AIBU to think that those with disabilities are being hit particularly hard by the cuts ?p

[BigChocFrenzy]

Just 3 of many grim reports:

Because her care package was slashed, Rachel has to sleep some nights in her wheelchair, in pain, cannot get enough to eat and was diagnosed as malnourished.
Is the aim to kill her off, to save money ?

Luke who had schizophrenia and was unable to perform many simple daily tasks, committed suicide after his incapacity benefit was removed and his housing benefit cut.
Well that worked. He's dead now. No more costs.

Nick who has advanced MS cannot walk, feed himself or talk. The DWP said he would lose his benefits if he did not attend an interview.
Since he can only communicate by blinking, he was saved by having a partner who could phone on his behalf.
Curses, the Master Plan was foiled there.
Never mind, the DWP will try again later. He's too expensive to live.

How did we come to this ?
All in our name ?

[seasidesally]

it's certainly a worrying time for many

[sashh]

Have a look at 1930s Germany - all the same is happening, before they started on the Jews they Nazis killed of as many disabled people as possible.

[Dawndonnaagain]

Careful sashh you wouldn't believe the bullying slating I got last year for saying exactly that.

And yes BigChoc the disabled are suffering the brunt of the cuts, the stories shown above are the tiny tip of the iceberg. I think it's something like 16,000 people have died due to the cuts to disability benefits.
Interestingly, the UK have had to intervene on quite a few rulings and are now looking at the overall scheme, already describing it as unfair and unlawful. This is why the UK government wants to leave the EU, because of course then we'll have our own human rights laws. Said laws probably written by IDS!

[JohnLuther]

Yes we are being hit hard, I've lost two friends who committed suicide due to having their benefits cut.

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

I work in a disability centre which has a drop in for people with disabilities. We constantly are referring people with disabilities to food banks, supporting people to appeal against the decision to remove their benefits. We had a lass who could not walk, talk, had 20 seizures a day, and also needed help to use the toilet declared fit for work and put in the work related category of ESA.
The horrible thing is though not that many people seem to care. When the conservatives tries to cut tax credits there was an uproar because it affected so many people. When they cut disability benefits and brought in the bedroom tax which affects so many people with disabilities. Disabled people and their family's complained but no one else did. When the conservatives got back in we had people coming in the office sobbing their hearts out in fear. We live in a society that most people unfortunately have the attitude that as long as I am ok sod the rest.

[gamerchick]

It is scary times now if you're vulnerable. Of course if people don't see it for themselves they don't believe how bad it is. It has crossed my mind that it's part extermination even though it's probably not.

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

Also before people start accusing me of bashing the conservative voters, if it was right for you to vote for them then then ok no problem with that at all, but it was shown with the tax credits was can be done with public outcry. More needs to be done about people with disabilities. But a lot of people just do not care

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

I don't know gamerchick I think Ian Duncan Smith is capable of anything

[Samcro]

yanbu
I am so scared for my adult childs future.
people don't realise how many will be affected and sent in to desperate situations.
even if a disabled person gets benefits, they are then taken off them to pay for care.

[scarlets]

I don't believe that there is a Nazi-style plan to kill off disabled people - suggesting so sounds a little hysterical and weakens the very sound argument that benefits should be higher for the genuinely disabled.

Of course, they shouldn't be forced to seek work if they really can't.

[Dragzena]

My friend is facing cuts to her child's care package at the minute. Despite his disabilities being severe and ongoing they have decided that she no longer needs respite. Her other dc have quite significant difficulties as well.

She has been referred to family support to "help her with parenting skills". She is being made to feel that she is failing, rather than the system failing her family. Honestly she is one of the best parents I know, she juggles so many different problems and her dc are really lovely and well parented.

I'm really very worried for her, it is getting to the stage where she is going to break. I have one dc with disabilities, it's very hard even with support. How she is going to cope I don't know, she has no family to help.

[gamerchick]

Of course there isn't an actual bloody plan. It just seems like it.

how does your disabled relative/close family member/friend cope with the minefield and worry of the cuts scarlets?

[SonjasSister7]

I just wanted to say I agree OP and everyone, and to JohnLuther, how absolutely awful. I have never felt so ashamed of my country before, at the same time as feeling so helpless about it. But you're right. We should be writing to our MPs about individual cases, make sure they do know we care. And writing to the news media complaining that they aren't covering these scandalous stories (BBC I'm looking at you).

