East Sussex County Council currently runs some high quality after school and holiday play schemes for 5-19 year old children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). The clubs are due to have their funding reduced and then completely removed over the next 2 years, leaving these children without the support they need. I am working with Jane, a mum of three autistic children, that has Cancer. She has had a breakdown and also lost the use of her left arm. She needs this support to continue caring for her children. She has tried to request foster care for her children out of desperation, but there are no foster carers available. Like many of the children who use the after school clubs service, her children have been refused a social care assessment by the Local Authority - and have been offered these clubs as an alternative. If Jane loses this respite she does not know how she will cope. These cuts will put these families in crisis. The schools are unable to finance these clubs, so it is likely the services will be restricted and many will be closed. There is no "wider market to be explored", there is no other place these children will be safe, or that has space to take them. We believe that in making this cut the Local Authority is breaching its duty of care to vulnerable families. We want to ensure these clubs continue to support these vulnerable families and the local authority upholds its duty of care to disabled children under The Children’s Act 1989 and S2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

ALL carbs end up as sugar in our blood. To concentrate solely on 'sugars' (traffic-lighting) is misleading (and in some cases cruel) to many who strive for a healthy diet for themselves and their families. Clearly showing total carbs will help diabetics avoid serious complications. It may even guide the food industry to make ever better changes to prepared food. There is a growing low-carb movement (not just diabetics) as people are becoming aware of the links to weight management and other significant health benefits. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the UK (I am reg blind as a result of diabetes retinopathy) and reading the carb value can be difficult enough (even for those with great vision) as the writing is often so tiny. In most cases I end up taking a picture so I can then zoom in. This is very frustrating.

Seven Hills pool has only been open for 5 years & is unique in its offering, catering for the children of Sheffield & surrounding areas who have SEN needs. Their hydropool is one of few in the area & very important to the children that use it, helping with movement & pain relief. The pool also offers swimming lessons to children locally & is well used. Following talks with the local council, Seven Hills school propose to close this important facility to replace it with a gym which would be of very little use to the children. They state they cannot afford to keep the pool even though the swim school have offered to contribute financially & make up any difference. Please help us save our swimming pool.

The Rock Barn, Home of MuzoAkademy, provides unique services to the community of West Oxfordshire and is at risk of demolition to make way for 6 luxury flats. Based in the heart of Witney, the Rock Barn welcomes everyone to engage with music to enrich their lives and the lives of others. The Rock Barn has become a community hub for people from 3 yrs to 89 yrs many with mental health, physical, learning and clinical needs. There is no other provision like the Rock Barn in the local area. If you work, live or study in West Oxfordshire (child or adult) please sign.

Wester Ceddens Road links local residents to 4 primary schools, 1 secondary school, 2 nurseries, local shops and 2 churches. During term time the council provides 4 school crossing patrol personnel however, outside of school drop off, lunch and pick up times residents risk their lives attempting to cross Wester Cleddens Road. Furthermore, numerous housing developments have been built on and around Wester Cleddens Road which has increased traffic and the population.

Many children with dyslexia are exceptionally gifted at English but will now struggle to pass their GCSE due to how many marks are dedicated to spelling and punctuation. This is discrimination and can only have a negative effect on their futures. It can also negatively impact their mental health. Both of my children are dyslexic and both have a gift for writing. Their school teachers say they are very talented, however being dyslexic they cannot grasp spelling however hard they try. They also struggle with handwriting and remembering punctuation and because of this will possibly fail to obtain a C at GCSE even if they get full marks for everything else. I know they are not unique. 10% of the population are dyslexic. Taking away marks for poor spelling, not just in English but other subjects too, could mean that these students may not be able to access further education, even if they are exceptionally bright. Dyslexic children are being set up to fail all because of spelling. I believe this approach is archaic and needs to change now.

People born with 22q can have upto 180 medical issues. There are only very few 22q clinics that are for children in the UK. DiGeorge Syndrome is either having part missing chromosome 22q or having duplicated chromosome 22q. Within these clinics you get seen under Cardiology, Immunology, Psychology, Peadiatrics 22q specialists and referrals are made to multiple clinics there after if needed. Everyone with DiGeorge syndrome is affected differently and it's difficult to predict how severe the condition will be. Most children survive into adulthood. As someone with DiGeorge syndrome gets older, some symptoms such as heart and speech problems tend to become less of an issue, but behavioural, learning and mental health problems can continue to affect daily life. Many of those who reach adulthood will have a relatively normal life span, but ongoing health problems can sometimes mean life expectancy is a bit lower than normal. It's important to attend regular check-ups so that any problems can be spotted and treated early on. Having a 22q clinic for adults means they would be receiving lifelong checks and it could help improve health and have longer life expectancies. Just because turning the age of 18 doesn’t take away DiGeorge Syndrome or it’s health effects. It’s so important it is valued in all ages. Some young adults are experiencing mental health issues and having a clinic to observe and support them who have great understanding of the condition would be extremely beneficial. DiGeorge syndrome can cause a range of problems, but most people won't have all of these. Some of the most common issues are: learning and behaviour problems – including delays in learning to walk or talk, learning disabilities and problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism speech and hearing problems – including temporary hearing loss due to frequent ear infections, being slow to start talking and having a "nasal-sounding" voice mouth and feeding problems – including a gap in the top of the mouth or lip (cleft lip or palate), difficulty feeding and sometimes bringing food back up through the nose heart problems – some children and adults have heart defects from birth (congenital heart disease) hormone problems – an underactive parathyroid gland (hypoparathyroidism) is common and can lead to problems such as shaking (tremors) and seizures (fits) Other possible problems include: a higher risk of picking up infections – such as ear infections, oral thrush and chest infections – because the immune system (the body's natural defence against illness) is weaker than normal bone, muscle and joint problems – including leg pains that keep coming back, an unusually curved spine (scoliosis) and rheumatoid arthritis short stature – children and adults may be shorter than average mental health problems – adults are more likely to have problems such as schizophrenia and anxiety disorders.

