Above : Students from Sheffield Hallam who completed the placement at Access the Dales and Debbie North , the charity ’ s founder an informed decision about the suitability of the wheelchairs before their visit .
Before the first hub was launched , the booking website was made available to service users . We then created the resources , such as the route maps , user manuals , recovery plan and rucksacks containing essential emergency equipment .
These were given to the hubs and are always accessible to service users while they are using the wheelchairs .
These interventions mean that in the future service users can make an informed decision about the suitability of the chairs for their needs before their visit , as well as to feel safe when using the chairs .
Later in the placement we organised and ran a walk for blind and partially sighted people . This was done in partnership with Where2walk , which gave us knowledge of the area , and Sight Advice South Lakes , which gave us training in how to guide someone and assess the suitability of routes .
We used a homemade topography model to represent the gradient and features of the surrounding landscape on the walk , as well as descriptions of the local history and flora to improve the sensory experience and immerse them in the scenery of the Yorkshire Dales .
The walk was successful and we received extremely positive feedback from the participants , who were enthused about the social and physical benefits of participating in the event in an area they had not previously explored .
Reflections on the placement
Overall , working in a non-clinical setting has allowed us to develop new and diverse skills , compared with previous placement experiences . By working for a charity , we have seen first-hand how issues such as funding , staffing and policies can influence the overall success of an organisation .
We were fortunate to be supported by various local businesses , such as the Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company Ltd , which agreed to be a hub for one of our wheelchairs .
We were also pleasantly surprised to see how many small , local businesses are already championing accessibility in the Yorkshire Dales . We completed audits in local towns and found many to have step-free access and some form of accessible toilet and there is also a plethora of accessible accommodation in the area .
We believe having occupational therapy students on board for the launch of Access the Dales was very beneficial . We took the baseline ideas from the charity and thought about how we could make it more accessible , for example by making the all-terrain wheelchair more accessible
18 OTnews November 2022