Professional Training at the DLF – 27 Nov 2012
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
If you are a professional Occupational Therapist or Case Manager, and would like a day’s training in a small group setting, why not join the next training day at the Disabled Living Foundation on 27 November 2012.
Adam Thomas will present his comprehensive one-day seminar entitled ‘The Basic Principles of Accessible Kitchen Design’, assisted by our Office Manager, Natalie Presbury. Adam is the country’s leading accessible kitchen designer, and an acknowledged expert in his field having worked recently as head consultant on accessible kitchens for the Olympic Village. Read his full biography on our web site.
The day covers an in-depth analysis of the essential elements to be considered, along with explanation of current best practice and presentation of some of the latest products for accessible kitchens. Delegates will also visit the fully featured Access Matters display kitchen in the DLF Equipment Centre to illustrate some of the points raised during the day. All course materials are supplied and, in the afternoon an in-depth case study will be presented, followed by a hands-on design exercise.
This one day training course is also suitable for Grant Officers, Environmental Health Officers and anyone else who is responsible for providing kitchen adaptations in a professional capacity.
For more details and to sign up, go to the Disabled Living Foundation web site. If you have any queries about the suitability of the course for you, call us on the office number: 01628 531584, or email us.
Our training day can also be tailored to meet the needs of local authorities and group OT/Case Management practices. A dedicated day is a very cost-effective way of providing CPD for your entire team. Contact us for more details on the office number above.
Design Matters Training for Professionals
Friday, January 14th, 2011Interested in Training? View our latest video on YouTube here:
Adam Thomas Speaking At Naidex 2011
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
Plans are well underway for the UK’s biggest disability, homecare and rehabilitation event; Naidex 2011 which is to be held at Birmingham’s NEC from 5-7 April 2011.
Hundreds of specialist exhibitors have signed up to participate and Adam Thomas of Design Matters has been invited to speak at the CPD Seminar Theatre, where useful and informative talks are given by a selection of respected speakers. The talks are aimed specifically at health professionals, however architects and others involved in the design of the built environment also attend.
Space is limited for these talks, and last year there was standing room only! So register for Naidex 2011 now and make sure you don’t miss this opportunity to see Adam Thomas speak on the latest products and innovations in accessible kitchen design.
Adam may be available during the day on which he is speaking to meet with you if you have a special project to discuss. Please contact Natalie on the office number if this opportunity would be of interest.
If you have heard Adam speak at Naidex before, and would like to learn more about this exciting and challenging field why not visit the Training section of our web site where you can read about more opportunities to hear Adam speak, and perhaps even invite him to lead a training day for you and your colleagues.
Design Matters Launch on YouTube
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010How many members of the Design Matters team can you spot in our video of Naidex 2010?
We had a fabulous show and enjoyed meeting visitors, running training sessions at the CPD Seminar Theatre, and demonstrating our fully featured kitchen display by Access Matters.
Do contact us at the office number if you require any further information.
Naidex South – 29 & 30 September 2010
Thursday, September 9th, 2010
We are delighted to confirm that Adam Thomas will be speaking at the CPD Seminar Theatre for the first Naidex South show.
This brand new event recreates Naidex Birmingham’s popular mix of exhibitors, information and CPD accredited learning, and takes place at London’s Excel Exhibition Centre.
Adam will be speaking on Inspirational Kitchen Design , on Thursday 30 September at 12pm. Visit the Naidex South web site to find out more about the rest of the show and to pre-register.
Training – What our delegates say
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010We have been offering training to Occupational Therapists, Case Managers and Grant Officers for over five years and our one-day course is always well received. It is as much an opportunity for Adam Thomas to get away from his desk and meet colleagues on the front line as it is for health professionals to get up close and personal with the latest techniques and materials we are using at Design Matters to create truly innovative, inclusive kitchens.
Here’s what some recent delegates said about their training day:
“We are re-visiting our wheelchair kitchen design brief following this training.”
“Excellent. Thorough knowledge of problems and how to overcome them.”
