In 1989, a spinal injury on the American football field changed everything for Dave Thompson. Rather than let it hold him back, Dave 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 before returning as the charity’s Chief Executive in 2015. The charity’s bespoke toilet 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 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.
Watch our Marketing Director Andy Green sit down with Dave to talk about resilience, accessibility and why the disability systems C-TEC manufactures matter more than ever with an ageing population.
View the full video above or click here to watch the video on YouTube.