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Five Government Departments Mobbed In Hugely Successful Day of Action By and For Disabled People

September 5, 2013
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johnny void's avatarthe void

DPAC_DWP_ProtestAnother hugely successful day of action organised by Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) took place today targeting five government departments and ending with a mass lobby of Parliament.

At lunchtime disabled protesters and supporters began to gather outside four government building, all of which are culpable for creating the vicious regime that currently exists for disabled people.  Crowds of people met outside the departments of Health, Education, Transport and Climate Change to protest against soaring heating bills, increased segregation in education, inaccessible and unaffordable public transport and cuts to social care budgets and healthcare.

At the Department of Education several people briefly blocked the door as a request was made for people to be allowed entry, or for a Minister to come and address the protest which focused on the increasing segregation of disabled children in foundation schools in particular.  Shamefully not one person from the Department of Education could…

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from → disability political policies, events, politics

MP Sends Speech To Mark Hoban MP In Advance Of ESA Debate

September 4, 2013
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A press release:

 

  • Debate on test for Employment and Support Allowance at 2pm on Friday
  • Sheila Gilmore’s speech sent to Minister responsible this afternoon
  • Minister can have no excuses for not answering questions

 

In advance of a debate on the test for controversial sickness and disability benefit ESA, Work and Pensions Select Committee member Sheila Gilmore today took the unusual step of emailing an advance copy of her speech to the Minister due to respond, Mark Hoban.

 

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is used to determine whether people can get Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), which replaced the old-fashioned Incapacity Benefit in 2008. Since its introduction many claimants have been incorrectly found fit for work. Sheila Gilmore has secured a half hour debate on this issue at 2pm on Friday 7 September.

 

Speaking today Sheila Gilmore said:

 

Today I have taken the unusual step of emailing a copy of my speech for an upcoming debate to Mark Hoban, the Minister due to speak for the Government. Now he can have no excuse for not answering the important questions I intend to put to him.

 

Sheila Gilmore went on to say:

 

Since the introduction of the Work Capability Assessment, 4 in 10 people found fit for work have appealed their decision and four in ten of those appeals have been successful. I’ve been calling on the Government to fix the test and reduce these numbers for some time.

However on Friday I’m going to focus on those who are incorrectly found fit for work and appeal. In future these people will be left without any income while their claim is reconsidered by Civil Servants. Ministers have suggested that claimants could apply for Jobseekers Allowance, but they know that to get JSA you have to be fit and available for work.

In effect the Government will be saying to this group that they are too fit for ESA, but too sick or disabled for JSA. Ministers need to sort out this contradiction.

 

ENDS

 

Notes to Editors:

 

  • Sheila Gilmore will focus on the support given to people who are incorrectly found fit for work during a period known as reconsideration – in effect an informal appeal to civil servants that has to take place before a case can be passed to independent Tribunal Judges. At present claimants can be paid ESA at a reduced rate during this period, but in the future they will have to apply for Jobseekers Allowance. A requirement of JSA is that people are fit and available for work, meaning many people who will eventually be awarded ESA will not qualify.
  • See the email Sheila Gilmore sent to Mark Hoban here.
  • Sheila Gilmore is a member of the Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee. You can view the committee’s website here.
  • For more information please contact Matt Brennan, Parliamentary Assistant to Sheila Gilmore MP, on 020 7219 7062, 07742 986 513 or matthew.brennan@parliament.uk.
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from → disability political policies, politics, progress

BREAKING NEWS: DPAC Protest Outside DWP

September 4, 2013
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from → disability political policies, events, politics

Swimmer With CP’s Epic Fundraising Challenge

September 4, 2013
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Thanks to reader @goldencaesar who sent this in to me.

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Force Claimants To Work For Benefits, Says TaxPayers’ Alliance

September 4, 2013
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The TaxPayers’ Alliance has today revealed that they think forcing people to work for their benefits could save the Government £3.5bn a year in welfare costs.

They suggest 30 hours’ activity a week.

They also think that only the ‘extreme sanction’ of removing benefits from people who refuse to do this activity would force them to find work.

Otherwise, they say, the Government’s Universal Credit scheme will have ‘limited effect.’ They believe that people claiming Universal Credit should have their payments automatically suspended if they refuse to take part in the scheme they suggest.

For most people, the scheme would mean community service, charity work, approved training, work experience or “meaningful” job hunting with officials.

With officials? So officials would come and watch their every move while they go to the Job Centre or to job interviews? Well, job interviews are hard enough anyway, without an official there to watch you like a video camera! Sounds like something out of Benefits Britain 1949.

I claim Disability Living Allowance. I spend my days working from home, listening to and covering the horror stories of people who claim Employment Support Allowance and other work-related and/or means tested benefits. I spend my days reading horror stories of the rudeness of ATOS workers during Work Capability Assessments. I read horror stories of  incidents that take place at Job Centres. I read horror stories of the Workfare scheme which already exists and sounds very similar to this one.

I completely oppose this scheme as a whole and agree with all those who told the BBC that it is ‘demeaning.’

Thankfully, pensioners would be exempt from the scheme. However, most people know that most pensioners who are able to have done their fair share of voluntary work anyway for generations with great pleasure and enjoyment.

But here’s the part that doesn’t make sense to me. Parents of children under four and those caring for someone with a severe disability would also be exempt from the scheme. However, disabled people claiming incapacity benefit or ESA would be expected to take part in ‘activity that they are physically able to do.’

It sounds fine to exempt parents of very young children. However, personally, considering how the scheme as a whole would work, I think it would fit in with the scheme as a whole to suggest to parents that they volunteer free childcare to other parents while caring for their own children, in turns, in “return” for their benefits so that they could get some time to look for paid work or even carry out a part time job.

As for exempting carers of severely disabled people? This, too, sounds fine in itself.  After all, their caring role could, and rightly should, count as the voluntary work needed in “return” for benefits. Carers work for free 24/7 in their caring roles. They don’t get to stop after 30 hours.

However, personally, I don’t see why carers couldn’t carry out some voluntary work from home while caring. As I’ve said many times before, many parent carers had their own talents, careers, hopes and dreams before their disabled child came along. Maybe some of these talents could be used from home in “return” for benefits?  I don’t see how it would be fair to make carers exempt when disabled people would not be exempt. Especially since ESA already has a Work Related Activity Group in which people who are physically able to do so carry out- you guessed it- work related activity. Sounds a bit too similar to this suggested scheme for my liking.

The scheme would have to make full provision for the many, many disabled people who are physically unable to do anything at all. I am talking lift a finger- for them work, any work, is a distant dream that they wish every day could come true.

Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TPA, said “”Taxpayers rightly expect something back for the enormous amount they pay for out-of-work benefits.”

In this, he is absolutely right. There is something I haven’t said yet. I pay tax. Yes, you read that right. Disabled people pay tax too. And personally, I do want something back for my tax. I want my tax to go to severely disabled people in benefit payments so that they don’t have to worry about the fact that they physically can’t lift a finger.

I want my tax to go to parent carers who work 24/7 without a word of complaint to give their disabled child a good life, in benefit payments so that they can pay for food, clothes, shelter and some fun.

I want my tax to go to the parents of very young children in benefit payments, because those very young children have to eat.

I don’t want those carers, disabled people or parents to feel that they are somehow ‘different’ from those who are under some scheme that forces them to work for their benefits.

That, Mr Matthew Sinclair, is what I want in return for the enormous amount I pay in tax.

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from → mainstream madness

Disability Campaigner Martyn Sibley Doing John ‘O’ Groats To Land’s End- By Wheelchair

September 4, 2013
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Crazy challenger/campaigner Martyn Sibley is back. This time, he’s doing John ‘O’ Groats to Land’s End- by wheelchair. His girlfriend, Kasia, will join him on a bicycle.

 

 

 

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from → DisAbled Challengers

Deaf Champion Swimmer Kicked Off Lifeguard Course For Being Deaf

September 3, 2013
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You couldn’t make it up…

 

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from → mainstream madness

Scotland’s Highland Council In #BedroomTax Break Bid

September 3, 2013
by

Share! Share! Share! Somewhere, at last, a council is listening.

 

A SCOTTISH council is seeking an exemption from the bedroom tax in communities with a population of 3000 or less.

 

With a near 40% increase in council tenants already in arrears, Highland Council argues this is necessary because of the absence of the appropriate housing stock to accommodate tenants who wish to move to a smaller house.

There are 86 communities in the Highlands where there is no option of tenants moving to a one-bedroom house.

The council’s Finance Housing and Resources Committee was given an update on the Highland impact of Welfare Reform, including the Benefit Gap and the introduction of Universal Credit, which will roll six benefits into one with the aim of simplifying the benefit system and ensuring people are better off in work.

But councillors have been advised that the total number of tenants in arrears in the first quarter of this financial year was 1175, an increase of 451, and that the value of arrears has increased to £269,687, a rise of £96,196.

Councillor Dave Fallows, Chair of Highland’s Finance Housing and Resources Committee, said: “The trouble in the Highlands is that we do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate those tenants who wish to downsize to avoid the penalty of losing housing benefit through living in a house with a spare room.”

Of the 3000-population exemption, he said: “I will now be writing to our MPs for their support for this concession and also the Minister for Welfare Reform to urge that the Government confirms this as policy.”

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from → disability political policies, politics, progress

Man Wins Asperger’s Diagnosis Battle

September 3, 2013
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A MAN from Bolton was finally diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome after his family wrote to NHS Bolton saying their policy about assessment was “discriminatory”.

The man, known only as Matthew, had shown signs of autism throughout his life but had never been able to access an assessment — and without a diagnosis he struggled to gain the support he needed.

His family contacted Irwin Mitchell Solicitors who wrote to the NHS in Bolton, arguing that their policy was discriminatory and went against the Autism Act statutory guidance, which sets out that every area in England should have a pathway to diagnosis for adults with suspected autism.

NHS Bolton offered the 35-year-old an assessment, which found that he had Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, and since then has been able to access the support he needs.

Research carried out by The National Autistic Society (NAS) as part of the Push for Action campaign has shown that only 63 out of 152 local authorities in England have an autism diagnosis pathway in place.

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from → progress, the law

Apps For Access

September 3, 2013
by

Like many young people, Ronja Oja likes skating. She is also blind.

 

The 21-year-old Helsinki student usually knows where she is, skating in areas she is familiar with – but sometimes she does gets lost.

 

This used to mean either finding someone nearby to help, or phoning a friend.

 

 

“Before if I got lost and called someone all I could say was ‘hey I am here, somewhere, I don’t know where I am, please come to get me’,” she says.

 

Last spring, after coming to an unfamiliar turn in the road, she realised she was lost again. This time, she didn’t need anyone’s help to find her way.

 

Miss Oja sat down on a rock, pulled out her smartphone and used the app BlindSquare to work out where she was and how to get back on track.

 

Using data from FourSquare (a location-based social network for mobile devices) and Open Street Map, BlindSquare looks up information about the surrounding area and communicates this to users with speech.

 

Shaking the smartphone tells you where you are and how to find the nearest junctions.

 

Users can save favourite places, and the app will notify them when they are nearby.

 

“I can get the address and the nearest street names,” says Miss Oja.

 

 

She now uses BlindSquare daily, and says it helps her discover new places in Helsinki.

Feeling the town

Ilkka Pirttimaa, the app’s developer, got in touch with several blind bloggers including Miss Oja to test the app before launch.

 

“I saw from her smile that it was going to work,” he says about the first time they used BlindSquare.

 

Thanks to her feedback, Mr Pirttimaa plans to add a feature for users in Helsinki telling them details of approaching buses, that integrates data from Helsinki’s Regional Transportation services.

 

Philadelphia resident and blogger Austin Seraphin also tested the app.

 

 

He finds it helpful to use BlindSquare when on transport, and says he generally has a better feel for the city now.

 

“It’s helped me understand the geography and the layouts of the streets,” he says.

 

He enjoys knowing what people are saying about places on FourSquare, and says BlindSquare is a good way to find out about block parties and events taking place.

 

“It’s about just having a sense of what’s around me in general,” he says.

What you see

In the US alone, the assistive technologies market was worth $43.4bn (£27.8bn) in 2012 and is predicted to hit $60.5bn (£38.8bn) in 2018.

 

Developing services for smartphones and tablets has the potential to bring this type of product to a much wider audience, which explains the growing number of apps available.

 

Verbally, for example, takes the written word and converts it into speech. Using a keyboard interface, it also reduces the keystrokes needed to write, and has been designed for people with conditions such as Parkinson’s and cerebral palsy.

 

SpeakIt is another speech app, and reads out emails, documents and articles. It was initially designed for the mainstream market but has proved popular with disabled users.

 

Tine Postuven’s start-up EqualEyes focuses on making the interface on smartphones running the Android operating system more user-friendly for the visually impaired.

 

 

They created a specialised home screen with large icons in bold and contrasting colours that are easier to navigate.

 

The app can either be downloaded by users, or a device with EqualEyes already installed can be purchased directly from them.

 

Mr Postuven, who grew up in Slovenia, has seen the difficulties the visually impaired face when trying to use smartphones.

 

“My mother is visually impaired and I’ve seen her struggle for years with all sorts of things,” he explains.

 

The service launched this summer and is currently available in English, Slovenian, Bulgarian and Italian.

 

Mr Postuven hopes to expand the concept to other groups who may have problems using smartphones, such as the elderly.

Like everyone else

Creating apps and services for mobile devices not only increases access to this kind of technology, it has another big advantage according to some: it can reduce stigma as these are devices used by all.

 

John Schimmel teaches assistive technology design at New York University’s interactive telecommunications programme, and specialises in integrating technology for use by the disabled.

 

He created a wheelchair DJ interface called RAMPS (which allows the wheels of the chair to fade and scratch music) and is involved with DIYAbility, who teach tech skills to the disabled.

 

Mr Schimmel points out that a child using an app on a tablet, which is also used by other children, won’t stand out.

 

“They don’t have the stigma of using something big,” he says, adding that this can be important in helping them integrate and lead more normal lives.

 

Katie Kitchen agrees. Her son used the learning app MyChoicePad between the ages of three-and-a-half and five.

 

It uses symbols and the Makaton language programme, and was developed with speech therapists for toddlers and older children with speech difficulties.

 

  MyChoicePad uses the Makaton language programme to help those with speech difficulties

 

She says her son liked being able to use his new “cool” iPad in front of his friends, and that tablets are very intuitive for children to use.

 

Both these factors meant he could communicate with his peers more easily and effectively.

 

“He could tell people exactly what he wanted,” she says.

 

Occupational therapist Holly Cohen agrees. Based at NYU’s Rusk Rehabilitation Hospital, she also works with Mr Schimmel at DIYAbility.

 

Ms Cohen believes speech apps can allow users to really fit in with everyone else, letting them express themselves clearly and interact more normally.

 

“That’s transformed a lot of individuals’ lives, as it’s given them the ability to say their needs or to participate in discussions,” she says.

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Call For Ring Fenced Funding For Drugs For Rare Conditions

September 3, 2013
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A group of MPs is calling for a ring-fenced fund to pay for drugs for rare conditions.

 

The Parliamentary Group for Muscular Dystrophy says it is concerned about funding for high-cost drugs.

 

It comes after the special budget for treating rare diseases in England was merged into the overall NHS budget. Scotland has a fund in place for the so called “orphan drugs” until April 2014.

 

A UK-wide strategy for rare diseases will be published this year.

Neglected

Overall it is estimated that 3.5 million people in the UK suffer from a rare disease, and that 70,000 of those have some form of the different muscle-wasting diseases known as muscular dystrophy.

 

The MPs say they are concerned that funds previously ear-marked for drugs for rare diseases have now been merged into the budget for all specialised services in England.

 

Decisions on how to spend a £100m fund for rare diseases, sometimes called orphan conditions, were made on the advice of a special committee but that power was transferred to NHS England in April.

 

At the same time, the cost and clinical advisory body, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), took over responsibility for assessing these drugs as part of the wider reorganisation of the health service in England.

 

Concerned MPs warn the way drugs are funded and assessed could lead to hundreds of children with life-shortening conditions being denied rapid access to new therapies.

 

They want a drugs fund for rare diseases, similar to the one in Scotland, and a rapid system for regulators to review cutting edge drugs.

 

The chairman of the all-party group, Dave Anderson MP, said: “We have seen that successfully developing an effective treatment is far from the end, with agonising waits for some families through licensing and funding issues.”

 

Most of those affected by rare diseases are children, and the charity, Rare Disease UK, estimates that 30% die by their fifth birthday.

 

For the first time there are some promising developments on the horizon for one condition, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The results from some final-stage clinical trials of a genetic therapy are expected later this year, and may offer the hope of new treatments.

 

Robert Meadowcroft, chief executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said they were gravely concerned at the lack of a dedicated fund or clear criteria for how new drugs might be assessed.

 

“We’ve got families setting great store by the treatments coming through. It would be heartbreaking and devastating if they’re not available to children who need them.”

 

NICE said it accepted it needed to develop a different approach for looking at rare conditions, adding: “Our process and methods for developing guidance for such drugs will ensure that patient and clinical experts are involved.”

 

Negotiations are under way with the pharmaceutical industry on a new pricing regime which would include a new way of recognising the value of some new treatments.

 

A Department of Health spokesman said: “We are working closely with other health departments and stakeholders to develop a UK strategy for rare diseases. This will be published by the end of the year.”

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from → rare conditions

A Video From Yesterday’s DPAC Protest At The BBC

September 3, 2013
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Please share widely.

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from → disability political policies, events, politics, updates, videos

Ordinary Guy- A Letter To David Cameron In Song

September 3, 2013
by

Step 1: Listen to this.

Step 2: Share it everywhere.

There’s not much else I can say- I’m too busy listening to the song and laughing!

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from → disability political policies, politics

Broadcaster David Jacobs Dies Aged 87

September 2, 2013
by

Very sad. Relevant here because he had Parkinson’s.

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from → Famously DisAbled, tributes

BREAKING NEWS: Disability Campaigners Protesting At BBC HQ

September 2, 2013
by

Thanks to Welfare News Service.

BREAKING NEWS: Disability campaigners have blocked access to BBC HQ in protest over ‘biased reporting of disability issues’.

http://bambuser.com/v/3876114

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from → events, media coverage

Wanted: Bedroom Tax Stories

September 2, 2013
by

An email I’ve just received:

Dear Friends,

We need Your stories…

The United Nations has sent UN Human Rights watchdog, Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik to  Britain to investigate the link between the infamous “Bedroom Tax” eviction threats and rates of suicides in Britain.
http://tinyurl.com/olyq8h7

Meanwhile, our petition, the ‘STOP the Bedroom Tax‘ petition has joined forces with the website WeWillBeHeard.org headed by Jessica Mccarnun who delivered 1,852 letters to David Cameron at Downing Street in July, from people affected by the Bedroom Tax – “The Personal Petition”.
http://tinyurl.com/nk4d9bw

Jessica has been invited to a meeting to give evidence to the UN’s Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik on the 7th September.

Therefore, all of us need to send our own stories now- in response to David Cameron’s promise on February 27 to ‘… look at any individual case … of any family badly affected by the bedroom tax…”.

Please take ten minutes now to send your story as an email (or scan attached to an email) to me at:
j.d.ingleson@gmail.com

If you are not affected by the ‘Bedroom Tax’ but know someone who is, then please encourage and help them to have their voice heard by contributing their story about how this tax affects them.

So this is YOUR CHANCE to make a difference!  We Will Be Heard! Jessica will be submitting your letters in evidence to the UN to STOP the Bedroom Tax.  So please get writing NOW and let’s give the UN something to prove this government’s evil disregard for the poor and vulnerable.

Send your story to me at: j.d.ingleson@gmail.com  and I will pass it on to Jessica.

Thank you
John D. Ingleson

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from → disability political policies, politics

If You Could Say One Thing To Mark Hoban MP…

September 2, 2013
by

What would it be? Please go and tell Sue Marsh at her place because she’s meeting him next week.

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from → disability political policies, politics

21st Century Catheter Project

September 2, 2013
by

 

With pleasure.

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from → useful info

Thomas Edison- And Other Great Deaf Scientists

September 2, 2013
by

Who’d have thunk it? The inventor of the lightbulb, Thomas Edison, couldn’t hear. Limping Chicken reveals more about him, and other scientists without hearing, here.

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from → Famously DisAbled

Jessi-Cat’s Owner Has Written A Book

September 2, 2013
by

Remember Jessi-cat? Same Difference featured her last year when she won Cat Of The Year because her owner, Lorcan Dillon, has selective mutism. Now, his mother’s written a book about how the cat has helped him.

The sight of their child beaming from ear to ear would make most parents happy, but when eight-year-old Lorcan Dillon smiles, his mother, Jayne, feels a maelstrom of emotions – even though he tends to produce a smile only for the family‘s cat.

Lorcan was diagnosed with the social anxiety disorder selective mutism at the age of three, so when he grins, it masks a complex internal dialogue, one that his mum is always trying to decipher. “Is he trying to be appealing so he can disarm people,” speculates Jayne, a 45-year-old former midwife, “or is he trying to look happy as a way of alleviating his anxiety?”

Those who have the condition speak fluently in some situations but are frozen in silence in others. An early and competent talker at home, Lorcan’s initial development betrayed few signs of his latent verbal reticence – until he went to nursery, where he simply stopped speaking.

“At home, he has always been very loud and opinionated, so it was a huge shock when he went to nursery. And when we asked him why he wasn’t speaking there, he just couldn’t explain it and kept pointing to his throat.”

Reluctance to acclimatise to nursery education is common in three-year-olds, but Lorcan’s sustained refusal to speak at school worried Jayne, particularly as her eldest son, Adam, had just been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. She says: “Perhaps because I’d read something about it, I mentioned selective mutism to Lorcan’s teacher and she had already been looking into the possibility.”

According to the Selective Mutism Information and Research Association (smira.org.uk), the condition affects more than one in 165 children, and a speech therapist soon confirmed that Lorcan was one of them.

Rather than apply pressure on him to try to find out why he was unable to speak in certain situations, Lorcan’s nursery instigated a play-based plan to build his confidence, and he continued to make gradual progress. But moving up into reception class in September 2009, then into year one 12 months later, reversed his progress, closing the verbal shutters again.

There were also signs that Lorcan was on the autistic spectrum – he disliked physical contact or cuddles, displayed little empathy, tended to take instructions literally and had never told his parents or brothers that he loved them.

Then in September 2010, Jayne’s ageing cat Flo died and the arrival of a new kitten proved an unlikely turning point for the Dillon family. Jayne says that Jess the cat made a difference straight away. “They were drawn to each other. Jess was this new, fascinating ball of fluff with big blue eyes and she would respond and meow to Lorcan and there was a huge link.”