I go to a self advacacy group twice a week in my area run by andfor adults with learning disabilities aged 18+ where we pay £5 each day and meet make friends go out on activities go out for coffee have laptops an ipad karaoke we also form relationships. This petition is to ask for more self advacacy groups in the UK like ours.

In the late 1970's Oliver's Battery community was divided by Badger Farm Road (now the A3090). A poorly designed underpass was built to connect the North and South of Oliver's Battery Road underneath Badger Farm Road. It makes it impossible for people in wheel chairs or mobility scooters to cross this junction as there are only steps to come up the southern end and no slope. It is very hard to use for young families with babies or toddlers in pushchairs or cyclists who for instance want to cycle to work to Winchester of from Winchester to IBM in Hursley . It forces them to risk crossing the road with fast traffic. This junction as well as the T-junction with the Ridgeway that lies in a bend are both very difficult and dangerous to cross even for cars that often build up long queues trying to to leave Oliver's Battery or Badger Farm. Serious road traffic accidents have become the norm in recent years. It is only a matter of time until someone might lose their life. With the lack of public transport facilities in Oliver's Battery its residents are isolated and makes them car dependent and many elderly people rely on the goodwill of their neighbours to drive them around. The best option with great benefits not only for the local communities but for much of Winchester would be to: - Fill up the underpass to create more space for a safe junction - Build a traffic light junction with priority for cyclists and public transport - Create a bus lane from the Sainsbury’s to the Pitt roundabout (westwards) - Build a cycle lane (or another bus lane) on the eastbound side of Badger Farm Road - Enable easy cycle routes: a) from Hursley via Oliver's Battery towards King's school, b) Along Badgers Farm Road to Sainsbury's, and c) towards Ridgeway/ St Cross and connecting Oliver's Battery with the new planned Leisure Centre at Bar End Benefits: - Safety for all types of traffic - End discrimination against people with restricted mobility - Promote active types of transport (Walking and Cycling) - Promote public transport by shortening travel times for buses during peak times (Who would like to get stuck in the car if you can get into to town faster in the bus?) - Save money that is wasted by keeping buses in congested road traffic Residents in Oliver's Battery and Badger farm are very concerned about these junctions and several attempts by the Parish council and local councillors to improve the situation over many years have been ignored. Some progress has been made only recently. Nobody can understand that even an attempt to reduce the speed limit on Badger Farm Road from 40 to 30 mph (that would cost almost nothing) was refused: The Police would not support it as they think that it will not be complied with by drivers. The main criteria the Police uses is that the existing mean speeds must be close to the proposed lower limit (mean speeds between the Sainsbury’s and Pitt roundabouts were recorded as between 34 and 36 mph, which was not considered to be close enough to 30 mph). People living here are very disappointed about the slow progress. Therefore, these urgently required modifications of Badger Farm Road must be part of the new the Winchester Movement Strategy.

Imagine being able to attend a relaxing welcoming course in an environment with no pressure or harassment regardless of your disability or health issue whether it's mental or physical problem and doing everything at your own pace illness can often cause loneliness isolation and often feel life is pointless although the Scottish government think that targets have not been met the wise group disagree strongly some people have went on to training employment and even voluntary work this course brings lots of posivity and that's why I feel so strongly about it continuing.

Our son Harry is 4 years old and due to start school in September. Harry was diagnosed with autism and other co-morbid conditions last year, just weeks after his 4th birthday. Our aim in getting Harry’s diagnosis at such an early age was that going into education with a diagnosis would be his best chance at thriving in school. We have worked so hard over the last two years to integrate Harry into his big sisters primary school to get him ready for the incredibly hard transition he will face in September 2018 when he starts in reception. Harry has specific medical and social needs for needing to be at this specific school, this was stated on his primary application form and supported with multiple letters from his paediatrician. Harry will now have to go to a completely different school, with no friendly faces, an unfamiliar building and hallways and playgrounds. He won’t recognise the uniform or the reception staff. He won’t be surrounded by the professionals who have been involved in his care for two years. He will be a lost little four year old, who already faces daily battles to understand the world around him, thrown into a completely unknown situation, all on his own because his medical and social needs have been disregarded. Harry won’t be the first or last child to be let down by the school admissions system in such a way but please help me try to ensure that children’s social and medical needs are made a compulsory part of the admissions criteria for our schools.

My son Tom is a 28 year old young man with an acquired brain injury. The injury occurred in 2007 as the result of an infection just 4 days after his 18th birthday. He was doing well in his A levels, and then this awful tragedy happened. For the past nine years, he has been supported for care and accommodation by Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding. Tom's condition means that he needs 2-1 care during daytime. Although his needs have become greater in that time -- his epileptic seizures are more pronounced and frequent -- his funding has suddenly been withdrawn. Tom is very much at risk of harm without this care: he cannot look after himself, and his behaviour is often challenging and unpredictable. A hurried and insufficiently attentive review has judged him ineligible for healthcare funding, because although his needs are 'High', they are not deemed 'Severe' -- even though his 'Behaviour' and 'Cognition' clearly meet the panel's own 'Severe' CHC criteria. None of Tom's carers or family agree with this decision but our responses and appeals have been ignored. Please help by urging NHS Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group to change their decision and continue to fund Tom, as they have been doing for the last nine years. Tom is so vulnerable and really needs your support.