Useful Links

If you have any suggestions for links which could be included on this page, please contact us.

Ask Mencap
http://www.askmencap.info/	The information service on learning disability issues, organisations and services.



Askability
http://www.askability.org.uk/	Launched by the Childrens Society Solihull Branch. A website specifically for disabled children that uses Symbol, a pictorial based language.



Birmingham City Council
http://www.bgfl.org/services/default.htm	The Birmingham Grid for learning site. This page is for the Children, Young People & Families directorate. Look under "Targeted Services" for details of Special Educational Needs.



Brumability
http://www.brumability.com/	The Brumability website is designed to help disabled children to access the web, to communicate with each other, to learn and have fun. Includes information for parents too.



Carers UK
http://www.carersuk.org/Home	The site for the national organisation for Carers. There are local branches in Birmingham.



Caudwell Children
http://www.caudwellchildren.com	The Charity was registered in March 2000 to make direct donations to individual child cases of sickness, specialised medical requirements and dying wish holidays and initially gave preference to a "Golden Circle" of 50 miles around Stoke on Trent. In 2004 the Charity went nationwide, resulting in a dramatic increase in the number of applications, which now arrive from all parts of the country from as far a field as Aberdeen, Belfast and Southampton, allowing us to help more and more special children. Caudwell Children receives hundreds of applications every month from children needing our help. When a donation has been approved, we then deal directly with the manufacturer, supplier or service provider, organising every detail of the donation, to alleviate any stress from parents and guardians.

0845 300 1348
charity@caudwellchildren.com
Changing Places
http://www.changing-places.org/	The Changing Places Consortium has launched a campaign on behalf of the thousands of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and their carers, and the many other disabled people who cannot use standard accessible toilets. They need Changing Places toilets. These are toilets with enough space for disabled people and their carers, and the right equipment, including a height adjustable changing bench and a hoist. There are almost no public Changing Places toilets in the UK. Providing these toilets in public places would make a dramatic difference to the lives of thousands of people who desperately need these facilities. Sometimes you just need to change one thing to open up a world of possibility. The time for change is NOW.

020 7696 6019
ChangingPlaces@mencap.org.uk
Children Today
http://www.children-today.org	Children Today give grants for a wide range of equipment for children and young people with disabilities, that are not funded through the NHS. These include powered, manual and sports wheelchairs, specially adapted tricycles, bicycles, buggies and walking aids as well as specially designed sensory equipment such as Fibre Optic Sprays. Children Today has three main aims: To raise funds to provide grants for special equipment for disabled children and young people To raise awareness of the difficulties faced by young people and their families in accessing special equipment that will raise the quality of their lives To inform of the need for better services and provision for children and young people with disabilities. They work hard to ensure that the service they provide for disabled children and their families is as accessible and as wide-ranging as possible.

01244 335 622

Contact a Family
http://www.cafamily.org.uk
Contact a Family Prospect Hall 12 College Walk Selly Oak Birmingham B29 6LE
0121 415 4624
westmids.office@cafamily.org.uk
Every Disabled Child Matters
http://www.edcm.org.uk	Every Disabled Child Matters is a new campaign by Contact a Family, The Council for Disabled Children, Mencap and the Special Education Consortium. Every Disabled Child Matters is a three-year campaign aimed at getting disabled children higher up the political and media agenda – so that the needs of these families can no longer be ignored. The campaign went live on 26th September 2006, and so far over 6,000 people have pledged support. To sign up please log on to http://www.edcm.org.uk and register your support, and ask all the parents in your groups and networks and all the professionals you are in contact with or work with to do the same. For more information about Every Disabled Child Matters, and for all the ways in which you can get involved, please go to http://www.edcm.org.uk or contact Kate Williams on 020 7843 6448. On the website you can find out how to lobby your MP and local Council about services for disabled children. There is also information about parliamentary reports discussing services and further research.



I Need to Know
http://www.ineed2know.org.uk/	This website is full of information about Children's’ services in Birmingham. There are separate sections for adults, children and young people. Even if your enquiry doesn’t turn up an answer straight away it’s worth trying a few days later as all questions are monitored and if there is no information available then BSS try to find one out! The Ineed2know website is run by BSS (the Birmingham Signposting Service) on behalf of the BCYPB.