Almost immediately, Lorcan began to cuddle Jess – soon renamed Jessi-cat – and, perhaps more remarkably, began to demonstrate a previously unseen protective empathy. The pair were soon inseparable and, six months after her arrival, Jayne heard her son voice three words she never thought she would hear him utter.

“They were playing with the cat’s favourite toy when Lorcan leaned over to her and just said, ‘I love you, Jessi-cat,’ then added, ‘You are my best friend.’ It was the first time he had ever said those three words. I shed a tear and I was absolutely overjoyed.

“People ask me if I’m upset that he said ‘I love you’ to a cat but not to me, but my hope is that he might learn to do that with people eventually.”

Although Lorcan is still not communicating as freely at school, his confidence has flourished as his relationship with Jessi-cat has blossomed, and Jayne, who has given up work to concentrate on seeking the best care for Lorcan, is stoic about her son’s uncertain future and its long-term impact on the family.

“I’ve no idea what will happen until he hits puberty. He could be OK and just ever so slightly eccentric, or possibly not. We just don’t know. But I’m not going to wallow in misery about the situation because it’s not about me, it’s about Lorcan and what choice have we got?”

Lorcan has been silently engrossed in his iPad while his mother has been speaking. When asked a few simple questions, he remains politely silent, unlike Jessi-cat, whose intermittent meows continue to punctuate our conversation.

So what would happen if Jessi-cat were no longer around to help nurture his emotional development?

“She’s only three,” says Jayne, “so we’re hoping Lorcan will be an adult by the time she dies.”

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from → updates

Laurence Clark Tour Dates 2013-14

September 2, 2013
by

laurence clark

 

2013
13/09/13 Gala Theatre, Durham
18/09/13 West End Centre, Aldershot
20/09/13 Dugdale Arts Centre, Enfield
21/09/13 Canada Water Cultural Space
27/09/13 The Civic, Barnsley
28/09/13 Black Box, Belfast
14/11/13 Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford

2014
12/03/14 MAC, Birmingham
16/03/14 Brewery Theatre, Bristol
28/03/14  Braintree Arts Theatre
11/04/13 Rondo Theatre, Bath
28/04/13 Maltings, Berwick Upon Tweed
02/05/13 Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton

Find out why Laurence – Star of BBC1′s documentary We Won’t Drop The Baby and the London Olympics 2012 comedian of choice – hates being called inspirational.

Ever since Laurence was a child he has been told he’s inspiring for doing everyday stuff. He was labelled inspirational and brave the day his son was born, yet compared to his wife, his contribution seemed easy.

But then a tweet from a comedy fan sparked a fascinating journey of self-discovery involving absurd logic, death-defying stunts and unusual varieties of crisps.

Inspired came runner-up at the Amused Moose Laughter Awards 2012

“Darkly funny” Daily Telegraph

“slickly woven.. cracking one-liners.. Laurence Clark is firing on all cylinders”    ★ ★ ★ ★  Metro

“Makes Chris Morris look lightweight” ★ ★ ★ ★  The Scotsman

“Stupendously funny…  a wit drier than the Navajo desert and scores upon scores of fizzingly funny one-liners. Must See!”   The Stage

“… irreverent, pertinent  – a humourous hour that leaves you looking at the world in a different light” Evening Standard

Funded by Arts Council England

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from → Famously DisAbled, publicity

Hull Teenager With Asperger’s Sent To Cheshire Unit Because Beds Have Been Cut

September 1, 2013
by

A TEENAGER has been sent to Cheshire, because a mental health unit for adolescents in Hull has closed.

 

The 13-year-old girl, who suffers from a severe form of Asperger’s syndrome and post-traumatic stress after an alleged sexual attack, is now staying in what her mother says is a young offender’s institute, three hours away from her family.

 

Her mum, 40, says her daughter is living in appalling conditions in an environment not suitable for her needs.

 

She is also miles away from her family, which is hindering her recovery.

 

The girl had previously used an in-patient unit at West End Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Hessle Road, west Hull.

 

But the centre is no longer taking overnight patients, and now only provides day care.

 

The teen’s mum said: “She is staying in Cheadle in a place where they keep young offenders – it is basically a prison for children.

 

“She is ill, she shouldn’t be there.

 

“The staff aren’t considering her Asperger’s. They are restraining her all the time and she is being bruised.

 

“It’s horrific.”

 

The girl has been staying in Cheshire for five weeks and was sectioned and taken there on July 19.

 

Her family were told beds were no longer available in Hull, and units at neighbouring cities in York, Leeds and Sheffield were all full.

 

Her mum now has to make a three- hour train journey to see her, something she can only do twice a week.

 

She has to arrange childcare for her five-year-old son and pay for taxis once she arrives at the train station.

 

The mum said: “She needs to be near her family. If she wasn’t sectioned, I’d bring her home tomorrow.

 

“I’d rather try to look after her here myself than see her in there any longer.”

 

The West End unit was previously commissioned by NHS Hull and NHS East Riding primary care trusts, until April 2013, when such services then became the responsibility of specialised commissioning teams.

 

Health officials said the service had an “exceptionally low” occupancy in terms of patients and most were treated outside the area, because West End could not adequately provide for them.

 

MP Alan Johnson has written to NHS England on the family’s behalf, but has not received any answers.

 

However, a spokesman for NHS England, said: “After a local consultation, it was agreed the unit in Hull should not continue to provide in-patient provision.

 

“The number of young people locally who need in-patient care is very small and not enough to support high-quality in-patient care 24 hours, seven days a week. The need for traditional inpatient stays in a hospital environment is very rare.

 

“It is important to stress however that where such an admission is needed for a young person from Hull and the East Riding, an appropriate specialist inpatient unit bed is found to best meet the particular needs of the young person.

 

“There are highly specialised in-patient units in Leeds, York, Sheffield and elsewhere providing high quality and safe care round the clock.”

 

Referring to the 13-year-old girl in Cheshire, the spokesman said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on the specific circumstances of an individual patient, but a co-ordinated plan is being developed for their ongoing care.

 

“Their clinical needs and well-being remain paramount.”

 

MP Alan Johnson has written to David Nicholson, chief executive of NHS England, about the youngster.

 

He wrote: “This is an entirely unacceptable situation, unworthy of the NHS. There is obviously a shortage of these facilities.

 

“Two other Hull children are being held in Cheadle. There are no beds available in either York or Leeds.

 

“I struggle to understand why adult mental health services provide such facilities but for adolescent mental health, where if anything the need is greater in terms of being close to family members, we are now bereft of any holding facility whatsoever.”

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from → council craziness

Justice For Karina

September 1, 2013
by

The text of an Avaaz petition:

On Feb 12th 2013, 5 policemen from Holstebro county, Denmark, came to Karina’s house and forcibly removed her from her bed. There were also 2 doctors, a locksmith and 2 social workers present. Karina called for her mother’s help, but her mother was blocked by the police from aiding her. Karina used her mobile phone for the first time in years to call her mother, her father, her cousin and her sister, Janni. Karina is so ill that she can usually only speak in one or two word sentences, but during her removal she managed to call her father and say: “Help Dad, in my room”, and to her sister: “Help, Janni, I don’t know where they are taking me”. Karina’s mother could not answer her phone because she was surrounded by policemen. Karina was then driven to a hospital in an ambulance. Her parents were not told where Karina was being taken or what reason they had for taking her. No paperwork was given to her parents. Later that day, they got a phone call and were told that Karina was at Hammel Neurocenter and that someone would call them every day at 10 a.m. to tell them how Karina was doing. They were also told that no one could visit Karina for 14 days. On the morning of Feb. 13th, Karina managed to call her mother from her mobile phone. She said: “How can I get out of here? I can’t take this”. (”Hvordan kan jeg komme væk herfra? Jeg kan ikke klare det.”) Then the connection was cut. A few days later, Karina’s parents got a letter from a psychiatrist, Nils Balle Christensen (NBC), which said he would be in charge of Karina’s treatment at Hammel Neurocenter. He also wrote that because “of her condition”, Karina was not allowed visitors for 14 days. That ban on visitors was later extended to three weeks because NBC was on vacation. Nils Balle Christensen works at The Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics. He and his boss, psychiatrist Per Fink, believe that ME is a functional disorder. In Denmark, a functional disorder is understood to be a psychosomatic illness. The treatments the clinic recommends are: exercise, (GET), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and anti-depressants. The psychiatrists at this clinic have no experience with severely-ill ME patients and we fear that Karina is being treated incorrectly and that their mistreatment of her will lead to a severe and permanent worsening of her condition. There has been no or little contact allowed with Karina’s family, Lawyer, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Denmark. Various petitions have been set up and signed, letters have been sent to MP’s in the UK, European Union, Danish Ministry of Health, Danish Government of Power and the Denmark Royal Family. Since Feb 12th, 2013 visitation with her family has been sporadic. Information regarding Karina’s health has been censored or silenced. Some updates on her condition is published from time to time basically censored Some inside information tell a different story. Karina believes they are trying to kill her with this line of treatment. Her condition is worse now than before she was hospitalized. All of Karina’s Human Rights have been severed. We have not been provided with the name of her lawyer and/or representative with the United Nations Human Rights and we have no uncensored contact with Karina or any of her representatives.

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from → campaigns

How Fast Can Disabled Travellers Cross London?

August 31, 2013
by

One year ago, London hosted the Paralympic Games with the bold hope that it would help change the perception of disability in the city.

The mayor and the British government say more disabled people travelled to more events at more locations than at any previous games.

So 12 months on, has the busy transport network improved for wheelchair users visiting London?

BBC’s Fast Track asked former Paralympian, Ade Adepitan, and disability campaigner, Christiane Link, to cross the city as fast as they possibly could.

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from → london 2012

Man Slits Wrist In Housing Office Over #BedroomTax

August 30, 2013
by

A MAN driven to despair by the bedroom tax attempted suicide in a council housing office yesterday.

Staff looked on in horror as tormented Lawrence Keane slit his wrists in a reception area after asking for help with rent arrears he had run up as a result of the hated tax.

The vulnerable 58-year-old said: “I stood up and asked them if they wanted my blood because that’s all I had left to give. I started hacking at both my arms.”

Former miner Lawrence made the suicide bid at Lochgelly Community Centre in Fife at 9am.

After cutting his arms, he stood with his arms at his side, letting blood drip on to the floor.

He was treated at Victoria Infirmary in Kirkcaldy and released.

Lawrence, who suffers from severe depression and anxiety attacks, fought back tears as he told how the bedroom tax and rent arrears pushed him over the edge.

Surrounded by his family, he said: “I got a letter from the council last week and I have stayed inside for 10 days worrying about it.

“It told me I owed a lot of money and that my rent was going up £28 a fortnight because I had an empty room in my flat.

“I didn’t know what to do. I was getting more and more angry and stressed about it. I woke, got a vegetable knife and went to the community centre.”

Lawrence, who has a grown-up son, was speaking with the full support of his furious family.

In the letter, Lawrence was told he owes Fife Council £399 and that his rent for his two-bedroom flat has increased because he lives alone.

Like many others, he just can’t afford to pay the bedroom tax.

 

Lawrence is on disability allowance and receives a small miner’s pension. Once he’s paid his utility bills, he has very little left to live on.

He has lived alone in his ground-floor flat for 14 years. He has few possessions and his tiny home is sparsely decorated and furnished.

He rarely drinks and “treats himself” to a roll-up cigarette and a small bottle of beer “every now and again”.

When our reporter visited, Lawrence’s fridge was virtually empty.

He didn’t even have tea bags or milk to make a hot drink.

Last night, his brother Michael, 60, and sister-in-law Harriet, 57, said the bedroom tax and welfare cuts were hitting vulnerable people the hardest.

Michael said: “We support Lawrence as best as we can. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d succeeded in his suicide attempt.

“The extra rent he was asked to pay was the final straw. He was so stressed he couldn’t even tell us about it.

“We’ve been trying to get him help for weeks – medically, psychologically and through the council – but no one has really listened.

“How many Lawrences will it take for the Government to realise how dangerous and unfair the bedroom tax is?”

Harriet added: “We asked the council to move him to a single-bedroom bungalow but they haven’t.

“They now hit him with this new rent demand.

“The bedroom tax targets the weakest in society. Lawrence and other vulnerable people like him are just names and numbers on a computer screen.”

The depute leader of the council where Lawrence lives yesterday agreed that the bedroom tax is wrong.

David Ross said of Lawrence’s suicide bid: “This was a very distressing incident. Our thoughts are with the person and we will be providing all the support we can in the days ahead.

“It would be wrong to comment on any individual’s personal circumstances.
We respect their right to confidentiality.

“What we can say is that we are seeing an increasing number of people facing serious financial worries, many of which are caused by welfare reform.

“We’re doing all we can to support them.”

The Fife Council boss added: “I believe many of these reforms are fundamentally wrong, especially the bedroom tax hitting many of the poorest and most vulnerable Fifers.

“Although Fife Council’s approach to discretionary housing payments is one of the most generous in Scotland, the funding available and the regulations set by the Department for Work and Pensions that the council is forced to work under, are inadequate to deal with the level of need and the harsh effects of welfare reform.

“I firmly believe that the Government should scrap these so-called reforms and the insidious bedroom tax now before more people are driven to such desperate acts as happened today in Lochgelly.”

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from → disability political policies, politics

Tribute To Deaf Filmmaker Stephen Pink

August 30, 2013
by

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from → tributes

Wheelchair User Applies For Job At ATOS- But Can’t Access The Interview

August 29, 2013
by

This is classic. Should I laugh or cry? Do ATOS want us to work or not?

 

 

The controversial firm which tells disabled people in the UK if they are fit to work was unable to interview a Tyneside job applicant – because he was in a wheelchair.

Jamie Shield, 25, applied for a position with Atos – paid millions of taxpayers’ money by the Government to carry out employment tests – and was invited for an interview.

But he was told he could not be seen after all because a lift only went to the fifth floor of their Durham office – and they were on the sixth.

A “principal resource specialist” from the company, Karoline Bajcer, added insult to injury when she wrote to Jamie to apologise – with a spelling mistake.

She told him: “Please except (sic) our apologies but we have no facilities to get a wheelchair to the sixth floor.

“The lift in the building only goes to the fifth floor and with the service desk on the sixth floor we won’t be able to accommodate you.

“Thanks for all your efforts.”

Jamie was staggered at their admission – and the double standards of a firm which promises not to discriminate ‘on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, age, disability or sexual orientation’.

They had also promised to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the applications process for people with disabilities.

Jamie, an applied computing graduate, said: “I have some experience of being knocked back after writing applications where the grounds for not employing me has been hidden or covered up.

“I knew the real reason – my disability – but it was never said.

“That’s why I found it strange that this company should be so open about this.

“They are making decisions on people’s disabilities and benefits every day but cannot interview me for a job because they have no lift.

“It shows real double standards.”

The firm did not offer to carry out the interview at another site, on another floor or at ground level of their offices in Milburngate House, Durham.

Jamie, who graduated from Northumbria University, had applied for a job working on their service desk, which offers technical support to the BBC.

He is currently working in a similar role but on a short term contract, so was disappointed not to be able to at least be interviewed.

Garry Booker, Atos Head of Recruitment in the UK, has since written to Jamie.

He told him: “Please take some time to reflect and if you did wish to pursue the offer of an interview with us, I would be delighted to organise.”

But Jamie, of Wallsend, North Tyneside, said: “I feel it would be morally wrong to work there now, unless things drastically change.”

More than four in 10 jobless people with crippling life long illnesses are told by Atos they will get better, and must seek work in Government tests, according to shock figures released by UK charities this week.

Between 2008-11, 13,600 people with serious conditions such as cystic fibrosis and Parkinson’s Disease applied for out of work benefit the Employment Support Allowance.

But according to the research, 45 per cent were told they were able to recover to the point where they could look for work.

Parkinson’s UK said the results of the Work Capability Assesments carried out by Atos ‘defied belief’.

Jamie suffers from neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder which has left him in a wheelchair due to tumours growing on nerve tissue.

An Atos spokeswoman said: “We apologise unreservedly to Mr Shield, and will be writing to him directly with an explanation of what happened.”

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from → disability political policies, mainstream madness, politics

Jury Out On Paralympic Legacy, Say Charities

August 29, 2013
by

One year on from the Paralympics, the event’s legacy “hangs in the balance” as attitudes towards disabled people fail to improve, charities have warned.

 

Disability charity Scope called the Games’ success a “breakthrough moment”.

 

But 81% of disabled people questioned in a new poll say attitudes have not improved.

 

Scope also said disabled people were suffering due to cuts, but the government said it was improving benefits and increasing spending.

 

Scope’s chairman Alice Maynard said the drive to change attitudes was at the heart of the Games’ legacy.

 

At its closing ceremony in September 2012, International Paralympic Committee president Sir Philip Craven said: “These Games have changed us forever”.

 

But Ms Maynard said “the jury is very much out” on whether disabled people’s lives have improved since the Games.

 

As well as many disabled people feeling attitudes towards them had not improved, 22% of the 1,014 people surveyed by Opinium for Scope said they had actually got worse.

‘Stripped away’

Ms Maynard said any progress was being undermined by a “crisis in living standards” among disabled people, and the “divisive myth that most people on benefits are skivers”.

 

“If the government wants to make its legacy ambitions a reality – and make this country a better place for disabled people – it needs to tackle the crisis in social care, re-think its cuts to vital financial support and call a halt to benefits scrounger rhetoric,” she said.

 

Scope said the government had “stripped away £28.3bn of financial support for disabled people” and said 600,000 were set to lose Disability Living Allowance and a further 100,000 were being “pushed out of the social are system”, meaning they will no longer get day-to-day help.

 

The charity argues that current living standards, with many people turning to high-interest loans to pay for essentials, undermines involvement in sport and the community – a key part of the Games’ planned legacy.

 

“If you don’t have the support you need to get up, get washed and get out of the house; if you’re struggling to pay the bills – it’s a big ask to join a tennis club,” Ms Maynard said.

 

Ian Macrae, editor of Disability Now, said the Paralympics had created a “bubble of hyper reality” for disabled people and real life “was never going to be like that again”.

 

He added: “So now here we are with people under threat of losing their social housing homes, others left stranded on a work programme which doesn’t work for them, people dreading the all-too-real eventuality of losing a disability benefit.”

 

 

But gold medal winning Paralympian Richard Whitehead MBE said: “The 2012 Paralympics sent a powerful message that a disability shouldn’t stop you from achieving your goals.

 

“We hopefully inspired disabled people. We hopefully made the public think differently about disability. For me it’s not about looking back. We need to look forward.”

 

Clare Pelham, chief executive of the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability, said: “We need every day inclusion and good behaviour, not just Olympic and Paralympic inclusion.”

 

A separate survey by the charity found that nearly a third of disabled people face intimidation or abuse due to their disability.

 

The survey of 1,014 disabled people also found that nearly 10% had been victims of crime in the last year.

 

Paralympic sprinter Ben Rushgrove, who won a bronze medal, said he felt attitudes to disabled people had improved since the Games, but he said it was “worrying” that disabled people continued to experience hostile behaviour.

‘Outdated’

The Department for Work and Pensions said the UK was a “world leader” in supporting disabled people, spending £50bn a year on disabled people and their services.

 

A spokeswoman said the Paralympics had “undoubtedly helped shift attitudes”, and the government was continuing work to improve the way disabled people are seen and treated.

 

On the benefit changes, she said the Personal Independence Payment, which is replacing the “outdated” Disability Living Allowance, would “better reflect today’s understanding of disability”.

 

The spokeswoman said overall spending in this area would increase from £12.5bn in 2009-10 to £13.8bn in 2015-16, and added that the number of people losing benefits would be 450,000 by 2018. The figure of 600,000 used by Scope included “notional losers who never get on the benefit in the first place”, she added.

 

She went on: “We very consciously do not use the language of ‘scroungers’ and ‘workshy’ as it’s clear that the system itself has trapped many people in a spiral of welfare dependency.

 

“That’s why this government is making such a radical overhaul of the benefits system to ensure that everyone who needs help and support receives it.”

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from → disability political policies, london 2012, Paralympics, politics

Three More Remploy Factories To Close

August 29, 2013
by

What a shame.

Three of the last remaining Remploy factories are to close, threatening 160 disabled workers with redundancy, the company has announced.

Remploy opened its first factories in the 1940s as part of the creation of the welfare state, employing disabled workers in a series of different enterprises ranging from furniture and packaging manufacturing to recycling electrical appliances and operating CCTV systems and control rooms.

The government said last year it would reduce its subsidy to Remploy, following an independent review that recommended that state funding should focus on support for individuals, rather than subsidising factory businesses.

At the time of the announcement in March last year, there were 54 Remploy factories, as well as the company’s recruitment arm, employing a total of 3,600 workers. About 1,700 factory jobs have since been lost, and by the end of the year there will be no Remploy factories left because of closures and sales. Remploy said the government had put in place a comprehensive package of support, including a personal caseworker, to help disabled workers who are losing their jobs.

The general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Frances O’Grady,said: “The government’s withdrawal of support for Remploy factories continues to put hundreds of disabled people out of work and gives the lie to ministers’ claims about supporting disabled people.”

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from → disability political policies, politics

Breaking News: Katie Thorpe’s Mum Trying For Hysterectomy Again

August 28, 2013
by

With great shock, I’ve just seen this Tweet:

https://twitter.com/lisybabe/status/372776317466320896

Apparently:

https://twitter.com/lisybabe/status/372776740935831553

According to @lisybabe, this was on BBC London news earlier. Unfortunately I missed it, but I would love to watch the report if anyone has a link or to read about this if anyone has a link to an online news story please.

As for my feelings about the case of Katie Thorpe, they are here and here.

Update 11pm: I’ve now heard the report. Alison Thorpe is inspired by this case. That just makes me feel even worse.

Update 29/8: A similar report from ITV news with thanks to Matthew Smith.

 

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from → updates

I Have A Dream For Disabled People

August 28, 2013
by

Fifty years ago today, Martin Luther King had a dream for people of colour in America.

Today, I have a dream for disabled people in Britain.

In 1995, we got our first Disability Discrimination Act. In 2007, we got our first disabled Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Today, we have disabled Members of Parliament, disabled Lords and Ladies.

Yet we are still not free. Our lives are still  sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. We live on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. We are languishing in the corners of British society. We  find ourselves exiles in our own land.

