A new service has been set up to help people in the borough with physical disabilities, sensory impairments and those with long term health conditions.

Ealing Disability Unite is a new borough-wide consortium made up of local charitable organisations, led by Southall Day Centre and also including the Ealing Centre for Independent Living and the Horn of Africa Disability and Elderly Association.

It was officially launched last week (3 August) at Ealing Town Hall at a special event. The consortium will provide advice and information services, as well as organise health and wellbeing activities, across the borough and is being funded by Ealing Council and the NHS Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group for three years.

Initially it will be providing services in Acton, Ealing, Northolt and Southall but it has plans to open in other locations in the borough in due course

Councillor Hitesh Tailor, the council’s cabinet member for health and adult services, said: “Ealing Disability Unite is a good way of co-ordinating advice and support services for people with disabilities in the borough. Whether it relates to information on health, finances or care; or getting access to social activities or therapies; Ealing Disability Unite provides a joined-up process that will benefit everyone involved.”

Among other things, through Ealing Disability Unite you will be able to:

• Make and meet friends, join in tea parties and other social events
• Join in health and wellbeing activities including exercises, yoga, bingo and card games
• Take part in a film club
• Join a Deaf Women’s Group
• Benefit from therapies, massage
• Attend drop-in and open house sessions
• Go on outings and day trips
• Attend talks on disabilities, health conditions and illnesses
• Get confidential advice
• Access multi-lingual advisers (English, Asian languages, Somali)
• Get help with claiming benefits and other entitlements
• Get advice on personal budgets and finances
• Help with accessing transport and other local services.

Santosh Kanwar, the manager of Southall Day Centre, said: “A society that focuses on inclusion and accessibility is good for everyone. However, there is still a long way to go and it’s important to challenge attitudes and remove barriers. One way of doing this is to ensure that disabled people have access to information and advice, support to raise issues or challenge discrimination.”

Jane Barnes, acting CEO of the Ealing Centre for Independent Living, said: “There can be barriers in society that affect disabled people, those with long term health conditions and those with sensory impairments. People sometimes don’t see the person and only see the disability, or adopt a medical model, that blames disabled people for the difficulties that they experience in society.”

Get more information or get in touch

• Southall Day Centre, in Shackleton Road, Southall. Visit www.southalldaycentre.org.uk or email sdc.info@chg.org.uk or call 020 8843 1893
• Ealing Centre for Independent Living in Bayham Road, West Ealing. Visit www.ecil.org or email ecil@ecil.org or call either 020 8840 8717 or 020 8840 3682
• Horn of Africa Disability and Elderly Association in Bayham Road, West Ealing. Contact hadeaoptions@gmail.com or call 020 88567 2268 or 0798 061 4391.