Shopmobility Roadshow – Making Mobility Scooters Accessible for Everyone
Shopmobility is a service that is available to everyone that needs it. Our Shopmobility roadshows aim to reduce and remove the barriers that might stop people accessing this vital service.
On Thursday 22nd February Shopmobility Manager and AVOW Accessibility Development Officer David McDonald went out on his first Shopmobility Road Show to meet The Bom Dia Cymru Ladies group at the useful Art space in Ty Pawb. He took with him one of ShopMobility’s new Pride Mobility Scooters, an arm full of membership registration forms, membership cards and a laminator. David turned himself into a one-stop Mobility Scooter Road Show. With the translation help of Iolanda Banu Viegas (race council Cymru) David was able to meet with the Bom Dia Ladies and demonstrate how easy to use and how helpful the Scooters available to hire from Shopmobility Wrexham really are. He could then sign them up, give them a quick assessment, and they left as full members of Shopmobility with their own membership card still hot from the laminator.
“Thank you so much for coming to the Bom Dia Cymru group and to support the Portuguese elders to access the Motability Service. They all loved to learn how easy is to use a scooter, without a driving licence (like they all thought it was necessary) had great fun and will start to use this service.
We’re all excited to see you again in April.” – Iolanda Banu Viegas
David met the group and enjoyed a Portuguese breakfast. There David learnt about Portuguese culture and the current General election due to take place in Portugal on 10th March. David, with the translating assistance of Iolanda gave a full demonstration of how to operate a Mobility scooter and also shared the Do’s & Don’ts and important rules of using a Scooter out in public. After this David answered all the questions and queries the Bom Dia Ladies had and then the fun began.
Everyone there that was interested in utilising Shopmobility Wrexham services took the chance to have a go on the Pride mobility scooter. With a small route planned out around Ty Pawb David could demonstrate all the essential skills for operating a scooter. Around this rout they would be put to use all the skills they had just learned (moving forwards, reversing, steering left and right, spatial awareness and usage of the onboard controls such as indicators, lights and horn) and under the watchful eye of David, making sure the assessment element of the Membership registration was successfully completed by everyone.
The individual assessments complete, with the assistance of Iolanda David was able to take each person through the membership form and signing up process and issue each new member with their Shopmobility Wrexham membership card.
“Meeting the Bom Dia Ladies was a wonderful experience for me and a successful one for Shopmobility, I am very keen to ensure that Shopmobility Wrexham is accessible to all. If you have a group similar to the Bom Dia Ladies or know an individual who doesn’t speak English or is not confident in their command of the English language but could benefit from the freedom and independence a mobility scooter can offer I am happy to work with some who can translate to remove this potential barrier” – David McDonald, Accessibility & Shopmobility Manager
If you would like the Shopmobility Roadshow to come and visit your community just let us know. Shopmobility can make a real and visible difference to people of limited mobility, whatever their age. Why not invite us to your event?
If your organising an event in Wrexham and would like Shopmobility to provide scooters to increase accessibility for your event, we would also be interested in hearing from you!
Get in touch with us on [email protected]
David McDonald, Accessibility Officer is funded by a grant from The Moondance Foundation. We are incredibly grateful for their grant, and the difference that this has made to Wrexham from David’s work.
English (UK)