A FAVOURITE website of mine is the Géoportail mapping service that lets you fly over France taking a look at different towns, cities and the wonders of nature
It is similar to Google Maps, but excels when looking at places in the countryside because the level of detail appears to be better.
“We don’t need to know what your condition is, your disease, whether or not you use a wheelchair, have a sensory or physical impairment ; these are not important, we try not to label you, we try not to ask, all we need to know is that you want to go on holiday.”
As a disabled person, this is music to the ears. What a disabled person wants is to be accepted in exactly the same way as everyone else. They want people to see past the wheelchair, the walking stick, the hearing aid and guide dog; they want to be seen for exactly who they are; themselves.
THE bloody history of medieval Carcassone was brought to life in the international best-selling book Labyrinth.
And now its author Kate Mosse takes us back to the south west with her latest book Sepulchre, a tale from the dark woods of the Corbières involving ghosts, murder and tarot cards.
Here I chat with Kate about the mystery of the region and her writing life – also find out how to win a copy of Sepulchre – and so my first question was what frights can people expect from the new book?
FRANCE is becoming much more aware of the need for disability accessible sites to appeal to the tourist market.
Much of this is down to the disabled themselves, whose expectations are much higher now than ever before.
There was a time when the disabled were pushed into the background and no one considered they could, or would, join in the activities taken for granted by their able bodied friends and family, writes Coral Luke.
A CAMPAIGN to rescue greyhounds, or galgos, used by Spanish hunters is being led by a French charitable group.
Here volunteer Beryl Brennan writes about the terrible treatment the greyhounds receive, they are often destroyed or abandoned at the end of the season, and how the group l’Europe Des Lévriers travels thousands of miles across the border to rescue and rehome as many dogs as it can.
SADLY the Toulouse medical practice set up by Brit doctors Huw and Judith Casson has had to close, their story was featured on the site a few months ago, see It’s a doctor’s life in Toulouse.
In a message on the Casson’s website they say there will be a British doctor working one or two sessions a week in Tournefeuille, to the north of Toulouse, but also their 24hr assistance telephone line is now closed.
IF you have ever struggled to write a French cheque, and I don’t mean through lack of funds, here is a handy site that may help you out.
The French Euro Cheque Writer allows you to tap in the amount you want to pay and then displays the actual words on an example cheque, so you can write them out directly.
No more fumbling for a dictionary, or having to tear up cheques if you make an error, and it is sure to help you pick up the numbers themselves for everyday use.
WITH the holiday booked, and your accommodation and travel arrangements in hand, the next thing is ensuring your medical requirements are taken care of.
When looking for medical insurance always advise the insurance company of all your medical problems.
If you are completely honest about all your conditions and you understand what you would liable for in the event of an emergency it will save any unforeseen bills at a time when you are under stress and worry.
ZACH Spittler was born in Houston, Texas, but was raised in Manchester, Iowa. He graduated from The University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication and in French in 2006.
He minored in Music. As part of his musical endeavours, he played for four years in the Hawkeye Marching Band in the trumpet section and in the drumline.
He has presented the news as an on-air reporter in radio and television at KMCH and DITV respectively, and he was a staff arts writer for The Daily Iowan.
Browse Zach’s photo album on Flickr.
Articles:
The working life of la Croix-Rousse
Life in the deep end on a banlieue
Pray for France, says church group
Online tools in French classrooms
A festive stroll around Strasbourg market
Saving the trees from French bureaucracy
From Mozart to punk with Anaïs et Rebecca
Le Havre honours its war dead
Le Havre celebrates la Transat Jacques Vabre
Contact: Zach Spittler
HAVING chosen your holiday destination, if you haven’t booked an all inclusive one then there is the matter of travel and accommodation to be taken into consideration.
There is a variety of travel facilities on offer to cross the channel and a wide range of accommodation accessible to disabled people; but the final choice depends on each person’s personal needs.
Many hotels are now equipped with lifts, have generously sized bedrooms which allow manoeuvrability for wheelchairs and bathrooms with disabled facilities.