0808 808 1001,

Isn't she talking yet?
http://timesonline.typepad.com/india_knight/	India Knight was born in 1965. She lives in London with her three children, writes a weekly column for The Sunday Times and has written two fiction books, My life on a plate and Don't you want me? and a non-fiction book, The Shops. After writing an article in The Sunday Times about her daughter's special needs (Nell has a cardiac condition called truncus arteriosus, and DiGeorge Syndrome, aka 22q11 deletion) she was so inundated with e-mails that she has launched this weblog as a forum for parents in a similar position to keep in touch, compare notes and help each other. Warning! Have plenty of tissues handy when reading some of the true stories sent in by readers. Not all are sad though, many are inspirational & informative too!



N & E B'ham Phab
http://www.nebham.phabclub.org	Here you will find information about the club and the things they do. North & East Birmingham Phab Club is for children and young people aged 3 years - 16 years old. They also encourage the whole family to get involved.Phab works in a very practical and active way to promote and encourage people with and without physical disability to come together on equal terms, to achieve complete integration within the wider community.

0121 747 7076
chris@nebham.phabclub.org
NAIDEX
http://www.naidex.co.uk	NAIDEX is the UK's largest event for homecare, disability and rehabilitation. It is your best opportunity to touch, test and compare all the latest new products and services available.



OUCH!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch	Ouch is a website from the BBC. Its aim is to reflect the lives of disabled people right here and now in the third millennium. It's not a help and support site. If we were to give it a label, it would probably be closest to lifestyle. We pride ourselves on not being a resource for useful information, though I'm sure you'll find most things you're looking for here. There are many help and support sites out there that do a fantastic job, far better than we could, so we in the BBC's Learning & Interactive department felt it would be good to do something completely different. We're about personal stuff, minutiae of everyday life and that fantastic dark sense of humour and inevitable cynicism that we disabled people tend to have. Oh, and we don't shy away from subjects that other people might be a bit wary of.



Parent Views Count
http:// www.bgfl.org/parentviewscount	This site will be the perfect place for you to share views and get information about the Strategy for Special Provision and the Integrated Strategy for Disabled Children and Young People in Birmingham. You can also find introductions to your Parent Representatives, who are all working very hard to ensure that Parent Views really do Count.

0777 878 3596
ParentViewsCount@aol.com
Racketys
http://www.racketys.com,	We are the first company in the UK to produce a range of clothing exclusively for children with special needs. Our exciting new range of clothing is designed to help you and your child’s life become less complicated. Following extensive research and development with the help of parents, teachers, schools and of course children, our clothes incorporate specially designed fastening and modifications that make getting dressed an altogether less stressful experience. Children love to look good and feel great – our clothing helps them to do it.
Racketys.com, Hilwyn Farm, School Lane, Longsdon, Stoke-on-Trent ST9 9QS
01538 381430 9am-6pm Monday to Friday.
myorder@racketys.com
React
http://www.reactcharity.org	React -Rapid Effective Assistance for Children with Potentially Terminal illness is a dynamic charity working to improve the quality of life for financially disadvantaged children. Helping children with life-limiting illness, React works to give these children comfort, dignity and where possible, greater independence. This past year, they have supplied a wide range of equipment from specialist wheelchairs, beds, baths, and mobility aids, to essential everyday items like washing machines and tumble dryers. Why is React necessary? There are currently an estimated 25,000 children living with life-limiting conditions in the UK (Association for Children with life-threatening or Terminal conditions and their families). Over 25% of Britain's children are being raised in low-income households (Child Poverty Action Group). These figures suggest that there may be as many as 7,000 terminally ill children nationwide whose families cannot afford the costly care they require. React responds quickly to requests for help, sometimes within hours, with no red tape and meeting needs not met by the authorities or other charities. React works in co-operation with children's hospices and other support services and also backs research and education projects aimed at improving the quality of life for severely ill children. React also offer family holidays in one of their five holiday homes around the country. This is often the only chance at a holiday for many of the families and children they help.
React St Luke's House 270 Sandycombe Road Kew, Surrey TW9 3NP
020 8940 2575

SCOPE
http://www.scope.org.uk	Useful information about Cerebral Palsy, but also plenty of help for a range of physical disabilities. Especially useful are the "Early Years" section and the Forum.