So I find myself writing this speech to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense, I am trying to cash a cheque. When the Government of 1995 wrote the then-magnificent words of the Disability Discrimination Act, they were signing a  promissory note to which every disabled person in Britain was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all disabled people, yes, learning disabled people as well as physically disabled people, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that Britain has defaulted on this promissory note. Instead of honouring this sacred Act of British Law, our current Government has cut our benefits, leaving us with insufficient funds to survive- to eat and to drink.

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. Last year, in this very beautiful city, Paralympic athletes from all corners of our great planet gathered and put a bright spotlight on how much our people can achieve if given the opportunity.

So I have come to cash this cheque, a cheque that will give us upon demand the money to buy food and drink and to pay for the security of shelter. I sit in my beautiful hometown of London, writing this speech, in an effort to remind Britain of the fierce urgency my people are facing now.

Disabled people have no more time to  engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.

Now is the time for our Government to make real the promises made to us when they were elected by democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of being seen as ‘benefit scroungers’ to the sunlit path of acceptance and understanding. Now is the time to lift our people from the quick sands of segregation to the solid rock of brotherhood with the mainstream. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

It would be fatal for our Government to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of disabled people’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom from benefit cuts and equality in all areas of mainstream society.

Twenty Thirteen is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that I am just blowing off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the Government returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquillity in Britain until disabled people are granted their basic human rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining the benefits we need to survive we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds against our Government, our councils and ATOS.   Let us not seek to satisfy our need for suitable shelter,  our  thirst and hunger, by drinking from the cup of bitterness and eating from a plate of hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvellous new militancy which has engulfed the disabled  community must not lead us to a distrust of all non-disabled people, for many of our non-disabled brothers and sisters,  as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We must remember that we cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking us, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as disabled people like Jody McIntyre are the victims of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.

We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, can no longer gain lodging in the homes that hold our memories because we lack the money to pay the Bedroom Tax. We cannot be satisfied as long as the disabled person’s basic mobility is from a two-bedroom home to a one-bedroom one.

We can never be satisfied as long as we are stripped of our selfhood and robbed of our dignity in institutions like Winterbourne View. Those institutions may need to exist, but we cannot rest until we ensure that they are properly regulated.

We cannot be satisfied as long as we believe that the Government for which disabled people are voting using our constitutional right of democracy is denying disabled people of the basic human rights of food, clothes and shelter by cutting our benefits and forcing us to leave our homes as a result of the Bedroom Tax.  No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until the Bedroom Tax is abolished and PIP is replaced once again by DLA.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow beds which you have left with great difficulty. Some of you have already seen your quest for benefits leave you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of ATOS cruelty. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Edinburgh, go back to Glasgow, go back to Cardiff, go back to the Welsh valleys, go back to Northern Ireland, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

  I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in my knowledge of the values of human decency.

I have a dream that one day the British Government will realise that in the eyes of God, all humans are created equal.

I have a dream that one day in an office canteen, disabled people working suitable hours and non-disabled people working full time will be able to eat lunch together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day British society, currently sweltering with the heat of injustice towards and oppression of disabled people, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice for all people.

I have a dream that disabled children will one day live in a nation where they will be recognised not by the make of their wheelchair or walking aid, not by the breed of their guide dog, but by the content of their character.

Martin Luther King had a dream fifty years ago. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, in mainstream schools and in special schools, little disabled children and little non-disabled children will be able to join hands and learn and play together and from each other as sisters and brothers.

Martin Luther King had a dream fifty years ago. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every building shall contain a lift, every staircase and kerb shall be made lower, every rough surface shall be made smooth, and all British people shall be able to walk our streets and go about our business together in safety.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I come towards the end of this speech with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to play together, to struggle together, to learn together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

Let ATOS leave Edinburgh!

Let ATOS leave Glasgow!

Let ATOS leave Cardiff!

Let ATOS leave London!

Let ATOS leave Belfast!

Let the Bedroom Tax be abolished by every council in Britain. Let DLA return to stay.

And when this happens, when the Bedroom Tax is abolished, when ATOS leaves every village, every town, every street and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all British people, disabled and non-disabled, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the people of Martin Luther King , “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Martin Luther King had a dream fifty years ago. I have a dream today.

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from → disability political policies, politics, sd1's original writing, speeches, tributes

‘I Might As Well Die’ Desperate Letters From Those Written Off By ATOS To The Mirror

August 28, 2013
by

A week ago, in this column, I told the story of Dr Greg Wood, the whistle-blower who resigned from Atos – the controversial French company paid £110 million a year to test British benefits claimants.

Dr Wood left the company after his bosses asked him to declare a person he felt was severely ill “fit for work”.

There has been an astonishing response from readers, a deluge of personal horror stories about the Work ­Capability Assessment.

Every letter supports what Dr Wood claimed – that following the election of the Coalition government, the WCA was made more stringent and is “cracking down on people who can’t defend themselves”.

One of the hardest to read came from Sarah, a woman from Northumberland who wishes to remain anonymous.

Over her last three Atos assessments she has gone from 21 points to 0 – despite suffering a chronic back condition that has left her barely able to move.

With her benefits cut, she feels such a burden on her family that she has contemplated taking her own life.

“Instead, six months ago,” 47-year-old Sarah says, “I started suffering some gastro-intestinal problems, the kind you see on adverts followed by the advice to see your GP in case it’s cancer. I’ve been ignoring them… if it’s cancer then nobody needs to feel bad when I die…”

These are desperate letters.

Another came from a man saying that if his WCA appeal fails he intends to stop his thyroid medication which would kill him in a fortnight.

He compared his political stance with that of Bobby Sands, the IRA man who died on a hunger strike.

There were also tales of eye-watering incompetence.

Last week, a couple of days after Liam Byrne, Labour spokesman on social ­security, accused the Department for Work and Pensions of being “guilty of incompetence on an industrial scale,” a woman called Lyn Bruce signed for a package from the DWP.

For seven months she has been appealing against being found fit for work.

Inside – in a huge breach of data protection – was a 260-page medical report on a woman called Shelley Maxwell.

Lyn, 54, is a former bakery manager from Kettering, Northants. Shelley, 51, is a former office worker from a village near Buxton, Derbys.

Lyn has four prolapsed spinal discs, a muscle-wasting illness, depression and a hole in the heart.

She asked for her paperwork after going from 32 to 0 points at her WCA.

Shelley suffers from lifelong debilitating sleep disorders, diabetes, anxiety and depression. She is currently appealing a decision to cut the disability premium to her income support.

When Lyn opened the package, she panicked. She says: “Who had got my files and all my personal information?”

She rang the DWP but also called Shelley to warn her that her notes were in the wrong hands. “We are both making an official complaint,” Shelley adds.

Shelley hasn’t been able to pay utility bills since her income support was cut. “Gas, electric, water – they are mounting up. I’ve even stopped opening them,” she says.

Lyn has still not received her notes. Meanwhile, on her reduced benefit, her family is struggling to pay the mortgage. “It’s just so much worry,” Lyn says. “You hear of people who’ve committed suicide, well that’s gone through my mind more than once. They’ve scored me zero points. Thay are calling me a liar. I can’t bear it. They’re messing with people’s lives.”

The DWP says: “We take the protection of people’s personal information very seriously. This was a regrettable case of human error and we have apologised to both people involved. We also visited Mrs Bruce to ensure the document was returned safely.”

It adds: “We have considerably improved the Work Capability Assessment process. The percentage of people entitled to Employment and Support Allowance is now at its highest level with over half of people completing a WCA eligible for the benefit, but everyone has the right to appeal a decision if they disagree.”

So far, Lyn’s appeal has taken 28 weeks. Atos appeal tribunals cost the taxpayer £15million last year.

Last week, the cost of the welfare “reforms” were estimated at £1.4billion. No wonder, despite draconian cuts, the bill keeps soaring.

Meanwhile, a leaked survey has revealed DWP staff working on the universal credit system found the work was “soul destroying” and said there was zero leadership.

Yesterday the charity Parkinson’s UK joined the fray, saying that 45% of people with lifelong illnesses like Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis were told they should work – and accusing the Government of “unspeakable failure”.

Today, this newspaper tells how people are charged up to £130 for the paperwork for WCA appeals. And of a wheelchair user who applied for a job at Atos but couldn’t get to the interview because the lift only went to the fifth floor.

Welfare reform is the most cynical of this cynical Government’s policies. This is the human equivalent of fracking – a violently destructive force that tears through vulnerable fault lines, the weakest parts first.

Yet where is the mass opposition standing alongside disability groups like DPAC and Atos Miracles? Where are the celebrities? The sympathy is greater for badgers than for disabled welfare ­claimants.

“I’ve been accosted in the street by strangers and berated for being a ‘leech’ because I walk with a stick,” Sarah writes. “Twice I’ve had both abuse and missiles hurled at me from moving cars.”

If Sarah lets cancer take over her body, that’s one less person on the sick, right?

Nathan’s cash card

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the opening of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

A year on, the charity United Response asked people with disabilities and their families to create postcards showing what’s important to them.

The result is a fascinating, moving exhibition that includes postcards created by people from mums, teenagers and care workers to Paralympians Hannah Cockroft and Dame Sarah Storey and celebs including Emma Thompson.

For his postcard, ‘Taxing Times’, Nathan Lee Davies, 36, from Wrexham, North Wales, created a No To Bedroom Tax sign on his duvet, made out of 2p coins.

He says: “I was fortunate enough to win my appeal against this ludicrous levy, but I know plenty of people who have been much less fortunate.”

Nathan has a condition called Friedreich’s Ataxia – a progressive, genetic disease of the nervous system that has left him using a wheelchair.

He says: “‘No To Bedroom Tax’ is written with 2p coins on my bed to symbolise the poverty of the disabled population. I couldn’t afford to use £1 coins. The Coalition has seen to that.”

The exhibition runs at Bankside Gallery, Southbank, London, from September 11 to 15 – and will then tour Gateshead, Bristol and ­Liverpool.

Create and submit your own postcard via www.postcardsfromtheedges.org.uk.

Show some compassion

In May, I reported that Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council was the first to start eviction proceedings over the bedroom tax. The council denied this, saying they were adopting a no-evictions policy until they’d had a chance to study the impact of the reforms.

Yet this week, severely disabled single mum Lorraine Fraser was told by the same council that she is to be evicted from her specially adapted flat. The council claimed Lorraine has “consistently refused to fully engage with us”.

Lorraine is a wheelchair user who suffers from scoliosis and arthritis. She owes £248 bedroom tax – £62 a month – on the three-bedroom council home she shares with her two teenage children, aged 19 and 17.

“Where will I go?” she asks. “I need a specially adapted home just to survive. What kind of people would throw a disabled woman and her kids out on the street? They have no compassion or conscience.”

No Lorraine, they don’t.

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More #TMSO Clips

August 28, 2013
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UN Watchdog To Investigate Bedroom Tax

August 28, 2013
by

This article written by Rory MacKinnon and originally titled ‘Watchdog probes tax ‘linked to suicide cases’ was first published by the Morning Star on Tuesday 27th August 2013. I read it at the Welfare News Service and am sharing based on their copyright policy which allows reproduction of articles in return for credit to their organisation.

A UN watchdog will touch down in Britain tomorrow to investigate the “bedroom tax” and eviction threats driving tenants to suicide.

United Nations special rapporteur Raquel Rolnik is charged with assessing whether member states have delivered on the right to adequate housing – a fact-finding mission that is likely to infuriate PM David Cameron.

The PM described Britain in a speech to the UN last year as “a country that keeps its promises to the poorest.”

Yet more than 660,000 of the poorest households in Britain are expected to fall into arrears under the coalition policy, with charities warning that around two-thirds are home to someone with a disability.

The scheme cuts social tenants’ housing benefits by up to a quarter if the Department for Work and Pensions deems their homes “under-occupied.”

Those households, with a median gross income of £209 a week, then rack up an average £728 a year in arrears – the equivalent of six weeks’ rent.

If they cannot pay, local authorities and housing associations have threatened eviction – but the authority may decide not to provide even temporary accommodation as failure to pay rent is technically classified as “intentional homelessness.”

Ms Rolnik is expected to meet with government officials, NGOs, housing associations and individuals in a tour of England and Scotland.

The Anti-Bedroom Tax and Benefit Justice Federation’s Eileen Short said they would be “spelling out in human terms the injustice, insecurity, debt and despair caused by the Bedroom Tax and other benefit cuts.”

The arrival follows a ‘mass sleep-out’ of thousands of demonstrators across Britain on Saturday to highlight a surge in rough sleeping and homelessness if the policy continues.

Greater Manchester Against the Bedroom Tax’s Mark Krantz said he hoped many of those at Saturday’s sleep-out would come share their own stories with Ms Rolnik and supply written statements for her report.

Mr Krantz showed the Morning Star recent footage of residents preparing to resist an eviction – only to hear from bailiffs over the phone that they were delayed as a tenant in Oldham facing eviction had hanged himself to death.

“To have actually hung himself over the bedroom tax while waiting for eviction – that’s unbelievable,” he said.

Submissions can be sent to the Special Rapporteur’s office at gro.rhcho@gnisuohrs or delivered in hard copy during meetings.

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Atos Madness: CP Man Antony Walker Found Fit For Work

August 28, 2013
by

BRAVE Antony Walker has spent his whole life battling cerebral palsy. But when Atos put him through their hated fit-for-work test, he scored ZERO.

The 25-year-old Scot needed 15 points in the tick-box test to get the benefit payments he needed.

But despite his debilitating brain condition, which forces him to use crutches and makes simple tasks a painful struggle, he says the French company “for all intents and purposes considered me able-bodied”.

After the assessment, Iain Duncan Smith’s Department for Work and Pensions refused to give Antony employment and support allowance and told him to start looking for a job.

Stunned, Antony appealed. It took him eight months to get a hearing. And after hearing the evidence, an expert panel needed just 10 minutes to decide Atos were wrong.

Antony became one of tens of thousands of people to win appeals after Atos Work Capability Assessments.

The Government’s own statistics have shown that more than a third of people who challenge decisions – 37 per cent – get them overturned.

There have been more than 600,000 appeals since Work Capability Assessments began, at a cost to the taxpayer of about £60million a year.

Antony, from Greenock, wants to work. Despite his condition, he finished a university degree in Italian and marketing and has applied for dozens of jobs.

But his condition makes life a daily struggle and he was outraged at how the Atos test dismissed it.

He told the Record: “I have a lifelong condition. If anything, it’s not going to get better – it’s going to get worse.

“But the fact I could score zero meant that for all intents and purposes Atos considered me to be an able-bodied person. I was quite shocked by that.

“I just don’t think the assessments are designed to reflect how wide-ranging disability can be. It was black and white. It didn’t take grey areas into account.

“Much of the assessment was incorrect or misleading. They wrote that I could walk 500 metres, but it doesn’t mean
I’m on a par with an able-bodied person.

“Yes, I can walk 500 metres. But by the time I get there, I’m exhausted and in pain.

“Atos had me down as able to lift a box, but that requires great effort for me. I can’t lift boxes all day.

“And I was assessed as being able to do my shopping in 20 minutes, when in fact I’d said it takes me 20 minutes to do my shopping online. It’s not as though I pop down to Sainsbury’s.” 

Antony had his benefits docked last September, costing him more than £2000 a year. He didn’t get to state his case at an appeal hearing until this May.

A second hearing was held last month. Antony says the panel, including a doctor and an independent
adjudicator, found in his favour after 10 minutes of deliberation.

He now has his ESA, but he will have to go through the whole Atos “rigmarole” again within two years when disability living allowance is replaced with the personal independence payment.

“It’s something I’ve got used to,” he said. “I’m a pretty tough and determined person, so I don’t let it get me down.”

Atos have been paid more than £754million to assess benefits claimants for the UK Government. They have been handed another £400million contract to carry out PIP assessments.

They denied claims in May by a doctor who used to work for them that their staff were trained to give people failing scores.

Ministers admitted in July that a DWP review had found Atos assessments to be of unacceptably poor quality. The Con-Dems said they would bring in other providers to do some of the tests.

Atos and the DWP said they couldn’t discuss Antony’s case directly.

The DWP said Work Capability Assessments had been “considerably improved” since 2010, and the percentage of people getting long-term unconditional support had more than doubled in two years.

An Atos Healthcare spokesman said: “We would encourage anybody not satisfied with their assessment to complain to us directly.

“We will review their case and take action where appropriate by providing advice, feedback and, where necessary, additional training to the doctor, nurse or physiotherapist involved.”

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Clips From #TMSO The Mass Sleep Out

August 28, 2013
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Storme Toolis To Star In New Tricks

August 27, 2013
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from → Famously DisAbled, Fun Stuff

Storme Toolis On Woman’s Hour

August 27, 2013
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DisAbled actress, star of The Inbetweeners movie and theatre blogger Storme Toolis was on Woman’s Hour this morning. If you missed her and would like to hear her, it will be available on iPlayer here soon.

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Paul McCauley- Injured In Sectarian Attack, Now Asked If Fit For Work

August 27, 2013
by

A Londonderry man left in a permanent vegetative state following a sectarian attack has been asked by the Social Security Agency if he is fit for work.

 

Paul McCauley, 36, was attacked by a gang at a barbecue in the Waterside area of the city on 16 July 2006.

 

He suffered severe brain injuries and requires round-the-clock care. One man is serving 12 years for his part in the assault.

 

Mr McCauley’s family told the BBC they are “disgusted” by the letter.

 

His father, Jim, said a 12-page document with 30 questions had been posted around the Christmas period in 2012.

 

“In the majority of the questions we had to record that our son is in a permanent vegetative state,” he said.

 

“I tried to phone the department but I didn’t get through to anyone.

 

“I was later sent a second form and I assumed it was an error.

 

“I filled in the first form myself and attached the specialist neurosurgeon report along with a report from Paul’s GP.”

 

Mr McCauley told the BBC that he felt he had responded adequately to the Social Security Agency the first time and said Christmas time was an “extremely insensitive period” to send such document.

 

“Something the Social Security Agency should look at is how they collect information,” he said.

 

“This was quite distressing for the entire family at the time and talking about it now brings back memories.

 

“All the agencies are entitled to collect their information but some greater sensitivity should be shown for those involved in an industrial accident, a road accident, a sectarian or drunken attack.

 

“There is a lot of trauma for the family and it’s not eased when forms like this really rub salt in the wounds.”

 

A spokesperson for the Social Security Agency said: “Whilst the Social Security Agency is unable to comment on individual cases, it does acknowledge that asking family members to complete complex benefit forms on behalf of their ill relative can sometimes be both difficult and emotional.

 

“Incapacity benefit is being replaced by Employment Support Allowance and the 83,000 existing incapacity benefit claimants do not automatically receive the new benefit but are mandated by law to complete an application form if they wish apply for it.

 

“In all cases the agency writes to and telephones all claimants to talk them through the process and offer support. The agency has put in place arrangements to fast track applications by people who are terminally ill or have a serious illness to ensure they receive their payment as soon as possible.

 

“In these types of cases involving terminally ill or very seriously ill people, the health assessor will decide that there is no requirement for a face to face assessment to determine if the claimant is fit for work.”

 

The Agency said they are continuing to work with a wide range of voluntary groups to ensure the process is simple for people with terminal or serious illnesses to apply for and get their social security benefits.

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Four Leading Charities Probe The WCA

August 27, 2013
by

Thousands of people with progressive conditions such as Parkinson’s and MS, are being told they could recover enough to look for work, according to charities.

The government’s controversial Work Capability Assessment is again under fire after a coalition of four leading charities claimed that 45% of people were told they would be able to work again following assessment for Employment Support Allowance.

 

Parkinson’s UK, MS Society, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society and Cystic Fibrosis Trust have called for the abolition of the system saying it is “farcical” and “defies belief”.

 

Between 2008 and 2011, 13,600 people with cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or rheumatoid arthritis applied for Employment Support Allowance, figures show.

 

Nearly half were placed in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) after being assessed for Employment Support Allowance, where charities claim they should have been in the Support Group, which doesn’t require the individual to seek work.

 

Sue Watson, from Leeds, is one of  580,000 people in England who suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis.

 

On bad days it can make even the smallest movements intensely painful.

 

When she was forced to give up her work as an aromatherapist her Work Capability Assessment placed her in WRAG.

 

“It has a detrimental effect because stress affects rheumatoid arthritis,” she says.

 

“So the stress of being felt that you’re on the scrap heap and that you’re not believed, and to think that I’m going to be forced to go back into work even though I can’t, that had a huge impact on me.”

 

Caroline Hacker, Head of Policy at Parkinson’s UK said “This is the latest in a long line of unspeakable failures by Atos Healthcare (who carry out the assessments) and the Government when it comes to supporting those who need it most.

 

“To set up a system which tells people who’ve had to give up work because of a debilitating progressive condition that they’ll recover, is farcical and simply defies belief.”

 

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “It’s ridiculous to suggest that we think people with degenerative conditions will ‘recover’. However, it is important that we don’t simply write people off. There is strong evidence that working can be beneficial for many people who have a health condition.”

 

An Atos Healthcare spokesman said: “Our healthcare professionals are trained in the assessment of chronic and progressive conditions such as Parkinson’s and understand that, sadly, some people’s conditions will only get worse over time.

 

“However, the advice we are asked to give DWP concentrates on how individuals are affected by their illness at present.

 

“All decisions on the outcome of claims, for example whether they are placed in the WRAG or the Support Group, are made by DWP.”

 

The charities though are calling for an end to a system which they say causes unnecessary stress and anxiety for people who are already in poor health.

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A Statement From The Founder Of The Welfare News Service

August 27, 2013
by

On terrible hate crimes being experienced by one of their bloggers. Same Difference would like to join the Welfare News Service in offering full support to this lady.

STATEMENT:

I am absolutely disgusted to find out that a lady who has done some guest blogs for us, and whom managed to set up their own online store to sell their arts despite being sick and disabled, has come under a barrage of attacks from a number of cruel individuals.

This lady has gone through a great deal in life and despite her disabilities refused to give in. Instead she chose to follow her dreams of setting up her own business, even whilst being hounded by callous individuals labelling her a fake and a scrounger because she claimed disability benefits. They did not believe that she was blind because she was capable of writing. They clearly need to learn a thing or two about blindness.

This lady did everything that was asked of her (and more) in finding work, despite the lack of any real help from the government or anyone else. Despite this she is still being bombarded by abuse to such a level that it has resulted in her health deteriorating. If society wants more people to come of benefits and into work this isn’t the way to make it happen.

The poor lady has now been forced to take her new business offline, due to the abuse she has received (and the resulting stress caused) and will probably have to go back to claiming the benefits she tried so hard to move away from.

