Mumsnet Talk

The Disability Living Allowance has 2 parts- a care part and a mobility part.

Children have to be over 3 to get the mobility component of the DLA. In a nutshell, this is because a child who can't walk isn't considered to have special needs in the area until they are 3 or above. Up until this point, they could be classed a late developer.

However, children who are under 3 often need special needs buggies due to having low muscle tone etc and needing lots of support for their bodies. These buggies are huuge and don't fit in the boot of an average size car and the mobility component can provide a car in some instances.

So I'm asking for your support to ask the government to look into each case individually, like they do with the blue badge scheme, so that children who need a special needs buggy early can also claim mobility.

In my case, DS has a sn buggy because he has low muscle tone amongst other things (he has a rare brain condition and associated conditions), he's 15 months old. We got given the smallest, lightest sn buggy on the market, and it doesn't fit into the boot of our average sized family car. Not to sound overly dramatic, but we have no way of transporting the pushchair around, as it doesn't fit in our boot, and can't go onto the back seat due to 2 carseats being there. It doesn't fit in our roof box either.

So, I feel there's sometimes situations where people with disabled kids under the age of 3 require the mobility component of the DLA.

Mumsnet have said they'll back this campaign if we get enough responses, so please consider giving your support and responding to this thread.

Even if your child doesn't have additional needs, please consider the points I've made.

Thank you for your support.

Totally agree with you. Especially as the government expects a 4 year old to walk up to 2 miles each way to school before they will provide funding for transport yet DLA mobility is not provided until age 3. The SN buggies are a nightmare on public transport as well as you practically need an engineering degree to fold them and bus drivers don't recognise them as wheelchairs.

My little one has a suction machine, feeding pump and other extras because of his special needs. For a time we had to carry around an oxygen cylinder also.

I don't drive and yet it is impossible to get on the bus on my own with him, the buggy and all his extra equipment.

There has been a change in the law so that younger children can be considered for a blue badge based on their specific circumstances. Surely it would only be right to apply the same thinking to mobility awards.

I agree with you too, Sleepysox. Surely the government have to pay attention to this too, and change how they assess this. I agree with herecomestheninkynonk that they should apply the same thinking to mobility awards as they did for the blue badge.
Good luck with this. xxx

I agree with you too - we've been lucky that we had a car big enough that we could take ds's walking frame (non folding and quite large)( and pushchair with us - it's a normal Phil and Teds but he needs a good seating position).

Now he has qualified for higher rate mobility we've been able to order a new car of the same size which me may not otherwise have been able to afford as our income situation has changed lots.

I do reckon for my ds it was right for mobility to start at 3 and for most people it will (we do need to keep the cost of benefits down where reasonable) but there must be flexibility for individual cases.

I'm totally behind this campaign. Both as a mother and a mother to a child with SN.

THanks for your support
let's hope more people will add their voice to ours and we can make a difference- this post of mine is rapidly sounding like a cheesy charity ad!!

LOvely to hear from you madmouse- how are you?

I know what you mean about incomes decreasing once you have a sn child, ours has gone down dramatically now that I have had to lower the amount of hours I work.

Glad to help!

I'm fine sleepysox thanks - I must say our income didn't increase that much because of ds - more to do with my health and with DH changing from senior IT person to vicar!!!!

IT person to vicar- bit of a jump! All good stuff though. It's nice when you get vicars who've been something else. Our current one used to be in the navy! He's fab.

NInkynonk and elliejjtiny- I don't know how you both manage.

Let's hope this this campaign can gather momentum.

I would support this campaign as a mum to a non walking 2 year old with SN.

I totally support this campaign sleepysox. It's difficult enough teansporting everything you need for an able bodied toddler, I can't imagine how difficult things must be for parents with a disabled child. Hope you get lots of support.

I would support too-Mum to 16 month old, who needs oxygen cylinder, and feed pump. Vulnerable to infection too, so public transport not an option.

totally agree. Not much hope I feel with this govt but willing to campaign

I would support entirely, as mum to two non SN children, I know how we occaisionally struggle to get around, but we get on with it. I have no idea how I would do if one of the DDs had SN, and I beleive it is our responsibilty as a society to make sure everyone is looked after.

I hope that makes sense...

Thanks for your support

support your champaign. The government are also looking at changing dla (mobility bit) to remove it from children how go away to school and young adults how live in sheltered housing. This would mean children would be left unable to go out in the holidays and could mean that a young adult who could drive but unable to use a unabated car and unable to live completely on his own would loose his car.

You can sign a petition about it here

There are probably others.

The issues are complex I think it does neet to be flexible as children and adult and different needs we don't fit easily into boxes on forms

Oh yes, definitely.

totally agree my 3 dc hava a disability where their joints dislocate all the time and they get pain and fatigue, stumble,fall and have poor muscle tone.they needed mobility component before 3 yr old as their needs were already much greater than children of same age.

i completely support what you are saying

You have my support on this one.

Mine too

BRilliant! Thank you.

I hope we can make some progress with this.

Castle, I'm just off to sign the petition.

Sorry to hear so many of us are struggling. Hopefully this thread will also help give others a snapshot of what our lives are like.

You have my support. I will also sign the petition mentioned above as that affects us directly (apart from being right), I heard a bit about it on Your & Yours in Radio 4 today, you can hear it on iPlayer.