Monday 22 March 2010

Chapter 4 - continued

Birmingham Disability Resource Centre opened its doors in the late summer of 1992. The following article introducing the new centre was written by BDRC worker Anne Boothe and was published in the September 1992 edition of Pinpoint, the magazine of Disability West Midlands:


Birmingham Disability Resource Centre

In this article Anne Boothe details the role of the Disability Resource Centre and describes some of the services available at the recently opened facility.

The Disability Resource Centre is a centre of excellence, encouraging the self activity of people with disabilities. The centre is run by and for people with disabilities, offering people the opportunity to become involved in management and training, support, advice and social activities. A range of services are offered from the centre and a number of groups have offices on the site.

A Reference Library and Information Service

The library is open from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, Monday to Friday. It contains a comprehensive range of periodicals and a growing library of videos, tapes, Braille and printed matter.

The Information Service covers all areas and issues associated with disability and can be contacted by phone, tape and letter.

Information can be translated on to tape and into Braille and interpreters in spoken and sign languages will be arranged if requested.

Birmingham Disability Rights Group

The BDRG was the founder member of the Disability Resource Centre and still maintains a controlling interest. BDRG is a pressure group run by and for people with disabilities aiming to promote the rights of people with disabilities. Group membership entitlements include a monthly newsletter.

The Strawberry Studio Restaurant

The restaurant will be offering hot and cold drinks, snacks and hot food from September 2nd. The restaurant is staffed by people with disabilities. It can also provide catering for conferences held at the DRC.

An Equipment Pool

The equipment pool offers a range of aids and equipment available to hire for students and trainees with disabilities on Local or National Government training schemes.

Birmingham Information Federation

BIF is committed to improving information services to people with disabilities, those who care for them, and those who provide services. BIF will achieve this by improving access to services and promoting choice of services.

For more information, contact:

The Birmingham Disability Resource Centre, The Bierton Road Centre, Bierton Road, South Yardley, B25 5PY.

Irene Wright, who was to become a chair of the management board of the Birmingham Disability Resource Centre, recalls her first impressions of the centre in the early ‘90s:

“My very first experience of actually coming into the centre was of going into the resource library and someone called Trevor Bailey, a volunteer who later became an employee, made me so welcome.

“I used to use my manual chair going through the city centre and, on one occasion – on my return from a union meeting – someone actually spat in my face and said ‘people like you shouldn’t be out’ and then to be able to come into a centre like this where nobody took any notice, I could be just me. It was amazing.

“It wasn’t anything to do with my disability or anything else, I was me and I think that that is very important. I think that what was given back from here nobody can explain or tell you what its value is.

“It’s something that’s really important to disabled people because here we are looked at as people first and the disability is just something that is different, we are looked at as people with abilities rather than disabilities and I think that’s important.”

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