[SilverDragonfly1]

Yanbu. I don't believe there is a plan to kill disabled people, but the government certainly don't care at all if some of them do die- not from the POV of saving money but just because they don't care at all about anyone who isn't in the top tax bracket.

It's also noticeable that the people who are now not getting their tax credits cut (or rather, think they're not because they haven't realised the impact of Universal Credit) have completely stopped making any fuss about policies that affect very poor people, since they are not going to fall into that bracket after all...

[BeyondBootcampsAgain]

I dont think anyone can adequately explain how terrifying it is to live at the governments whim, how you feel every time a brown envelope appears in the post, when there is literally no chance at all of you getting work to get out of it.

[Dawndonnaagain]

I don't believe that there is a Nazi-style plan to kill off disabled people - suggesting so sounds a little hysterical and weakens the very sound argument that benefits should be higher for the genuinely disabled.
Whether you believe it or not is an irrelevance, there is obviously not a written plan, however, if you care to take a look at history, there is empirical evidence to support the point of view that those with disabilities are being marginalised further. Historical fact doesn't weaken an argument. The fact is that, in similar style to the 1930s government in Germany, the weak are being marginalised and forced into poverty and are thereby dying. Often (but not always)by their own hand, often tipped by government policy.

[BeyondBootcampsAgain]

I dont actually believe there is a nazi style written plan, but i doubt the german population thought there was a written plan either

[SilverDragonfly1]

I dont think anyone can adequately explain how terrifying it is to live at the governments whim, how you feel every time a brown envelope appears in the post, when there is literally no chance at all of you getting work to get out of it.

This. My husband and my daughter both recieved ESA renewals within a week of each other at the beginning of this month. Daughter has BPD and while hopefully will be able to work eventually as she is engaging with treatment, this is still a long time in the future. Only had her PIP appeal last year and that was utterly nightmarish and precipitated my own breakdown, only kept in check with tricyclics. 'Luckily' as a carer I at least didn't have to go into work or worry about my own income dropping as a result.

Husband has a degenerative and incurable condition that is only going to get worse! So how it is in anyone's best interests to put us through the worry of what random decision they will make this time, I don't know. It's not saving the government any money to send out and process forms from people who are never going to get better. It's just a way of shoring up the Conservative narrative of benefits claimants being solely responsible for the economic crises (plural intentional) and that once only Truly Deserving Paupers are claiming we will all be back on our feet with more disposable income than we know what to do with (except the TDP's of course).

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

YANBU. I know people who were struggling to cope anyway who had services taken away that enabled them to just get through life and manage.

[SilverDragonfly1]

Daughter won her appeal by the way (well, I won it to all intents and purposes as she couldn't fill in forms, write letters or attend any meetings alone). So that has cost the DWP far more than if they had just made the correct decision based on the overwhelming amount of medical evidence provided, instead of taking an incompetent, target driven Atos worker's irrelevant and copy pasted report as gospel.

[BigChocFrenzy]

Dawn On the many reasons I wish to stay in the EU is that our membership constrains UK governments, at least to some extent, in how they deal with vulnerable groups.

[BigChocFrenzy]

The disabled are generally even more vulnerable than other groups who have allowances / benefits cut:
They are far less able to get a job or work more hours or a 2nd job - probably lacking the physical capability to work more, to get to job interviews or even to the job, to reach foodbanks if hungry and desperate.

[Dawndonnaagain]

Yes, definitely need to stay in!

[Watchatalltimes]

It is disgusting that in a developed country like the UK that this is happening. I actually cried when I found out that the Tories got voted back in because I knew disabled people would bear the brunt of cuts yet again.

[JoffreyBaratheon]

My son has just had the dreaded letter, where he is going to lose his DLA and has to apply for PIP.

We can see straight away, from the criteria, he will now be lucky to get the minimum rate. (He has atypical autism and severe dyspraxia).

He was awarded DLA for life. I consider this government (and the previous Coalition one) to have betrayed him, and everyone like him. If ATOS/whoever it is now/David Cameron has discovered the cure for autism - he should feel welcome to share it with the rest of us. Ditto all the other conditions that are suddenly not so severe as they were.

His DLA award was given after several in depth submissions from top consultants in the field. PIP will depend on a face to face interview with a randomer (could even just be a physiotherapist or similar - they go on a brief course in the art of box ticking).

I suspect the new system would be easier to defraud than the old one was, and that's the brutal truth.