Disabled Iraqi children get wheelchairs, big smiles

Mothers cradle children in their arms. Fathers smile softly at the helpless bodies they hold. Other parents are bent over from the weight of their teenage kids whose legs fall limp, almost touching the ground. In the absence of basic medical equipment, these parents do this every day.
The wheelchair distribution was the vision of Brad Blauser, center.

Khaled is a father of three. On this day, his young daughter, Mariam, is getting fitted for her new wheelchair. Her arms and legs are painfully thin, little more than skin and bone. She's 7 years old, but looks barely half that. She and both her siblings, a sister and brother, suffer from varying degrees of polio. None of them can walk.

Asked how he and his family cope, Khaled chokes up, fighting back tears.

"I am sick of life -- what can I say to you?" he says after a long pause.

One man, Brad Blauser, has vowed to try to make life a little easier for these families by organizing the distribution of wheelchairs, donated and paid for by his charity, Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids. He first came to Iraq in 2004 as a civilian contractor. Struck by the abject chaos surrounding him and seeing helpless children scooting along the ground, he pledged to find a way to help. Video Watch dads, moms carry kids; tears flow when wheelchairs arrive »

His first step was to consult an Army medic to find out what hospitals really needed. "He surprised me with his answer about pediatric wheelchairs. We've got so many children out in the city that the ones who can get around are following their friends by dragging themselves around on the ground, which is heartbreaking to see," he says.

"I was surprised. It took me aback."

Enlisting the help of generous supporters and an Iraqi humanitarian group, "Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids" was born in August of 2005. Thirty days later, its first 31 chairs were delivered. To date, more than 250 Iraqi families have received the wheelchairs.

Blauser has partnered with a nonprofit group called Reach Out and Care Wheels, which sells him the chairs at a manufacturing price of about $300.

The chairs are made by prisoners at the South Dakota State Penitentiary and ultimately delivered in Iraq by the U.S. military.

"Getting these prisoners involved, it just means the world to them," said Andrew Babcock, the executive director of Reach Out and Care Wheels. "Even the prisoners, I've been there and visited, and they're so excited. They come up with different design ideas and ways to make things better for the kids. They want to know where the chairs are going and what kids we're helping."

Blauser said it's unbelievable to be there when the chairs are delivered.

"The most affecting thing about this whole wheelchairs for children is when the parents realize the gift that is being given to their children and they reach out to hug you." he said. "The tears are running from their eyes and they say, 'We never thought that you could do this.' "

Blauser is helped on the Iraqi missions by the civil affairs division of the U.S. military, which helps organize the safe transport of the families to the distribution point and adjustment of the wheelchairs to fit each child.

He said it gives "the troops something when they go home, something good to remember where they know they have contributed, they know they have done a good thing."

Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason Jurack agrees. "It brings a smile to your face. It really gives a different image to the Army as a whole -- helping people out, putting a smile on local nationals' faces, little kids that need our help."

It's a sentiment that is echoed by Samira Al-Ali, the head of the Iraqi group that finds the children in need. On this day, she tells the soldiers she hopes that this humanitarian act will give them a different image of Iraq, not one of a gun and war, she says. Her words are simple but effective.

"I wish the world would see with their own eyes the children of Iraq and help the children of Iraq, because the children of Iraq have been deprived of everything," she said. "Even a normal child has been deprived of their childhood; a disabled child and their family is dealing with so much more."

The children also show gratitude, even those who can scarcely move. Blauser remembers one boy's father who dressed him in a three-piece suit, with the trousers hanging off his motionless legs.

"He couldn't move his legs or his arms. But when we sat him in his chair, he gave us the thumbs up."

Iraqi parents will go to any lengths to improve the quality of their children's lives. Blauser points to one of his favorite photographs, of a father carrying his son in his arms, an endless desert road behind him. He had carried his son more than 6 miles to get a wheelchair.

"In August 2006 we had a distribution in northern Iraq," Blauser remembered. "We watched him [the father] come forward, and people rushed to take the boy from his arms. And he said, 'No, I've been carrying this child all my life. I can carry him the last 100 yards to receive his wheelchair.'

Source: CNN

Court-appointed guardian gets jailed for preying on disabled vet

A court-appointed guardian is going to jail for stealing from a disabled military veteran under her care.

