Richard Tice comments re autism and ear defenders

[Overthemhills]

I’m so tired of the anti-disability rhetoric everywhere on various sites and from various politicians. This one - Tice calling the sight of children wearing ear defenders in school “insane” is about the most stupid and cruel barrel-scraping comments a politician has come out with for a very long time.
My child is disabled but undiagnosed and does not use ear defenders so I have little on the way of skin in the game, or this particular game, but just how low do some people want to go to make the lives of people struggling with disability worse - on top of the cost of living and NHS issues.
I’m starting to think I will need to avoid every news item and social media platform until the next general election at this rate.

Reform will be our next government (I think). Continuing to demand is the wrong attitude. Being practical and looking at compromise will be better. I think everyone is going to have to do this, including the areas that affect me, not just SEND.

Very telling that your issue with this case is provision for a disabled person, and not the fact that our public services are cut to the bone so that we are held to ransom by private sector greed.

It wouldn't need to cost £289k if we actually funded disability provision properly in-house.

You are not being practical. You don't know what you're talking about and you're repeating nonsense you've heard on LBC and GB News.

But why should the children suffer?

My daughter is suspected neurodivergent, we don't have any diagnoses, but her school recognises her noise sensitivity and she uses ear defenders in assembly too. She and her two cousins, who are neurodivergent, all wear them. The way I see it, the more children who benefit from their support and normalises their use, the better. This dickhead clearly doesn't want to even start to understand that they support engagement.

I use Loops in work I'm nearly 50!

You know what, you should think about running for Reform, @Portlypig. You have the same style they look for in their MPs of plopping simplistic statements based in falsehoods that scapegoat vulnerable people, and then ignoring facts when they are presented and refusing to meaningfully engage with points that challenge your misinformation.

Pull our socks up, I guess. British fighting spirit. After all they, with no disabilities or support needs, can do it 🙄

Specialist schools already exist, my DD goes to one. There are also day centres for adults with disabilities.

Just need to stop being disabled I guess? Most people are just making up their disabilities anyway, according to some people on MN and in the wider world.

The reasonable adjustments thread was a real eye-opener into how some of these people think - and not in a good way.

@PortlyPig I can only assume you know very little about disability. A day centre won't help a child who has no intellectual disabilities but needs breathing equipment and additional heating in the home, for instance. DLA covers a huge range of things. The fact that you think there is a simple fix tells me all I need to know.

And do you really want to stop supporting young people who have the potential to work and live independently? Maybe they'll need ear defenders in class - but why is that a problem?

Tice calling the sight of children wearing ear defenders in school “insane”

My DC would not have needed them if the noise level in classrooms and rest of school had not been painfully loud and behavior so poor.

My 90s secondary which didn't have those issue - they'd have been fine in classrooms and possibly okay in short bursts in corridors.

It was freqently difference of them managing to stay in school and classes and not. I'm starting to need them on public transport where once I didn't as so many people just play their phone or music or shout/talk so loudly that I can not longer often cope.

I don’t think there’s a simple fix, I don’t think there’s any fix. The need is now far beyond what we as a country can reasonably provide. I think we all know this deep down. Everyone is entitled to an education but that doesn’t mean the best that money can buy.

No, I’m not voting for Reform either.

What would help would be if everyone paid their council tax and rates. Not only would it mean revenue, but councils would make savings by not having to chase the debt.

But Tice stigmatises disabled kids while standing with scumbags like Barry Elliott, Reform UK councillor. Who owes £40k to the very council he sits on, as well as tens of thousands to the decent, hardworking people he ripped off.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2039wvjz64o?app-referrer=deep-link

So weird that you spend your time spreading their anti-disabled narrative for them, then.

This is my personal opinion. And I am disabled

People with disabilities are not getting the best that money can buy. We are already fighting for every little morsel, fighting for basic human rights. You take those away and what do we have?

We pay far too much in CT as it is, it’s basically just a social care tax which individuals see little benefit from.

289k on a course isn’t a ‘basic human right’, many people are getting far more than their fair share.

This is because local authorities were at the mercy of the private sector due to a lack of suitable accommodation. Most of us, with children who have disabilities, have to fight for the most basic of provisions. Tice, would see these taken away.
I agree, the whole system needs an overhaul, but like I said before, we cannot, and should not, go back to the way things were.

Yes, I agree with this part of it:

“And stop labelling people, just say ‘you need a bit of extra support, you might need a bit of extra time’.”

To play Devil’s advocate, it’s often the labelling that’s the problem. Unfortunately, his sensible comment about this has been overshadowed by everyone losing their shit because he mentioned ear defenders.

The wider point is that with a heavy focus on diagnosis of neurodiverse children we risk failing to build resilience in young people who struggle with things they will nevertheless have to come across in life. These are children who can and should thrive in a mainstream setting given the correct help, but who also need to learn coping skills that will help them participate in the world of work later on.

My DD is AuDHD and was offered the chance to leave her lessons and sit in a ‘quiet room’ if she felt overwhelmed. Eventually she said to me, ‘The thing is Mum, it’s not going to help me in the long run’. I think she’s right.

By all means give the kid the ear defenders, but work with them to get to a point where they can manage without them.

What ‘way things were’ are you referring to?

Unfortunately anti-disabled narrative exists outside Reform voters. Tice is courting them with this shit.

Nevermind that he has no idea about disabled children or education.🙄

Who decides who needs what? Who decides when they need it? Who decides what qualifies as a need? Who decides who is responsible for what they need? Who decides for much they need? Who is responsible for making it happen? How is everyone going to know what has been decided?

Well, we should probably write it down... let's call it an EHCP.....

I’m disabled and have seen cost saving measures brought in to my treatments lately. I don’t want it to happen but railing against it would be self defeating. It’s entirely sensible.