Hundreds of thousands of disabled people, and those with long-term conditions and their families could be affected by the Government’s plans to cut their support.
Here is what the impact would be, in their words:
Carers UK member Don gave up a well paid job to care for his sister Sheila who was born with a learning disability. Don says: “My parents cared for Sheila all their lives. When they died my sister was all I had left. I knew I would step in and take care of her. But within a couple of months of starting caring I knew I had no option but to give up work.”
Don claimed Carer’s Allowance for years for caring for Sheila, who gets Disability Living Allowance. Don has no idea what many carers and disabled people would do if this support was reduced. “I gave up work to care – what are carers supposed to live on if they can’t get Carer’s Allowance. How are we supposed to live, and afford to pay the bills, or Sheila’s travel costs or buy things for her if her DLA is cut?”
After hearing about the proposed changes on the news, Fred[1] contacted Parkinson’s UK, concerned that his wife Kate, who has Parkinson’s and lives in a care home, would lose her Motability vehicle. He uses the vehicle to take her on outings, to appointments and on holiday. Fred called his local authority to ask if they would be maintaining this service, or enabling the couple to access a similar kind of independent travel. He was told that the “dial a ride” service would be shutting shortly due to budget cuts, that volunteers who offer their own transport for older people would not have specially adapted vehicles (which Kate needs), would not have “moving and handling” training, and that in any case neither service would enable Fred and Kate to travel beyond the local authority boundaries.
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Lesley
“I am a single parent and full time carer to my 6yr old severely Autistic son, at present in receipt of carers allowance and high rate care and high rate mobility components of DLA. The mobility component pays for the car through mobility without this we would become prisoners in our own home, the car allows us to visit family as part of my son’s daily routine as well as taking him to school, parks outings ect, safely and without causing undue stress to my son, It also allows for him to be removed from situations quickly for the safety of himself and others. Carers allowance mostly goes on fuel to make these daily trips possible with the rising costs of fuel. This is the only help I receive and to cut or take away this help would impact on both myself and more importantly my sons quality of life.”
Jane
“We rely on DLA for our daughter Hannah to get her out and about in the community. We have fought relentlessly to get her specialist education and speech therapy, the cuts in services and benefits affect her directly. Please stop the cuts to children like her and their families. Life is hard enough for us without these cuts”
Julia:
“People with MS and other disabilities are reliant on the mobility element of their allowance to get out of their nursing home and live a bit. Preventing them from doing so by taking away this allowance is a breach of their human rights and totally immoral.”
Yvonne:
“I am 57 years old and have suffered with fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue for approx 30 years. I feel that re-testing me every three years is a waste of time as my condition is never likely to improve, especially after so many years with condition not improving and the drugs used to treat the illness can be debilitating also. I think DLA is fit for purpose, because it helps towards the cost of paying for petrol to get me from A to B, it gives me greater freedom to go to places I wouldn’t normally be able to go to as I use the High Rate Mobility to pay towards the petrol. Without DLA I would be housebound, and I would receive no help at all because I couldn’t afford to pay for it. I cannot work, so I rely on DLA to help me get mobile and pay for care. If my high rate mobility was taken away, I would be a prisoner in my own home.”
Diane:
“I have secondary progressive MS, I am virtually wheelchair bound and unable to go out without a carer who happens at this moment to be my husband. He too is disabled. We should not be 2nd never mind 3rd class citizens, which is where these measures will put us NOR are any of us scroungers. We have a right as human beings to have a reasonable quality of life which we just about have now.
Please rethink this policy and give people with long term conditions a care package that meets out needs and gives us equality with the right to live and NOT just exist. Please, please think again.”
Alan:
“I am a blind person and receive DLA and incapacity benefit. If I did not receive these at all or if they were to be cut, I would have very little social life and life could be very dull indeed. I live in a town which is well known for its poor bus services and so I have to use taxis for many journeys. I have not worked for more than five years and am aware that a very high percentage of blind people are either without work or are receiving salaries which are way below the national average.
I oppose the currently proposed cuts wholeheartedly. Disabled people did not cause the banking crisis and for the most part are not in a position to shoulder the heavy burden of setting things to rights.”
