The Ham and High has reported on how the closure of Camden’s DISC disability support service has left Deaf people in the area unable to access council services.
DISC, which stands for Disability in Camden, closed earlier this year after 40 years of supporting local residents.
Extract:
The fallout following the closure of a disability charity in Camden has left the deaf community “devastated”, “frightened” and “utterly stressed out”, campaigners warned councillors last week.
Deaf people in the borough say the loss of sign language interpreters has meant they have been unable to access council services, make urgent repairs to their council homes or even get basic advice.
It follows the closure of Disability in Camden (DISC) in March.
The charity had been a lifeline for many of Camden’s disabled residents for over 40 years and offered the deaf community services like interpreters and employment training.
It has been left to informal organisations like the Deaf and Disability Awareness Group (DDAG) to pick up the pieces, with them claiming that the ordeal had put the community “back in time”,
The group issued a stark warning to councillors during the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee that the council “needed to do more to help”.
Read more here: http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/frightened_and_stressed_out_deaf_community_plea_for_help_from_camden_council_1_3685524
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Donkey
July 16, 2014
Hi everyone…People can “call” Camden Council in BSL via the following link:
http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/council-and-democracy/about-the-council/accessibility/sign-video-translation/
Matt Brown
July 16, 2014
For once, this is little to do with cuts. The organisation had to shut down when £277,000 went missing. A police fraud investigation is underway.
http://www.thefedonline.org.uk/disability-in-the-news/camden-dpo-forced-to-close-as-police-launch-fraud-probe
Editor
July 16, 2014
Thanks Matt, I’ve amended the article to remove mention of the cuts now – Ed
Julia
July 25, 2014
I found this in a local newsletter – i know it’s not entirely covering the services that DISc used to provide and there are still huge holes in services but it might help people find some support…
“The Council has negotiated with local providers Camden Advice Partnership (CAP) to temporarily deliver disability support services. CAP will be temporarily delivering the following services previously delivered by DISC,
from end July 2014:
* Deaf Support Service (CAB Holborn)
* Age UK Camden will deliver Direct Payments Support Service for disabled people under the age of 55 through their new organisation called Personalisation Support in Camden.
* Employment and volunteering support service (Hopscotch)
* Welfare information and support services (Mary Ward Legal Centre and Camden Community Law Centre)
* Supporting Disabled people transfer from Personal Independence Payment (CAB, Mary Ward Legal Centre and Camden Community Law Centre).
For more information please visit http://www.camdenadvice.org and for a list of the local organisations you can contact for advice and support, please visit http://www.camden.gov.uk/disabilitysupport You can also call Camden Council on 020 7974 4444 or Camden carers Service on
020 7428 8950″
Also, there’s a slight error in the fedonline article regarding the consortium members for the Centre for Independent Living Bid – the organisations are Elfrida Rathbone Camden, not The Elfrida Society (different but closely related organisations).
thanks,
Jules