Those responsible should be disgusted with themselves and both I and the Welfare News Service as a whole send our very best wishes to the lady involved. We hope those responsible are made fully accountable and punished for their actions as soon as reasonably possible.

The Welfare News Service will not tolerate any kind of abuse against our writers, including those who provide us with guest posts. This extends to our readers who send us letters and all others connected with our service.

Steven Preece

Founder & Editor of the Welfare News Service

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CEA Card Gives Carers Free Cinema Access

August 27, 2013
by

I have only recently found out that the CEA card exists. This is a national card, giving one carer a free cinema ticket if they are accompanying a blind person, or a person who gets DLA, PIP, Attendance Allowance, or Armed Forces Independence Payment.

I wanted to share this information with any of you who might not have heard of the card and to ask- are there any other similar schemes out there that we could share with each other?

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Broadcasters Failing Deaf And Blind People, Says David Blunkett

August 27, 2013
by

David Blunkett believes broadcasters are failing deaf and blind people by using garbled subtitles and by being reluctant to dub foreign programmes.

The MP and former Labour home secretary also said TV executives were guilty of “worshipping the cult of youth”.

Blunkett, who was born blind, said deaf people were struggling with subtitles such as “the Arsenal player has been fouled by a zebra” (instead of referring to footballer Patrice Evra) and “looking for the prince of chemical and bionicle weapons” (principally chemical and biological weapons).

He also complained that blind people were left frustrated when foreign dramas and documentaries were not dubbed.

Blunkett told the Radio Times that broadcasters were failing to deal with a “growing problem” of an ageing population, many of whom suffered from blindness and deafness.

He said: “Broadcasters talk a good deal about equality, but preaching is not enough. In an ageing population, people with hearing and sight impairments are becoming part of the mainstream.

“It’s no longer about a minority: we’re a major sector of the viewing public, and we have the same rights as everyone else who pays the licence fee.

“Today, the way TV executives worship the cult of youth seems to be an unstoppable fetish.

“It is the trendy, the metropolitan and … the under-40s who determine what we view and what we listen to.

“But much of the spending power reflects an older age group. The ageing population wields a very powerful incentive: our financial muscle.”

He added: “There is an increasing tendency for overseas material to be broadcast without being dubbed.

“I appreciate that many people don’t like dubbed dialogue, but if you’re blind it’s invaluable – you can piece together the storylines simply by listening to what is said.”

In May, new director-general Tony Hall said the BBC could look at how to stop actors “muttering” in its TV dramas, and that the corporation was trying to address the problem of background music making it difficult for some viewers, particularly older ones, to hear what was being said on programmes.

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Jim Davidson Aims Sick ‘Jokes’ At Paralympians

August 26, 2013
by

I’ve just been sent this by a reader. I have no words.

Comic Jim Davidson is under fire after he made bad-taste jokes about two of Britain’s ­Paralympic gold medal heroines.

The millionaire “Nick Nick” comic appeared to target cyclist Sarah Storey, 35, who won four golds in London, and swimmer Ellie Simmonds, 18, who took gold twice and set a world record.

Ellie has a form of short-limb dwarfism and Sarah was born without a functioning left hand.

Davidson, 59, made the sick cracks in his first stand-up show since being cleared of 10 allegations of sex abuse against women.

He told a 750-strong crowd in Torquay: “I was watching Sports Personality of the Year and I said to my missus, ‘There’s a midget’.

“She said, ‘For f***’s sake don’t call her that’. She’s a swimmer. Apparently we had a little girl, formerly known as midget, wins the medals.

“All I said to my missus, see what you think of this, ‘Did she race against other midgets then did she?’

“I said someone’s got to work out what is the value of one midget.

“I’m not taking the p*** out of the disabled person or the small girl, it’s the way they put these things together.”
 

Davidson then changed his focus to Sarah.

He said: “The girl cyclist that won four gold medals – brilliant wasn’t she? What was her disability? Half her hand missing, right?

“How does that disable you from cycling the f****** bike? So she can’t ring her f****** bell.”

The ex-Big Break host continued to poke fun at the disabled during his 70-minute routine on Thursday.

Ellie’s mum Val Simmonds, of Aldridge, West Midlands, hit back. She said: “I don’t think he’s funny.

“I think he is sad, full stop. If other people want to go and listen to that sort of drivel, let them get on with it. That sort of comedy is very much outdated.”

The British Paralympic Association also blasted Davidson.

In a statement it said: “Paralympians have a great sense of humour and can take a joke – it just has to be a good one.

“The so-called humour of Jim Davidson is best left in the 1970s.”

What he said

I didn’t watch the disabled games because I laugh. No, I can’t help it. Wheelchair rugby – to you it’s inspiring. To me – f**** robot wars.

I remember seeing a 6ft 2in black man, skinny, black vest on, no arms, do the high jump.

I f**** laughed all week. He looked like a Peperami man. It stuck in my f**** mind.

Someone with no arms is f*** in the javelin – unless they are catching the f**** thing.

That’s all I’m saying.

I f**** hate midgets, f**** midgets, they are horrible. I haven’t got anything against…well, yes I have.

I don’t like anyone who can s*** their c*** in their sock.

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Linda Ronstadt Has Parkinsons

August 26, 2013
by

Singer Linda Ronstadt says she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Ronstadt, 67, was a regular in the US charts in the 1970s and ’80s, winning 10 Grammy Awards.

She was diagnosed eight months ago, she told AARP magazine, and now “can’t sing a note”. “No one can sing with Parkinson’s disease,” she said. “No matter how hard you try.”

Parkinson’s is a progressive brain condition that can cause shaking, slow movement and stiff muscles.

‘Completely shocked’

She initially put her inability to sing and the shaking in her hands down to a tick bite and shoulder surgery, she said.

“I couldn’t sing and I couldn’t figure out why,” she said. “I knew it was mechanical. I knew it had to do with the muscles, but I thought it might have also had something to do with the tick disease that I had.

“It didn’t occur to me to go to a neurologist. I think I’ve had it for seven or eight years already, because of the symptoms that I’ve had. Then I had a shoulder operation, so I thought that’s why my hands were trembling.

“Parkinson’s is very hard to diagnose, so when I finally went to a neurologist and he said, ‘Oh, you have Parkinson’s disease,’ I was completely shocked. I wouldn’t have suspected that in a million, billion years.”

Ronstadt scored 10 hits in the US top 10 including When Will I Be Loved, Somewhere Out There and the 1975 number one You’re No Good.

In the UK, her biggest success came when Don’t Know Much, her duet with Aaron Neville, reached number two in 1989.

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Dear Mr Cameron, What Kind Of Society Have We Become?

August 25, 2013
by

From the Welfare News Service. I am sharing it because I think it should go viral.

My name is Branwyn. Everyone else knows me as @welshwallace on twitter. We hide behind monikers on social network sites for all reasons but tonight I want to be known by my name, Branwyn. You see I am a person, a human being. Yet we have become entrench with living lives online that sometimes we forget we are really interacting with other human beings and this is seeping into real life where we judge people, we demean people and we disrespect people every day that to some it is becoming second nature. So as I said my name is Branwyn.

I have had everything you could think have thrown at me in life at some point along the way. Yet, until now I never gave up. I never quit. My life changed when I lost my sight through head injuries. I lost the use of an arm and my internal organs are a mess limiting my abilities greatly but I still believed in myself, I still wanted to be someone and something. But over the past 3 months I have been chipped away by so many things I have nothing left except maybe this very honest piece.

I want to work so badly yet I am rejected as a waste of time and effort. I applied for hundreds of jobs I could do. The first 100 CVs that went out, not a single reply. The second hundred that went out I received 73 replies for interviews. All because the second set I removed [the fact that] I was blind, yet once they knew any interview offer was withdrawn. I tried to enter work programs but was told by the DWP I was not a viable person to invest in as my employment prospects were nil. I tried to access the Disability Advisor for the DWP but told I would have to make an 80 mile journey as they do not speak to people like me on the phone. I needed to fill in DWP forms yet they do not supply them in Braille or audio and do not offer help to fill in forms. Everywhere I turned the door was closed in my face one way or another.

I set up a crowd funding appeal to set up a business and in return was bombarded with vile abuse to kill myself. Attacking the fact I was blind. Attacking how I drained tax payer’s resources as I had nothing to offer. Being judged as someone who is lazy, who is a scrounger. Who does not want to work? Through brilliant people who did believe in me I set up an online shop. I did everything by the book and now the subject of a witch hunt by the DWP. Now I am being reviewed, having to provide proof they already have about my sight loss etc. This in itself is not a problem but the way you are spoken to over the phone is nothing short of inhumane. The staffs are rude and short with you no matter how polite you are. They rebuff sarcastically how I do things like read my bills if I need help filling out forms. Explaining I get everything in Braille or audio it only makes the attitude of the staff worse. This is not a sole employer but a general attitude of many.

I cannot go outside without being accused as a fake or scrounger. Never once does it occur to people I am trying hard to make a living because they have been bombarded with rhetoric by Iain Duncan Smith, Lord Freud and David Cameron; that if you have a disability you’re worthless, you’re nothing except a dishonest scrounger. I am anything but a human being. And it passes down into the street. Disability hate crime increases yet this is acceptable and requires no investigations into why this has happened. I myself have been targeted in my home with people outside throwing abuse and making my life hell so bad that the rest of the street also complained. My complaints were not enough for action until others complained. But they didn’t complain because they were fearful of my safety but because it became so bad it disturbed their peaceful nights.

I have put my heart and soul into this shop. I ignore the constant bombardment of abuse. I ignore being isolated more and more each day. I ignore being treated with contempt – but something needs to be done. Something needs to change with the way people behave and act. Something needs to be done to bring the current rhetoric of this government to account. People are being destroyed everyday dealing with the above. I am being destroyed by the above.

What happened to a society where people cared and supported each other? Treated each other with respect. The past 2 weeks my health has seriously declined. I have constant heart pain and shortness of breath yet being self-employed I cannot afford to stay in hospital.

After everything I have gone through I have never felt so defeated, so lonely and so resigned to the impossible mountain of hate towards me that stands in front of me for having a disability. People say stick with it, things will change yet they do not live my life. They do not walk in my shoes so have no idea how empty those words feel. Living with hope does not pay the bills I cannot pay or buy food I cannot afford.

What kind of country celebrates opening a food bank for people who are unable, like me, to eat every day? Who cannot afford food or a decent meal? Having a Grand opening with a gourmet buffet for MPs? Since when has celebrating the need for a food bank become part of our society? To me, there should not be the need of food banks. I cannot access one because I am unable to make the journey because of my disabilities so I go without. They are not for people pulling a scam either as you have to go through vigorous checks to even get a voucher. When will people live in the real world of what is happening out there, happening to people like me who try so damn hard and yet made to feel so excluded, so sub-human you just give up.

What kind of country allows newspapers to constantly feed the hatred of those with disabilities? Everyday papers like the Daily Mail or Daily Telegraph who are just two of many, feed false statistics – just like IDS does in parliament to fit in with their own agenda. Doesn’t matter how untrue or false or manipulated the story is as long as it makes a good juicy headline. They then act shocked when something appalling happens which in essence they created with their bad sensational journalism.

We used to be known as Great Britain, now we are just known as Britain because we have nothing to be proud of anymore judging by the way we treat others in society.

I tried so hard. I gave it everything I got but I have nothing left in me to keep fighting a society that has turned so ugly. Mr Cameron, Mr Iain Duncan Smith and Lord Freud if my heart gives out very soon my blood will solely be on your hands, nobody else’s. You have created this society that hates disabled people, you alone are responsible for all the damage that has been done in this society towards disabled people. Do what you want to me because there is nothing left inside except an empty numb shell that is just exhausted in trying to be accepted as a human being.

Guest Post By @welshwallace (Branwyn)

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from → disability political policies, politics

Frank Turner Defends Reading Festival Wheelchair ‘Stunt’

August 25, 2013
by

Frank Turner has spoken about entering the Reading Festival stage yesterday (August 23) in a wheelchair – watch the video by scrolling down.

Earlier this week, the singer revealed that he had been forced to cancel a handful of European festival dates due to a back injury and joked that he would play Reading and Leeds Festivals even if it meant doing both dates in a wheelchair. He said: “Speaking of the future, people coming to Hatfield, Reading and Leeds need not worry – the shows will go ahead, we are working on a plan, and if I have to do them in a wheelchair I will. Everyone in my team, from the Sleeping Souls on down, are being really great about making sure that the show goes on. Thanks for your patience and good wishes.”

However, he has faced criticism from some for trivialising being in a wheelchair. Speaking to NME at Leeds festival – where he walked onstage, rather than arriving in a wheelchair – Turner hit out at those criticising his actions: “It was a bit of fun, but predictably the professionally offended on Twitter got professionally offended. I’ve got better things to do with my time than respond to that.”

Explaining the idea behind the stunt, Turner said: “I did it partly because I’m not supposed to be doing these shows because my doctor told me to cancel them and there was a moment last week when I couldn’t stand up. I turned up and my tour manager had [a wheelchair] in her house and so it was there. And then finally, yes, it’s a nod to Kurt Cobain in ’92. Nirvana are one of my favourite bands of all time.”

Asked about accusations he was being insensitive to disabled people, Turner said: “I’m obviously not mocking disabled people. For the record, the charity I do the most work with is Able2UK, which works on disabled access for shows in the UK. I personally organise disabled seating for people at all of my shows. People email me and I sort them out.”

He continued: “I’m obviously not mocking the disabled. I think it’s a real stretch actually to think that’s what I’m doing. I think that you have to be somebody whose finding reasons to be angry in life and just relax or take that energy and use it do something constructive to help the world instead of posting crappy little things.”

Martyn Sibley, editor of Disability Horizons backed up Turner’s statement. “Both Kurt Cobain and Frank Turner are intelligent, clever artists so I don’t see a negative meaning,” he said. “Controversial, maybe, but I can’t see what capital Frank would gain.”

Asked if he thought Turner was mocking the disabled, Sibley said: “Hand on my heart, I don’t think that was in intention.”

I wrote this when Lady Gaga did something similar in Sydney. I still think things like this make disabled audiences feel included and welcome, and maybe even ‘normal.’

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from → Fun Stuff

Carers Should Get Flexible Hours

August 24, 2013
by

Of course they should. But how do we find, or make, employers willing to allow this?

The UK faces a “lose-lose situation” unless workers who care for elderly parents are offered flexible working hours, the health secretary has said.

Jeremy Hunt said an ageing population and a “dementia time bomb” meant helping carers stay in work was an “economic necessity” for the country.

 

But he said too few employers currently offer carers flexible work options.

 

Meanwhile, a report has warned England is facing a shortfall in the number of people able to give vital unpaid care.

 

Mr Hunt said many workers doubled as carers for people with dementia and, with the number of sufferers expected to rise from about 800,000 now to more than a million by the end of the decade, employers must help carers stay in work.

‘Good for business’

“Too many people feel unable to combine caring for a family member with working – this will only get worse as we face the consequences of a dementia time bomb,” Mr Hunt said.

 

“We know that supporting flexible working for parents is good for business and good for the economy – it is time that the same was recognised for carers.

 

 

“By encouraging employers to do more we can build a stronger economy in a fairer society.

 

“Supporting carers is an economic necessity – leaving them to balance work and care creates a lose-lose situation for everyone.”

 

He said the UK could not afford to lose experienced workers who double as carers from the workforce.

 

The Work and Families Act 2006 gives carers the right to request changes to their working patterns to better manage their caring.

 

Employers can only reject such requests based on reasons listed in the act, most of which relate to negative effect on the business.

 

But Mr Hunt said a cultural change was needed among employers, saying carers should get the same flexible working opportunities as parents with young children.

 

Meanwhile, research by the London School of Economics (LSE) suggested a gap between the number of frail elderly people in need of care and those able to provide it free would begin to become evident in England by 2017.

 

By 2032, 160,000 elderly people could be left without the support they need, the researchers predicted.

 

LSE used population projections and survey data to compile the figures.

 

An estimated 675,000 older people currently rely on unpaid carers – mainly their children – as they fall outside the state support system, which is available to the poorest.

‘Stressed staff’

Carers UK chief executive Helena Herklots said the problem could have a profound impact on society.

 

“In addition to the personal costs to families, the costs will be felt across society and public services – more and more older people admitted to hospitals needing avoidable emergency care, businesses coping with stressed staff trying to care alongside work and the economy suffering as increasing numbers of workers are forced to quit work to care,” she said.

 

Age UK charity director Michelle Mitchell added: “These projections once again underline the huge importance of ending the crisis in social care.”

The 2011 census revealed that, at the time of the survey, 5.8m people in England and Wales provided some level of unpaid care for disabled, sick or elderly relatives – and 2.1m of those provided more than 20 hours of care per week.

 

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from → progress for carers

Crohn’s Woman Refused Use Of Job Centre Toilet

August 23, 2013
by

I have a policy, readers. I never, ever, refuse anyone use of a toilet in my home. Toilet use is a human right. Every living thing needs somewhere to use a toilet.

So how on Earth can anyone refuse a person with a condition like Crohn’s- a condition that causes severe diahorrea- use of a toilet?

If a restaurant or supermarket did this, I’d have them boycotted until they closed down. Sadly, if we boycott the JobCentre, we’ll all starve. But I will be sending this post to David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

Jobsworths at a Norwich job centre have been slammed over their ‘cruel and degrading’ treatment of an ill woman who was refused use of the toilet.

Nicola Martin, 32, who has Crohn’s disease, carries a ‘Can’t Wait’ card because the condition means she might need to “use the toilet facilities urgently”.

Despite this, staff at the Kiln House Jobcentre in Pottergate told the mother-of-two she could not use their toilet because it was ‘against job centre policy’.

Mrs Martin’s case has now been taken up by South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon, who has written a letter of complaint to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who is responsible for job centres, for an explanation.

Bosses at the job centre have apologised for their actions.

Mr Bacon said: “I am appalled by the cruel and degrading treatment my constituent had to endure. Mrs Martin was left feeling humiliated and in pain because job centre staff either wouldn’t or couldn’t understand her needs.

“I am sure there are many compassionate job centre staff across Britain who do their utmost to help Crohn’s sufferers to preserve their dignity.

“However, I understand that Mrs Martin’s experience is far from unique and that many Crohn’s sufferers struggle to have their needs taken seriously by their local job centre.

“I have asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, to look in detail at this matter and issue further guidance to his department as to how it treats Crohn’s sufferers and other people who may need assistance while attending their local job centre.”

Mrs Martin, from Bayspole Road, Long Stratton, was diagnosed with Crohn’s a year ago and is unable to work because of her condition.

She attended the job centre on August 6 for an interview with a specialist advisor related to her allowances.

Two members of staff at the reception told her it was against policy to let customers use the toilets.

After her appointment, she complained to the floor manager, who told her that, while she had a valid point, she still could not use the toilet.

She said the incident caused her humiliation and upset, leaving her in considerable pain and in fear of soiling herself in a public place. The stress of the incident also caused her symptoms to flare up after she left, worsening her condition.

She said: “What I’m most disappointed about is that they knew my medical condition beforehand, because I had included it on the form.

“Surely, I’m not the only one who has had this problem at the job centre? It’s a government building and there should be toilets that customers can use.”

She has been given a letter of support from the Crohn’s charity to take with her to the job centre in future.

The letter says: “I hope you will give serious consideration to raising awareness amongst your staff of this embarrassing and debilitating condition. A little help and understanding on their part could make all the difference.”

A spokesman for the charity, which provides support to patients with inflammatory bowel disease, the umbrella term for Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, said: “This is a problem sadly, encountered by many of our members. People have to live with the problem of an unpredictable and urgent need for access to a toilet.

“It is understandable that people find it very difficult and embarrassing having to explain to strangers why they need help. The ‘Can’t Wait’ card confirms that the card-carrier is a member of our association and needs urgent assistance and understanding because of a genuine medical condition.”

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “We apologise to Mrs Martin for not giving her access to the toilets at the job centre.

“Presently we are unable to allow claimants to use the facilities used by our staff and others occupying the building, because of constraints imposed by the landlord.

“We are currently discussing this situation with the landlord.”

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from → mainstream madness

Man With Downs Syndrome Killed By American Police- Over $12 Movie Ticket

August 22, 2013
by

A shocking email I’ve just received from Change.org:

My big brother Ethan, who had Down syndrome, was killed by three police officers earlier this year. His crime? Not buying a $12 movie ticket. And now the police officers who killed my brother are getting off with no consequences.

On January 12, 2013, my brother Ethan went to the movies. When the movie was over, he returned to his seat to see it again. Three police officers told Ethan he had to leave, but Ethan didn’t understand why. He got frustrated and afraid when the officers told him he was going to jail. His aide came into the theater and told the officers that they should not touch Ethan because it would only make him more upset. He needed time to process their request.

But the officers didn’t listen. Witnesses say they threw Ethan to the ground and piled on top of him. Seconds later, Ethan couldn’t breathe, and eventually died. The coroner ruled that his death was homicide by asphyxiation.

My family waited six months for the truth about what happened that night, but the officers’ own department investigated and decided they deserve no punishment at all.

I started a petition on Change.org calling on the governor and attorney general of Maryland to launch a criminal investigation into the officers who killed my brother. Will you click here to sign?

Part of the problem is that police officers in Maryland aren’t trained in how to deal with developmentally disabled people like my brother. I think training is an important next step in making sure that what happens to my brother never happens to anyone else. But I also want the officers who killed Ethan to be investigated for his death.

I am still in shock about what happened to my brother. I am shocked that when I go home, he isn’t there. I am shocked that these police officers let a dispute over a stupid movie ticket escalate to a point where my brother died, rather than choosing a passive approach. I am shocked that the investigation was blatantly biased and the police department continues to claim the officers did nothing wrong… like my brother’s life didn’t matter.

I am sick of being shocked. I want to do something. I want my governor and attorney general to get justice for my brother, to find out what really happened and to implement training protocols so that no other family will ever have to experience the pain my family feels. We miss Ethan every day. He didn’t deserve this. And no one else does, either.

Please sign my petition calling on Maryland’s governor and attorney general to launch a criminal investigation into the officers who killed my brother.

Thank you,

Emma Saylor
Mount Airy, MD

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from → mainstream madness

‘Jobcentre Staff Nearly Killed Me’

August 22, 2013
by

From the Welfare News Service, sharing because everyone should read it.

The following alleged event took place on 20th August 2013 at the Jobcentre on Exchange Road in Watford, according to the author of this letter.