Now they are about to start hitting the disabled ex-servicemen many of who loose limbs in horrific bomb attacks this government is nothing but an ultra thatcherite government.
Big society my backside they have us all against the wall and they both know it and like it as it suites them down to the ground we are seeing something akin to Hiltler and the persicution of the Jewish peoples ” watch out there’s a dirty disabled person about” it smacks of it which is so very sad .
A country that cannot look after the sick disabled and elderly has lost its moral compass and the government that is doing this has no right to be in office .
Nick Clegg do the right thing leave this government now, they are taking you for a ride at the expence of your party and if you cant see that then I truely feel sorry for you …….
What are you going to do after the next election when you are all ex MPs eh ?
The people you are picking on are the most deserving in society they have sat through ever increasingly tough medicals and passed everyone of them now they have made it all but impossible to pass it yet 40% of us regain it after tribunal ” that should indeed say something” ?
Life time awards are being trampled upon as are indefinite periods we are being put before people of non medical back grounds or are nurses who know nothing of our conditions the whole new system is flawed in that the company that rids the state of us gets £3,000 per person for doing it this is wrong as it acctually gives that company a reason to fail people for the mighty profit ATOS isn’t even a british company its french and I’ll bet you dont see them shitting on their own disabled .
It is time for us to write to our MP’s time and time again until they get the message that the honest disabled can and will help end their carreers as MP’s ( you never see one of them retire without a fat pension and for what supporting a parlimentary system that no longer is fit for purpose they get something like £160.000 in pension rights a further £65,000 for resettlement after they are kicked out of office ( now who’s the parasite us or them) that money would be better spent on the disabled , the pensioners and the wounded Hero’s of this country , there are what 600 people in Parlianent yet the claim Millions in expences whilst wielding the knife on the most deserving so very sad either way they are set for life which is very wrong, perhaps we should do a reveiw of what our MP’s are paid .
It is wrong that a person should have an entire carrer in politics it leaves them out of touch with society I suggest they serve only 12 years in office with half the pensions they are set to get , even then they would be very well off the same goes for those in local goverment 8 years service for them with no pension
And STILL they fiddle their expenses the greedy immoral parasites.
The good news is that as university is concerned I have found a suitable option that is close enough to my home. i just have to pass an audition to get on the BA (Hons) Acting for live and recorded media course.
The bad news is that my dla appeal date has been set for the 28th June. I am hoping for the best but at the same time anticipating the worst. How long can we sit back and watch decent people being treated like criminals. You don’t know what it feels like until it is happening to you. The more people tell you that it is not a personal attack on you the more it feels like a personal attack on you. HOW LONG WILL IT BE UNTIL I CAN JUST GET A BREAK.
DLA Appeals should not make disabled people feel as if they are on trial for criminal offences. That is how some DLA Appeal Panels conduct themselves ,its absolutely disgraceful.
After over seven months of trying to figure out a way of physically getting to university the DSA people say that it is highly unlikely I will have any financial help from them in terms of mobility financial support because I have a severe visual impairment. In February my DLA was virtually cut in half simply because of a change in age Not a change in physical ability or change in my situation. Last week I have decided that I am not going to university not by choice but because of the position that I have been forced into. I have had no help from my local Councillor when I was trying to address the situation she changed the subject completely and suggested that I listened to the Archers on the radio. To you Councillor ” you know who you are” and I am 100% offended, upset and saddened at the state of the support that was provide to me by you. I have explored all of the options and as I was rejected by the universities in my area I have no choice to give up on this idea. I have been let down by my college, the local council and the government. ANOTHER DISABLED STUDENT PUT ON THE SCRAPHEAP.
Don’t give up Anthony. If you are studying arts or social sciences ask the Laura Ashley Foundation if they can help. There are always local charities in the area who might help, try also rotary clubs, Lions Clubs, just ask for help they may be able to help you. Consider giving your plight wider publicity ie the local newspaper. Universities do not like being told they don’t help disabled students and its a total disgrace if they are not helping.