Anne L. Chavis must also pay $92,000 in restitution to eight clients, but the amount is only a fraction of the money the conservator may have pilfered.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Horwitz sentenced the 74-year-old woman on Wednesday to a year in jail and he placed Chavis on three years' probation.

Chavis pleaded guilty to forging documents and lying to the court in order to steal from a disabled veteran. Theft charges involving seven other clients were dropped.

Chavis was appointed by probate court and Veterans' Affairs officials to oversee the lives of more than four dozen vulnerable residents.

Source: AP Los Angeles

Walgreens Embraces Disabled Employees

The Walgreens Distribution Center in Anderson, S.C. is making a difference and setting an example.

"I'm happy. I'm contented," said employee Julia Turner. "I've got people all around me who are the best friends I've ever had in the whole world."

Julia and more than 40 percent of the 700 workers there are disabled.

She has Down's Syndrome.

A co-worker of hers is mentally disabled. Another is wheelchair bound.

And the person who recruited most of them, Angela Mackey, has Cerebral Palsy.

"I hope that from my work and from this program I'm showing that disability or not, we all have potential. We all have value," she said.

Disabled workers and those without disabilities do many of the same jobs and earn the same pay.

"Corporate america thinks they need to give someone with a disability an easier job," Luann Bannister, another Walgreens employee, said. "Everyone here is on equal ground."

Walgreens executive Randy Lewis is behind the difference.

Lewis has a 19-year-old son with autism.

"As a parent I saw the future and so the question is, given our position, maybe we could be an example, maybe we could use our position of leadership to try to change the work environment," he explained.

Lewis added that the Anderson Center just as productive as other distribution centers.

"People come to me and ask, 'can this work in my environment?'" he began. "Absolutely, It's not only a good thing to do, it's the right thing to do."

Source: CBNNews

Man shot disabled son out of concern

A court has heard that an elderly man shot his intellectually-disabled son out of concern for what his life could become after the father died.

Frank Harton, 75, has faced the Magistrates Court at Mount Barker in the Adelaide hills charged with attempted murder.

Harton is alleged to have shot his son Craig, 47, at a shack at Walker Flat early yesterday.

The son has a gunshot wound to the face and is in a serious but stable condition in hospital in Adelaide.

The court heard the accused had been his son's carer for 39 years and was worried about what would happen to him once he was gone.

The prosecution opposed bail saying Harton had vowed to shoot his son, then possibly himself, and there were now concerns for the older man's safety.

Magistrate Clynt Johansen described the case as a family tragedy.

Harton has been remanded in custody pending the completion of a psychiatric report.

Source: ABC News Australia

RollerAid Knee Walker a Safe Alternative to Crutches?

The RollerAid Knee Walker, or otherwise known as just a knee walker, is fast becoming a replacement for traditional crutches.

Knee Walkers are "scooter-like" devices that allow you to rest your hurt leg while allowing you to roll around with speeds not reached with normal crutches. In fact, with a knee walker you will actually move faster than you did before you were injured.

You can even buy or rent these devices and your insurance may cover some or all of it.

There are many types of walkers but the RollerAid Turning Knee Walker seems to be the most popular and widely used.

Some benefits to using a device like a knee walker vs. regular crutches are:

• Eliminates tripping or falling associated with crutches
• Has an incredible number of adjustments for customizing the unit to your body size for ultimate comfort and maneuverability
• Can be used as a bench or foot stool during rest
• Improves circulation in affected leg
• Provides the needed exercise for you while keeping your injury completely still for faster healing
• Frees up hands with a removable basket so you can accomplish more
• Allows you to move faster than you ever could on crutches
• Features an easy rolling caster system which means less fatigue and conserved energy
• Is ultra portable so you go wherever you need to go without hassle

These are just a few of the benefits to using a RollerAid or knee walker.

Individuals who are most likely to use this device are people who have an injury below the knee and they need to be mobile. Another benefit to using this or another knee walker is that most people experience more relaxation and faster healing than if they were to use traditional crutches.

All these added benefits have attracted thousands of people to try knee walkers and will continue to provide increased mobility for injured people.

To buy or rent a RollerAid or other knee walker please visit http://www.crutchalternatives.com right now for more free information.

