Our aim is to introduce newcomers to the sport of water skiing who, due to their disability would not have previously considered the sport accessible. Amputees, blind, deaf, sufferers of partial paralysis, paraplegic other wheelchair users, people with Multiple Sclerosis and those with learning disabilities have all graduated from the British Disabled Water Ski Association.

Mission: To promote equality and opportunity for people with disabilities to take part in snowsports and to help improve their enjoyment and standard of performance at the level of their choice. 

Whether it’s a day trip or a long excursion, looking to explore or unwind, travelling in a wheelchair requires advanced planning. wheelchairtraveling.com exists to give you the tools to plan your adventure accordingly. On wheelchairtraveling.com, you will find updates on travel destinations worldwide; reviews on lodging, transportation, and equipment and other wheelchair travel resources. Log in or register on her website to share your personal travel destination or search resources to create your own accessible adventure! 

Our Vision: We are an inclusive theatre company.  We make theatre.  Extraordinary, pioneering,  challenging, dynamic, moving,  groundbreaking, genuinely inclusive, 
beautiful theatre.

Icandance is a London based Charity which offers dance and performance opportunities to children and young people with disabilities. Icandance has developed a unique approach to dance which integrates the use of specialised educational methods, developmental movement, expressive dance, therapeutic interventions and ballet technique. This approach encourages creativity, fosters social interaction and builds confidence in each dancer. icandance offers weekly classes and can also facilitate workshops, after school clubs and holiday projects.

At Discover, children aged up to eleven, can join Hootah – a baby space-monster – on a multi-sensory journey. On Saturday mornings there is a club for children, aged five and over, with special education needs. They can bring along their siblings and explore rhyme, music and movement with a musician and a story-builder. Access around the centre is excellent.  The staff members are extremely welcoming and – because of their experience with a special educational needs club and community-work – very comfortable with children of all abilities. For more details see: www.accessibleguide.co.uk

www.discover.org.uk

The award-wining Eureka! National Children’s Museum aims to “inspire children to find out about themselves and the world around them” – an objective it brilliantly achieves through hundreds of imaginative, cleverly designed and highly interactive exhibits spread over six indoor galleries and a large outdoor space, with numerous multi-sensory activities on offer. Access is good throughout the whole site. Much thought has gone into providing for those with a visual or hearing impairment, and staff are very willing to help if a problem is pointed out. Outside, the Wonder Walk incorporates a sensory trail (for all) and a wheelchair accessible trail. For more details see: www.accessibleguide.co.uk

www.eureka.org.uk

We are a unique London based charity teaching kids to cook healthy, nutritious food from scratch, and our non-profit status means that we can reach those most in need without charging the earth. We run workshops for children aged 3+ from our purpose built HQ in West London or from lots of different venues around and about the South East with our fantastic mobile kitchen - KCS on Wheels. Our teaching kitchen is designed to be wheelchair friendly and we welcome students with special needs.

www.thekidscookeryschool.co.uk

Legoland was designed in a way that enables children of all abilities to have a fun day out. It’s not just that the park is 95 percent accessible to wheelchair users: Legoland has a positive attitude to disability that’s reflected not only in the services they offer but also in the can-do attitude of the staff. Once inside, there are no steps, but some paths are quite steep and will require a strong pusher behind a manual wheelchair. For children who have social difficulties with queuing, the theme park operates an exit pass scheme, allowing the guest-plus-three to enter the ride via the exit. You’ll need to show an official diagnosis or statement of your child’s condition. For more details see: www.accessibleguide.co.uk

www.legoland.co.uk

At the National Ice Centre there are inclusive sessions where disabled participants can access the ice in a number of ways. Ice-adapted Zimmer frames are great for participants who are on their feet but require support. Manual wheelchair users can take their own chair – or use the one available at the centre – onto the ice. Push-around penguins slide onto the ice with young passengers standing on their tail. The more adventurous, who are able to transfer, can self-propel using small hockey stick-style devices, on the ice hockey sleds. The family inclusion session on Sundays runs from 12pm to 12.45pm. It is a very popular session and needs to be booked in advance. For more details see: www.accessibleguide.co.uk

