Right, first things first. There ARE people out there who aren't disabled but are somehow managing to claim disability benefits, there ARE people out there who's health has improved and they haven't notified the relevant people. This is fraud, and this is wrong. No one is claiming that we are all saints. But what the government and the media alike, have done recently is to tar all disabled people with this brush. This has led to an increase in abuse of disabled people, some even being shouted out in the street when out and about. With all the stigma attached to being disabled, to the illnesses with which we suffer and from claiming benefits, the last thing we need is a torrent of abuse from the general public.
I recently read an article in the Daily Mail (don't normally read this paper by the way, due to they're ability to publish offensive drivel without a second thought) entitled "If public opinion is turning against the disabled, disability charities have only themselves to blame" by a certain Steve Doughty. I was linked to this article through twitter, here is the full article if you wish to read it for yourselves
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2097157/If-public-opinion-turning-disabled-disability-charities-blame.html#ixzz1lbtD3bDs. He states that the welfare system is massively abused and this began as early as the 1980's. He may have a point, that the decline of heavy industry left a large amount of middle aged men unemployed and needing to claim benefits, that is probably true. But why does he believe that due to this unemployment they have a need to claim disability benefits?
Unfortunately that is what the media seems to be doing at the moment, claiming that everyone and they're dog are on disability benefits. There are people in all walks of life claiming a wide range of benefits and with EVERY ONE of these benefits people are claiming them fraudulently. Why on earth is everyone only focusing on disability. The entire benefits system will be reformed by this bill, not just those claimed due to illness and infirmity!
He goes on to say that there is no "shortage of volunteers who prefer not to work and find it convinent to live on sickness benefits" he's right, there probably isn't. But why would you? Seriously? The forms are ridiculous, you are tested in every way possible to be sure that you are truly sick and need help. How on earth people who aren't ill manage to claim these benefits, I will never know! I was bed bound for 18 months and couldn't claim them! There are LOADS of disabled people out there, who are suffering and struggling to get by, appealing time after time and not receiving the benefits they so desperately need. There is no doubt within the disabled community that those fraudulently receive benefits should be brought to justice, but from every area not just sickness benefits.
He also uses the motability scheme as an incentive for those who are not sick to claim this benefit. Yes, it probably would be an incentive. But once again, you must have higher rate DLA in order to be accepted. This will mean you basically can't walk further than a few yards, now, how on earth people who aren't disabled manage to convince people of this I will never know. In my case, I probably would be entitled to a car through the motability scheme, but we couldn't afford the up keep of it. We use my DLA to buy food (dietary needs require me to eat organic and have little or no processed food, which is expensive), my vitamins, the ones I can't receive on prescription and anything left is put towards funds for me to buy equipment to help me round the house, or to go towards repairing my wheelchair if needed. We don't have anything left. We use it for what it is intended, and nothing else.
He once again mentions blue badges as an incentive to "become disabled" seriously? Once again, it took me over 5 years to be entitled to one of these despite being in a wheelchair because my disease didn't fit into any box. On the occasion where I can walk a very short distance (for example to use a store wheelchair) I always get looks. I'm young, I have a child, I don't look ill and I KNOW everyone is thinking "shes not disabled", then I get in a store wheelchair and put Niamh on my lap and the looks of pity start instead. He says that people believe that blue badge are widely exploited by those who aren't entitled to them. This is, once again probably true. My dad has mine in his car most of the time, and I know it would be easy for him to simply use it, but he doesn't, he refuses to unless I am with him, which is something I whole heartedly agree with. But it would be easy and I can only make the assumption that others don't have the same morals as my dad.
He also talks about the government's plans to cut the number of people wrongly claiming these benefits by introducing more exacting fitness tests, saying the those campaigning for disability rights are saying this is, in fact, making life even harder for disabled people. To a point, this is a good idea, it would certainly reduce the amount of non-disabled people claiming, but at the moment, with the tests that are currently in place, I could name personally at least a dozen truly disabled friends who cannot get DLA, when they obviously need it! You make these tests stricter and even more needy people will go without. The media refuses to attempt to do their research or see it from our point of view. But isn't that almost always the case?
Yes, the amount of abuse the disabled receive has increased, that is almost certain, but I disagree that charities are to blame. They are not naive, they are not simply believing that every benefit claimant is legit, they are merely sticking up for those without a voice or those who are too unwell to find theirs.
The people truly responsible for increasing the abuse of an already vulnerable people are the media. The government, yes to an extent, with the welfare reform bill BUT this reforms all welfare not simply that of the disabled population. We have fought back, because for those of us truly disabled we have already had to fight for every penny and all of it is used for our needs, equipment and care alike. Simply because we are sick does not make us deserving but the welfare system itself was introduced to help care for those who for whatever reason could not work to take care of themselves. Many of us have worked for years. Many of us don't even want to be on benefits. Often those with my disease are those who were once the most driven, who worked the hardest and helped the most. But all of this is conveniently forgotten by the media, in fact personally, in any mainstream tabloid I haven't even seen it mentioned. They simply stereotype all disabled as "fakers" in it for the money (yeah because there's loads of that!) or the blue badges, and even in one article I have read, the toilets (anyone who has ever used a disabled toilet will probably tell you this is not a joy).
My personal opinion of Mr Doughty's article is that he needs to look in the mirror, there and in that office, and in the offices of other newspapers across the country are the real culprits, they are the ones responsible for the increase in abuse against some of society's most vulnerable people.
On a lighter note, managed to get out for a while today. Chris is off today, so he took me and Niamh to tesco's to get some food etc, and my wheelchair survived the snow! We had a busy flat at lunch time, with my parents, Chris's mum and nan round and my sister over after Niamh's afternoon nap! All very exhausting! Angela is moving tomorrow, so she will be right round the corner from my parents and closer to me! YAY!
Here are mine and Niamh's 366 pictures for today. Mine, me and Niamh in Tesco!
And Niamh, asleep with her bum in the air:
Night folks!