How To Sell Your Used Electric Wheelchair

Wheelchairs are a boon to the physically disabled people who cannot walk or move. With the help of these wheelchairs they can move around anywhere and everywhere. They are free to go wherever they want with the support of wheelchairs. The wheelchair is a chair like thing with wheels under it which helps the movement of the chair when the gear is moved. But today the movement of wheelchairs has been made easier by the manufacturing of electric wheelchairs. These electric wheelchairs are powered by electricity and hydraulic power and have a power button. By pressing the power button one can move around easily.

Electric wheelchairs can be purchased from any showroom selling such wheelchairs. Electric wheelchairs also come with a wheelchair lift which is also powered with the similar mechanism as the wheelchair itself. This wheelchair lift allows the disabled person to rise above the surface of the ground. The person places the wheelchair on the platform of the wheelchair lift and then by pressing the power button raises the wheelchair above the surface. This is very helpful in going up in elevated places. The only factor about the electric wheelchair which acts as a negative point is that is far too costly and most of the people are unable to afford it.

Electric wheelchair might cost up to a few thousands of dollars. So it is not so easy for a middle class man to buy the electric wheelchair which is otherwise so much advantageous. But a solution to this problem is purchasing used electric wheelchairs. There are showrooms which sell used electric wheelchair but in good condition.

It is seen that used electric wheelchairs are bought to save money; similarly used electric wheelchair can be sold to have a money return. People can sell their electric wheelchairs once they have finished with the use of it. Electric wheelchairs cost more so to get back at least the half price of the wheelchair will be enough. If the electric wheelchair is almost new and is in a very good condition then the price given may rise up. There are many showrooms and places where they buy the electric wheelchairs. The condition for selling these used wheelchairs is that it must be in excellent condition to be most of the showrooms do not buy wheelchairs which are more than three years old. But the prices given by different showrooms vary; the prices also vary on the condition in which the wheelchair is.

To sell the wheelchair one must take few steps. To initiate the selling process the person concerned might give advertisements in the classified pages of a daily newspaper or at the bulletin boards of a supermarket. One might also try the website for featuring the advertisement, but these unprofessional methods must be avoided as much as possible because these companies seldom match the proper equipment with the user.

The reliable resources for selling used wheelchairs are the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) which will match the equipment with the needy through newsletters, word of mouth or notices. The state rehabilitation department can be contacted to see whether they can connect the seller with a therapist who can help him finding a new user.

www.Electricpowerwheelchair.com offers a wide range of electric powered wheelchair, folding electric wheelchair and also Gel Foam Soft Touch Wheelchair Cushions. Please visit us today.

Excellent Form of Physical Exercise for the Wheelchair Bound

There are many benefits of yoga. It helps strengthen your muscles, increases your body's flexibility, improves mobility, increases stamina, and is advantageous for the working of all your vital organs. Moreover, regular yoga promotes positive thinking, a stress free and disease free existence and a happier life whether you are a normal person or confined to a wheelchair.

In fact, sitting in a wheelchair all day can be extremely taxing for the muscles over the long haul. But wheelchair yoga can help you strengthen your muscles and allow you to feel healthier and fitter. Typically, yoga is an ancient Indian form of meditation, but it has seen dramatic rise in popularity in the United States within the last 10-15 years. Known for its flexibility in style, yoga incorporates breathing techniques with bodily contortions and stretches. Nowadays, wheelchair yoga has become quite popular and specifically designed yogic exercises are helping wheelchair users to make the best of their physical limitations and begin to lead to a fuller life.

Wheelchair yoga is designed keeping in mind the physical limitations of people confined to the wheelchair, while helping them to carry out these exercises any time and any place they choose. There are many benefits to practicing wheelchair yoga. Not only will you start feeling stronger, healthier but your muscles, joints, and tendons as well as your vital organs will start functioning better and with more vitality.

Wheelchair yoga also helps you to gain spiritual, physical, and mental benefits. If you are depressed about your physical condition, you will begin to feel calmer, more in control of your life and generally begin to experience a sense of well-being that will aid you in overcoming day to day limitations.

When practicing wheelchair yoga, you will not feel stiff or lack of energy. In fact, some of the more positive effects of wheelchair yoga include increased muscle and mental strength, decreased levels of anxiety, nervousness, and stress. You will sleep better, feel stronger and experience a surge in confidence and self-esteem levels.

The exercise postures and movements are selected carefully during wheelchair yoga sessions and the emphasis is on comfort, ease, and simple poses for every wheelchair bound individual. More and more physiotherapists recommend yoga as a supplementary physical therapy to patients who are disabled, thereby helping them to connect and respond to their own body better.