 

I was attending a work related face to face interview. Despite being unwell, I felt I had no choice except to attend or face losing benefit entitlement. I had arranged to be taken there with the Watford voluntary transport office. I had a 2pm appointment and arrived before time and was told to take a seat, because the adviser I was to see was still at lunch.

Despite having breathing troubles (possible onset of emphysema) I waited until the lady concerned called my name. I had to be helped to stand by a member of staff and was taken to her desk. It was clear that I was under considerable distress yet she started the interview and asked me why I was there as it appeared that I was unfit to work: I had been  placed in the Work related Activity Group of Employment and Support Allowance.

I found it  difficult to breathe, let alone speak. I repeatedly asked her to call for an ambulance because I was feeling worse and yet this was ignored until she finally stopped the appointment and phoned the gentleman who had brought me to come and collect me. Again I asked her to call an ambulance and the first aider. That was the 5th time I had asked for this.

My condition continued to worsen while she was on the phone and I became semi-conscious. I was aware of 2 people around me who kept asking me if I was alright. I was unable to answer even though I could hear them. They moved from my chair and laid me on the floor on my back. At this point, I started to choke but to my knowledge no attempt was made to move me into the recovery position, despite the fact that I was choking. Somehow I managed to roll onto my left-side. The choking subsided after a short while but then I was moved onto my back which caused me to proceed to begin choking again.

To the best of my knowledge no first aider was present during this time. The jobcentre told the attending ambulance crew that I was having a heart attack, and also that I had HIV – neither of which is true. The adviser had already told me at the start of the interview that she had no medical knowledge and yet she can diagnose a heart attack, as well as someone having HIV, just by looking at me!? Nowhere is it written that I have HIV, nor that I have ever stated that I have HIV. The adviser even admitted that there was very little information on the system about my disabilities and yet it was written down on the benefits form which DWP used to assess if I was “fit to work”.

The information stated by the jobcentre staff only came to my attention because the nursing staff at Watford general hospital accident and emergency dept asked me if I was HIV [positive]. The hospital records had been checked and no mention  that I had HIV.

Fortunately I am alive, but its only due to the ambulance crew and nursing staff at the hospital. Had it been left to the jobcentre staff things could very easily been a lot different. The ambulance crew could have administered the wrong drug, going on what the staff said.

I could very easily not be here today.

James Lavery

Mr Lavery informs us that he is considering legal action and the names of Jobcentre staff involved in this alleged incident have been omitted for this reason.

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from → mainstream madness

Severely Disabled Mother Of Two Set To Become First Person In Scotland Kicked Onto Street Because Of #BedroomTax

August 22, 2013
by

This is being shared everywhere… please share it everywhere possile and lets see if we can help her.

A SEVERELY disabled single mum is to become the first council tenant in Scotland to be evicted because of the bedroom tax.

Lorraine Fraser is being kicked on to the street after her Labour-run council took court action to force her out her specially adapted flat.

She has scoliosis – curvature of the spine – and arthritis and she is wheelchair-bound.

The council moved Lorraine into a specially adapted flat with a wheelchair ramp, wet room and handrails two years ago.

Now they want to turf her out for failing to pay just £248 in bedroom tax arrears.

Lorraine, 46, said: “Where will I go? I need a specially adapted home just to survive.

“What kind of people would throw a disabled woman and her kids out on the street?

“They have no compassion or conscience.”

North Lanarkshire Council have sent Lorraine a series of hard-hitting letters, warning her that eviction proceedings are under way.

The latest letter, dated August 8, states: “I can advise you that North Lanarkshire Council has commenced court action to evict you from your home.”

She has also been told she faces paying for the authority’s “considerable” legal costs.

Lorraine receives disability living allowance. And even before the bedroom tax, she struggled to pay her bills and feed her family.

 

When the hated tax was introduced in April, she was told she would have to pay an extra £62 in rent every month.

She was informed she was being targeted because she has two spare rooms.

But Lorraine is baffled because she shares her three-bedroom flat with her daughter Collette, 19, and son Mark, 17.

They are both students who live at home, although they also spend time living with their dad, who is divorced from Lorraine.

Lorraine thought she still had a month left to fight her case because she was told in a letter that legal proceedings to evict her wouldn’t begin until September 2.

But she was devastated when the council’s letter on August 8 said they had already started court action.

Council housing officers visited her at her home in Uddingston, near Glasgow, yesterday to go through the eviction process.

Lorraine said: “I can’t believe I am going to be thrown on the street.

“My condition is getting worse every day. This has caused me so much stress and anxiety it’s making me really ill.

“I feel at the end of my tether. I have tried to explain to them that my children still live here.

“My son sometimes stays at his dad’s house because we are divorced but this is still his home.

“I feel angry, upset and totally helpless.

“I thought I still had a month to sort this mess out but then I got a letter to say they had already started the legal process.

“I feel like my life is falling apart. I have been in this house for two years and it was the council who put me here because they knew I needed a specially adapted home for my disability.

“Now they want to throw me out on the street like a piece of old rubbish.

“They are targeting the most vulnerable in our community.

“It’s a disgrace they are allowed to get away with it.”

North Lanarkshire Council are one of the few local authorities in Scotland who have refused to adopt a no-evictions policy.

In April, First Minister Alex Salmond pledged that no SNP-run council would throw out tenants who had fallen into arrears because of the bedroom tax.

North Lanarkshire Council leader Jim McCabe called the bedroom tax “the single worst piece of legislation I have ever seen”.

But that hasn’t stopped the authority from starting eviction action against their tenants.

Lorraine called on the All Scotland Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation and Glasgow lawyer Gordon Dangerfield to help save her from eviction. 

Federation chairman Tommy Sheridan said: “North Lanarkshire Council’s treatment of a disabled bedroom tax victim is shocking and shameful.

“How do these councillors and highly paid council officials sleep at night? They should be ashamed of themselves.

“They told this disabled bedroom tax victim she had until September 2 to find the money or else.

“Then they started eviction proceedings anyway. They know this woman is on the breadline yet they have harassed her.”

A North Lanarkshire Council spokesman said: “We have offered every tenant potentially affected by the bedroom tax an opportunity to have a visit or advice by phone.

“The tenant in question has consistently refused to fully engage with us and has repeatedly refused to apply for a discretionary housing payment which may help to alleviate her situation.

“We are committed to helping all tenants hit by this UK Government legislation.”

Lorraine reacted with anger to the council’s claims that she refused to cooperate with them.

She said: “It is an outright lie. I have tried to convince them that I am not eligible for the bedroom tax but they are not interested.”

4 Comments
from → disability political policies, politics

This Morning Debate: Should Assisted Suicide Be Made Legal?

August 22, 2013
by

This is going to be on This Morning today at 11.15:

After a mother and son were arrested for encouraging an assisted suicide, we ask, should it be made legal?

On August 8th 2013, Sussex Police arrested a 65-year-old mother and her 25-year-old son on suspicion of encouraging or assisting the suicide of the woman’s husband. It is alleged that they planned to take the ‘vulnerable’ man to Dignitas clinic in Switzerland to commit suicide.

In the UK, Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal. Mik Scarlet believes that this is the way it should be because assisted suicide is wrong and allowing it will create a slippery slope leading to death being seen as ‘the easy way out’ alternative to proper treatment.

Peter Squires, however, thinks that people should be allowed to die with dignity, and therefore legalising assisted suicide will help prevent unnecessary suffering and grants free choice to those who deserve it.

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from → the law

Autistic Teen Sings To Show Love For Sister

August 22, 2013
by

I was sent this video on Twitter and I liked it so much that it’s your Thursday Treat!

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from → Fun Stuff

Bradley Manning’s Gender Dysphoria

August 21, 2013
by

So, Bradley Manning has gender dysphoria, a  recognised mental health issue. This is explained very well in the collection of Tweets below.

https://twitter.com/Hypatian/status/370229556239929344

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from → DisAbility in the News

Guardian Coverage Of Atos Miracles Protest

August 21, 2013
by

I’m very pleased to see that the Guardian have today covered Atos Miracles’ latest protest in which people dressed as religious figures and marched to Atos in Liverpool.

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from → media coverage

Winterbourne View Nurse Kelvin Fore Struck Off

August 21, 2013
by

I’m two days late picking this up, but it’s oe of those times when old is gold.

A nurse whose neglect of a vulnerable patient at Winterbourne View private hospital near Bristol was exposed on the BBC’s Panorama has been struck off.

Kelvin Fore, 34, of Middlesbrough, was jailed in October for six months after admitting two charges of wilful neglect after failing to report the abuse.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) decided Fore is not fit to practise in the profession and has struck him off.

Fore who was not at the hearing agreed by submission with the NMC decision.

He was secretly filmed with 10 other members of staff by an undercover journalist.

‘Betrayed the trust’

The footage formed part of a BBC Panorama programme that caused a national outcry.

An NMC panel heard footage showed he watched while a 20-year-old woman, who had significant physical problems and profound learning difficulties, was subjected to acts of cruelty by staff, and did nothing to prevent it.

The panel, chaired by Stephen Redmond, said Fore’s fitness to practise was impaired by reason of his conviction.

“The panel determined that Mr Fore’s behaviour fell far below the standard expected of a registered nurse,” the panel said in a written judgment.

“He was in a position of authority in the home, witnessed the abuse of an especially vulnerable resident who lacked capacity and did nothing to prevent it.

“In failing to act as he should have done he betrayed the trust of the families of those vulnerable residents placed in his charge.

“His behaviour could rightly be described as ‘deplorable’.”

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from → progress, updates

Sarah Gordy

August 21, 2013
by

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from → Famously DisAbled

Paralympian Nathan Stephens Leaves Wheelchair To Dance At His Wedding

August 21, 2013
by

What a sweet midweek treat!

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from → Famously DisAbled, updates

Postcards From The Edges

August 21, 2013
by

Chris Wright, now 32, has had depression and social anxiety since he was five and by the time he was 11, had attempted suicide three times. “I wouldn’t wish a mental health disorder on anyone but I wouldn’t change it… It’s who I am,” he says. “[But] I can count on one hand the people who will to talk to me about my problems.”

It was this sense of stigma around mental health, particularly suicide, that inspired him to make a private snapshot of his life public and turn his childhood medical records into art.

Wright is one of over 500 contributors to Postcards from the Edges, a website and upcoming series of nationwide exhibitions that allows people with disabilities and mental health needs, their families and carers, to express what’s important to them, using a single postcard. “That could be any 11-year-old boy [on those records],” he says of his entry “Welcome to my world… That could be you or somebody you know.”

“The format of the blank postcard allows participants to respond in the way that suits them best no matter what physical or mental challenges they may face,” explains Su Sayer, chief executive of United Response, the disability charity behind the project. Some postcards have been sent in with poetry on them; others are photographs, digitalised art, paintings, stories, or collages. “We’ve even received knitted postcards,” she adds.

Postcards from the Edges has attracted celebrity attention. Oscar-winner Emma Thompson, Olympian Sally Gunnell, musicians Suede, Paralympians Hannah Cockroft and Dame Sarah Storey, and Kelly Knox, model and former winner of BBC’s Britain’s Missing Top Model, are among those who have created postcards. But, from the beginning, this was a project about reaching people who are often marginalised. “This project is about creating a platform where people who often feel they are on the edges of society can make themselves heard,” says Sayer. “When we first sent out the postcards, we simply wrote to people and asked them: ‘What do you want to tell the world?’. Some of the most moving postcards we’ve had back are from people who don’t feel they are part of the mainstream … essentially saying: ‘This is me, I have something to say.’ This was about giving people a voice.”

Voicelessness inspired Amy Simmons, 28. In her postcard, “Autism, from the inside out”, she depicts a sense of daily life in which she is both ignored and has her own condition dictated to her by others. “Often, non-autistic people assume they understand us more than we understand ourselves,” she says. “Some … perceive normal emotions differently in us. Anger is ‘aggression’, love is ‘infatuation’… Autism can cause issues in itself [but] most issues we face are from ignorance.”

Simmons is studying for an MPhil at Birmingham University, but at her previous university was often ignored. Tutors would regularly address her support worker, rather than herself, as she sat in front of them, she says. Simmons also talks of her experiences when volunteering in a charity shop, where she says she found herself excluded from many tasks. She was not allowed to use the kettle at first and was mainly asked to clean, usually upstairs away from customers. “When I attempted to engage in conversation, one of the staff exchanged knowing glances with customers, then giggled as I walked away,” Simmons’s postcard was a way of expressing anger at this sort of discrimination, but also pride in her autism, and determination to make a positive change.

This sort of personal, honest perspective was central to the idea of Postcards from the Edges and it is furthered by how varied the contributors are: submissions came from across the UK and even as far afield as Baltimore in the US, and from a huge array of people, including older people with mental health needs, the mothers of children with autism, cancer survivors, people with physical disabilities, school children, social workers, actors and artists.

The content was equally diverse. “Just as we didn’t want to tell people how to express themselves, we also didn’t want to tell them what they should say,” says Sayer.

For some contributors, this meant giving harrowing depictions of isolation from society. For others, it was about the freedom to be overtly political – often directed at recent changes to social security, such as the “bedroom tax” or cuts to disability benefits.

Ian Pyper, 58, chose to target Atos, the much-criticised private company charged with determining which disabled and long-term sick people are unable to work, in his postcard. With the words ‘Swallow the lies and watch who dies’ around the image of a man with a knife in his throat, Ian’s postcard is an angry commentary on the reported number of claimants who have died shortly after being found “fit to work”.

Pyper’s wife Christina has a genetic degeneration of the spine as well as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) and has just started her own application for employment and support allowance. “[She’s] now on the treadmill of the Atos process,” he says. “She’s quite unwell at the moment. The thought of a forthcoming Atos assessment is just adding to her daily stress and fear.”

Pyper only has two fingers and a thumb on each hand due to his mother taking an anti-nausea tablet during pregnancy, but is Christina’s full-time carer. It means that things are extremely difficult for both of them right now. “I’ve tried to stay positive during the last few years, but the rise of Atos has really frightened me, we’re both quite fearful. My art is my only voice,” he says.

For other contributors, such as Sarah Bailey, 35, the postcard became a way of expressing something hopeful and positive. Bailey has a learning disability and lives alone in a supported living home in Nottinghamshire, with the help of United Response staff. For much of her life, due to mental health problems, she has been in and out of secure units. “I hated it,” she says. “They made me very unhappy.” The move to supported living was tough at first. Bailey became very angry, she says, and started to cut herself. She’s since adjusted with a new 24-hour team of support and her daughter, 16, can now visit her once a week. She no longer self-harms. “I want people to know everyone can change and get better,” she says. “I used to have a bad life and never felt good about myself.”

Her postcard is dedicated to this change. “I decided to draw a sad Sarah and a happy Sarah,” she says. “It was nice to look at the change in me and made me feel great about myself. I wear makeup and style my hair to make me look and feel good about myself…[In my postcard] I wanted to show the new Sarah.”

Expressing herself through her appearance is also important to Sue Kent, 51. It’s been a long-term struggle though as, due to Thalidomide, her arms are 8 inches long and she has seven fingers.

“I love clothes but so often I can’t wear [what’s] in the shops”, she says. “Over the years, I’ve turned to shoes as an expression of my sense of fashion.”

Her postcard, with its bright image of teetering red heels, confronts the idea that disability demands stagnated sexuality. In the poetry on the postcard, she teases the status quo that suggests she should be more sensible and wear flats. Kent also wanted to bring out the notion of tackling people’s preconceptions around disability. “As we look different, we’re forced to accept that many people need a moment to adjust to the visual difference,” she says. “I’ve found that if I wear a stunning pair of shoes people look at my feet and legs first and it seems to influence their attitude before they get to my arms. The initial opening remark isn’t ‘Oh, aren’t you brave’ but ‘Where did you get those shoes?'”

The Postcards from the Edges project, is a chance for the wider public to counter preconceptions around disability and gain a better understanding, says Sayer.

“There are no stereotypes. These are postcards from individuals, who have many different things to say,” she says. “Anyone who clings to stereotypes about disabled people will have to give them up once they’ve seen a few of these cards.”

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from → progress

A Response To ‘Pissed Off Mother’s’ Horrible Letter On Autistic Child

August 21, 2013
by

When I blogged the original letter on Monday, I got a Tweet asking where we could read a response letter. I responded that I would love to find out.

Well, readers, I just found out.

https://twitter.com/Speaking_Autism/status/369947506446446592

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from → mainstream madness, updates

Amputee Accused Of Benefit Fraud- Because Officials Examined The Wrong Leg

August 21, 2013
by

Erm. Not sure whether to laugh or scream.

A one-legged man was falsely accused of fiddling disability benefit after officials examined his wrong leg.

 

Robert Punter has undergone a nightmare year of anxiety after being taken to court by benefits officials who told him he was not disabled enough to claim the allowance even though he was having his leg amputated.

 

The mix up occurred because the 63-year-old ex trucker, whose left leg was shattered in a boyhood shotgun accident, also suffered a serious toe injury in his right foot.

 

He was prosecuted when officials found a letter in his medical file showing he had made a full recovery from this operation and accused him of lying about his condition.

 

He is angry that he has been treated as a dole fiddler despite battling to overcome his disability and working for 47 years, often in excruciating pain.

 

Robert, of Bushell Road, Newton Abbot, spent months waiting for his case to be heard at Exeter Crown Court before it was thrown out in less than five minutes.

 

He denied falsely claiming disability living allowance and Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, recorded not guilty verdicts after Miss Emily Pitts offered no evidence on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions.

 

He was wheeled into court by his wife Jean with a white bandage covering the stump of his left leg, which was amputated in January. The judge allowed him to remain in the well of the court because he could not get into the dock.

 

The case was dropped after defence solicitor Miss Ann Bellchambers obtained a statement from Torbay Hospital consultant Mr Patrick Loxdale confirming that Robert had always suffered from a disability which entitled him to benefit.

 

The consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Torbay Hospital who wrote to Exeter Crown Court about Robert Punter said the prosecution was ‘barking mad’.

 

Patrick Loxdale, who amputated the 63 year old’s lower left leg earlier this year, wrote a letter about his medical history to his solicitor.

 

In it he said:”Robert Punter suffered a devastating injury to his left leg at the age of 12 and was lucky not to lose his leg.

 

“When I first me I was amazed to hear that he’d held a job down as a tipper driver for many years up until the age of 63, with plans to continue working until retirement age of 65.

 

“It was quite clear to me that he was a highly stoical individual who had minimised very significant orthopaedic problems in his left leg. I have witnessed over the years many patients with far more trivial problems who have gone to long lengths to maximise their symptoms so as to claim various benefits.

 

“The problem with his right foot in the late 1990s was largely co-incidental to the left leg issues in my opinion, but whilst he was undergoing surgical treatment for that his mobility would have been compromised further.

 

“However, even when his right foot had resolved successfully he had been left with major ongoing symptoms in his left leg, including loss of active movement, the likelihood of constant moderate to severe pain, potential difficulty with footwear and certainly limitation of walking distance.

 

“Clearly I don’t have details of the prosecution case against Robert Punter but I can say without any shadow of doubt that this man coped with a very severe left leg injury from the age of 12 to 63, holding down a physically demanding job and , in my view, tolerating a great deal of pain and incapacity in the process.

 

“However, as someone who generally takes a relatively robust attitude to some patients’ desires to claim benefits, I find the fact that Robert Punter is being pursued completely bizarre to the point of being barking mad.

 

“This, in my opinion, is a highly genuine man with an extremely significant orthopaedic problem who is actually an example of somebody who’s got on with their life and held down a job under extremely difficult circumstances.”

 

A Department of Work and Pensions spokeswoman said:”We cannot comment on individual cases.

 

“In this case the defendant’s health deteriorated as the case was being progressed. In light of his deteriorating health it was not in the public interest for this case to continue.”

 

She said she could not comment on the consultant’s remarks and said it was a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision to review the case in court and offer no evidence.

 

She added:”Our fraud investigators present the best evidence possible, however, ultimately it’s for the CPS to decide whether a prosecution goes ahead for benefit fraud. If an overpayment is suspected then we will seek to recover that as a civil matter.”

 

Yesterday Mr Punter said from his home that he had been paid £28,000 over 12 years in disability allowance.

 

He said:”The DWP wanted me to pay back the money. It has been an absolute nightmare for my wife and me. The DWP were doing all this as I was having my leg off in February. I have been working since I was 15 and used to wear callipers and use crutches.”

 

After the case Robert explained that the case arose from a simple misunderstanding.

 

His claim for disability benefits was based on the long standing injury to his left leg, which had eventually led to the amputation.

 

The Department of Work and Pensions prosecuted him on the basis that he had claimed benefits in relation to the injury to his right foot, which had been treated successful and healed.

 

He said:”This whole business has been a nightmare. I have been taken to court and accused of swinging the lead when the truth was the opposite.

 

“I suffered a very serious injury to my left leg in a shotgun accident when I was 12. At one stage it was touch and go whether I would survive.

 

“I never used it as an excuse not to work. I started in the old Leathercraft factory in Newton Abbot when I was 15 and then drove dumpers and tippers on building sites until I passed my HGV and became a lorry driver.

 

“I did that for 40 years until I suffered arthritis in my right foot which led eventually to me having an operation to fuse my toe.

 

“It was while I was in hospital I met someone from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau who told me I was entitled to disability allowance even though I was planning to go back to work.

 

“After I was called in for interview and told I would be prosecuted my wife took photos of my left leg and sent them to the DWP but it made no difference.

 

“At the same time as this case was going through the system I was in a lot of pain from the left leg and went back to hospital where Mr Loxdale told me I had degenerative bone disease and would need an amputation.

 

“It took months to persuade them that I am disabled but in the end they only restored my benefit after my left leg was amputated above the knee.”

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from → mainstream madness

Bank Of America Intern, 21, With Epilepsy Dies After Working 72 Hours In A Row

August 20, 2013
by

A very sad story that highlights the importance of breaks at work for everyone.

 

A 21-year-old who was interning at a London investment bank has died after reportedly working 72 hours in a row.

Moritz Erhardt was an exchange student from Germany studying at the University of Michigan and was interning at the Bank of America in London when he died, seven days before he was due to complete his summer internship.

According to reports, the business studies undergraduate suffered from epilepsy and collapsed in the shower at his student accommodation in Bethnal Green, east London, before being pronounced dead at the scene.

One anonymous poster on website the wallstreetoasis.com site said: “He was found dead in the shower by his flatmate. Intern at BAML [Banking of America and Merill Lynch] who went home at 6am three days in a row.”

Many of the comment threads focused on how hard interns were forced to work in banking internships, with many saying students felt they had to stay all night to be offered a job. Another commenter said his time in a banking internship was “the worst three months of his life.”

