A woman left paralysed after her parachute failed to open properly is calling for greater flexibility in the rules about how disabled people are manually lifted.

Penny Roberts is backing a campaign by Independent Living, based in Oakworth Road, Keighley, calling for carers employed to help disabled people in their homes to have special training in lifting.

Independent Living's Sue Cunningham has carried out a research project to investigate problems for disabled people resulting from policies which discourage carers from lifting them. She hopes her findings will be published by Bradford College.

Government regulations, introduced in 1992 demand that disabled people undergo a risk assessment if manual handling is involved in their day-to-day care.

Sue claims that this means the professionals carrying out the assessment are often applying a no-lifting policy to protect the backs of the handlers.

Penny, 36, who needs round-the-clock help, uses a mobile hoist in her terraced home in Steeton to get in and out of her wheelchair and in and out of bed.

She said: "The directive is designed to prevent assistants putting a strain on their backs. It means lifting has to be done with equipment.

"My bedroom is small and my bed is against the wall, not in the middle of the room, so it is very difficult to use the hoist in this situation.''

Penny, 36, was paralysed from the waist down after a sky-diving accident in America in 1995. Last September she gave birth to her son Peter.

Sue Cunningham argues that the regulations are failing disabled people.

"They are being seen as a load rather than a person," she said.

"The regulations need changing so that the main person being considered isn't the handler.

"The disabled person and the assistant need to be seen in partnership."

If handlers were trained in lifting the regulations would be more flexible and the disabled person would be seen as an equal partner.

Independent Living works with disabled people who want to live an independent life.

The organisation has a house in Keighley where disabled people can stay for up to two years to learn the skills of coping by themselves.

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