Wheelchair yoga exercises are even designed for participation of caregivers and are organized in comfortable room where a group of wheelchair yoga enthusiasts can relax and have fun while exercising. And depending on your requirements, wheelchair yoga can be practiced in several different positions including sitting, standing or lying on the floor.

The Internet offers much information on wheelchair yoga and both studio and private lessons are available for you. The cost of a typical lesson could be anywhere from $20 to $50. Let wheelchair yoga help you take charge of your life and general well-being and you'll be glad you did!

© CG Groth Inc 2007

The "Daycare Diva", Christine G. Groth, is the creator of "The Guide to Instant Daycare Profits". To learn more about this step-by-step program and to sign-up for her FREE "How to Start a Daycare" tips and articles, visit http://www.ExpertsatDaycare.com

Rolling Walker and Their Benefits (Thomas Howard)

Arthritis can cause inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and pain primarily in the joints, or in worse cases, may include the bones and muscles. Chronic arthritis is only one of the several causes of lost independence and mobility to certain individuals.

For these physically unfortunate people, mobility aids will somehow bring back the hopeful smiles on their faces. Mobility aids, such as rolling walkers, can offer supplemental support to make up for the person's lost strength, and thus helps him/her remain active despite the physical inadequacies.

Rolling walkers are beneficial in several ways. Aside from increasing one's autonomy and keeping him/her physically mobile, such mobility assistance devices are available in stylish designs and colors so you can nicely use them outdoors.

Walkers with rolling wheels work best on flat surfaces and living facilities. Because of their customized trendy designs, they make preferable mobility aids when strolling in the parks or shopping in the malls.

Some individuals opt for a three-wheeled lightweight and easily maneuvered walker. However for greater stability, rolling walkers generally feature four wheels (a.k.a. rollators) with hand brakes for stopping or slowing down the walker. More luxurious (and of course, much expensive) types of rolling walkers include baskets and padded seats.

Leading manufacturers of mobility assistance devices, such as Nova, Guardian, and Invacare, give you the option to have your rolling walker customized according to your preferences. You may have some additional accessories included in your walker, such as cup holder, tray, tote bag, dangling walker bag, or travel bag. Indeed, such features and its attractive design make a wheeled walker one chic mobility aid.

When finding for a wheeled walker, go for one that is steel-made or is made of another strong metal to withstand a relatively huge amount of weight. Comfort grips must also be carefully considered. At the base of the rolling walker, rubber grips are available to ensure a secure and easy use of walker on carpets and tiles. Certain walkers feature built-in folded seats that are useful when the person can no longer walk any farther. He may opt to sit on the walker and use it like that of a wheelchair.

Learning to move around with a wheeled walker may be difficult at first. But after some practice, one will be able to walk around pretty easily with the walker. With a wheeled walker as a mobility aid, the person gains more freedom, and his general health and mood will also be improved. The individual will no longer feel too dependent, adding more self-confidence, and allowing him to socialize more with other persons around and go out of the house more often than before.

Individuals who are steady on their feet and are still able to move about but have a little difficulty with balance are the ones who should especially consider using these mobility walkers with wheels. Whether a rolling or a standard traditional walker, choose one mobility aid that will most suit your lifestyle. Also, a healthcare professional should be consulted in using a walker, whether a conventional walker or a rolling walker.

Visit www.usmedicalsupplies.com for a complete selection of rolling walkers and other home medical equipment.

Social workers provide assistance for physically disabled

THE challenges of health care in Cuba are increasingly moving beyond experts in the field, becoming part of the duties shouldered by the country’s social workers.

Providing services for the disabled has been the goal of these young people, who serve as mediators between individuals fighting to live their lives and the agencies that provide for their medical needs.

Little Zedenia Pérez has childhood cerebral palsy (CCP). She does not speak, walk, or see; she is not hyperactive, nor is she developing normally. She is confined to bed from which she has to satisfy her bodily needs. She seems to live solely through the sounds or smells that she can easily identify when her mother, Odalys Carreras, or her father hold her in their arms or sit her up in her wheelchair. Her greatest entertainment is music, which brings the most joy into her 10-year-old life.

