The life safety systems manufacturer C-TEC has released a video interview in which Marketing Director Andy Green talks to Dave Thompson MBE DL, founder and Chief Executive of The Disability Partnership. They talk about resilience, accessibility and why disability systems matter more than ever as the population ages.
In 1989, a spinal injury on the American football field changed everything for Dave. Rather than let it hold him back, he dedicated his life to improving accessibility for disabled people. He founded The Disability Partnership in 1991 and joined the NHS as a disability advisor in 1995. He returned as the charity’s Chief Executive in 2015.
Under Dave’s leadership, a bespoke toilet the charity created for a teenager with cerebral palsy became the model for Changing Places toilets across the UK and Europe and its Disability Awareness Day is now believed to be the largest event of its kind in the world. Dave’s experience shows that installing disability equipment is only half the job. He has found hearing loops switched off, toilet alarm pull cords tied up out of reach and refuge areas with no way to call for help. Equipment that isn’t switched on, tested and kept accessible is no help to the person who needs it.
Andy said: “Dave’s story is truly inspirational but what struck me most was how often the equipment we make isn’t being used as it should be. We can design the most reliable refuge, toilet alarm and hearing loop systems but they only help people if they’re switched on, tested and accessible.”
View the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-7ScdBgYHU
About C-TEC
The UK firm manufactures open-protocol life safety systems including commercial and domestic fire alarm systems, lockdown alert systems, evacuation alert systems, call systems, disabled refuge systems and hearing loop systems. The company’s products include its CAST-PRO integrated fire detection and alarm device compatible with its ZFP and XFP CAST addressable fire systems. Visit www.c-tec.com.
