We have produced signs in the past using Makaton Symbols for Mencap. Makaton uses signs and symbols to teach communication, language and literacy skills to people with communication and learning difficulties. I am about to go on another course to ensure the advice we give out is correct and up-to-date. If you have any requirements please get in touch: www.braille-signs.co.uk
Or if you want to find out more about Makaton please visit their website: www.makaton.org/
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Back in Court again!
We have just audited, manufactured and installed our tactile and Braille signs in four Magistrates' Courts c/o the facility management company "Atkins". We made the signs to fit into the existing architectual ironmongery, but of course ensured they were designed to be helpful to people who are blind or have visual impairments.
Talking lamposts!
Did anybody hear the interesting programme on Radio 4's In-touch last night?
The programme looked at a scheme, piloted in Newcastle and now running in fourteen towns in the UK, called React.The scheme involves audio boxes that were located on lamposts and other areas, which relay recordered information about your location and gives directions as you pass by; it is triggered by a small plastic fob that you carry with you. The shows reporter followed a visually impaired first year university student around the town centre and the train station where the devices were located and she seemed really impressed. The boxes were reported as quite reliable, apart from the time when a lorry knocked one down and it went missing! For further information on React contact the RNIB: www.rnib.org.uk
The programme looked at a scheme, piloted in Newcastle and now running in fourteen towns in the UK, called React.The scheme involves audio boxes that were located on lamposts and other areas, which relay recordered information about your location and gives directions as you pass by; it is triggered by a small plastic fob that you carry with you. The shows reporter followed a visually impaired first year university student around the town centre and the train station where the devices were located and she seemed really impressed. The boxes were reported as quite reliable, apart from the time when a lorry knocked one down and it went missing! For further information on React contact the RNIB: www.rnib.org.uk
Friday, 27 February 2009
New signs for Gloucester City Homes
We were chosen as the preferred supplier by Gloucester City Homes" who are working in partnership with "Lovells - a facilities management and building company" to help them meet their obligations under the D.D.A.
We audited all of their 10 sites, produced a comprehensive listing, manufactured the signs and installed them four weeks ahead of schedule and on budget - if only everthing in life was this smooth!
We audited all of their 10 sites, produced a comprehensive listing, manufactured the signs and installed them four weeks ahead of schedule and on budget - if only everthing in life was this smooth!
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Good news about sight saving drug?
According to BBC NEWS today:
All patients in England suffering from a disease which causes blindness are to get access to a sight-saving drug.
Lucentis treats wet age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of sight loss in the country. The drug is already available in Scotland, while Wales and Northern Ireland have said they will fund it.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) had originally said patients should wait until they went blind in one eye. The suggestion, made last summer, caused an outcry from campaigners and doctors, prompting a U-turn by the NHS advisory body in December.
The announcement confirms that draft recommendation and comes after a unique agreement between NICE and the drug's manufacturer, Novartis. Under the deal the NHS will only fund 14 injections, with the cost of any more being met by manufacturer Novartis in a scheme dubbed "dose capping".
Trusts now have three months to comply with the decision. But the process which has led to the recommendation has caused much controversy. With clinical trials showing impressive results, some primary care trusts (PCTs), which decide on funding on a local level in the NHS, have been paying for the treatment ahead of final NICE approval. This has prompted accusations of a postcode lottery in the NHS and led to legal action against PCTs which were not paying for it.
In one recent case, three Warwickshire pensioners ended up in the High Court, winning an out of court settlement last month.
Steve Winyard, head of campaigns at the Royal National Institute for the Blind, said: "We've been waiting for this for over two years. It is a victory for thousands, bringing overwhelming relief to desperate people across the country; "Finally the torment faced by elderly people forced to either spend their life savings on private treatment or go blind, is over."
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) comes in two forms - wet and dry - with the dry form being much more common. However, the wet type is more aggressive and is responsible for about 90% of blindness caused by the condition. Almost 20,000 people a year are diagnosed with wet AMD in England.