Although she is not her birth mother, Odalys has taken care of Zedenia since she was two-and-a-half years old, when she and the child’s father became a couple. It has been a titanic challenge for her to take on the situation and a great example of understanding and love. Talking to this reporter, she explained that the little girl’s situation was due to a complication at birth, when a hydrocephalus occurred and the umbilical cord was tangled around her neck. Shortly after the girl’s birth, her mother killed herself.

"When I found myself in this situation, I began going to all possible resources, because I didn’t know anything about the world of this illness," Odalys said. "I didn’t know that such a world existed for children. It was something completely new to me, because the treatment has been difficult and I’ve had to learn new things. My husband has taught me how to handle her. You face reality, but it’s difficult. I needed support from my neighbors and relatives, and finally I approached the social workers. They introduced me to Liannys Acosta, the young woman who has been attending to us since then, and who helps me as much as she can."

The attention that social workers provide for these types of cases began after a psychological/clinical genetic study of disabled people was carried out in 2001. The results showed that the then still-new social workers program should be responsible for this social group from 2003, with the social workers acting as catalysts in ensuring their needs are met.

One of the first things Liannys did was to learn about Zedenia’s condition and treatment, whether she needed a special diet and any other needs she had. She became part of the family.

"From a social point of view, we have become quite integrated into the families," she says. "From an economic point of view, we have tried to deal with all the red tape of meeting their needs, as much as we can, because social workers are mediators between families and institutions or agencies. We have given what we have. One example is the wheelchair that she needed for moving around, so that she wouldn’t be in bed for so much time. She now is on a special diet, because she is an underweight child, and she gets financial help from us."

"It’s difficult to work with disabled people, not because they’re different, but because they’re sensitive," Liannys noted. "She can’t see me, but she knows who I am. And that is a really big and gratifying achievement. She knows that I’m one of the people among her family members. She can’t talk, but she recognizes me when I talk. I’ve been involved now for seven years, and it goes beyond my job; this is my everyday life. Right now, it’s my full-time job."

Zedenia receives treatment at the Medical-Surgical Research Center (CIMEQ), and has physical therapy that allows her to control rigidity in her body and exercise her joints.

Problems at birth can affect people for the rest of their lives.

Twenty-year-old Jorge Pedro Merino Martínez is another physically disabled person who receives attention through the social workers program. Because of a delay during his birth, he suffered respiratory failure that left him disabled, and his health has been affected to the point of suffering heart problems and having organs that are not in place. He cannot express himself easily, although he can understand. He experiences convulsions and must take heavy doses of medicine.

Given this type of situation, sometimes mothers become desperate and abandon their children to their fate, and the possibility that someone else might care for them.

Hilda Rey, the woman who takes care of him, loves Jorge like one of her own children, and has done everything within her power to ensure that he lives the healthiest life possible.

"My husband and I get along very well, and I told him that with my help, maybe Jorge can get better someday, or develop like other human beings," she says. "I used to work in a laboratory and I had to leave my job."

According to Hilda, social workers have been "a blessing," because despite the attention she has always received from the Ministry of Public Health, these young people are more closely involved with their cases, and can mobilize themselves to make sure the person’s needs are met, even the most basic ones, given the current circumstances in the country.

The social worker who directly attends to Jorge, Yuneisy Pérez Moreno, says that it has not been easy for her, given that she had just graduated when she began having responsibility for these cases, doing a door-to-door survey for the Ministry of Public Health and then beginning systematic visits and care.

"I had never seen anything like it," she commented. "He really impressed me, and I had a lot of affection for him right away."

The labors of the social workers in this particular case have not only been of help to Jorge, but also for Hilda’s other children.

"I have two kids and with the help of the social workers, I was able to make sure the older one gets his lunch at school, and the younger one attends a childcare center during the day. It wasn’t the best thing to have him at home all day."

Becoming involved with a family dealing with these types of situations is a vocation. One must be very humane to be able to take on these realities. Becoming integrated as part of the family or a very good friend, instead of social workers who are just doing their job, is a talent. It is like being an ally of life. As Hilda says, "it’s not something you do just for the sake of it. It’s a question of what you have inside.

Source: Granma International, Cuba

Bleak future for disabled seniors

Disabled Alberta seniors can't survive many more years under a government that refuses to help fund non-profit care centres, an advocacy group for the disabled said yesterday.

