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 December 2001 Newsletter
Chairman's Notes:
Vital Statistics for December
December has been another excellent month for WAACIS. We have so far carried out 129 tutorials and 10 assessments which is well above our target of 80 in total.
We are delighted that 7 students have graduated this month. These are:
- Shelia M
- Khris M
- Jenny W
- Adele D
- John G
- Julia M
- Susan R
We have interviewed 6 new tutors this month and are delighted to welcome:
- Rosemary Hancock
- Corin Maylor
- John Adepolu
- Kevin Frost
- Simon Smith
- Shofi Ahmed
Cliff Docherty's Report
December was a busy month, which focused very much on Dial a Ride. As reported last month, North East London Dial a Ride agreed to circulate 7000 WAACIS leaflets to their users, and this mailing went out a week before Christmas. Despite the Christmas post, and the impending holiday, by Christmas Eve we had begun to receive enquiries from potential students, so it will be interesting to review the figures at the end of January.
During the month it emerged that the Dial a Ride services are to be absorbed later this year by Transport for London, the new statutory body created to oversee London's transport network. One of the issues arising from the merger is that the five independent Dial a Rides will become a unitary service, although it is expected that they will retain some local autonomy. One of the most immediate effects of this merger is that several of the Dial a Rides have suspended all future mailings until future operational systems become clearer. This could be a major blow for WAACIS, but there was good news when I attended a meeting with the South London Dial a Ride (SOLDAR), who have just launched an e-mail booking system for their users.
The new system makes administration much easier, so they are keen to support WAACIS as a means of encouraging users to book via the online service. The result of these discussions was that SOLDAR agreed to send our leaflet to the 200 new clients they take on every month, giving us a steady stream of exposure in South London.
December also saw interest from Sixty Plus and the National Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed, both of whom are circulating our leaflet and, in the case of NCRP, giving us coverage in their monthly newsletter.
A small but regular stream of enquiries are reaching the office via our partnership with Action for Blind People. I attended a networking meeting with them during the month, the upshot of which was the possibility that we can obtain some free software licences for JAWS, the popular browser for blind and partially sighted web users. As this costs several hundred pounds to buy, this exciting opportunity will allow more blind people than ever before to take advantage of the WAACIS service.
Brent library service was also the target of a sustained leaflet and poster campaign in December, with information being circulated centrally on our behalf by the Chief Librarian. As yet it is too soon to ascertain what the impact of this will be, but we have received follow up enquiries from branch librarians requesting further information. Members of the new WAACIS volunteer group in the borough of Merton are undertaking a similar project.
National Talking Express, a recorded magazine publication for blind people, have agreed to give us coverage in their next issue, while Hearing Concern have expressed interest in an article to be published in the summer.
Finally, a major mailing was undertaken to alert the Disability Employment Adviser network to WAACIS' service, and this will be followed up in January with further contacts.
December Diary
Monday, 3rd December - This was an extremely important day for WAACIS. The inaugural meeting of a new charity conceived and developed by David Hart called "Accessible Computer Solutions" was held at Heather Close Community Hall in Lambeth This is a brilliant concept and represents widespread co-operation between various charities and organisations. The scheme is for computers to be provided by Energy Watch and for these to be distributed by CWR and for training to be given by WAACIS. The whole project has been masterminded by David Hart and Lambeth Council. Funding has been provided by the EEC. The meeting was extremely well attended. Tom Franklin, leader of the Lambeth Council, made a very positive speech and Anthony Wigram, Chairman of WAACIS, and David Hart also described the project to an audience of 40 people.
Eventually it is hoped to expand the project. Very high quality computers are being made available and this will make a huge contribution to many disabled people, not only in Lambeth but across London. We sincerely hope that the operation will be in full swing by the end of May. The initial Board of Trustees (WAACIS Directors) will be Anthony Wigram - (Chairman), Tom Franklin and David Hart.
Tuesday, 4th December - The Christmas Party took place at the Athenaeum Club Library hosted by our Treasurer and Trustee, Herschel Post to whom we are extremely grateful. This provided a most welcome opportunity for the Trustees, Tutors and Students to get together and discuss the project over a drink and the function was greatly enjoyed by all who attended.
Wednesday 5th December - The first full meeting of the WAACIS Volunteer Graduates Committee was held at the Abbey Community Centre. Those present were:
- David Hart (Chairman)
- Brian Nicholas
- Doreen Nicholas
- David Merkel
- Cliff Docherty
- Avril Hanning
- Anthony Wigram
- Mike Welch
- Johanna Cheetham
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