One former investment banker confirmed that interns could regularly work 14 hours days.

The banker, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Independent: “Interns can regularly clock up to 100 or even 110 hours a week, but  people are fully aware that banking is hard work and the company constantly reminds you to manage upwards in order to not overheat. This is the first time I’ve heard of something like this happening and banking is a very close culture.”

Banking interns at BAML are paid around £45,000 pro rata, or £2,700 a month.

One 20-year-old told the Evening Standard in 2011 that “you work whatever hours you’re  asked to”.

He added: “Every intern’s worst nightmare is what’s called ‘the Magic Roundabout’ – which is when you get a taxi to drive you home at 7am and then it waits for you while you shower and change and then takes you back to the office.”

A spokesman for BAML confirmed Mr Erhart’s death. Head of international communications John McIvor said Mr Erhardt was a “highly diligent intern”  and added:  “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the news of Moritz Erhardt’s death.

“He was popular amongst his peers and was a highly diligent intern at our company with a promising future. Our first thoughts are with his family and we send our condolences to them at this difficult time.”

Erhardt had already interned at Morgan Stanley, Corporate Global Investment Banking and Deutsche Bank, Corporate Finance Division.

An internal email circulated to residents of Claredale House, where Mr Erhardt was staying, read:

“Some of you might be aware that the Emergency Services were called to Claredale yesterday evening.

“The reason for this is that we were made aware of an incident involving one of our residents. Sadly the resident concerned had passed away.

“To avoid any rumours or misinformation, we would like to inform you all that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. The incident is now in the hands of the police so we are unable to give any further information.

“At a very sad time like this, our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

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from → mainstream madness

Councils Urged To Improve Beach Access

August 20, 2013
by

Local councils are being encouraged to improve access to beaches and other tourist locations across the UK in a bid to increase the enjoyment of disabled visitors and boost business.

Esther McVey, the government’s minister for disabled people, has called on local government to work with grassroots organisations to make the “small change” that can make “a big difference”, and stressed the advantages to lcoal communities of making areas like beaches and the countryside more accessible.

She said: “As well as the importance of equal access, it makes good business sense to ensure – as the tourist season reaches its peak – local areas of beauty and interest can attract as many people as possible.

“Often a small change can make a big difference to disability access and so we’d encourage councils to continue working in partnership with disabled people and their organisations, as they know what works best in their local areas on the ground.”

No Go Britain

Her comments chime with the award-winning No Go Britain campaign from Channel 4 News. The campaign has exposed the difficulties faced by disabled people across the UK over access – from buses and trains to cruise ships and gymnasiums.

A year on from the London 2012 Paralympic games, an event credited with boosting public understanding about disability, Channel 4 News found that though access is improving, it is still “hit and miss”.

There are around 10 million disabled people living in the UK. There are a number of charities that work to improve access in tourist locations, such as Tourism for All, with it’s Open Britain campaign, and Living Options Devon, a charity which hires out all terrain mobility scooters and wheelchair accessible “wheelyboats”.

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from → Fun Stuff

Joost van der Westhuizen

August 20, 2013
by

Joost van der Westhuizen was the archetypal Springbok, an Afrikaner whose name became a byword for brilliance, total commitment and supreme physicality.

Now the 42-year-old is confined to a wheelchair, struggles with his speech and barely has the strength to hold a sandwich or lift a drink.

For the last two years his body has been ravaged by the debilitating effects of motor neurone disease,  which has taken control of everything except his mind. That remains as sharp as ever, but his body has become increasingly disobedient, making every day a challenge.

Van der Westhuizen admits he is on his “deathbed”, having been given between two and five years to live when he was diagnosed in 2011.

Speaking on the telephone from his home in South Africa, it is difficult to understand what the 1995 World Cup winner and holder of 89 Test caps is trying to say.

His speech is slurred and muffled but you can just about decipher his sentences, so that we know the Springbok great is at peace with himself and his situation.

“I realise every day could be my last,” he tells BBC Sport. “It’s been a rollercoaster from day one and I know I’m on a deathbed from now on.

“I’ve had my highs and I have had my lows, but no more. I’m a firm believer that there’s a bigger purpose in my life and I am very positive, very happy.”

Van der Westhuizen, widely regarded as one of the greatest scrum-halves of all time, now lives in Johannesburg with his friend David Thorpe. Together they run his J9 Foundation,  a charity that raises awareness about motor neurone disease.

The former Blue Bulls  player first noticed something was wrong at the end of 2008, when he felt some weakness in his right arm.

He presumed it was an old rugby injury flaring up and paid little more attention to it. Then a few months later he was play-fighting in a swimming pool with an old friend, Henry Kelbrick, who is also his personal doctor, and the weakness in his arm became even more apparent.

It was clear this was something much more serious than he had previously thought.

Van der Westhuizen, with his son Jordan and their dog Buddy, says he now realises what’s important in life

“Kelbrick identified something, so he rang me up later and asked me to come in that afternoon,” he said. “He apologised to me, and then he told me what it was.”

The diagnosis was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, one of the most common forms of motor neurone disease.

“First of all I asked him to give me medication, but then he told me about the severity of the condition and that it was terminal.”

Van der Westhuizen concedes “it’s sometimes difficult to stay positive and motivated” after being diagnosed with a fatal illness. But as a devout Christian, his faith and family have played a big role in helping him come to terms with his condition.

And he says the disease has actually helped him to become a better person.

In 2008 he suffered a suspected heart attack and not long afterwards was at the centre of a sex-tape and cocaine scandal which led to the break-up of his marriage to the singer Amor Vittone.  He also lost his job as a television pundit with the South African broadcaster Supersport. 

“What I did went against all my principles – my life was controlled by my mind and I had to make my mistakes to realise what life is all about,” he said.

“I led my life at a hundred miles an hour. I’ve learned that there are too many things that we take for granted in life and it’s only when you lose them that you realise what it is all about.

“But I know that God is alive in my life and with experience you do learn. I can now talk openly about the mistakes I made because I know my faith won’t give up and it won’t diminish.

“It’s only when you go through what I am going through that you understand that life is generous.”

For Van der Westhuizen, life is now chiefly about spending time with his family. He has two children, Jordan, seven, and a five-year-old daughter, Kylie.

He is also committed to helping people with motor neurone through the J9 Foundation and plans a visit to the UK in the autumn to watch his beloved Springboks in action against Wales and Scotland.

The sport he loves has also looked out for one of its own.

“When I talk about the rugby community I am talking about everyone in the sport and I have to say they have been brilliant,” he says.

“All the number nines I played against in internationals have been phenomenal. Rugby is a big family.”

Memories of his distinguished playing career are a source of comfort and satisfaction for Van der Westhuizen. The highlight was obviously 1995, when he was an integral part of the Springbok side that won the World Cup on home soil in front of new president Nelson Mandela.

His brilliant performance was characterised by a famous tackle on Jonah Lomu, when New Zealand’s talisman was going at full tilt after scything past South Africa’s captain Francois Pienaar.

He went on to win the Tri Nations in 1998 and captained the Boks at the 1999 World Cup, when they were beaten in extra time in the semi-finals by eventual winners Australia.

The only thing missing on his illustrious CV is victory over the British and Irish Lions. The Boks were favourites to beat the Lions in 1997 but lost the series 2-1. One of the iconic moments actually involved Van der Weshuizen, but not in a way he would have intended.

It occurred in the first Test, when he was one of the players who fell for an outrageous dummy by Matt Dawson,  who then went over in the corner for a crucial try,

When he retired in 2003, Van der Westhuizen was the most capped South African player of all time, with 89 appearances, and had scored 38 Test tries, which was a Springbok record until it was recently broken by winger Bryan Habana.

Despite his brilliant record, the former scrum-half is not afraid to laugh at himself, or show humility.

“Everyone still talks to me about that tackle on Jonah Lomu in the 1995 World Cup final,” he says, “but every time people mention it, I have to remind them about how I fell for Matt Dawson’s dummy in 1997.”

That was a rare misjudgement from one of the best players of all time. The archetypal Springbok admits he made mistakes in his life after rugby, but is now finally at peace.

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from → Famously DisAbled

The Distance Between Us: A Photographic Study Of CP

August 20, 2013
by

 

The Distance Between Us

Emotion capture … an image from The Distance Between Us. Photographs: Christopher Capozziello

“I’d like you to meet my brother. I’ve been drawn to photographing him as long as I have been making pictures. The time I spend with him, looking though my camera, has forced me to ask questions about suffering and faith and why anyone is born with disease.” So begins Christopher Capozziello‘s short stills film about his twin brother, Nick, who has cerebral palsy. Titled The Distance Between Us, the film is the photographer’s attempt “to deal with the reality of having a twin brother who struggles through life in ways that I do not”. It is also a search for answers: “I want explanations as to why some suffer and others do not …”

It’s a tall order for a photography project, not least because there are no definitive answers to that question. But perhaps due to this, The Distance Between Us – which Capozziello hopes to publish soon in book form – is a powerful visual testimony about family, friendship and struggle. Shot in black and white, Capozziello’s photographs move between intimate portraiture and fly-on-the-wall personal reportage. In the first image, his brother looks like a cool New Yorker in a leather jacket, cigarette dangling from his mouth. It is his left hand, though, rather than his face, that is at the centre of the shot, his slender fingers twisted around a cigarette lighter. It’s a strong and symbolic image, even without the extended caption that reads: “Sitting on a fire hydrant in New York City, Nick tries to relax from a cramp. While we wait for him to finish his cigarette, a passing woman glanced at me, then down at Nick, who looked up slowly and grinned. She fleetingly returned his smile, and he took another drag with the fading smirk still on his lips.”

The Distance Between Us The cramps that affect his entire body are one of the most severe features of Nick’s condition. In the following image, he lies in bed, his left arm outstretched and his hand claw-like. In another, he doggedly struggles to wash his own back in the bath. “Cerebral palsy makes the easy things in life difficult,” reads the caption. “Eating, playing sports, holding a job, learning to drive, having a girlfriend.” In the next image, Nick is lighting a cigarette for a beautiful girl. The book is full of such surprises, and balances the pain of Nick’s struggle with everyday moments. That is what gives The Distance Between Us its edgy power. As a close-hand observer of his brother’s life, Capozziello does not pretend to be detached nor hide his own frustration. Nor does he let that cloud his judgment as to what makes a great photograph. There are small moments of tenderness and hope throughout, which make the more graphic images – Nick writhing on the floor, wracked with pain; Nick before and after serious surgery – all the more powerful.

The decision to shoot in monochrome, which is all too often linked to a photographic nostalgia for the heady days of reportage, is fully justified here. It lends the images a formal severity that suits the subject matter. But this is also a record of a journey into photography. “The initial photographs were made at a time when I was starting to understand the photographer I was becoming,” writes Capozziello. “For years I archived the pictures without ever looking at many of them. About 10 years after the first pictures were made, and with a growing pile of photographs, I started to question why I continued to make these pictures.”

The Distance Between Us That self-questioning impulse has paid off. The Distance Between Us does not answer the big questions that fuelled its creation, but in asking them Capozziello has made a powerful project about anger, love, loyalty and, above all, resilience.

• Christopher Capozziello has found a small publisher, Edition Lammerhuber, for The Distance Between Us. A Kickstarter fund is currently under way to help fund publication.

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from → Fun Stuff

Breaking News: Sam Evans WINS Big Brother 2013!

August 19, 2013
by

Yes, readers, as Limping Chicken and Same Difference hoped, Sam Evans has won Big Brother 2013.

He’s not the first disabled winner, as that title goes to Pete Bennett who has Tourettes. However, he has proved that the days of longing for a disabled contestant in the house are long gone. Now, to my personal great pleasure, disabled people are well and truly included in the Big Brother House.

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from → Big Brother, Famously DisAbled, Fun Stuff, progress

The Most Horrible Letter A Disabled Person Could Ever Read

August 19, 2013
by

Kevin Healey just shared the most horrible letter I’ve ever read on Twitter.

autism hate speech

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from → mainstream madness

Now Katie Hopkins Is Scribbling For The Huffington Post

August 19, 2013
by

And what a pile of scribble it is too…

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from → media coverage

Katie Piper Part Of New Marks & Spencer Ad Campaign

August 19, 2013
by

Marks & Spencer’s new ad campaign, which is set to launch next month, has made me very happy for three reasons.

Firstly, because it only features women- twelve women, all successful for different reasons.

Secondly, because several of those women are from ethnic minority groups.

And thirdly, the reason I’m writing about it here, because one of those women is Katie Piper, the former model who lost the sight in her left eye to an acid attack.

Katie Piper isn’t as well known as most of the other women in the campaign. However, Marks & Spencer has my sincere thanks for including her in it. I have supported the need for more disabled models on the high street for a long time, and you can’t get much more high street than Marks & Spencer.

 

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from → Fun Stuff, progress

It’s Learning Disability Week 2013

August 19, 2013
by

This week is Learning Disability Week 2013! This year they have a hashtag, #ldweek13. If this interests you, I ask you to check it out.

Also, this year Mencap are celebrating people’s superheroes.

If you simply know someone with a learning disability, use this week to celebrate them!

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from → DisAbility Awareness Days

Sussex Police Arrest Two Over Dignitas Claims

August 18, 2013
by

A man and a woman have been arrested over claims they could be planning to take a vulnerable pensioner to end his life at Switzerland’s Dignitas centre.

They have been questioned on suspicion of encouraging or assisting a suicide.

Officers have asked for an assessment of the “vulnerable” 71-year-old man’s mental capacity to determine how able he is to make his own decisions.

Sussex Police said the man, 25 and the woman, 65, both from the Chichester area, had been bailed until October.

The force said officers would be carrying out further inquiries.

‘Scrutiny of motives’

In a statement, a police spokesman said: “Police have been made aware of suggestions that a man and a woman from West Sussex could be planning to take a vulnerable pensioner to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland so that he can end his life.”

He said it was an offence to encourage or assist suicide under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

  Fresh guidelines were made after a case brought by Debbie Purdy

Officers were investigating whether any crime had been committed or was likely to be committed if they did not take action, he added.

In 2010, Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC clarified the legal position on assisted suicide.

Fresh guidelines placed closer scrutiny on suspects’ motives, and whether they had acted “wholly compassionately” and not for financial reasons.

However, Mr Starmer made it clear the advice did not represent a change in the law and did not cover so-called mercy killings.

The 2010 guidelines were the result of a case brought by Debbie Purdy, a terminally ill woman, who in 2009 won a ruling from the Law Lords requiring the director of public prosecutions to set out whether her husband would be committing an offence if he accompanied her to Dignitas to end her life.

In 2012, MPs backed the guidelines.

‘Suicide tourism’

Assisting suicide remains a criminal offence in England Wales, punishable by up to 14 years in prison, but individual circumstances in each case are now more likely to be taken into account.

  In 2011 Zurich voters rejected a ban on foreigners travelling to Switzerland to die

Over the past 14 years, Dignitas has helped more than 1,000 people to die with about 150 Britons choosing to die at its facility in Zurich.

In Switzerland, assisted suicide is legal as long as the helper does not personally benefit from the death.

The Swiss government has tried to reduce what has been referred to as “suicide tourism”.

But the majority of voters in Zurich have backed assisted dying and also the practice of foreigners travelling to the country to end their lives.

In a poll in May 2011, about 85% of voters in Zurich rejected a call to end legalised assisted suicide, and 78% rejected a call to ban foreigners from travelling to Switzerland to end their life.

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from → the law

This Is My Child: Mumsnet’s New Campaign On Disability

August 17, 2013
by

Yesterday, I read about This Is My Child. It’s Mumsnet’s latest campaign and it aims to “support parents of children with additional needs, inform everyone else, and open up a conversation about how we can all act to make life easier for everyone caring for children with additional needs.”

They have put together an image gallery with photos of special children, as well as facts, figures, stats and support links.

Disabled since birth, I was, and still am, someone’s ‘child.’ My parents and I have experienced the hurtful comments, stares and situations that the special parents of today described and discussed on Mumsnet, and which led to this campaign being launched.

Parent carers need a great deal of support, and they don’t get nearly as much support as they need or deserve. When my parents first entered the world of disability, there was no Internet. Support sources like Mumsnet didn’t exist.

I can’t tell you how glad I am that Mumsnet is here for the new parent carers of today. For the slightly more experienced parent carers who just need a place to vent when someone doesn’t understand that their child can’t help it- the autistic meltdown, the wheelchair, or the twisted footsteps.

I can’t tell you how glad I am, as someone who was once a disabled ‘child,’ that Mumsnet have recognised the unique challenges faced by parent carers, and the desperate need that exists to support them through campaigns just like this one.

I can’t tell you how glad I am that Mumsnet have started up this campaign. I send out very sincere thanks to them in the form of this post, which they did not ask me to write, as well as an assurance that the campaign has the full support of Same Difference and that through this site, I will gladly support it in any way possible.

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from → campaigns, publicity

Mencap Backs Man’s Sterilisation

August 16, 2013
by

A judge has approved the sterilisation of a man who has learning difficulties because it is in his ”best interests.”

The man already has a child, but a court decided that though he has the mental capacity to have a sexual relationship, he is unable to make decisions about contraception.

Beverley Dawkins from the mental health charity Mencap said the landmark legal decision had been reached ”very well” by the Court of Protection.

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from → the law, updates

BBC Radio Tees Debate About I’m Spazticus

August 16, 2013
by

Earlier this morning, I was involved in a debate about comedy, disability and I’m Spazticus. If you would like to hear it, it is now available on iPlayer here. The link will work for 7 days. The discussion starts about 50 minutes in.

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from → interviews

Landmark Ruling Allows Sterilisation Of Learning Disabled Man

August 16, 2013
by

I’ve covered this case in detail and am very sad to read the result, because of my personal views on this issue, which I have shared in several posts on this page.

A High Court judge has sanctioned the sterilisation of a man “in his best interests” in a landmark legal ruling.

The 36-year-old, from the Midlands, has learning difficulties and already has a son, born in 2010, with his girlfriend.

Mrs Justice Eleanor King ruled that a vasectomy could take place after hearing that another child could cause the man “psychological harm”.

Experts said he was capable of sexual consent but did not have the capacity to make decisions about contraception.

They said the man, referred to as DE, could not be relied upon to use condoms or other birth control methods effectively to prevent pregnancy.

The Court of Protection in London has heard that DE does not want to become a father again.

‘Relationship strain’

The case came to court because of undisputed evidence that DE does not have the capacity to decide whether or not to consent to sterilisation, meaning a judge had to make the decision.

In her ruling, Justice King said DE lived with his parents but had a long-standing, loving relationship with his girlfriend PQ, who also has learning disabilities.

The birth of the couple’s first child had a “profound” effect on both families, and measures were taken to ensure there was no further pregnancy, including supervision of DE at all times.

The judge said the couple’s relationship “nearly broke under the strain, but remarkably weathered the storm”.

She said it was now “lawful and in DE’s best interests” that he should undergo a vasectomy and all “reasonable and proportionate steps” should be taken to enable the operation to go ahead.

The application to allow a vasectomy was made by the man’s local NHS trust, with the support of his parents, GP and the local authority involved in his care. None of them must be identified, by court order.

An application for the sterilisation of a man came to court in 1999 but was refused, making the new ruling the first time in England and Wales a court has sanctioned a man’s sterilisation.

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from → the law, updates

Dead Man Invited To Attend Work Focused Interview

August 16, 2013
by

Sadly, this is not the first time I have heard of something like this happening.

A FATHER-OF-TWO who suffered from cancer was sent a letter after his death informing him that he had to turn up at the job centre for an interview.

 

The family of David Graham said they were “shocked and disgusted” by the error.

 

Mr Graham, 49, a former security guard, had been claiming employment and support allowance prior to his death in April this year.

 

His widow Wendy was therefore stunned when a letter was received from his local job centre requesting that he attend for a work-focused interview.

 

AdChoices

 

Mrs Graham, from Spennymoor, County Durham, also separately received a letter saying Mr Graham’s claim was overpaid by five days and inviting her to reimburse it.

 

Mrs Graham was too upset to talk, but her niece Julie Briggs, of Ash Grove, Spennymoor, said: “We’re shocked and disgusted and my auntie has been in pieces over this. She was in tears when I spoke to her. All it has done is dragged things up again.

 

“I rang them and said unfortunately he will not be able to make it because he has died.

 

“It is a long enough time for them to realise that he is no longer with us. His bank account had been closed, no payments were being made to it, and a death certificate had been issued.”

 

She said her aunt had visited the nearest job centre, in Spennymoor, in order to cancel her husband’s benefit, adding: “She had done everything right because she did not want a mix-up like this.”

 

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed Mr Graham was sent a standard letter requesting he attend for what was a follow-up appointment, but said staff were unaware of his death at the time.

 

As soon as the mistake was realised, a letter was sent to Mrs Graham apologising for any distress that had been caused.

 

The overpayment occurred as a result of an automatic direct debit with some of the payment covering a period when her husband was alive.

 

The DWP said it was standard procedure to write to inform of an overpayment, although Mrs Graham was not obliged to pay the money back.

 

A spokeswoman said: “Repayment of overpayments is on a voluntary basis. We have apologised for any distress caused to Mr Graham’s family.”

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from → mainstream madness

How To Get A Council House- Series 1 Episode 3

August 16, 2013
by

I watched How To Get A Council House for the first time last night with interest.

The reason I’m writing about the programme here is that the episode featured the case of a father and son called Alex and Tony. Alex, 23, has Cerebral Palsy. Tony took him to the council offices saying he wanted to evict him from their shared home with immediate effect. He said that Alex was regularly getting drunk and contacting him from police stations!

So at first, it looked to me like Tony was simply not happy with Alex’s behaviour, and seemed like Alex just wanted to have the same experiences as other boys of his age. Like Alex, I have both Cerebral Palsy and a parent carer. I think that my mum would like to have Tony’s problem just once in her life!

However, it turned out that Tony simply wanted what all parent carers of disabled children, including my mum, want. As much independence as possible for his son.  He seemed to feel that the council would not provide Alex with support to live independently unless he took the action he did, which may have seemed extreme to some at first.

It also turned out that Alex had a fear of living alone, which seemed to be the main cause of Tony’s understandable worries for his future and of the conflict in their relationship.

I also learned something from the programme that I didn’t know until now- disabled people are a priority group to be given council housing.

If you missed the programme, it is available to watch online here.