"We're turning over between 40% and 65% at care facilities every year because we don't have the money to pay them," said Wally Mulder, spokesman for the Alberta Council of Disability Services.

"An employee in this economy isn't going to keep a $15 per hour job when they can leave the sector and make twice that."

His group released a report yesterday that says government must increase funding for community services by at least $182 million, lest the doors of Alberta's disabled care centres start closing.

The province currently has about 300 such senior centres.

"We're at the breaking point. If we don't get this money, these facilities will have to close their doors. They simply don't have the staff to provide the service they've been contracted to give," Mulder said.

The ACDS report compared salaries in the disabled services sector to jobs in other sectors requiring similar levels of training, critical thinking and responsibility.

Results showed disabled service staffers average between $14 and $18 per hour, compared to hourly ranges of $21 to $30 in other sectors.

"We just can't compete. We're burning out our people and losing staff who have eight years of experience in this field," Mulder said.

The funding crisis is also causing enrolment numbers to drop in college rehabilitation programs, such as MacEwan, Grande Prairie, Red Deer and Lethbridge, Mulder said.

"No one will go into a program if the job it gets them pays poorly.

"We're challenging government to step up. If they don't, more than 25% of care centres for seniors will eventually be forced to close."

ACDS estimates 9,000 disabled Alberta seniors currently receive care at non-profit facilities, which employ about 14,000 people.

Source: Edmonton Sun, Canada

Josie lifts trophy for disabled fans

TOWN fan Josie Cichockyj got her hands on the FA Cup – and is now hoping the club can follow in her footsteps.

Josie, who is a member of Huddersfield Town Disabled Club, went to Wembley for the FA’s National Disability Equality Seminar.

It was held to discuss facilities for disabled supporters at grounds across the country.

She said: “The staff at Wembley brought the FA Cup down from the stand in the royal box, so I could rub some Town luck on the trophy. Come on the Town!”

The seminar was part of a major consultation exercise by the FA for the Level Playing Fields campaign, run by the National Association of Disabled Supporters (NADS).

Josie, who now lives in Stockport but is originally from Marsh and is a former Paralympian, said: “It’s based on the idea that disabled supporters should have exactly the same rights and facilities as able-bodied people.

“Some clubs have disabled supporters clubs and those that do generally tend to be better at dealing with disabled people.

“Town is one of the better ones, but some have been absolutely slated.”

She criticised Chelsea, who Town play next Saturday in the FA Cup fifth round.

“They will only be offering disabled Town supporters five wheelchair places, and they have already been taken,” she said.

“I’m absolutely gutted, because I didn’t get a ticket. Hopefully, we can get them back to the Galpharm and beat them there.”

Source: theexaminer.co.uk

DISABLED FEAR ACCESS CRISIS AT POST OFFICE

Members of Cheltenham Disability Forum have hit out at the decision to move the post office in the town centre.There was outrage when news broke last year that the service was to be moved from the lower High Street to the upstairs of WHSmith.

The post office will still offer the same services but the public will need to get to the first floor.

Members of the disability forum believe the move, which could take place in April, would be a problem.

Chairman Hilary James said it was crucial to address the issue.

She added: "This will cause a problem, not only for our members, but for older people as well.

"Bosses at WH Smith have said they will comply with disability legislation, but surely it would be easier if they just didn't move the service, full stop.

"Even if we complain they will go ahead. We are just fighting so the needs of local disabled people are addressed."

Wendy Stoner from the forum said the relocation would cause difficulty for its 100 members.

She said: "A lot of the members have walking difficulties, and could not cope with escalators.


"In WHSmith people will be forced to travel to the back of the store and use the lift to the first floor.

"This is a lot of effort for someone who is disabled, or even for mothers with pushchairs.

"Where the post office is now is easily accessible for people in wheelchairs or others with walking sticks. Why do they need to move it?"

Nationwide, 76 branches are set to move to WH Smith.

Lyn Simpson, the county's representative for the Communication Workers Union said in other areas where services have been moved upstairs, vulnerable people have had problems, such as queuing down escalators and difficulties with stairs.

A spokesperson for WH Smith said they are working with the forum and other community groups to address their concerns.

She said that the lift in the store will be fitted with a handrail to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Members of the forum are now calling for others opposed to the relocation to go to a meeting with WH Smith bosses on February 15.

Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting, which starts at 2pm at the store.

Source: thisisgloucestershire.co.uk