www.national-ice-centre.com

Aonach Mor – just two summits away from the peak of Ben Nevis, towering above the Great Glen – is the location of Britain’s only mountain gondola. The wheelchair-accessible gondola is open year-round, and transports visitors up 2150 feet to Scotland’s highest snow-sports area and dramatic, unbeatable views over the mountains and lochs of Scotland’s west coast. An adaptive ski instructor can be booked in advance, and a junior sit-ski suitable for children aged up to fourteen (depending on height) is available. For more details see: www.accessibleguide.co.uk

After over thirty years’ experience, the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon – the UK’s first venue dedicated entirely to children’s theatre – has perfected the art of bringing big smiles to little faces. Before a show children can enjoy ride-on-toys, dressing-up clothes, teddy-bear displays and a book corner. The Main Theatre is fitted with an induction loop system and there is always one BSL interpreted performance of each of the shows. There are occasional ‘Autism friendly’ performances too (aimed at both children who are on the autistic spectrum and those who have sensory sensitivities). Groups of visually impaired visitors can pre-book touch tours of the stage, the set and even the actors. For more details see: www.accessibleguide.co.uk

www.polkatheatre.com

The Science Museum is a buzzing, energetic place, with more than two thousand hands-on exhibits, interactive displays and lively demonstrations, exploring everything from space travel to genetics. The Wellcome Wing is home to the IMAX cinema and has wheelchair accessible computer terminals with interactive games. General museum access is excellent, with lots of manoeuvring space and low-level exhibits. On the first Saturday of every month there is a BSL interpreter at various free family events. For more details see: www.accessibleguide.co.uk

www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

The right assistance and equipment can allow anyone to experience the exhilaration of skiing and snowboarding. Disability Snowsport UK provide lessons at SNO!zone, as do Silent Snow who operate sessions for deaf and hard of hearing people. With the help of Disability Snowsport UK, access to the snow for disabled people is possible in a number of ways. Sit ski’s have a seat clamped to either one (mono) or two (bi) ski’s and are best for those with no lower body mobility – these are steered with hand-held outriggers and can be slowed by another skier tethered behind if necessary. Also available are outriggers for amputees; walking- and Zimmer-frame style ski poles for unstable but ambulant users. There are two other SNO!Zone centres in the UK – at Xscape Castleford and Xscape Glasgow. For more details see: www.accessibleguide.co.uk

www.snozoneuk.com

Thomley Activity Centre is a recreational facility for disabled children, their families, friends, schools and groups, designed with the needs of all children in mind. Here children – regardless of any physical or learning disabilities – can create music, paint, read and engage in soft and messy play too. Outdoors, in the safe, enclosed, seven-acre play space, children can spin on a wheelchair accessible roundabout, peddle around the half mile track, bash the outdoor chimes and gongs, fly down the basket-seated zip wire and swing to their heart’s content on the flat swings, bucket swings and bed swings. The activity centre specially reserves some days for different groups including toddlers, teenagers and schools and also organises quiet days – so it is important to check the website to see when a visit would be most suitable, and book ahead. In general, on Saturdays and during school holidays, the centre is open to all disabled children and their friends and family.

The first row of the Lakeside car park is close to the admissions desk and is designated for Blue Badge holders. Bring along documentary proof of your disability, and you will be able to buy discounted tickets for yourself and up to two carers (each aged at least fourteen). Your first point of call should be Guest Services – again with documentation – to pick up advice and an access pass and wristband that allows entrance to rides at alternative, more accessible points. For more details see: www.accessibleguide.co.uk and Thorpe Park disabled guide: www.thorpepark.com/plan-your-visit  and  ride access guide: www.thorpepark.com/downloads

www.thorpepark.com