Transport for Disabled People exhibition opens in Coventry
Monday, April 12th, 2010Grant Cobb MBE, President of the Coventry Warwickshire Leicester Group – Mobilise, on the opening of an historic exhibition in Coventry.
“Wonderful!” was how Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson described the new exhibition, which she opened at the Coventry Transport Museum on the 1st April 2010. For the first time in the history of British museums, a collection of vehicles specifically designed for people with disabilities has been brought together under one roof. From the earliest bath chairs to hi-tech models of the future, the exhibition gives a fascinating insight into both the development of these vehicles and the attitudes of society to the disabled people who used them.
The exhibition was the idea of the Coventry Warwickshire Leicestershire Group – Mobilise to commemorate their 60th Anniversary. Their President Mr Grant Cobb and their Chairman Ms Norma Lewis had worked with the Museum staff for 18 months, planning the exhibition.
Pride of place
Among the exhibits on show are a 1955 Harper Mark 1, and an Invacar Model 70, accompanied by various hand-propelled invalid carriages. Pride of place went to the 1947 Argson 198cc Tricycle, kindly loaned to the exhibition by Mr Denny Denley MBE, Joint President of Mobilise. It was with this vehicle that he successfully crossed the Swiss Alps in 1947. Following his alpine adventure, Mr Denley went on to found the Invalid Tricycle Association, later the Disabled Drivers’ Association, one of the two charities that merged to form Mobilise in 2005. The Argson, like many of the vehicles in this exhibition, represents the central importance of personal mobility to the lives of people with disabilities; something that Mobilise still campaigns for today.
Over 100 guests, representing Commerce and Industry in the City of Coventry, were present at the opening of the exhibition, together with pupils and staff of three Coventry schools for children with disabilities. Representing Mobilise at the event were Chairman Adrian Stokes, Mrs Janet Sutton, Chief Executive Mr Graham Footer, Mr Jim Rawlings and the Committee of the Coventry Warwickshire Leicestershire Group – Mobilise.
Speakers included Mr Joe Elliott, Chairman of the Museum Board, Ms Norma Lewis and Mr Grant Cobb, who with Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson highlighted the progress made over the past 60 years and the role of Mobilise in that progress.
The exhibition is open until 4th July 2010 and admission to the museum is free, so why not come and find out more about this fascinating aspect of motoring history?
Further information
For more information about the Transport for Disabled People exhibition, visit www.transport-museum.com or call the Coventry Transport Museum on 02476 234270.
The majority of the museum is fully accessible (suitable for unaccompanied wheelchair users), including the café. Visitors should ask for assistance in accessing Model World. There are wheelchairs available for visitors to borrow and allocated parking for disabled visitors can be booked in advance of your visit by contacting the number above during the week.
Tags: adaptations, classic cars, history, membership
One Response to “Transport for Disabled People exhibition opens in Coventry”
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mobadmin Says:
Liz Carr on the Ouch website reviews the exhibition http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/opinion/lizs_transport_article.shtml