Welcome to the November Issue of MySpecialChild. The big news last month was the introduction of part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA 2004), but a month on and has it really changed the life of disabled people or has it become just another fight.  Really there should be no excuses (okay, some buildings are impossible to change, so maybe one), companies have had 9 years to make the alterations.  It would be good to hear peoples opinion on this particularly from the perspective of a carer or parent of a disabled child. Post your opinion here.

From our friends from overseas.  A new device in U.S that could make play areas more accessible.  Four years of research and $200,000 has gone into developing special wood chip particles.  These particles mesh together to form a rubberlike surface that is safe enough for a playground, yet smooth enough to handle a wheelchair.  So what's the big deal? a wood-chip surface could cost less than 10% of the cost of a rubber surface.

On a final note, the First Official MySpecialChild Competition has started, the prize is a Surf Watch (Either Quik Silver or Rip Curl), its free to enter, check out the competition section for more details.  Hopefully this will be the first of many competitions, good luck.