Having so many wonderful members with unique and rich ‘lived experience’ is a celebration in itself.
Here we raise awareness around the good and the bad. Provide hints and tips and celebrate where our work of identifying problems and raising awareness results in positive change.

Raising Awareness of ‘Lived Experience’

If you are visiting our website and you’d like to know the answer to a burning question you have? Around ‘living with disability, as deaf or neuro divergent. Please use our contact form and place your question.  We’re happy to provide a ‘lived experience’ answer for you upon this page, a long with your question to help raise awareness for everyone. If you are asking it. So are others. No question is a silly question!  

If you live with a disability, you are deaf, or neuro divergent and you would like to share your story of courage. There will be a series of workshops to run in January and February 2027. For more information. Use the contact form and details will be sent to you and placed here when dates and location are confirmed.

Foot paths blocked with bins

For people living with visual impairments and those who use mobility aids or wheelchairs, Bin Day is a nightmare. See below Pavements blocked with bins.
This puts pedestrians at risk as they have to go in the road. However for wheelchair users and for some other mobility aid users. If flat kerbs are also blocked, this poses a problem, as there is no way around the obstructions. In bad weather bins fall over and blow about, causing more issues.

What to do?

Please move your own bins off pavements as soon as able. Place your full bins on the edge of your own property in the first instance.

If you see someone struggling to get past a blocked pavement, do go over and help. Ask what would help you? May be offer to move the bins. Explain to a visually impaired person what the problem is. Good communication and a little help really supports.
Remember: Most people blame the Refuge Collectors for blocked pavements. It might be those people who do leave bins on the path,but often other householders move bins out of their way so they can get out of their property and the Bin Cleaners also leave bins laying out on the paths.

What Not To Do?

Please Don’t move bins without moving them off the foot path.

Don’t stand and stare at someone trying to work out what the problem is. Please go and ask what you can do to help.