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from → DisAbility on Screen

How Kate Stanforth Got Her A Levels In A Virtual School

August 15, 2013
by

Kate Stanforth was on course for top marks in her A-levels when suddenly she was forced to leave school after getting ME (myalgic encephalopathy). After a long battle for her health, today she collects her A-level results in maths and textiles. Kate is one of a small but growing number attending ‘virtual schools’ – using online, real-time teaching. Nisai, in Stockton-on-Tees, is one of the companies trying to introduce the concept to the UK, but funding is scarce.

This interests me because I wrote here before about how these schools might help disabled children.

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from → progress

I’m Spazticus Series 2 Episode 1 Review

August 15, 2013
by

When I heard that I’m Spazticus was returning for a second series, I was very disappointed. I watched one episode of series 1 and frankly, I found it disablist.

Series 2 started last night, and it wasn’t much different. The first scene was pointless-a blind man asking a sighted woman what was wrong with his new guide dog, which turned out to be a pig. He made out that he didn’t know this, but this just made him look stupid- in the words of my mum: “couldn’t he hear the oinking? He’s blind not deaf!”

The second sketch was a dwarf in a cafe punching an able bodied woman’s cupcakes- while she watched in shock and a song called Dwarf Punch Cupcake played in the background. So a real disabled person was shown destroying real cooked food- and once again, made to look stupid, insensitive and childish.

The ‘charity’ sketch this time was even worse than the Guide Dwarves Association which featured in the one previous episode I have watched. Before tonight, I didn’t think it was possible to see anything worse than that, but this proved me wrong.  It was an advert for an organisation called Limbs Made From Animal Origin, that told how amputees are being given monkey limbs instead of prosthetic human limbs because they are cheaper. The advert described this as a barbaric practice- it highlighted monkeys being slaughtered for their limbs before the fact that humans were being given monkey limbs. Just like with the Guide Dwarves Association, the idea was to show real disabled people being treated like animals, left with dirty smelly monkey parts rather than more expensive prosthetic human limbs.

By the way it was not lost on me that the charity’s initials were LMFAO- which is usually Internet language for ‘laughing my f***ing a** off.’ Problem was, I don’t think there was one single thing about that sketch that was funny.

As for the next sketch of the man being interviewed by Hitler- yet again, completely pointless.

Then came  a scene of a girlfriend and boyfriend, one blind, one deaf. They have their ups and downs, we heard. He never tells her how beautiful she looks and she never listens to a word he says! That was the funniest line in the show. Theirs is, we were told, a story of how love is blind and deaf.

He took her to the place where they first met- where a band she couldn’t hear was singing- to propose, which she couldn’t hear. When told that she had walked away, he called her a cow! I suppose this was trying to show that disabled people can be insensitive to access needs, too, but if it was intended to be funny, I didn’t get the joke.

Then we saw six dwarves asking a man of average height for help to carry a coffin because “Happy was a fat git!” We were shown Happy’s funeral, in a church, at which a great deal was made of the fact that he had a ‘short’ life and would now have a ‘short’ eulogy.  Again, this was pointless and insensitive.

In the next sketch, a dwarf drove a minicab that was much too small to fit the passenger, who was of average height and had to follow on foot. I suppose this would have made some people smile, but to my mother and I it just looked like disabled people were being made fun of, with the impression being given that we can’t drive the same cars as everyone else (which we can, if we are able to have a driving license.) Yes, our cars are adapted, but not that much.

We later learnt that the blind man’s deaf girlfriend was transsexual and had only been a woman for a year. He didn’t seem bothered and to me, this made less sense than the rest of the programme.

Then there was the classic scene- almost exactly a repeat from the last episode I saw- in which a sighted man told a talking guide dog called Alan what was on sale in a pet shop, rather than speaking to his owner, who actually asked the sighted man to speak to the dog. Sadly, this was not satire- it often happens to blind people in real life, and few of them find it funny.

Then came a dwarf who was trying to sell his tiny house to a man of average height who would never have fitted in it. This might have been funny, if we had been watching Snow White.

Then there was a sketch of a news report on Spaz News, showing the competitors in the UK Disability Freestyle Dance Championships- a guy with CP who beat his non disabled competitor, who he asked to act like he had CP, to make the challenge easier. I think this was what the programme was originally intended to be about, but, to us, it was not funny in the slightest.

When I sat down to watch the programme, a part of me hoped this series might be better than the last one. Unfortunately for those who put a lot of hard work into the latest episode, among them Kelly Knox and Warwick Davis, I couldn’t see any improvements. I doubt I’ll be watching any more episodes.

Before you tell me I can’t laugh at or about disability, I can and I very often do. However, some things never change, and I’m Spazticus is one of those things.  In my personal opinion, it’s still disablist, and in my personal opinion, disablism is never funny- even when disabled people are doing it.

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from → DisAbility on Screen

More From The Mind Of Kelly Jane Stone

August 14, 2013
by

I’ve just spotted this on Facebook. Please send it viral. I think she’s the new Katie Hopkins- the only difference is Katie Hopkins has the sense not to be working closely with any of the people she dislikes so strongly!

Please keep my name private.

I thought people may find it interesting to see another insulting comment by Kelly-Jane Stone, the woman who boasted on Twitter about being able to sanction “suckers” for not attending job interviews.

There’s a screenshot here of her comment and a link to the page where it can still be found.

kelly jane stone

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/9665360.Bushey_family_facing_eviction_nightmare/

 

 

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from → mainstream madness, updates

Paralympian boccia brothers take aim at muscular dystrophy

August 14, 2013
by

A press release from the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign:

 

 

Paralympian boccia stars Peter and Stephen McGuire have vowed to help families across Scotland living with muscle-wasting conditions to access life-changing equipment and support, after becoming ambassadors for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

 

Scottish, British and European champions Peter (30) and Stephen (28) were both born with an undiagnosed form of muscular dystrophy, which causes muscles to weaken and waste over time, leading to increasing disability. The brothers from Hamilton in Lanarkshire have already backed a string of fundraising events for the charity, which funds research into treatments for muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions and supports all those affected by them.

 

The pair received praise for their steely determination after a documentary following their journey to selection for the London 2012 Paralympic Games was broadcast by BBC Scotland last summer. They began fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign following the games, taking part in a celebrity sports quiz, street collections and persuading family members to back a bungee-jumping event, securing £1000s in donations.

 

Stephen said:

“I have really enjoyed getting involved with the charity, particularly connecting with young people affected by muscular dystrophy. Through us they see the realities of the condition, but also that it doesn’t stop us. We are out there doing what we want to do and are not restricted by muscular dystrophy. That said, Peter and I understand the importance of having the right equipment and support. We struggled for years to get suitable wheelchairs. It is just so important to ensure children and young people can get access to what they need for day to day life – and that this doesn’t disappear entirely once they become adults.”

 

Peter said:

“We have been to a lot of Muscular Dystrophy Campaign events in Scotland, and it has been great to speak with young people who have just been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, and their families. We hope we can be role models and encourage them to be determined to succeed in what they want to do.”

 

Robert Meadowcroft, Chief Executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said:

“We feel extremely proud to have Peter and Stephen as ambassadors for the charity, and are very grateful for the help they have already given our fundraising team in Scotland. The McGuire brothers are known for their positivity and determination alongside their outstanding sporting achievement, and they are role models for many young people with muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions. We are excited to have the opportunity to work with them in raising awareness about muscle-wasting conditions and in making a difference to the thousands of Scottish families who live with them.”

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New Project Allows Parents To Join Forces For Suitable Respite Services

August 14, 2013
by

This could lead to so much support and friendship for both parents and children. A great idea.

While most of us are enjoying our summer holidays, parents with disabled children are finding it tougher to access the respite care they desperately need for them and the rest of their family to have a break from their 24/7 caring roles.

According to research by the learning disability charity Mencap earlier this year, 29% of local authorities have cut short-break services for children with a learning disability over the past three years. Yet for many families traditional respite services are not suitable.

Oliver, 12, has congenital brain damage, which has resulted in cerebral palsy, epilepsy and development delays. “His needs are that of a baby and always will be,” says his mother Robyn Burrows. She says regular breaks are vital for her and her family. But traditional respite offered by Trafford council, in Greater Manchester, was not really working for Oliver, in particular overnight residential care. This was given for six nights a year, but Burrows felt her son’s individual care needs were not being met. “Oliver has had two visits to a beautiful residential home, neither successful,” she says. “In a new environment, out of his routine, he struggled to sleep, eat and drink enough. He came home on the verge of hospitalisation due to dehydration after his last stay. It was not respite for us when he came home in a worse state than he went in.”

So, last year, the family leapt at the chance of having a personal budget. The council assessed Oliver’s needs and awarded the family a budget to choose and pay for services themselves. “We’ve been able to retain the elements of our care package that work for us and find new ways to replace the services that did not,” Burrows says. In addition to the six nights residential respite, Trafford council had awarded Oliver 24 nights a year respite in family homes, which the family kept, as this “home from home” care worked well for him. They have also been able to use the personal budget to fund new ways to have a break. “We’ve bought an all-terrain buggy so Oliver can go anywhere with us, including dog walks, which he loves,” says Burrows. The family has also purchased day care during the school holidays.

Burrows’s is one of a growing number of families in Trafford that receive a personal budget to purchase short breaks. Following a successful pilot last year, since April, all families (213 as of April 2013) with children who require the highest level of support – “complex and additional needs” – will be allocated a personal budget of £500-£19,000 a year, depending on the severity of the child’s disability, to be spent on short breaks and leisure activities.

According to John Pearce, director of service development for children, families and education at Trafford council, about £1.6m of the local authority’s £2.2m budget for children with complex and additional needs is spent on respite and short-break services. This includes very specialist residential overnight stays, short breaks with foster families and care provided in families’ homes, as well as social and leisure services. “A lot of people have only ever had residential respite because that’s the only thing they think is on offer. We want to change that, and open up more opportunities for families,” says Pearce.

To achieve this, the council is now working with disability charity Scope to encourage parents of disabled children to pool their resources and jointly purchase more specialised, tailor-made respite and short-break services. The two-year project has received £750,000 funding from the Department for Education and will also be running in Plymouth. It provides a dedicated person to help parents identify and jointly buy short breaks and leisure activities. A new My activity website will allow parents to find other families who also want a particular short-break service. And the local parents’ forum will bring parents together to talk through options for pooling budgets face-to-face.

Scope’s project facilitator Rachael English says: “The problem across the country seems to be the lack of co-ordination between services. Unless you have a direct payment to pay for a carer to take your child to activities, there isn’t a lot of short-break care available for parents.” So, if a group of parents agree they all want something that’s not available, English’s job is to make it happen, bringing parents together with potential providers of the service. “Kids like Oliver can’t access swimming as the water is too cold, but as a group we could ask local baths to heat the pool for regular swimming sessions,” explains Burrows. “Also, if they go to an activity together, parents can support one another. There may even be enough clout to get proper facilities such as hoists and changing tables.”

Jimmy Wagg hopes it will open up more opportunities for his 13-year-old son, Joe, who has such severe autism that many activities and respite services are simply not suitable for him.

At the moment, his son does disabled swimming once a month and cycling on a Saturday. Wagg says he simply does not have the time to research and identify activities and short breaks that would be appropriate for Joe. “You can know a lot about your child, but not have the time or energy to go and find the services you need to make respite a possibility,” he says. Wagg hopes that by pooling resources and having facilitators to do the legwork, Joe might be able to do more, enabling his parents to have a break.

Burrows believes clubbing together with other parents is a great idea. “Services will not change for an individual – it’s not economically viable – but for a group with money to spend, changes will be made. It can only be a good thing. We’ll be able to say we need this and get it, rather than having to choose from what’s already available, regardless of its suitability.”

Case study: Pat Butler: ‘We see a black hole ready to swallow them’

My partner and I care for his disabled son, Dean. As we both approach our 60s, the prospect of retiring is a distant glow. Please do not judge us – we love Dean. He is 37 years old and is witty and bright, active and good to be around. However, as a result of his cerebral palsy, his speech is very limited though he can understand what is said. He has poor social skills and no awareness of risk or caring for himself. He needs support in all aspects of life.

Dean has a package of care, which includes 15 hours a week with a personal assistant, which he loves. During their time together, he attends a group run by the local council doing gardening projects in local parks, enjoys arts and crafts, goes fishing and plays pool.

Dean also receives six weeks’ respite a year. In the past, he attended a local respite hostel for one night a month. He did not wish to stay for longer and we used the rest of the money for family holidays. But at the last review of his needs, we were told the money could only be used for Dean to go away with a carer – something he is not happy to do.

If better respite was available, people like Dean would be more willing to go. Recently, there has been a reduction in respite provision in our area, and therefore more pressure on beds and no alternative locally. There should be a duty to provide acceptable respite for people with learning disabilities and their carers. If I could, I would say to parents of disabled babies, fight for respite from an early age. One day you may need support. If started early enough, the child will be used to it, and parents and siblings will not feel so guilty about using the service.

Cuts are being made, though social services deny that this affects Dean’s situation and say his needs have changed so the amount of his care package is to be reduced. This is affecting our physical and our mental health. When we are no longer here, we see a big black hole ready to swallow him up. I speak to other parents and their main worry is the future. If our children were used to having care respite, they would have a safe and familiar place to go to in an emergency. We could rest easy knowing that the people who look after them are aware of their needs and will ensure they are cared for. This is, of course, a dream. I wonder if anyone is listening?

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from → progress, progress for carers

The Thames Valley Free School For Autistic Children

August 14, 2013
by

On the site of a former comprehensive in Reading, a new school is being built to cater for five- to 19-year-olds on the autistic spectrum. The Thames Valley School is one of the new breed of free schools in England set up to fill a local need.

 

Due to open next month, the school’s head teacher, Fiona Veitch, is already hard at work – even though it isn’t fully built.

 

Received wisdom in recent years has told us that mainstreaming disabled children is the best way forward. But Veitch says although regular state schools have tried hard, a specialist environment is needed to bring out the best in some pupils on the autistic spectrum.

 

“Many of the children we have have been permanently excluded from one or two schools or are on really reduced timetables and go into school for an hour or two a day, so that’s why it’s so important we get this right.

 

“A lot of the children are not just a bit bright, they’re very bright. But because autism gets in the way, that impacts upon their behaviour.”

 

With autism, people can have a unique ability to concentrate and learn things that others find repetitive or mundane. Recently Vodafone and software company SAP made headlines when they announced they were to recruit people on the autism spectrum to capitalise on these desirable attributes.

 

“I’ve got a pupil coming to us who’s absolutely the most knowledgeable young man in the world about pumps and all forms of plumbing – he’s eight. This boy can explain ventilation, how an extractor fan is put together, how it works, he can talk to you about his plumbing system, and I believe advises plumbers on how to fix things when they are called to his home.”

 

Veitch is keen to use these obsessions – or “specialist interests” as she prefers to call them – to give the children a vocation and help them learn.

 

 

“We have a child who finds ponds really interesting and really calming,” she says. “We will use that to teach him maths in terms of ‘How big is the pond going to be?’ Or ‘How much water do we need to put in it?'”

 

The learning environment is built around the children, rather than expecting them to slot into a one-size-fits-all school.

 

Children on the spectrum find it difficult to process information fed to them by their senses. So, in an average classroom for instance, they may not know what sounds to prioritise: chatter, ticking clocks, birdsong, banging, air conditioning or the teacher’s voice. It all comes through at the same intensity, as do smells and visuals.

 

As well as tailoring learning to the individual, the building and interior design helps dampen sensory information. When finished, it will have non-flickery lighting, muted colours and surfaces that aren’t shiny or bright.

 

The ready-prepared building blocks of the school were created off-site and arrived a month ago. Construction has been underway since then, with the ambitious target of opening on 16 September.

 

With advice, Veitch has worked with an architect to design the school to be autism-friendly, and spends long hours each day making sure it’s the best they can achieve.

 

“I’ve got an office on the building site. It’s really important because it means I can see exactly what the builders are doing, that they understand what they’re doing and why they’re doing it,” says Veitch, who has 24 years of experience in the field and has a son on the autistic spectrum.

 

 

The accessible additions to this school include a small room adjoining each classroom so children struggling with noise levels or other aspects of an overwhelming environment can work away from everyone else. The school also has “calming pods” – snugs with curved walls where light, noise and human input is very much reduced.

 

“The pods are a little bit bigger than I wanted them to be,” says Veitch. So she consulted the site manager on how to lower the ceilings. “It will give a more enclosed feeling for children who need it at certain times during the day.”

 

 

When the school opens, it will have 18 pupils – all of whom are at the more able end of the spectrum. As it grows, it will also provide a small number of places for those with more complex needs.

 

But of those 18 children, only two will be girls. Why the gender imbalance?

 

“When I worked in Kent, I had a psychologist colleague who would always say ‘basically autism is extreme maleness’.” Laughing at this thought, Veitch says it was a “wicked generalisation”.

 

It’s now well-known that a fascination for the stereotypically male domains of computing, engineering and maths can be indicators of autism. This has led to many more men and boys being diagnosed.

 

“What we’re finding now is that actually there might be a lot more girls out there, but the ways in which autism manifests itself is very, very different to how it manifests itself in boys.

 

“Girls might get more lost in stories about princesses and fairies and that kind of imaginative world and find it more difficult to come out of that world, whereas a boy on the spectrum might be get lost in the details of things like putting cars in a line.” She stresses again that these are generalisations.

 

One of her female pupils is currently interested in flowers, especially roses, so they plan to create a rose garden at the front of the school, and she will choose what goes in it.

 

The aim for Veitch and her staff of teachers, mentors, assistants, psychologists and occupational therapists is to help pupils meet the national expectation of five GCSEs or more whilst also providing strategies to cope with their autism.

 

“These children, some of them don’t feel they belong anywhere. So what we’re trying to do is provide somewhere that really is theirs,” says Veitch.

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from → DisAbility in the News

E-Petition For Compulsory Recording Of ATOS Assessments

August 14, 2013
by

I’ve just seen this, and have signed it with pleasure. If you live in the UK, please do the same.

 

compulsory recording of medical assessments

Responsible department: Department for Work and Pensions

All medical assessments conducted by ATOS or other organisations in relation to ESA & DLA/PIP to be compulsory audio recorded, whether in the person’s home or at a medical center.

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from → disability political policies, politics

Bedroom Tax Could Force MS Man To Move From Adapted Home

August 14, 2013
by

A disabled man from Coleford fears he will be forced to move from his specially-adapted bungalow because he is being made to pay £56 a month bedroom tax for a room he uses to store medical equipment.

Paul Pattinson, 51, moved into the two bedroom bungalow at Beacon View, Coleford several years ago after he became reliant on his wheel chair as his Multiple sclerosis deteriorated.

The former self-employed carpenter, who was forced to give up work when he lost the use of his legs, was homed in the bungalow owned by social housing landlord, Astor Communities, by Mendip District Council which has since paid for the building to be adapted for Mr Pattinson and his wheelchair.

This includes electric hoists above the bed and bath to enable Mr Pattinson to get himself in and out and changes to the doorways to make them wide enough for the wheelchair.

Earlier this year he was told he will have to pay an extra £13 each week for the box room he uses to store a manual hoist used by carers who visit four times every day.

He said: “I was put here in this bungalow now I am being kicked in the teeth for being disabled and on benefits. The manual hoist is the only item in the second bedroom. It is a big piece of kit that needs space to be stored.

“It isn’t fair that I am being made to pay to store it. I wanted to speak out because I think so many people who read about bedroom tax and benefit changes only think of scroungers taking the mick.

“That’s not me. If I could get rid of my disabilities I would but I can’t and I need the hoist to help me. I have lived in Coleford for 12 years and love it here. “I am really grateful that the council changed the bungalow so it was geared up for me. I just want to keep on using it.

“I have some great neighbours and get a lot of help and support from some very kind people who live in this community. If I have to pay each week I will have to move and that worries me.”

Mr Pattinson, who spends several days each months a specialist respite center in Taunton, said finding the money from his benefits to pay the extra charge has left him feeling stressed and said he hopes that because the box room under 70sq ft he may not have to pay up.

He added: “Under the 1985 Housing Act a room under 70sqft is not classed as a bedroom so I want the council to come and look at this room. The problem is they don’t look at us as real people. People with disabilities are seen as an unwelcome burden. I use this property to its fullest and would be sorry to have to move. Even though the council said I wouldn’t be unable to use the garden I have had decking installed by a friend which means I can get up and down the garden in the wheel chair even in wet weather.”

A spokesman for Mendip District Council said: “We’re sorry to hear of the situation that Mr Pattinson now finds himself in, which has come about following a change in national government policy. At the time this property in Beacon View was allocated to Mr Pattison, it would have been suitable for him.

“We do have a small fund to help people who may be facing particular hardship in meeting their rent payments, but there is a lot of demand for this fund and resources are limited. To apply for this fund Mr Pattison should contact Customer Services on 0300 303 8588.

“If Mr Pattinson chooses to, he could re-join the housing register, Homefinder Somerset, and express an interest in a different property.”

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from → disability political policies, politics, Uncategorized

Kelly Stone Suspended Over Benefit Claimant Tweets

August 14, 2013
by

Good. She deserves to be sacked. She’s clearly in the wrong job.

Kelly Stone, 25, tweeted: “If people don’t turn up to an appointment, I stop their benefits for 13 weeks… suckers.

“If I offer them a job and they don’t turn up – benefits stopped forever until a job is found. Gutted.

“I get so much pleasure knowing what I can do if the (sic) mess me round. I’m going to be shot for it one day I bet!”

Ms Stone, from the Watford area, works for the Transline Group interviewing Jobcentre applicants for jobs advertised by clients such as Argos, Homebase, Amazon and Asda.

It is believed Kelly feels she can affect people’s benefits by giving negative feedback about applicants.

Under the user name @DietQueen the 25-year-old added: “I had someone who’d been claiming for 10 years and his benefits were stopped because he told me he gets more through the government than working.

“Even his housing benefits stopped…bliss.”

Twitter user Caroline Rowland, 61, said: “I was horrified. I actually had to read the messages twice to see that I hadn’t misunderstood.

“Anyone can make one off the cuff comment without thinking but her comments indicate she despises the people she is supposed to be helping.

“Because of the serious nature of her comments she needs to be sacked.”

Ms Stone has not replied to a request for a comment.

Her father Paul, 47, claims she has moved out of the family’s £340,000 pounds home in Bushey, Herts.

He confirmed Kelly works in recruitment, adding: “She said she’s been suspended for some reason or another.

“I’ve only heard about it today.”

A spokesman for Transline would only say: “Kelly Stone has been suspended pending a full investigation.”

Her comments have met with a furious backlash on Twitter.

