Northern Ireland Trailblazers Inclusion Now campaign.

www.muscular-dystrophy.org 17
more things than in an ordinary kitchen. I wouldn’t be able to put on a clothes wash.
Sad as it sounds – there is something satisfying about putting on a wash!
“My bedroom has a standard king-size bed with plenty of room for my hoist. I have a
wider dressing table with a gap in the middle of it to allow access for my wheelchair.
I can dry my hair, put my make up on and do all those other girly things I love to do.
“Throughout the apartment, I have higher sockets and lower light switches. I have
also had remote control switches fitted to some of the plugs in the house to enable
me to turn off the sockets. I feel my home is very well adapted for my needs and
they are not intrusive disabled adaptations on view.
The Disabled Facilities Grant
Disabled people in Northern Ireland can apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) from the
Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) to help to improve their home. A DFG, which may
be based on the recommendation of an occupation therapist, may be able to help with:
n providing access to your bathroom, living room or bedroom
n providing additional bathroom facilities
n making the preparation and cooking of food
easier – for example, by enlarging the kitchen
or providing low-level units
n adapting lighting or heating controls
n improving your heating system.
David Dear/istock
Common
concerns
n Lack of information
from estate agents about
accessible homes, whether
buying or renting.
n Availability of DFG if you
are young disabled, married
and own your home.
n Lack of information
on websites about
accessible housing.
n Accessible housing being
allocated to people who
do not need it.
Actions needed
n Better training for estate agents, so they are aware of the
value of promoting accessible or adapted property.
n Educating landlords to ensure they realise the potential
of disabled tenants.
n Development of property websites to enable a more
‘joined-up approach’ connecting disabled home-hunters
and sellers.
n A register to show accessible homes in Northern Ireland
that are available to rent.
n Clarification of the DFG so that disabled people in employment
are not paying for 100 percent of their adaptations.
n Working with organisations like Trailblazers to ensure that
investment and development are made in improving
access, disability training and access to websites for the
benefit of disabled home-hunters.