Come and visit us at our newly refurbished “Centre of Excellence for Assistive Technology” in Salford.

The move, three years in the planning, has now become a reality due to a £680,000 investment package from the Social Investment Business.

We continue to offer free, impartial advice and information to people throughout the North West on all matters relating to the equipment that supports people with disabilities, older people and the professionals who assist them.

Our demonstration showroom houses the latest equipment, a sensory kitchen, training rooms and assessment rooms.

In late autumn we will also be opening an on-site retail facility which will offer further choice to consumers.

Disabled Living will continue to provide training from our new centre and also from our facility at Redbank House in Cheetham (our original location).

The new centre in Salford is close to the major motorway junctions of the M61 and M60. It is five minutes walk from the railway station and is adjacent to the A580 East Lancashire Road.

Ample parking is available.

The Blue Badge parking scheme is an essential service for Disabled people and is currently undergoing a range of improvements that will bring many benefits for the many people who rely on the scheme. One of the improvements is in introducing the wider use of independent mobility assessments to ensure a more consistent and fair approach.

Local Authorities have been given control of current National Health Service spend on badge assessments and the Disabled Living team recently secured a contract with Salford City Council to carry out mobility assessments for residents applying for discretionary Blue Badge Parking Permits. Since the contract started in April 2011 the team have carried out over 800 assessments and are receiving on average 43 applications per week, with a target turnaround time of 7 days for each application. For more information on Blue badge reform please visit the following web site:www.dft.gov.uk