Ben Johnston wrote: “Maybe a taste of benefits is what she needs so she can see how others struggle…”

While Francesca Manning added: “…Kelly Jane Stone been sacked yet? vulnerable ppl are in danger as long as she keeps her job…”

And Tony Rowell tweeted Transline saying: “It’s disgusting that one of your employees is gloating about the enjoyment she gets from sanctioning benefit claimants.”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said:  “Only the DWP has the power to remove benefits it administers.”

She added benefits are only stopped when jobseekers fail to live up to conditions agreed when they make their claim.


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from → mainstream madness, progress

Schools Need Epilepsy Plans Says Charity

August 13, 2013
by

A BBC investigation has found that many schools have no policy for supporting children with epilepsy.

Research reveals that children are often wrongly sent home in an ambulance if they have a seizure, and can be excluded from activities such as school trips, swimming and games.

Deputy Chief Executive of Epilepsy Action, Simon Wigglesworth, claims that individual healthcare plans – which give full details of a child’s condition – are needed in schools.

He told BBC Radio 5 live’s Shelagh Fogarty: “It would detail the type of information teachers and other support staff would need to know – so the type of seizures they experience, what might trigger them… and what to do if the child has a seizure.”

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from → progress

Police Appealing For Help To Find Couple Who Stole Disabled Child’s Custom-Made Shoes

August 13, 2013
by

I really can’t understand why anyone would want to steal disability equipment. What use is it to them?

Please share this everywhere in case anyone can help. I had similar shoes at one time and wouldn’t have been able to walk in anything else.

The new black leather boots, which look like miniature Dr Martens, belong to a two-year-old girl from Colchester, Essex, who needed to have them made by a specialist in order to help her walk.

Police said a replacement pair would take four months to make as they released CCTV of a man and woman they want to speak to about the theft outside the main entrance to Colchester General Hospital.

Pc Steve Walsom said: “This is a despicable theft of brand new boots that will help a little girl who has a disability. Her parents are desperate to get the boots back and we would appeal to anyone with information to contact us urgently.

“The boots do look like fashionable little Dr Martens but would be of no use to any other wearers and could even cause harm to another child because of the special design.”

After collecting the boots on August 1, the girl’s father stopped to pay for parking, putting them on top of the pay machine before being distracted and walking away.

When the family went back to the machine they found that the boots were missing

The woman police want to speak to has long dark brown hair and was wearing a long mid-blue T-shirt and black trousers.

The man is described as having short hair and glasses, and was wearing a navy blue short-sleeved T-shirt with white stripes on the top of the sleeves and navy blue jogging bottoms.

Anyone with information should contact Pc Walsom at Colchester on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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from → mainstream madness

Quadruple Amputee Phillippe Croizon Has Wheelchair Stolen

August 13, 2013
by

I remember covering his swim across the English Channel. I’m very sad to read this. 

I do hope his chair is found and returned to him in one piece.

A quadruple amputee who once swam the English Channel has had his £20,000 custom-made wheelchair stolen and is appealing for its return.

 

Frenchman Philippe Croizon, 46, who lost all four limbs after suffering a high-voltage electrical shock in 1994, had locked his wheelchair in a trailer overnight while staying with friends in Martin-Église near Dieppe.

 

‘They’ve not just stolen my wheelchair, they’ve stolen my autonomy,’ he said.

 

The thieves managed to obtain the mobility equipment by stealing the entire trailer that it was transported in.

 

‘Let them keep the trailer if they want it but at least give me back the wheelchair, ’ he said. ‘Without it, I am nothing.’

 

 

Croizon revealed that the specially-designed, off-road Permobile X850 wheelchair had been bought with the financial help of friends and took a year to save up for.

 

His chair has a metallic blue base and runs at a maximum speed of 10-15km/h (6-9mph).

 

The former steelworker set off from Folkestone to swim the Channel in under 14 hours in 2010, becoming the first quadruple amputee to do so.

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from → mainstream madness

Hull Women ‘Selling Sex’ To Feed Their Children As Benefit Cuts Bite

August 13, 2013
by

This makes me wonder if this is happening anywhere else in the UK. I do hope not.

WOMEN are turning to prostitution to feed their children as welfare reforms hit the poorest and most vulnerable families in Hull.

 

Staff at the Lighthouse Project, a charity supporting street workers in Hull, have seen a increase in women turning to prostitution as unemployment rates soar and benefit cuts take hold.

 

Humberside Police is about to launch a new campaign to help the women after recognising the problem, Anne Dannerolle, chair of trustees at the charity, revealed they are now giving out food parcels to the women selling their bodies for sex.

 

She said: “We have started to see women who are literally starving and they are out there to feed themselves.

 

“Often, that is because of benefit cuts or sanctions, when their benefit cuts are taken away from them for a couple of weeks. I have a real concern about that.

 

“If they have no one to turn to in an emergency, they have to find a way to get money – and that often means crime or going out on the streets.

 

“I suppose it is seen as a crime that hurts nobody – it just hurts themselves.”

 

Now, Humberside Police is launching an operation with its officers and PCSOs to help the women and target the men paying for sex.

 

PC Lorraine Summerfield, who covers the Hessle Road area, said: “Some of these girls are desperate to feed and clothe their children and they are going out to do that, which is really sad.

 

“The number of girls working had reduced but, recently, it has flared up again and it is because new girls are going out, who have never done it before.

 

“There have been a lot more who have come to it recently later in life because they are so desperate for cash. They don’t want to commit crime so they are selling themselves because it is an easy way to make money and feed their family.”

 

The rise has led to an increase in complaints from residents, who say they regularly see people having sex in public places and come across litter, including used condoms.

 

Complaints have been made about Hessle Road, the Boulevard, English Street, Witty Street and Constable Street.

 

Street workers have also been seen in Porter Street, Midland Street and Pease Street. PC Summerfield said: “We have had more complaints from residents, which is why we are launching another project.

 

“It is a residential area and we want to make it clear we are not going to accept it. It is also about helping the girls, finding out what their issues are and seeing what we can do.”

 

The Lighthouse Project has also been giving more food parcels to women who have been found working on the streets.

 

Mrs Dannerolle said she recently saw a woman working on the streets for the first time to raise money for food.

 

“After that, she carried on coming out and got involved in drugs through being on the streets,” she said.

 

“Many of the women hate what they are doing so much that they take drugs or consume a high level of alcohol to numb it.”

 

On the same night, she spoke to a woman who had not worked as a prostitute for years but had returned to the streets to buy food.

 

During the first stage of the police operation, which launches later this month, officers and PCSOs will be going out on the streets with charity and social workers to meet the women.

 

They will be offered support and advice to tackle the reasons they are working as prostitutes.

 

In the second stage, undercover officers will patrol the areas to challenge and target kerb-crawlers. First-time offenders will be sent on a course entitled Change, while persistent kerb-crawlers could be given antisocial behaviour orders banning them from certain areas. Posters will also be displayed in the affected areas warning people of a zero-tolerance approach.

 

PC Summerfield said: “When we have done similar operations, it has worked brilliantly so, hopefully, this will too. We want to help the women who are doing it, educate them and reduce the demand by targeting the kerb-crawlers.”

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from → disability political policies, politics

Disabled Children On Trip To #Edfringe Forced To Sit On Floor Of Train

August 13, 2013
by

 

 

SPECIAL needs children who were forced to sit on the floor of a train were told they couldn’t have empty business class seats because they would spoil the journey of other passengers.

The group of 10 children, aged four to 11, had been on a day trip to the Edinburgh Fringe with Lanarkshire theatre group Stage Right when they were made to sit on the floor of the CrossCountry train from Edinburgh Waverley to Motherwell.

Although the standard class carriages were full and the youngsters had to sit on the floor outside the train’s toilets, the business class carriage was almost empty.

But workers from the charity say they were told by a train manager that the kids, including a boy who only has one leg, couldn’t sit in business class as the people in that carriage “do not need the likes of your children spoiling their journey”.

And they also say she threatened them, saying: “If you don’t stop talking to me, I will throw you all off, then how will you get back to Motherwell?”

 

After complaining time and again, Stage Right leaders say the train manager still refused to let the children sit in business class.

Rebekah Aitken, 25, who runs the theatre group, said: “We were discriminated against because of the disabled kids we had with us. The train manager thought they weren’t of the standard to be allowed to sit in the business carriage. But she moved other kids and parents, who had paid the same train fare, into those seats.

“I’m embarrassed for the kids as they were paraded in front of the passengers and made to feel like an inconvenience.”

Elaine Berry, 26, also of Stage Right, said: “Their memories of what had been a brilliant day are now of her and their train journey home.”

 A spokesman for CrossCountry said: “We are sorry to learn of the circumstances of the Stage Right Theatre School on their recent journey.

“We expect our staff to be polite and helpful at all times and it is extremely disappointing if their behaviour was as described. We will investigate the circumstances as a matter of urgency and will be in touch with them as soon as this is completed.

“We would like to offer our sincere apologies to Rebekah, Elaine and all the children for the poor quality of their journey back to Motherwell.”

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from → mainstream madness

Study Suggests Link Between Induced Labour And Autism

August 13, 2013
by

Children whose mothers needed drugs to start giving birth are slightly more likely to have autism, US researchers say.

 

A study of 625,000 children, published in JAMA Pediatrics, showed the autism link was stronger in boys.

 

Scientists have called for more research to explain the difference as it is not clear why there would be a link.

 

Doctors said inducing labour was safe, necessary and could save a baby’s life.

 

Autism is thought to be caused by a combination of family, or genetic, risk and conditions in the womb and early life while the child is developing.

Procedure could be life-saving

 

The study of births in North Carolina showed 13 out of every 1,000 boys born, and four per 1,000 girls, developed autism.

 

However, the rate was a third higher in boys when their mother needed drugs to induce or assist the pregnancy, while any effect in girls was more muted.

 

Researchers said that two cases of autism in every 1,000 births might be prevented by stopping induction. However, they warned this would come at significant cost as the procedure could be life-saving.

 

Prof Simon Gregory, of Duke University, said there had been a lot of conflicting evidence on autism and inducing labour, but this study was the largest to look at the issue.

 

He told the BBC: “We don’t want mothers to say, ‘Under no circumstances do I want to be induced because I don’t want a kid with autism’. That would be plain wrong.

 

“We’ve found an association and more research is needed. This allows us to focus on the factors around birth that may affect autism and how it develops.”

 

The study only shows that the rates of autism are higher after being induced. It could be down to the drugs used to begin labour or something else influencing the pregnancy that leads to women needing to be induced and also affects the developing brain.

‘Good medical reasons’

Labour is often induced when the pregnancy has gone on too long and the mother has missed the due date, normally by at least a week.

 

Michael Heard, of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists spokesperson, said: “We induce to improve outcomes. You reduce the chance of losing the baby and the chance of mum and baby getting unwell.

 

“This is a preliminary statistical overview, with no clear reasoning why the two things should be linked.

 

“Induction is very common and is offered for good medical reasons and is extremely safe. But like most medical processes there is a small risk associated.

 

“This is another thing to consider in a long-term study, but not something I’d consider in my practice.”

 

Carol Povey, of the National Autistic Society, said: “Autism is a complex condition and is thought to be the result of many different underlying physical and genetic factors. Its exact causes are still being investigated.

 

“The scientists who conducted this study acknowledge that further research is required before any hard and fast conclusions can be drawn.

 

“It’s therefore important that people do not jump to conclusions about this study and its implications.”

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from → polls

The Voices Of Austerity Feat Paula Peters Driven By Necessity

August 13, 2013
by

Please share, as they ask. Thanks.

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from → videos

Benefits Britain 1949: Twitter And The Telegraph React

August 13, 2013
by

Thanks to the Welfare News Service who have helpfully rounded up Twitter’s reactions to the programme.

Thanks to them also for sharing the Telegraph‘s review.

Have you seen any other reviews? Please send them in. Do you have any thoughts of your own? Please share them below.

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from → links and plugs

A Photo Of A UK Family With What They Eat Each Week

August 12, 2013
by

This was part of a feature by Oxfam.

food-uk

 

It made me think and I’m a benefit claimant.

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from → disability political policies, politics

An #Edfringe Event On Atos Injustices

August 12, 2013
by

I’ve just read this on Facebook. Please share and try and go!

Heads up to those who could possibly attend an event iat the Edinburgh Fringe (probably this week, date/time to be confirmed). Comedian/activist Mark Thomas will be doing a mass Miracle performance outside Atos’s Edinburgh office as part of the Fringe Festival. He is looking for people to come along/tell their stories/participate…Any additional info about the ATOS office in York Place – experiences, inside knowledge about staff hours etc etc etc – also very welcome. Family and friends of people all welcome along too. So..YOUR stories of the miracle cures, get them out there…even if you can’t attend perhaps your story could be used by proxy… Don’t contact us at Atos Miracles but email Mark’s organiser at: p.a.rodger@gmail.com We’ll keep you up to date here as things develop.

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from → Fun Stuff

The Funniest Thing I’ve Ever Seen Parked In A Blue Badge Parking Space…

August 12, 2013
by

Something I spotted on Facebook, to make you smile as we head into Monday morning…

lol

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from → Fun Stuff

Benefits Britain 1949 Episode 1: Disability And Sickness

August 12, 2013
by

I’ll be watching this tomorrow at 9pm on Channel 4.

Everyone’s got an opinion about the welfare state, whether we’re bemoaning ‘scroungers’ or pointing out how it’s failed the vulnerable, but there’s no consensus on how it can be fixed.

In this bold piece of living history, current benefits claimants volunteer to live for a week by the rules of 1949 to explore how our safety net should work.

This first episode looks at how the state should support disabled, long-term sick and elderly people.

Craig, who’s 24, finds that being born with spina bifida doesn’t entitle him to any benefits under the 1949 rules. But the post-war welfare state has another solution: it offers him training and work experience, and it has the power to force employers to take on workers with disabilities.

Craig has applied for hundreds of jobs in the past four years without success. Will his 1949 work experience at a call centre be a turning point?

Melvyn, who’s 71, hands over his 2013 pension, only to find that in 1949 he receives just £38.48 (the precise sum he’d have got then, adjusted for inflation). From this, he has to cover his food, bills and transport for the week.

Initially he appears to be coping well, but is soon plunged into debt and is forced to pawn his grandfather’s watch. What would the 1949 system have done with a pensioner who was failing to cope?

Karen, who’s 54, is on sickness benefit. Having worked all her life, she feels she should be entitled to greater support, rather than the government trying to take away more of her benefits.

2013 has judged her eligible for state aid, but will 1949 take as sympathetic a view of her conditions?

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from → DisAbility on Screen, disability political policies, politics

Dawn Taylor- The Mum With 22 Personalities

August 11, 2013
by

When Dawn Taylor walks down the street hand in hand with her two young sons, she looks like any other devoted mum.

But Dawn, 31, is not like other mothers. She has multiple personalities – an astonishing 22 of them.

Each personality has its own voice, traits and mannerisms. They can come and go up to 10 times a day, changing without warning in a split second.

They include brothel keeper Madam Taylor, five-year-old schoolgirl Daisy, PC World worker Mary, 60, and aggressive teenager Lashes.

There are also a millionaire, Scottish sandwich shop owner, Cornish farm girl, German ­speaker and a gangsta rapper.

It is Tiger-Lou, a woman about Dawn’s age, who greets us for our interview. But within 30 minutes Dawn is back.

“I feel like I spend half my life drunk,” says Dawn, who cannot recall what happens when ­another personality takes over.

“At the time I think I am in control. To me, I am just me, whether that’s Daisy, Mary or even Madam Taylor. But when I wake up and can’t remember a thing the terror sets in.”

Dawn, who lives with long-term partner Dean, 36, and their ­children Connor, 10, and seven-year-old Troy, was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) – also known as Multiple Personality Disorder – in June.

It followed years of erratic behaviour, which started with depression after Connor’s birth.

Dawn once woke covered in blood with scissors in her hand.

She has tried to throttle a stranger and ­threatened to blow up her friend’s house. ­Supermarket visits are not easy.

Dawn, of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, says: “I often throw food off the shelves. I come round and have no idea why I’ve done it.

“It’s like the other personalities are trying to get me into trouble. Some of them hate Dean and make me say spiteful things to him, even though I love him dearly.

“I found text messages to a friend in my sent-box, telling her I was outside her house and that I was going to hurt her. I had to call and apologise and tell her it was someone else. I felt awful.

“Other personalities even hate the real me. Once I woke up to find a swear word cut on my thigh.

“The scissors were in my hand and there was blood everywhere. I couldn’t remember doing it.

“The only saving grace is that they all love my children. But that doesn’t stop me worrying about what one of them might do.”

Anguished Dawn says: “I just want to be a normal mum.”

The former model, who cannot work because of her condition, adds: “Sometimes, simple things I do as Dawn are a major problem for the other personalities.

“I used to cycle everywhere but once I was riding through town with Troy in a seat on the back. Connor was riding in front when suddenly I switched into little Daisy, who can’t cycle. I lost all ability to ride, smashed into Connor and we all fell off. A few weeks ago I came round and was hanging upside down from a tree in the back garden.

“It sounds funny but it was terrifying. One of my child ­personalities must have climbed up there but when I snapped out of it I couldn’t get down.”

Dawn – who takes sedatives, mood stabilisers and anti-­depressants Quetiapine, ­Carbamazepine and Paroxetine to control her condition – is used to people laughing at her and tries to be philosophical about it.

She says: “One of the teenage girl personalities does cheer-leading. I have woken up in the town centre surrounded by people clapping after I have done a ­routine. My sons think it’s funny so I try to laugh along but for me it’s really embarrassing.

“The boys can take advantage, too. I have one personality they call Rich Lady, who seems to think she has a huge fortune.

“When she comes out they make me buy them expensive toys and sweets. When I snap back I realise what they’ve done.

“I woke up once in the living room surrounded by boxes of Lego, computer games and ­consoles they had made her buy.”

But life wasn’t always like this. Dean, who met Dawn when she was 18, recalls: “She was a ­beautiful model, full of fun and confidence.

“We were so in love.

“Then after Connor was born we were driving down the road one day when she wound down the window and started shouting abuse at someone walking by.

“It was out of character and I asked what she was doing. She looked at me like I was mad. She couldn’t remember a thing.”

Doctors at first suspected Tourette’s syndrome, but the fact that Dawn couldn’t remember her outbursts suggested something more serious.

Her erratic ­behaviour began to take on a pattern.

Dean says: “The first personality to emerge was ­Lashes. One day after an outburst, I called her Dawn and she told me that wasn’t her name.

“Gradually, Lashes came out as a very angry teenage girl who didn’t like me. I would get texts telling me I was useless.

“She told me she hated me and warned me not to come home from work.

“More personalities started to appear. Sometimes Mary arrives. She works in PC World and wakes up at 5am and tells me she has to go do a stock-take. I try to ­convince her she doesn’t work there.

“When I ask how she is going to get to the shop, she doesn’t know where it is, becomes very confused and comes back to bed.

“Other times she is Daisy, who sits on the floor and draws for hours. There are other children and when Dawn is one of them, her handwriting is like a child’s.

“Another of the personalities speaks German – which Dawn only learnt briefly at school.

“Then there is Madam Taylor, who owns a brothel. I tried to explain to Madam Taylor that she is actually Dawn.

“Now I ignore her because the doctors think the more you ­interact with the other ­personalities, the stronger they get. Some are far stronger than others and emerge much more regularly.

“It was scary at first but gradually the personalities have become part of my life. It’s like living with 22 different people. Some smoke and even like cigars even though Dawn has never smoked.”

The illness has taken its toll on the couple’s love life.

Dean says: “My mates joke that it must be amazing, getting to go to bed with 22 different women.

“But what about when I go to bed with a brothel madam, then part way through she switches to a five-year-old child? I’m lost. I love Dawn but what we have isn’t a relationship any more, it’s a way of life – survival.

“I could never leave her or my boys but this illness has taken away the woman I fell in love with. People ask if I hope to get her back. Of course I do. I have to, otherwise I would go mad.”

Dawn has just one session with a consultant psychiatrist every three months.

The drugs ease the problem but she has been told there is no proven cure. NHS cuts mean the mental health clinic in Clacton could be closed.

Dean says: “If that happens I don’t know what we are going to do. It took years just to get a proper diagnosis.”

Analytical psychotherapist Remy Aquarone, who has treated people with Dawn’s condition for 25 years, said: “Less than one per cent of the population suffers from DID but many are misdiagnosed with depression or other conditions”.

Mr Aquarone, former president of the European Society for ­Trauma and Dissociation, said: “The most separate personalities I have seen in one person is 12, so Dawn’s case is extreme.

“She is in desperate need of regular and sustained ­psychotherapy at least once a week. It is very difficult to get this kind of help on the NHS.”

Dawn’s alter egos

THE REAL DAWN

A lovely 31-year old who is a loving mother to Troy and Connor.

LASHES

This troubled teenager has a volatile temper and swears a lot. She sends Dean scary texts trying to break off their relationship.

TIGER-LILY and TIGER-LOU

Related girls a similar age to Dawn and closest to her own personality. Dawn’s family are often the only ones who can tell when she is in one of these characters.

DAISY

A five-year-old girl who loves colouring and spends hours using Troy and Connor’s crayons. She is Troy’s favourite personality because she likes to play with the boys.

PHOENIX

This six-year-old is obsessed with building Lego and SpongeBob SquarePants – even though it’s a family joke that Dawn can’t stand either.

MARY

A 60-year-old shop assistant who was made redundant from her job at office suppliers Staples and now works at PC World. She was devastated when she read in the local paper that the local branch was closing down.

FARM GIRL

Young agricultural worker who claims she has a combine harvester and talks to the children about farm animals.

MADAM TAYLOR

An older woman who keeps a brothel. She drove past a derelict building and said it would be the perfect place for her “girls” to do their trade.

LADY DAWNY

Millionaire who spends uncontrollably and showers her family with gifts. She once spent the whole weekly budget on Lego and games consoles for the boys.

SAPPHIRE

She is a pyromaniac who has an obsession with red cigarette lighters. Once she even set fire to real money in the wood burner in the back garden.

CHAV

A girl who calls everyone “Chaz” – including her children, partner and friends – and has a strong London accent.

STORE BOSS

Scottish sandwich shop owner who wakes Dean in the middle of the night to make deliveries and pick up ingredients.

GERMAN

A woman who switches to speaking her native language in mid-conversation and gets frustrated when her family can’t understand her.

YOUNGSTERS

These include a gangsta rapper who talks in ghetto rhymes and four children too shy to give their names. One likes to jump in the paddling pool fully clothed. And there are three teens who self-harm and send threatening texts to Dawn’s friends.

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