Disabledboaters

[Liznoproblem]

Website Name: Disabledboaters
Website URL: Disabledboaters.org
Website Description: Support/Resource group aimed at Boaters, Wanna be boaters and users of of the waterways,
Any other comments:  Disabledboaters.org founded in January 2017 is an online support group sharing tips, banter, info and promoting Accessibility on and by the waterways. For folk who are disabled or have mobility issues, their carers, partners and families. We aim to promote, advise and guide interested parties in the reality and needs of disabled and less able users of the waterways and towpaths. Not only for boaters, but for visitors and all those interested in our waterways. Useful information and tips can also be found in the files section of the group

[magpie patrick]

Forumites note - this link leads (on my phone at least) to a Facebook group rather than a standalone website, so if the link doesn't work for you that may be why.

 

1st Ade and I took Magpie the Elder on a fully accessible hire boat last year, given how essential a week on the cut is for us able bods who can also climb Penyfan or Helvelyn, it's even more important for those who can't! 

[1st ade]

Goes to Facebook for me as well (on a "proper" computer). I suspect the website owner has a permanent redirect to their Facebook page rather than the "faff" of maintaining their own site.

[cuthound]

5 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

Forumites note - this link leads (on my phone at least) to a Facebook group rather than a standalone website, so if the link doesn't work for you that may be why.

 

1st Ade and I took Magpie the Elder on a fully accessible hire boat last year, given how essential a week on the cut is for us able bods who can also climb Penyfan or Helvelyn, it's even more important for those who can't! 

 

Indeed I skippered a Lyneal Trust hire boat (very cheap to hire providing at least one of your party is disabled) on the Llangollen for an older friend and his even older disabled friend back in 2015.

 

Sadly both no longer with us. For the disabled one it was his last boat trip, but he really enjoyed it, particularly crossing the Pontycyssyllte Aqueduct.

[mrsmelly]

2 hours ago, 1st ade said:

Goes to Facebook for me as well (on a "proper" computer). I suspect the website owner has a permanent redirect to their Facebook page rather than the "faff" of maintaining their own site.

The problem there is that such a great resource is being missed by a full half of the population as only half the UK are on Farcebook. A stand alone site which is a doddle to do these days would be accesible to one hundred percent of the population who have access to some device.

[Liznoproblem]

Currently we just have twitter and facebook, which is working well, we are working on a website for the support group.

 

However saying that we have made progress with two major canal mapping sites and crt in open communication now about including information about accessibilty, compiling details of accessible trip boats accross the country which CRT now use to update their site amongst many other things going on the background.

 

We are also working with private moorings with regards to accessibilty.

 

There is an article about Disabledboaters.org on the current issue of Canal Boating Times - https://www.canalboatingtimes.net/index.html

 

Another article is appearing in another publication later in the year.

 

 

[magpie patrick]

26 minutes ago, Liznoproblem said:

Currently we just have twitter and facebook, which is working well, we are working on a website for the support group.

 

However saying that we have made progress with two major canal mapping sites and crt in open communication now about including information about accessibilty, compiling details of accessible trip boats accross the country which CRT now use to update their site amongst many other things going on the background.

 

We are also working with private moorings with regards to accessibilty.

 

There is an article about Disabledboaters.org on the current issue of Canal Boating Times - https://www.canalboatingtimes.net/index.html

 

Another article is appearing in another publication later in the year.

 

 

More power to your elbow

 

A friend of mine recently asked about boating for her father who is ill and probably not going to be with us much longer, it's the sort of query I get surprisingly often. He can get on a boat, so I can see it being a day out on mine, but he is infirm and this is not ideal, and I certainly can't give him an overnight stay.

 

At the world canals conference in Syracuse, NY in 2017, one of the papers was from a business that had adapted all manner of craft for hire, even a kayak that a one-armed person could paddle. They presented figures that 20% of American families are affected by disability, it may be an elderly grand-parent, but it's often the parent or the child - These families had the opportunity to go out as a family group - as he put it, 20% of the market was his because they couldn't go anywhere else as a group, he saw it as sound business sense as well as compassionate business. 

[magpie patrick]

Note - I've moved this to general boating - that way any further responses don't need moderator approval. There is still a link in the original location

[Liznoproblem]

12 hours ago, 1st ade said:

Goes to Facebook for me as well (on a "proper" computer). I suspect the website owner has a permanent redirect to their Facebook page rather than the "faff" of maintaining their own site.

thank you, yes a website is needed, and I am working on it, at present it is all me but I am looking for help with doing things as the group is growing and more and more is happening - all for the good. When  I first set up the group it was merely a dedicated group to share information but over the last two years it has steadly grown, especially in the last 6 months, so in between rebuilding my boat after a tree hit last September, major surgery and my own limitations due to disabilty I have been putting in a lot of hours and talking to a lot of folk to regarding it. I have been met with very possitive responses and opening doors to change.

 

So please be patient and feel free to get involved sharing tips. experience and information. I do not know when the website will be ready as it is one of several areas for the group I am working on, but I will do my best to get something up and running asap as I know facebook is not for everyone. But the power of social media is in our case a good thing.