NICE chief executive Andrew Dillon described Lucentis as an expensive drug - it costs more than £10,000 for each eye treated. But he added: "That cost needs to be balanced against the likely cost savings. "AMD results in reduced quality of life and increased risks of illness, particularly in relation to accidents, and psychological ill-health." Mr Dillon said the cost-sharing deal could potentially mean significant savings for the NHS. He expressed sympathy for PCTs facing pressure to fund many different expensive drugs from finite budgets. Mr Dillon defended the length of time it took NICE to reach a final decision, but said it was important all parties had the opportunity to have their say. However, he said: "I am genuinely sorry that it has taken us so long to get to this point. Lessons could be learned by everybody involved."
All patients in England suffering from a disease which causes blindness are to get access to a sight-saving drug.
Lucentis treats wet age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of sight loss in the country. The drug is already available in Scotland, while Wales and Northern Ireland have said they will fund it.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) had originally said patients should wait until they went blind in one eye. The suggestion, made last summer, caused an outcry from campaigners and doctors, prompting a U-turn by the NHS advisory body in December.
The announcement confirms that draft recommendation and comes after a unique agreement between NICE and the drug's manufacturer, Novartis. Under the deal the NHS will only fund 14 injections, with the cost of any more being met by manufacturer Novartis in a scheme dubbed "dose capping".
Trusts now have three months to comply with the decision. But the process which has led to the recommendation has caused much controversy. With clinical trials showing impressive results, some primary care trusts (PCTs), which decide on funding on a local level in the NHS, have been paying for the treatment ahead of final NICE approval. This has prompted accusations of a postcode lottery in the NHS and led to legal action against PCTs which were not paying for it.
In one recent case, three Warwickshire pensioners ended up in the High Court, winning an out of court settlement last month.
Steve Winyard, head of campaigns at the Royal National Institute for the Blind, said: "We've been waiting for this for over two years. It is a victory for thousands, bringing overwhelming relief to desperate people across the country; "Finally the torment faced by elderly people forced to either spend their life savings on private treatment or go blind, is over."
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) comes in two forms - wet and dry - with the dry form being much more common. However, the wet type is more aggressive and is responsible for about 90% of blindness caused by the condition. Almost 20,000 people a year are diagnosed with wet AMD in England.
NICE chief executive Andrew Dillon described Lucentis as an expensive drug - it costs more than £10,000 for each eye treated. But he added: "That cost needs to be balanced against the likely cost savings. "AMD results in reduced quality of life and increased risks of illness, particularly in relation to accidents, and psychological ill-health." Mr Dillon said the cost-sharing deal could potentially mean significant savings for the NHS. He expressed sympathy for PCTs facing pressure to fund many different expensive drugs from finite budgets. Mr Dillon defended the length of time it took NICE to reach a final decision, but said it was important all parties had the opportunity to have their say. However, he said: "I am genuinely sorry that it has taken us so long to get to this point. Lessons could be learned by everybody involved."
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
What is Moon language?
The Moon alphabet was invented by Dr. William Moon (1818-1894). Dr Moon lost his sight completely at the age of 21 after being partially sighted throughout his childhood. He learnt all the embossed reading systems available at the time but found them unsatisfactory so invented his own system. To find out more: http://www.moonliteracy.org.uk/
We have just designed and produced some modular "Moon Signs" for the RNIB Rushton School & Children's Home in Coventry. The signs are designed so when the use of the room changes the Sign can be changed with minimal fuss and cost.
We have just designed and produced some modular "Moon Signs" for the RNIB Rushton School & Children's Home in Coventry. The signs are designed so when the use of the room changes the Sign can be changed with minimal fuss and cost.
Friday, 2 May 2008
I know I need DDA-compliant signs, but what messages do I need and where do they need to be fitted?
Moving around a new building can be difficult enough, we offer a DDA signage audit service to help you decide what information you need to give and where best to locate it. We only produce DDA signage (tactile and Braille) so let our experts help you and it's FREE if you buy the signs from us!
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