News, Access.Earth, Tag and more 21st May 2016 Dear All News and new groups for parents and young people (including Phyz in the pub!)
Reminder SEND Family Voices are running six informal meetings across both Kingston and Richmond (three in each borough). The letter giving dates and venues is attached. The meetings will also give you the chance to talk to other parents in a relaxed atmosphere.
News & links… In alphabetical order:
Academisation The government has reconsidered its decision to force all schools in England to become Academies by 2022, stating now that the best schools can choose whether or not they want to convert. In light of the recent Government climbdown over plans for forced academies in England, what are the implications of academisation for children and young people with SEND? http://www.nasen.org.uk/newsviews/nasen-blog.what-does-academisation-mean-forchildren-and-young-people-with-send.html
Access.Earth We like this… it’s a kind of TripAdvisor for accessibility. Subscribe to start using it now. The beta website is here http://access.earth/ , and introduction and full article is below. Thank you to the young person who sent this in! “Who knew stairs would lead to a positive step in accessibility? After booking a “wheelchair accessible” hotel that ended up having stairs, a software engineer and wheelchair user in Ireland is developing an app called Access Earth that allows people with mobility disabilities to rate restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions around the world based on how accessible they are. App users will answer “yes” or “no” questions about things like bathrooms, elevators, stairs and more with the option to leave a review based on their experience.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/access-earth-app-disabled-rate-businesses-placesaccessibility_us_572a46d1e4b096e9f0901521
Council Tax discounts With thanks to the SFV Information Ferrets for investigating this… Kingston offers council tax discounts to carers, and the relevant page is here: https://www.kingston.gov.uk/info/200297/council_tax/97/discounts_and_exemptions/2. Richmond details here, via Richmond Carers: http://www.richmondcarers.org/#!Council-Tax-carersdiscount/c16hp/5721ef630cf232b075d0cc7c