To fear for my disabled DS future in the UK now?

[Livingtothefull]

Just that really.

Despite disabled people bearing the brunt of Tory austerity policies and being criticised by the UN for failing to uphold their rights - www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/31/un-panel-criticises-uk-failure-to-uphold-disabled-peoples-rights

• a whole lot of my fellow citizens, knowing this, have gone and voted for a Tory government all the same.

I am scared for my DS future now, I don't trust either the Government or the people of this country to look after him when I am no longer able to. He is profoundly disabled, will have as good a life as his country is willing to give him & I have to say it is not looking good. Is it?

The people you should be angry with are the people within Labour who knew that Corbyn was unelectable and didn’t do anything, nay everything, in their power to make the party electable. The best they were hoping for was a hung parliament when against BJ and 9 years of austerity they should have been able to walk into number 10.

There’s no point hating the electorate, the only way things will change is if Labour provide an effective opposition and give people something they WANT to vote for.

YANBU. I have a 14 year old son with physical and learning disabilities and ASD . It is absolutely horrendous. We have been refused a social worker and care because I am 'coping', refused essential equipment (cant even get a bed for him), refused a CAHMS assessment because there are children who are apparently in more severe need of appointments than a teenager with a life limiting illness. We have just been through a three year fight to get him moved to a special school after his mainstream school made his 1:1 TA redundant and expected him to manage sharing one person with two other pupils with special needs. The effect that had on his mental health became so bad that he was being physically sick at the thought of having to go to school. Once he got his place we then had to fight with transport as their most cost effective option was completely inadequate for his needs.

I'm not ashamed to say that I spent Friday in tears. I'm knackered. I'm tired of fighting and was hoping that something would change.

This is a depressing thing to write, but i think its wider society that concerns me. It is very focussed on work/tax paying as a moral value almost and not valuing, dare i say the 'dignity of the human soul'

I have found some people who vote conservative (and other parties) seem harsher than the actual manifesto itself and argue for things that just arent there so you may feel less anxious if you read the manifesto and meet you MP?

They also say they are ending austerity and have made their big reforms and are starting to invest in specific things. They say they are setting up a massive 3 year fund for adult learnig disability/autism care for instance.
I know it seems unlikely but perhaps it wont get worse than now.
I also know they lie but i am trying to stay positive as i need my energy on now as it were. So yanbu to be petrified but you need to be calm, prepare as best you can and hold your govt to account any way possible.

YANBU. The future for many in the UK looks very bleak. The Tories have caned the life out of support services over the last 9 years. Brexit (according to economic experts, not the Daily Fail) is set to make things even tougher. Why should we have any faith in the lying bastards politicians that they will make things better when they have happily made things worse for the last 9 years?

I didn’t vote conservative btw
I have been disabled for 25+ years and had other health problems for 40+ years
I too have seen no difference between various governments - the Blair years were particularly bad

As soon as this Brexit nonsense goes tits up - and it will - Johnson will be out the door with his big bag of money and leave us all in the shit. No doubt labour will get the blame for it.

Thank you all for posting. I am reading and considering ALL posts.

YANBU. I actually looked at the Tory manifesto today though and it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting.

They're putting in additional funding (to the tune of £24 - £25 mil per year) for the 'Learning, Disability & Autism Fund' until 2022-23 (From 2023-24 there won't be any additional funding on top of what they already offer from what I can tell - it says £0 in the table but after reading the introduction, that's no additional funding, not stopping it altogether) and they are extending the time between PIP assessments for those who have lifelong conditions/aren't going to get better.

That said. It's a manifesto. I don't trust them and being disabled myself I am fucking terrified about what the next 4/5 years will hold.

Provision for adults with disabilities has always been poor. Services have always been a postcode lottery. I’m astounded anyone thinks it has ever been any good. Our labour run council has been slashing services for both children and adults with disabilities as far back as I remember.

They're putting in additional funding (to the tune of £24 - £25 mil per year) for the 'Learning, Disability & Autism Fund' until 2022-23 (From 2023-24 there won't be any additional funding on top of what they already offer from what I can tell - it says £0 in the table but after reading the introduction, that's no additional funding, not stopping it altogether)

And yet Facebook and Twitter have been alright with outraged posts about how those heartless Tories are cutting ALL funding for Autism and LD in 2023. People really believed it.

