UK Disability History Month (20 November to 20 December) is an annual event dedicated to celebrating the contribution and lives of people with disabilities and promoting inclusion. 

This year marks 30 years since the government passed The Disability Discrimination Act 1995, making it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities, and 15 years since The Equalities Act 2010 was passed. 

Despite these landmark pieces of legislation, people with disabilities still face many challenges that make life more complicated. 

Cambridge City Council offers and supports a range of services that are designed to ensure that people can live their lives independently and to the fullest. 

Inclusive physical activity

Everyone should be able to access sport and physical activity, regardless of any disability or additional needs they might have. The council supports local organisations that deliver activities tailored for people with disabilities or sessions that are designed to be inclusive.

The council has its own Exercise Referral Service which provides support and activity to match medical and health needs.

Living with a long-term medical condition or disability can make it difficult to be as active as you should or want to be. Certain conditions need careful prescription of exercise and activity. 

Bat ‘n’ Chat with Tony

Tony used the council’s Exercise Referral Service to access Bat ‘n’ Chat – drop-in sessions where attendees can play informal games of table tennis, badminton or pickleball followed by a chat over a warm drink.

Tony said, “I am currently having to use a wheelchair due to a few illnesses and if Bat ‘n’ Chat didn’t exist, my quality of life would be far worse. 

“Having health problems and anxiety, I have kept myself hidden away. However, since attending Bat ‘n’ Chat, I have made new friends and because it is enjoyable and everyone is friendly, it gives you the strength and ability to want to attend. 

“The impact for me is to want to do other things like go to the gym. This has been a platform for a better life for me and I cannot thank Cambridge City Council enough for making this happen for me.”

Making your home suit your needs

Everyone has the right to live with dignity and this means making sure your home suits your needs.

If you are a council tenant, we can help you with adaptations to your home.

If you are a homeowner or a private renter on a low income and someone in your household has a disability, you might be eligible for a grant to help pay for adaptations to your home.

The Cambridgeshire Home Improvement Agency (Cambs HIA) administers Disabled Facilities Grants. They can also arrange for the work to be carried out.

Delivering services that work for you

The council aims to make sure all services are accessible, for example:

• You can request assisted bin collections if you are unable to place your bin at the collection point.
• Our Taxicard scheme helps disabled people who live in Cambridge and have a low income to pay for taxi journeys.
• If you need help getting around, our Shopmobility service can lend you a mobility aid when you visit the city centre.
• We have five fully accessible Changing Places toilets. Each one has a peninsular toilet with support rails and space for a wheelchair to either side. The rooms have plenty of space for carers and a height-adjustable changing bench and hoist.
• You can request information in a range of alternative formats, including large print, braille and audio content.
• We provide British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation to help people access our services. This includes using SignLive to support BSL users to contact us by phone.
• Our website offers an accessibility toolbar which contains a number of functions that allow you to customise this website in a way that makes it more accessible to you.