“This training will give me more insight when identifying client needs.”
“Excellent style and presentation.”
“Really good and thought-provoking.”
“I am actually looking forward to designing a kitchen and putting it into practice!”
Final Training Dates for 2010
Monday, May 17th, 2010
Following the success of the training sessions held at the CPD Seminar Theatre at Naidex 2010, there are only a few training dates remaining for 2010.
Our one day course is led by Adam Thomas of Design Matters and aimed principally at Occupational Therapists. Entitled ‘The Basic Principles of Accessible Kitchen Design’ the course assumes a good basic understanding of various impairments, but no previous experience of kitchen adaptation is necessary.
The day is intensive and includes a detailed case study to help participants get a feel for the basic principles by applying them to a real life design challenge. All course materials are provided and the course can either be taken at the Disabled Living Foundation in London, or at another location by arrangement with our training coordinator, Natalie Foskett. Increasingly, local authorities are training up to 20 OTs per year by way of this course, and we have excellent feedback from them via our evaluation forms.
This course may also be of interest to Case Managers, Personal Injury Solicitors and Architects with an interest in the assessment of claims for compensation for spinal injury, acquired brain injury, people affected by thalidomide and a wide variety of other injuries. It is now possible to improve independence and quality of life with a quality kitchen that is fully accessible, looks attractive, and fits comfortably into any home.
Contact Natalie at the office number for more details.
Reflections on Naidex 2010
Friday, April 23rd, 2010The Design Matters team is back from Naidex 2010 and we can confirm that it was an incredibly busy show for us. Both our stunning display kitchen and the new Design Matters web site were well received, and we are busy processing all the enquiries that we received during the 3 day show.
Thousands of you made the journey to the NEC Birmingham, and the show was as impressive as ever, packed with the latest products and ideas for all to see. We get as much out of Naidex as our clients, with so much to explore and experience.
This year we took a larger team with four members of staff at the show for the duration, which gave us more time to chat to the visitors to our stand. It also allowed us to offer two training sessions for Occupational Therapists and others with responsibility for access in the CPD Seminar Theatre, led by Adam Thomas. These sessions were very well attended and allowed Adam to highlight areas of special note when planning kitchen adaptations for disabled and older people.
To complement our printed brochure we brought along a digital presentation showing some of our recent work, which was useful for visitors who had come specifically for kitchen inspiration. There was plenty to see on the stand, and the display kitchen looked stunning with its new colour scheme. We believe we may have found an excellent permanent home for our Naidex kitchen and we hope to confirm the details soon in this News section.
Please bear with us as we process all your enquiries and respond to requests for further information. We hope to get through them as quickly as possible. In the meantime a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who visited us at the show and gave such positive feedback.
Countdown to Naidex 2010
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
We are working at full steam to prepare everything we need for Naidex 2010. Come and meet the Design Matters team on stand G106. And don’t just walk by, please pick up a brochure, have a good poke around our display kitchen and ask lots of questions. Because that’s why we’ve come!
This year we’re bringing along plenty of pictures of our recent work, as things are changing quickly in the world of accessible kitchen design and we want to be able to show visitors to our stand what we’ve been up to. Adam was recently interviewed for an article in the April edition of the SIA’s Forward Magazine focussing on the amazing transformation of Accessible Kitchens in the last few years. Entitled ‘Accessible Kitchens Come of Age’, the article shows a number of pictures illustrating that things are moving on rapidly, and that accessible kitchens are finally indistinguishable from standard kitchens. Look out for the April edition of Forward Magazine to get the full story.
Once again we are offering the opportunity to book an appointment with Adam Thomas, our award-winning accessible kitchen designer during the Naidex show. Spaces are limited, so please contact the office right away to book your appointment, and remember to bring along a rough sketch of your kitchen space so that you can make the best of your meeting time.
Registering for Naidex is simple. Visit www.naidex.co.uk and click on Register Now for quick and easy entrance on the day of your choice. We look forward to meeting you!