The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_480x270/public/hero-images/N_209894_01of01.jpg?itok=018jWJyN)
Invalid Carriage
The 'invalid carriage': a vital mobility aid or a death trap on three wheels?
From the collection of:
![Logo for Media Archive for Central England](/sites/default/files/styles/association/public/association-logos/mace_archive_logo.jpg?itok=b2CSGtUJ)
Overview
The pale blue three-wheeled 'invalid carriage' or 'Invacar' was a familiar sight on Britain's roads in the 1960s and 1970s. The cars were supplied free of charge to motorists with disabilities in their tens of thousands. Following news that the scheme was to be phased out and replaced with a mobility allowance, Helen Piddock talked to Invacar users who feared a return to the old house-bound days.
The Motor Industry Research Association crash tested an invalid tricycle back in 1974 and found that it failed the then minimum standards. Despite these fears they remained popular with users and remain the only true purpose-built car for disabled people. In July 1976 the government announced that the DHSS funded vehicles would be phased out. This was a lengthy process with the final government owned vehicles only being recalled and scrapped in 2003.
Related
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/84a22cc4e4e8e6c6d17c09a5a31f0c8c_0.jpg?itok=lnVOE6pm)
Eyes of a Child Eyes of a Child
Government sponsored film 1961 31 mins Location: Dorton Ho (Sch)
Young imaginations run wild at School for Blind Children.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/An%2520Ordinary%2520Life%252C%2520cropped.jpg?itok=V2mGqaCF)
An Ordinary Life An Ordinary Life
1985 29 mins
“I’d much rather work at a computer than make wicker baskets” – disabled people hit the mainstream in 1980s Britain
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/It%2527s%2520a%2520New%2520World%252C%2520cropped.jpg?itok=H98eK-1w)
It's a New World It's a New World
Instructional film/TV programme 1977 30 mins
Early attempts at inclusive swimming for disabled people.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Three%2520for%2520Society%252C%2520cropped.jpg?itok=MChyd4ry)
Three for Society Three for Society
1969 29 mins
Feisty and free-spirited, three disabled people talk frankly and directly about the barriers they experience in the 1960s
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Like%2520Other%2520People%252C%2520cropped_0.jpg?itok=CK0E0U_i)
Like Other People Like Other People
Documentary 1972 51 mins
Man Alive! moral panic, sex, and when professionals ruled – life as a disabled couple in 1972
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Artificial%2520Limb%2520Making%252C%2520cropped.jpg?itok=iF_Yhznd)
Artificial Limb Making Artificial Limb Making
Non-Fiction 1916 1 mins Silent
Occupational therapy turns full circle, as amputee soldiers learn to make artificial limbs for others
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Shoot-Your-Shot-02.jpg?itok=KREdlpBS)
Shoot Your Shot Shoot Your Shot
Drama 2022 12 mins
An emotional stand-off takes flight, as teen best friends Ronit and Brennan come to terms with navigating that fuzzy feeling in their stomachs, all whilst learning to skateboard.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Yellow-04.jpg?itok=Bt5NDkC8)
Yellow Yellow
Drama 2023 13 mins
In Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Laili walks into a Chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full body veil from a Talib shopkeeper and face a new future.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/%25E2%2580%258ELook-Like-You-02.jpeg?itok=2R3w9luT)
Look Like You Look Like You
Drama 2022 13 mins
While visiting the adoptive family of her eight-year-old biological son, Tara relays advice she gathered from growing up as a queer outcast.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/NEHEMICH-02.jpg?itok=ba9fjUy4)
Nehemich Nehemich
Drama 2023 23 mins
Banished in a dilapidated village hut during her menstruation, a young girl waits to elope with her lover.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/1717526943-default-ovp-poster-image.jpg?itok=Fk8VLsGa)
Interview with Pam Cullen Interview with Pam Cullen
Inside Film 2020 53 mins
Interview with Pam Cullen who at 97 boasts an incredible career spanning over fifty years in the Indian film industry.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/muscleqanda.jpg?itok=8sw22r7R)
Muscle - Exclusive Q&A Muscle - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 34 mins
Director Gerard Johnson talks Nia Child through the making of Muscle, an adrenalized drama that tears into the stereotypes of masculinity and male friendship.