Access auditing, Edinburgh, visitors etc

Its been a month since I last wrote. When you leave things, it gets harder to get back into the routine. Its been a busy month.

First of all, my project has finished so now I am officially unemployed. I've never signed on before so this was an experience. Its not a great one. I found out that I have not worked long enough so I am not eligible for contributions paid job seekers allowance nor am I so penniless that I would get benefits. The disability adviser was not very helpful - she was not even sure of Access to Work, which makes me think that sure it is the one thing she ought to be clued up about! Surely access to work as being that help for disabled people to get support to get a job would be something she should have information about. But she didn't.

I also had Gudrun and Sue to visit. It was Gudrun's first real visit to the UK (she lives in Holland). We were lucky in that we got to travel first class to London on Virgin train by a fluke, the guard put us in a compartment which already had a wheelchair passenger so to speed things up, they put us in first class. The weather, albeit a bit cool, was nice and sunny. I took Gudrun to the national Portrait Gallery where we had a lovely tea at the Portrait Restaurant with the wonderful view over London, Covent Garden where Gudrun thought was too busy  and ended up in a pub near Leicester Square. We waited at Zarzama Restaurant - with one step and no accessible toilet but the food is nice and very handy for Euston station.

          Gudrun, Sue and I having lunch at MyChina restaurant

It was also Sue's birthday so we celebrated it with her..and St Patricks's day. We went to  a couple of pubs  wih Martin and Jon joining us.

I have also been to Edinburgh twice. Once for work and the other to start a course on Inclusive environment (for access auditing) at Heriot Watt University. Why so far away? It is a distance learning course.  I cannot say that Heriot Watt is a wheelchair friendly University inspite of the course. I have never been to such a difficult to access library as the HW library. You had to ring a bell and then there were pallets in the way. All I can say is that I am glad I am not a full time residential student. Their rather expensive supposedly accessible guest room in the Business School had a bath and signage was terrible. Edinburgh in itself is very picturesque  with  it, I mean the cobbled streets  and hilly to boot. 

   Peter Ingram Monk at Heriot Watt

Before that I stayed at the Apex Hotel for work. Now their room is truly accessible and a delight to stay in. I hate going on and on about bathrooms but as I stay at more hotel accommodation, I really appreciate those who actually get it right. and the Apex got it right for me.


The shower chair was not a fold down slab but a chair with proper support. If I have any complaints - it is that there was no shower curtain so some spray got onto my wheelchair.

The room was quite spacious too and I can actually get to the tea making facilities without getting a cramp (sometimes it is in a rather inaccessible cupboard).

We did go out in the evening and had some rather good oysters. There were quite a few accessible and friendly eating places there and we ended up in the rather splendid and cosy Steak and Mussel . Not only was the food good,  the waiting staff was rather unfazed when I told them I needed a table for at least 3 wheelchairs.

  
With some of my colleagues (Katherine, Simone, Clenton and Joanna) and at the restaurant