I am not optimistic - the funding for working disabled people is going to be decreased & gaining PIP is incredible difficult - there is an inbuilt assumption that if you have work even part time you can get more hours under universal credit

Yanbu
I am always scared my severely disabled dd is an adult and reliant on adult social care.
Adults like her are forgotten, people raise money or talk about Children with sn, but once they are adults no one seems to give a shit, and now we yet again have a government that target the disabled and sick.
Horrid times.

I have been physically disabled for many years. The last time Labour were in power my consultant said I needed an operation. It was subsequently refused because of cost. A couple of years later - Conservatives in power, permission was given and I had the operation. That delay caused me a hell of a lot of unnecessary pain and I think anyone who believes that Labour would have been capable of making any major changes are in cloud cuckoo land.

It's not about individual MPs and how they help their local constituents. It's about policy, legislation and funding for disabled people.

I really hope the torys will 'soften' their current abysmal record on support for disabled people, put some money into social care and halt the worst atrocities of welfare reform. But I have no confidence in this. What is said during elections when people are trying to get voted in, is not the same as the reality when it comes to harsh funding decisions

I think the only way things will improve for disabled people, care for older people and social care in general, is if there is a public movement.

Most people are unfortunely entirely self-interested. My only hope is that people will realise it will affect them, or family members, at some point and will push politicians to do something about it.

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/damian-green-social-care-insurance-lbc-1-6425258?fbclid=IwAR2_TZ2TlbXqSxaM3Nuz-PoYBnVMLW2L1HEItmc1Pq3cshB6RGB6Jh4dXBA

I find this kind of thing so alien - ideas about increasing tax for over-50s etc.

I feel you OP.
My DD is severely disabled, will probably never walk, can’t grip, lift her arms, can’t do anything for herself but is intelligent and interested in everything, but so easily terrified of the world (had a highly medicalised first 3 months, born with a broken arm), rare condition and as yet undiagnosed underlying condition.
I’m utterly terrified of what will happen when we die, if she’s still alive (and she’s getting stronger all the time). I adore her and I’m scared that the wider world thinks something like she won’t contribute to the tax burden etc.
I hear you.
Just wish I had optimism to share

Your son will be fine. Stop spreading this nonsense. I also have a disabled ds and I think we are well looked after although the transition to UC was horrendous. Sick to death of this nonsense. What more do people want?

OP I feel for you and understand your worries. My Best friend has a son (my godson) who will never live independently and she has been so upset by the result as she is currently being so let down and it worries her to death about the future with the current attitude, funding and compassion shown towards the most vulnerable of our society. It's shameful.

YANBU and anyone who thinks you are can fuck right off.

I'm a f/t carer.

It's the endless fighting, yes some help still exists, some care still exists but the endless fighting for it is exhausting. The constant fear they'll take what little help you do get away. The fear it'll get worse. The fear it will never get better than this. The fear that I have to hold on because if i crumble there will be nothing for my partner and he will be left to rot.

Also there's this undercurrent of some people are deserving of help, support and love and some other people are not. When were people given the right to judge others like that?

Sorry ranting....

I feel you OP and I'm burnt out but sending you and your family all my love ❤

@MintyMabel and you believe a manifesto as if any political party has ever stuck to one.

It's hardly nonsense. I've been living with worsening services certainly over the last 4 years. Cuts to school budgets, no specialist school provision, clinics extended to every 9 months instead of bi-annually because the hospital don't have staff to cover them. Bloody Brexit causing drug shortages. Your DS may well be fine but mine and others like him have really suffered.

'I therefore think a lot of the Tory policies will be softened because of this because he will want to keep this sector with him.'

I think this too. BJ is clever, he's a populist, he's been desperate to be PM for years and he wants his name down in the history books as a great one who the British people loved.

YANBU people will come on here telling you that you are catastrophising and being over dramatic but I really fear for healthcare provision under this government. The hard to swallow truth is that most people don’t have an immediate family member with sever disabilities so can accept the Tory’s despicable attitude towards disabled people just because they don’t want to pay higher taxes.

People on here will respond to me with all kinds of excuses and lies but that is the real reason that the conservatives won.

bj is an egoistic man who doesn’t care about anyone but himself. in fact contrary to @figglepige I think he will relish being an iconically hated MP just like Margaret Thatcher.

Time will tell @strawberrieshortcake. Hopefully it'll be ok.