To all of those who feel angry, confused, saddened and upset by what the current government is putting disabled people through. You are not alone in this. What this government is doing is disgusting in a civilized democratic society. Please, Please, don’t let David Cameron’s Condemn government get you down. I know its hard in these times, but keep your faith. I am not that religious but faith can mean any form of religion and belief. I read peoples messages on here and I will always take time to do so. I just wanted to let everyone know that because it is sometimes comforting to know that somebody is sharing your thoughts and feelings.
Gary fear not you are not alone in this, my sdvice to you is to contact your MP and tell him/her all that troubles you are having in life he is duty bound to bring this up with the Minister for Social Security , the problem is we sre figures to them and it needs to be brought home to them that we are ot figures but are indeed human Beings, your MP will visit you in your home but you will have to be
brave and get yourself to your front door when he calls on you.
Quite frankly I think that David Cameron who if you remember had a disabled child who sadly passed on is in fact clueless to the cuts his government are imposing and Nick Clegg well if he was half the man he pretends to be he would break up the coilition and walk away with his party.but power currupts and he is thinking only of himself.
If you notice in the papers and media and by Camerons very words we are being called wastrels scroungers who con the system to get money for ding nothing, this is the same tactic Hitler and his Nazi party used against the Jewish Peoples to turn them into non beings all th easier to get at if you see what I mean, somehing however has got to give very shortley because the ATOS medical is flawed and isnt fair because they are Paid 3K for everyone they place onto the Job Market
A market where even abled bodied People cant get a job , it is a total and utter farce shame on any MP who votes this into being and here is a stark message from the disabled of this country , you say there are 6.000.000.000 disabled people in this country who you are about to crap on from the highest of heights thats 6,000,000.000 votes and if we all vote non of you who vated this bill into being will be in a job come the next election and that will be the anger of those people the government is supposed to protect Think wisely MPs
you have angered one hell of a lot of people the bg society idea that cameron came up with he said if we are not satisfied with our Mlps then we can have them removed fom office close the door of Parilament on your ay out please
I have 3 illnesses and they all are bad enough not to work.I am worried sick over these reforms.I have been up all night working myself in such a state.Now I have to take sleeping pills on top of all my other meds.How can cameron do this to people?The man hasnt a consouns.
One of my health issues is mental and boy has this made is worse.I am sure that this is going against human rights.I just hope I pass my key worker said I havent anything to worry about because I got docters to back me up but still worried sick.So people out there you are not alone in this.
Weeks after receiving a letter from the DWP explaining that my then carer mother was to lose carriers allowance, income support she was then told to get job seekers allowance. Today she got a letter saying she cannot get job seekers because she didn’t let income support know about the benefit changes. Are these people completely witless. Ps the DWP never fail to send mail on a Saturday. When they are not contactable has anyone else noticed this?
My name is Gary, I am 39 and suffer from General/Social Anxiety Disorder with Agoraphobia (GAD+A). The severity of my illness means that leaving the house is barely possible even with accompaniment. I cannot open my blinds either so suffer terribly with Chronic Depression, Suicidal thoughts and low energy and mood as a result of a lack of UV. My constant anxiety results in stiffness, pain and an inability to move well or motivate myself.
Sometimes I cannot make it to the toilet, not because of any physical disability, but due to fatigue, low mood and anxiety/paranoia. I live in one room of my house to avoid the irrational anxiety I feel when entering another room after even a moments absence.
So, I urinate in milk bottles which sometimes pile up and stink lowering my mood further. I cook tinned soups sometimes when I have the energy but then cannot eat as I worry it will make me ill… sometimes I cannot swallow saliva and this leads to panic and fear of dying.
Despite not having left my home for almost a year, being unable to use all the rooms of my home and not answering the door most times … I have recieved almost no help. My Advocate has lost her job due to cuts, My ST&R workers have also lost their jobs due to cuts as have my befrienders from a local charity which has suffered local government funding cuts.
Slowly this government has removed all of the assistance and care I used to recieve. I feel like such a burden now and wish it was all over. I now suffer from suicidal thoughts most days.
Sometimes I feel the only purpose left in my life is to just die and let the papers know how the ‘Big Society’ has failed me and is failing others. I would rather die than live like an animal, a burden on those around me.
I am sorry for the poor mood of this comment.