something that shows that the child has a disability to register and if you have a season ticket they can put this information on it so you only have to do this once. If you are willing to pay they have a Q-Bot Service which does a similar thing! For details see legoland.co.uk/planyourvisit/GUEST+WITH+DISABILITIES.htm

luxor4t wrote: »

I bought an electric 'rise & recline' chair from a local furniture shop and didn't have to pay the VAT.
Seeing that I was walking with crutches they very tactfully told me about the scheme & had the declaration forms at the cash desk.
I had thought it was just for specialist items like wheel chairs, hoists etc.
The riser makes life so much easier as I have RA in knees & hips.

Thanks for mentioning this one, Luxor - just goes to show, it's always worth asking. In theory, anything that you need specifically because of your disability counts - but you may have to argue your case.

Oxfordshire libraries offer up to 3 free DVD or audio book rentals per week. If you take your DLA award letter to any of the libraries they will upgrade the disabled person’s library card.
Jambinos indoor play centre (Oxford) offer reduced entry price of £2.95 for disabled children. Just take a copy of your DLA award letter. The website is http://www.jambinos.com
Snakes and ladders indoor play centre (Abingdon) offer reduced price entry of £2.50 (remember £1 for the supervising adult) Disabled rates are not advertised so you have to ask and show a copy of your DLA award letter. The website is http://www.snakes-and-ladders.co.uk
Rugrats and half pints indoor play and sensory centre (Banbury) run a disability session on the first Tuesday of every month. Entry to this session is £3 per child including siblings. The website is http://www.rugratsandhalfpints.com
Lakeside superbowl (Banbury) offer reduced rate bowling for the disabled person and carer of £1.75 each. Proof of disability is required. The website is http://www.lakeside-superbowl.co.uk
Bowlplex (Oxford) offer reduced rate bowling for the disabled person and carer. £4.20 off peak £4.70 peak for disabled person and carer. The website is http://www.bowlplex.co.uk
There are so many swimming pools in Oxfordshire that it’s best to just ask at their reception desk for reduced rates and take your DLA award letter.
I have recently been successful in applying for 5 FREE legoland passes from merlins magic wand. It took 1 week for the tickets to arrive from applying online.
They award tickets to families with a disabled person.
The link is http://www.merlinsmagicwand.org/

Thats my lot
LillyX