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Holiday Feedback -

I came across your site recently and found your story very moving.  I'm writing to you in relation to holiday accommodation I'm involved with, but I'll tell you the story so that you can make a judgment as to suitability for your site.

A friend of mine (his name is Alan) has a house in Spain which he decided to offer this year for holiday lets and so decided to put in a pool.  At the time, he was saying that I and my partner could go and have a holiday in the house whenever we wanted.  As my partner is a wheelchair user as a result of a spinal injury we ended up in a three-way conversation about accessibility.  Alan was very keen to make the house as disabled-friendly as possible - it already had a downstairs bedroom and bathroom so he began looking at other modifications and, especially, at how to build the pool. 

For various practical reasons it wasn't possible to provide a pool with a hoist, and my partner suggested putting in a ramp into the pool instead to assist with access.  The garden has level access from the street so Alan added a ramp to the front door while the pool was being built.  I ended up going out to look at the house myself to see what the situation was with accessibility before committing us to a holiday there.

At present the downstairs bathroom has a door which is too narrow for wheelchair access (and will not allow a wheelchair to turn anyway as it is too small).  Alan is planning to have work done this winter to widen the doors and, hopefully, to convert a utility room into an accessible wet room before next season.  Looking at the house as it stood, I was seeing it as somewhere that was halfway there to being properly wheelchair-friendly and didn't think we could really advertise it for disabled holidays yet.  And then two things happened which made me change my mind.

As I was talking to the local agents they told me that a Spanish family with a severely disabled adult daughter had stayed in the house in the summer.  They told me that the family had loved the house and, with the assistance they always gave her, had found the downstairs facilities perfectly usable.  Most of all, they were delighted with the ramp into the pool and described how easy it had made life for them and how much their daughter had loved it.  Hearing that the house had been successfully used by someone with such severe disabilities changed my perspective on the whole thing.

Secondly, exploring the area made me realise how well-designed it has been for disabled holidays.  The thing which surprised me the most was watching people using amphibious wheelchairs on one of the nearby beaches - I didn't know they existed!  The lifeguards on the beach (they were there until the end of September) were really taking care of people in a way which really impressed me.

So, this is the situation.  I can't say it's perfect, but it's getting there, and it's been successfully used already.  I'd be very happy to talk to anyone in person about the facilities in the house and locality, and to work towards getting the house as accessible as possible.  I know that Alan would be delighted if the house could be used in this way, and, obviously, it's a subject that's close to my heart.

If you want to take a closer look, the website which I put together for Alan has just gone live.  It's www.sunmarmenor.com.  I'd be interested to know what you think.

With very best wishes to you and your family,
Sue Allott

Holiday Feedback -  Hi, I wanted to let you know about a fabulous holiday that I have recently had in Spain.  Although I am an adult disabled person this place really is ideal for families with disabled children and the wonderful couple who run it are totally geared to supporting families even those with children who have severe health or behavioural issues.

The link to their web site is: Casa-del-lago-holidays.

The couple who run it really are amazing.  They were so welcoming and the holiday was such amazing value.  The price includes pick and drop off from Malaga airport in a wheelchair accessible bus.  The couple were so amazingly welcoming and have a great wheelchair accessible apartment.  The apartment is simple but really well laid out.  It has an amazing shower room, a large twin bedroom with a very good electric bed which can be raised to help carers and sits up to make life for disabled people really comfortable.  There is a pool which has a hoist to ensure that everyone can get in.  They also have an additional hoist that can be used inside.  The couple have two children who really like having visitors and welcome visiting children often giving visiting parents time off as they take the children under their wings and play with them.

Rob will provide trips out in his vehicle which I found very reasonable and enjoyable.  There is simply no way that you could get trips anywhere else that were as inexpensive and helpful.  They will also hire out their accessible vehicle, or find and alternative, if guests want their own mobility.

The vision for this holiday was to give parents a break.  You could not get a more beautiful and restful place.  However, if you want to be at the sea maybe it isn’t for you as it is an hour’s drive to the sea but there are amazing large and really quiet lakes nearby with mountains and a touch of the real Spain.

Apparently they have had children with autism there and the cats and crockery have ended up in the pool but this does not seem to have phased them at all.

If you want an affordable break I would recommend anyone to give it a go.
Alison Hornsburhy

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I visited child-disability.co.uk earlier today and I just wanted to congratulate you on a well presented, and informative web site.
Jessica Brooks

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"Alton Towers in Staffordshire is very accommodating to disabled guests. If you take along proof of disability they will provide the disabled guest with a red wrist band and up to 4 carers blue wristbands which can be used to access the rides from a different queue (although only 2 carers can accompany the disabled guest at one time) The entrance fee is also greatly reduced for the disabled guest and one carer".  Hope this is helpful.
Toni Shaw

"Hi I just wanted to send a message to say well done for the website. My little girl was born with spina bifida and water on the brain thankfully she has done really well with the condition and has just started main stream school were she gets on really well.

your website is really useful to us as a family as when she was born we was not told of all the help and support out there is for family's like ours. I hade my daughter when I was only 17 which made it even harder to find the support, there isn't a lot of support out there for young parents especially those with children with disabilities. so thank you."
Samantha

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"I just found your website by chance and read it and cried.
You've been through so much its amazing, and the boys look great.  I know its not the same but my daughter has downs and my sister has CP so I can understand life is hard, but you get through it. Reading your website for some reason has kicked my arse into gear so that I can handle it. So Thank you!"
Vicky S

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"I discovered your website a couple of weeks ago and have found it an immense source of help.
I have four children two of whom are registered disabled. Nathan is 11 and has an autistic spectrum disorder and Connor is 5 and has had multiple health problems over the years and also has klienfelters syndrome and mobility problems. Although Connor can walk he struggles with distances and gradients and has middle stability issues. Fortunately he has improved a little this year and never stops trying.

I have had no support or information on any organisations that can help us until I read your website. So THANK YOU for setting your site up and sharing your experiences."
Toni S 

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