drphibes Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 The latest demolition work on the Lookers stand has now resulted in one of the clubs disabled areas being demolished and with this leaves a big question mark on what kind of plan Latics have for this season ? Not only has the viewing area been removed but the toilets have also been knocked down and upto now not one single piece of information has come out of the club to let us know what is going on. Therefore I contacted Barry and have also had a brief email exchange with Neil Joy who informed me that an announcement would be made early this week but at this moment nothing has been forthcoming. It seems to me that the club have not given this demolition work anykind of thought because when I contacted them well over a week ago I would have expected them to be able to give me an answer there and then and not have myself and others wondering what the hell is going on. Will there be enough room for all the disabled supporters to watch and game and will there be any toilet facilities ? Can you imagine the uproar if able bodied supporters paid good money for season tickets and then see one of the stands gets razed to the ground with no contingency plan given by the club ? I have been attending Boundary Park for over 30 years and have never really had anykind of input on what myself and others would like or more to the point need to help our match day experience. The new stand is on the cards now and yes you guessed it not one leafet etc has been handed out to us at games to ask us for some thoughts. The club obviously have forgotten the cockup when it built the Rochdale Road stand, good access, good toilets, good view and then oh no people stand up when things get exciting and all the people in wheelchairs are sat staring at the back of peoples heads! One being told about this problem Latics explained they where sorry but the stand was built and that was that ! Come on lets make a stand that we can all enjoy and avoid possibly repeating the mistakes of past years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petelatics Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Well we know that Mr Corney reads this so let's hope if he hasn't already ensured a suitable area for disabled supporters then this will motivate him to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drphibes Posted July 5, 2013 Author Share Posted July 5, 2013 Well we know that Mr Corney reads this so let's hope if he hasn't already ensured a suitable area for disabled supporters then this will motivate him to. I am reasonably certain that the club will find some kind of solution to for this season, but I really do hope when the new stand gets built we dont go down the road of previous mistakes. It seems that to many projects get built on the back of so called experts who possess a diploma or two when the real experts are the ones who live with disabilites every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Shouldn't the fans liaison officer be all over this? In fact most clubs actually have a Disabled Supporters Liaison Officer, club have to careful as there are clear legal stipulations in place in regards to provision and access for the disabled person and I'm sure this will form part of the grounds safety certificate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drphibes Posted July 5, 2013 Author Share Posted July 5, 2013 Shouldn't the fans liaison officer be all over this? In fact most clubs actually have a Disabled Supporters Liaison Officer, club have to careful as there are clear legal stipulations in place in regards to provision and access for the disabled person and I'm sure this will form part of the grounds safety certificate. Neil Joy did say that the Disabled Liason officer was involved in getting this matter resolved. My worry about this is when I asked last season what the new stand would be like for the disabled he just offered " I hope it will be ok for us" . This reply did not exactly give me the impression that he was going to try and make sure that the new facilities would be the best they could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snookmeister Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Surely the club will have to comply with DDA regulations?? (Disability Discrimination Act) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Villains Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Where's Barry? Coming soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butchcass Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 You can contact Ron, the Disabled Fan's Rep, through me if you want (he's my old man!). I know he's been over there looking at the temporary disabled facilities that are currently being assembled. Yesterday he told me a statement has been drafted by the club. Neil Joy asked him to check it before it goes out. He's gone over to the club to sort it out today. I can send you his e-mail address / phone number if anyone wants it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laticsrblue Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 You can contact Ron, the Disabled Fan's Rep, I'm surprised the OP hasn't done this before posting here. Maybe Ron keeps a low profile! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drphibes Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 (edited) You can contact Ron, the Disabled Fan's Rep, through me if you want (he's my old man!). I know he's been over there looking at the temporary disabled facilities that are currently being assembled. Yesterday he told me a statement has been drafted by the club. Neil Joy asked him to check it before it goes out. He's gone over to the club to sort it out today. I can send you his e-mail address / phone number if anyone wants it? Thanks for the update, its just a shame that the club dont keep the fans updated. What is wrong in putting a statement on the official website weeks ago letting us know not to worry ? All we get is the story of the terracing being taken away etc. Touch wood the facilities that are being built now will be ok for the new season but the club need to seriously get a grip before they start building the new stand or if history is anything to go by they will probably drop another clanger. I'm surprised the OP hasn't done this before posting here. Maybe Ron keeps a low profile! I contacted Barry Owen and the club directly before posting on here and asked what was going. Edited July 8, 2013 by drphibes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 (edited) Maybe Ron keeps a low profile! On the Club's official site: The primary contacts at club for disabled fans are Ron Cassidy, Disability Liaison Officer (0161 320 6955) or Judith Lane, Club Office (0161 785 5179) roncass_99@yahoo.co.ukorjudith.lane@oldhamathletic.co.uk It also lists the wheelchair provision minus the demolished North Stand: Home Fans 20 in Rochdale Road Stand, back row, elevated view 14 in Chadderton Road Stand, pitch level. Fully accessible toilets, two at the Rochdale Road end and one at Chadderton Road end, are available for both home and away fans. http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/fans/disabled-supporters/ Edited July 8, 2013 by Diego_Sideburns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laticdickovarmy Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I notice that a carer has to pay accompany a registered disabled person at a game A, is this normal? B, when was it introduced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I notice that a carer has to pay accompany a registered disabled person at a game A, is this normal? B, when was it introduced? most clubs charge for one of the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudemedic Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 most clubs charge for one of the two. Indeed sometimes its officially the carer that goes free and sometimes its the person with a registered disability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drphibes Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 I notice that a carer has to pay accompany a registered disabled person at a game A, is this normal? B, when was it introduced? Not sure when that charge was implemented. I will say though that pricewise the club are ok and are probably on a par with most other clubs. It just seems that the disabled just dont get the same kind of treatment that the clubs able bodied fans get. Take for instance when you purchase your season pass you cannot choose what position to want. I asked the club 5-6 years ago if they could allow the fans to choose a particular spot in the areas available and was told it could not be done. Therefore the result of this is you need to get to inside the ground at 2 to sit where you want. Of course this is not exactly great having to sit in the cold for longer than should be necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butchcass Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 (edited) Don't use his yahoo e-mail address, it got proper hacked recently so he's abandoned it! His new one is roncassidy60@gmail.com He tries to chat to all the disabled supporters on a matchday, including the visiting ones. He's the slightly dishevelled looking guy who hobbles around the pitch perimeter at half time with his walking stick. He's very approachable. Say hello if you see him. He has been getting into the club about the new stand. He'll let you know the score if you speak to him. I'll ask him about the carer thing when I see him. I know he has been mithering the club about that himself. He doesn't work for the club, he is simply a volunteer who is there purely to represent the supporters. Please feel free to send him any questions you may have and he will do his best to get answers. Edited July 8, 2013 by butchcass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c.hill12 Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Slightly off topic but how would i get registered as disabled? Severely short sighted and looking to get registered as partially sighted if eligible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Slightly off topic but how would i get registered as disabled? Severely short sighted and looking to get registered as partially sighted if eligible Ask your optician? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Sinnott Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I notice that a carer has to pay accompany a registered disabled person at a game A, is this normal? B, when was it introduced? My Dad is a raspberry, and my Mum took him to a few games under Sheridan. My Mum, as the carer, had to pay... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 My Dad is a raspberry...I had to Google that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c.hill12 Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Ask your optician?Specsavers didn't have a clue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Specsavers didn't have a clue The actual optician?! Try your GP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsleftfoot Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Statement now on the OS. http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/article/20130710-disabled-905194.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lags Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Is this Ron Cassidy the Ron Cassidy man of the cloth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Jam tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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