We are service users at the Kingfisher Resource Centre in Bretton, Peterborough. We would like to respond to the Joint Committee on Human Rights press notice No 29 The Human Rights of Adults with a Learning Disability.

PARKING

  Here in Peterborough we have quite a few disabled parking spaces, but these are not policed properly and we often find people who are not disabled parking in these spaces, so people with disabilities have further to walk. We want stronger penalties for this.

BUSES

  In Peterborough we are entitled to free bus passes, but we can't use them until after 9.30 am and a lot of our college courses start at 9.00 am which is a problem. Also, if we have electric wheelchairs we are unable to use the public buses even the new low liner ones. We would like to see more low liner buses, larger buses and bringing back trained conductors to assist disabled users.

MEDICAL

  We are on the whole quite hppay with our medical services here apart from having to wait a long time for an appointment. We would like the doctor's receptionist to talk to the patient rather than just our carers and relatives. All the NHS Hospitals we have used lack readily available hoisting facilities and specially trained staff.

RELATIONSHIPS

  We feel supported to have boyfriends or girlfriends if we want to.

OUR COMMUNITY

  We can go to a local disco, people who run this disco will arrange taxis for us if we need one. We are able to use the local libraries and we do so, the staff are very friendly and helpful and our local library has a lift down to the lower floor where the computers are so we can go down there if we want to. We can also use the local church. We visit the local coffee shop, staff are very helpful and friendly but the tables are awkward and we have to ask for help to move them, which can be embarrassing. We use the local swimming pools, bowling alleys, cinemas, theatres etc and are happy with these. We use our local parks where facilities are quite good. Our local shopping centre has a lift to enable us to access both levels of shops, this lift breaks down a lot and is never repaired quickly. It sometimes takes months to repair. It is not working again at the moment and has not been for about seven weeks now, we have written a letter about this to our local access officer at our town hall. Our local Sainsbury's shop sometimes have a signer in the shop to assist with shopping. The local pub is very good and the staff are very helpful.

  We do have access to supported employment to support us in various jobs and types of work experience, but the waiting list is very long and we are not always successful. It is easier for people who can express themselves to have a say.

COMPLAINTS

  We can complain to our key workers or the managers who will support us to use the complaints forms.

FACILITIES

  We need more public toilets and the ones we have need to be kept cleaner. Replacement facilities in Cathedral Square are inadequate. They have put more toilets in the car part at the back of the Town Hall instead, but this is a long way from the main town centre. Not all toilets are user friendly for people with PMLD (Profound Mental Learning Disabilities).

  Thank you for the chance to tell you our concerns and we hope you find them of some use.

The Service Users at Kingfisher Resource Centre, Peterborough

21 May 2007