Anyone seen this piece on Riven in the Guardian?

[LindsayWagner]

It's here.

Reading again the details of her daily life reminds me a) what an astonishing woman Riven is and b) how ashamed I am to live in a country which can treat its most vulnerable members with such disdain.

I'm so glad the Graun are following up on her and Celyn's story. She says she's tired of campaigning - of course she is. I can't imagine where she found the reserves of energy in the first place - imagine it's similar to people finding superhuman reserves of strength when their lives are under threat.

There seems to be a bit of a lull in coverage of these issues at the moment, while everyone waits for the full effects of funding cuts to become clear. But at some point the gob-smacking, almost-inconceivable reality - that the cuts are being carved out of the daily lives of families like Riven's, who probably thought their lives couldn't get any harder - will be impossible to ignore. I really, really hope we don't let this one go.

[Mamaz0n]

I am glad there is a story out there that opposes the current trend of benefit bashing those with disabilities. The media is rife with healdines about people claiming fraudulently or those who get thousands of pounds for a bad back etc.

It is good to see that they are willing to fight the tide of disablist journalism

[LoveBeingAbleToNamechange]

If every carer of disabled children and adults, those caring for those with cancer and other illnesses etc all went and said I can't do it younow have to take over, the country would wouldn't be able to cope. Carers do an amazing job, a job that they do out of love but they can only cope with so much. I dread to think how what it does to them long term.

[Mamaz0n]

It is those that claim carers get all this money that make me laugh the most.

Carers allowance is £55 a week. Most parents who recieve it will have to care for their child constantly. Even if yo took away the hours that the child is at school (assuming they attend school full time) that leaves 138 hours a week.

Now lets just say that this is a lucky carer and their child sleeps say, 6 hours anight, that leaves 96.

so carers, who aren't allowed to work or else they lose their coveted £55 per week are paid a whopping 57p per hour.

I don't know why more people don't have disabled kids, the monies great

[piprabbit]

It's so sad that nothing has really changed for Riven and her family yet.

[Hassled]

What a good piece - and what an amazing couple Riven and MrRiven are.

[LindsayWagner]

Zackly Mamazon.

And really, what was the point of the extra £800m central funding for short breaks if it wasn't ring-fenced? It must have been blindingly obvious to the govt that budget-slashed councils would spend that money on its statutory obligations unless forced not to do so. But the govt can now smile calmly and say, as it is doing with everything else, 'Well, if local authorities aren't doing what they should, please do feel free to take it up with them'.

I think it's the cynicism of this strategy which makes me most angry actually, both on this particular issue and elsewhere. Localism - pah.

[LindsayWagner]

Oh yes Hassled, I meant to mention MrRiven and forgot.

[tabbycat7]

What can we do?

[Riveninside]

Wotcha. Im liking my book lined house
once again i only did it cos a, the mediabhave given me a viice and b, theres so mant families struggling and with the cuts its getti g worse.
Rrspite is being cut. Which will lead to job losses. And given there are caps on housing benefitnow of serious strictness there will be families with disabled kids on the streets. Or the kids will be faken into care. Whoch costs more and we all saw that care home on panorama.
Children like my dd need to be with families but we need support for cari g and nursing 24 hours a day. We are losing it as cuts bite.
And the loss of the Independance Livign Fund takes away our kids future. I never believed a govt would cut so hard, so fast and so harshly.
But hey, we have money to attack Libya right.
Ffs

[Riveninside]

Scuse typing. On phone as computerbroke some time back

[K999]

I'd be delighted to donate some money to go towards the £400 CD player.

[Riveninside]

Thankyou for the offer but i never feel comfortbale accepting money. The best thing to do is join us in. Ampaigning, in getting the 4 nappy rule lifted, in stopping the appalling cuts aimed at disabled people.
If you see Johnny Depp, nudge him my way

[miniwedge]

I am at the media giving you a vice!!

But seriously, I agree that the cuts are too hard and too fast. There seems to be less of a concern about real life day to day requirements and more of a concern about hitting easy targets.

[mummylin2495]

Riven please let us help with the cost of the cd player.If the situation was reversed im sure you would be amongst the first to offer to help.I dont have paypal but would like to donate,so if someone else could start it off it would be great.

[MackerelOfFact]

Great article. Cameron's complete inability to accept any responsibility for this situation sickens me. Letters and visits are nice and everything, but his sympathy doesn't actually help, does it? Of course local council cuts are his fault. They haven't decided to cut their own fecking budgets have they?

I loved the comment about the nappies: "It's not like we flog them on the black market." How bloody patronising of them to allocate an 'acceptable' number and deem anything above that excessive. Most people go to the loo more than 4 times a day, surely? Especially children.

[transferbalance]

Brilliant article, where's the Big Society when you need it, Dave?

[transferbalance]

I don't have much money but would happily give you something for the cd player

[Shoesytwoesy]

what a good article

[EightToSixer]

Riven
I'd gladly give some money to give your daughter the gift of a cd player. I understand that you are not doing this for this reason and I'll also petition my council/MPs etc for extra nappies etc.
Well done for speaking out for the hundreds of other families in the same boat as you, you've opened my eyes to these issues and you fully have my support.

[slug]

If you do manage to get the CD player, let me know. I have a whole bunch of story CDs, from Dr Who to Harry Potter to Charlie and Lola that you can have.

[IslaValargeone]

You are right that we should join in with campaigning at cuts etc, but I'm also in with contributing to the cost of the CD player.

[twolittlemonkeys]

I am glad they followed up, but so sad nothing has changed. Likewise, I'm very happy to donate towards a CD player.

[K999]

Riven, please let us help towards the cost of the CD player. I am sure we are all willing to help with campaigning but I always thinks it's nice to be able to help out on a practical level. I'm sure your DD and the rest of you would benefit from the CD player.

[Riveninside]

I made the point about the cd player to emphasise that sn things are ridicuously expensive compared to non sn things. Its extra expense families have just to give their children a life aproximating normal. Dla just doesnt cover it (i know a cd player is a luxury though)

Why dont you all join me outisde Downing street for a nappy flashmob wearing nappies on our heads.

[mummylin2495]

We will have to wait until rivenok,s this then we can get started.As i said i dont have paypal but am willing to do anything else that needs doing to help with this.