to think people should be a bit more sensitive when discussing things in public in front of people they don't know?

[FioFio]

I have just stood behind a couple of women in Tesco I don't know why I go there, it's convenient berating the fact that children with special needs get free transport to school and how bloody dare they blah blah blah and why on earth aren't their parents means tested

I mean what the actual fuck

You think it is rude. I think it's fine. I thought you were unbelievably superior and rude to SheIsTheCatsMother.you thought you were just lovely.

You thought you were giving just one example. I find that sits oddly with your comment about how disagreeing with you is the same as wanting public money wasted

It's interesting isn't it, the way we see what we want to.

How bizarre.

How can a thread about something that is so obviously an honest, ffs moment, descend into something so viscious.

It is hard when you have a child with sn to hear people spout off about things like free transport to schools for children with sn, when they (in all likelihood) know nothing about the circumstances of the children receiving the free transport. In the same way that people spout off about immigration and benefits and all the other Daily Mail bugbears, whilst knowing fuck all about the ins and outs of what they are talking about.

It's ignorance, and it is irritating as hell when you are someone who is affected by these issues.

What is wrong with starting a thread about it? Why do people think FioFio is a troll/journalist?

I don't know why some of you bother to post in response to people when you haven't paid attention to what they are saying.

Hawkmoon is commenting on someone who openly agrees they didn't need a daily taxi. I imagine the person with the additional needs knows better than any of you what her capabilities are.
So why would you have a go at hawk for "not wanting sn kids to be able to get to school" "having no compassion" or anything else?

She made a good point: provide transport for people who need it, giving transport to people who don't need it(and say so) and save some money for those that do.

These threads always follow the same pattern: if you dare say anything that isn't it the script with regards to funding and sn's/disabilities, you're pounced on as some kind of reactionary advocating to cancel all funding for everything. Whats the point in saying anything?

I've yet to meet a compassionless, arrogant oncologist - and unfortunately I've had to meet quite a few. I have met some pretty unpleasant people who make nasty allegations about honesty and personality when they can't come up with a better argument though. IME oncologists tend to be rather passionate about such things as not being permitted to prescribe a drug which would make a positive difference to the life and wellbeing of a cancer sufferer on the grounds of cost when other funding is being abused by either the supplier or the recipients.

What is wrong with starting a thread about it? Why do people think FioFio is a troll/journalist?

Because if you search her name, her entire posting history has been deleted.

Though as Grahams pointed out, if you click in the individual threads, it hasn't.

and no, before anyone jumps on me too, I don't think any funding should be cut for anyone, there should be a lot more funding for all kinds of situations.
But since there isn't enough money, I don't see whats wrong with seeing if there is being money wasted that could be better spent on those that need it.

I think some posters have asked for their posting history to be deleted in the past due to trolling or outing and other such actions.

Quite a lot of MNers have 'message withdrawn' against their name.

Ahh I didn't realise that GetOrf

Although it says 'message deleted' all the way down the page

Zombie thinks GerOrf is right. If you limit your search to this year, FioFio's posts during that time are all there in full.

It's sad that in a first world country there has to be confrontation over whether it is more valid to provide cancer medication or transport for children with special needs.
The taxation system that needs scrutinising and balancing, so that we can provide both.

Well said pinkpyjamas.

"... But for some reason the LEA have decided a school miles away by transport is cheaper than adapting a whole school. ..."

As you have suggested, almost certainly cheaper.

I have had quite a few commissions from the council to design DDA (now Equality Act) mandated 'reasonable' alterations to schools.

The most expensive was £100,000 - for one child. Admittedly some of the alterations would be useful for future pupils, but not many.

The LA's budget is around £500,000 every year for this sort of work so where a heavily-discounted taxi can be used I am not surprised your LA will choose that option.

I am a journalist and I am talking out my arse?

and what i should take my child 15 miles by myself, or she should walk, because it's the only school in county that accommodate her needs, really? There is very good reason as to why LEAs fund transport for those whose needs cannot be accommodated at their closest school

Honestly some of you are a bunch of fucking morons

I asked for my posting history to be deleted. I have been posting here for 9 years.

Good grief - the vitriol on here is something to see!

Anyone understand why the parent of a severely disabled child might get tired day in day out listening to these views and can't even go to Tesco without listening to yet another idiot who completely misunderstands the system, the way disability allowances work, the fact that parents of disabled childen are taxpayers too, that you cannot get a brand new Ford Galaxy free on the taxpayer...(but you can sacrifice some of your dLA towards one)

Anyone understand why talking loudly and critically in a public place about people parenting a severely disabled child might just touch a raw nerve for anyoone in the vicinity?

Even if you think Fio is bu, why so much nastiness? As for calling her a troll and a journo that just shows you up. She has been here for YEARS, helping people, being kind, being funny.

AIBU is now a sump for pure nastiness.

I agree with you blu.

I have no experience of parenting a SN child but bloody hell just reading a few of the threads on here makes you realise the trials people have just to get decent care and provision for their SN child. Everything seems such a battle. So it must feel like the absolute limit when you overhear numpties loudly announcing bollocks in a supermarket queue.

And there are loads of journalists on MN, they are not the antichrist. The site is owned by a couple of 'em.

both me and dh pay tax and so does the whole of my extended family

and we pay COUNCIL TAX

YANBU. Sometimes people speak without thinking. I recently had the displeasure of sitting next to a fellow Mum who moaned about how unfair it was that her DD can't go on Something Special, and then asked me what the point of a programme is when 'most' children don't understand sign language!!! I tried explaining to her that 'most' children have the luxury of being able to HEAR what the programme is about, and that she can apply for her PFB to appear on any cbeebies programme she likes! She didn't seem to get it.

What narrow minded rubbish some of the people on this thread are spouting.

Shame on you

oh my god. i come back for 5 minutes and im already disgusted.

YANBU Fio.

at some of the posters on here though, it's like I've blundered into the DM comments section by mistake.

Free school transport is not available to all children with special needs. Most parents whose child qualifies will have had to fight for the transport like they have to fight for everything. My DS2 doesn't qualify for school transport so in September I will have to take him in his wheelchair, plus 6 year old DS1 and 17 month old DS3 in a sling on the bus, which may or may not be accessible to school. When he is 5 he will get a bus pass that can only be used after 9am which means I still have to buy him a weekly ticket. Yes there is a tiny number of people playing the system but most parents have to fight to get the bare minimum their child needs.

I think children with disabilities should have their transport provided for them if the school is out of catchment and generally a pain in the arse to get to. And I don't think it should be means tested.*

I don't, however, think a person that has had a c-section should be able to access paid for taxis for her son to go to school, especially when her husband has a car and could easily take him, and when they have specifically chosen a school a half hour drive away!

*I don't know much about this so I hope I don't cause offence. I just know a few children that attended the special needs unit at my secondary were brought in by their parents because they lived very locally.

If children meet the criteria for free transport, special needs or not, they meet the criteria. It's nobody elses business whether the mum or dad has a car or not.

As for someone earlier comment about cancer treatment. I was unaware that transport services and local health authority oncology expenditure came out of the same budget

I also don't know what was so controversial about my post to warrant my name being searched and a mini, wets your pants style troll/hack hunt