So, who is going to employ all these disabled people the government wants to wean of welfare

[Jimisnotmyname]

Really wondering. Not saying it is necessarily a bad thing to encourage those who can work, to work but as a carer for 2 disabled family members, I am hugely struggling to find another job as nobody is willing to give me any flexibility (which I need as a carer) and there are always candidates who do not need the same accomodations I do. I would imagine that many of those currently not in work because of disability or a health condition, will often need a similar level of flexibility. I just wonder who on the the government think will offer jobs galore on these circumstances??

With respect that's very simplistic. Do you seriously think people working in supermarkets/ cleaning jobs/ manual labour jump out of bed every morning desperate to get to their minimum wage job? No.
They do what they have to do to put food on the table & keep a roof over their kids head.
Life would be wonderful if everyone was living their best life, but not at all realistic. Who would do these jobs?

One the things likely to be encouraged would be upskilling where possible. Thete is no excuse, unless your health actually precludes it, not to study and get skills to help you with your future. Maths and English would be free and there are loads if other courses online.

Exactly. What on earth are you on about?

Who is forcing people to work in supermarkets?

It strikes me (not as someone who has a disability or anyone in my family...we are all currently hale and hearty but I appreciate that.can turn on a sixpence) is that there should be a government app that matches a disability to a type of work that can be done and any available vacancies (please forgive me if there is one already) Eg the PP who says she cannot work in a call centre and she is partially deaf and cannot understand people with accents. She would be handy in something like legal for example; proof reading documents. Or marking GCSE exam papers..anyway something that can be done online. Or if you are immobile but good with people then government call centres clearly don't have enough people in my miserable experience (as mentioned upthread). Not too taxing but all jobs give experience.

I do struggle to study. I tried one of those funded level 2 courses, and I could not complete it. I managed school, but I can not do self directed study at all.

@Winterbones

EVERYONE is one accident, one illness, one chronic condition away from being disabled.

How true is this, I went to work one day, left my house, my partner and thought nothing of it. Little did I know I would wake up in hospital with numerous broken bones after an armed robbery at work. Little did I know the robbers would go after my partner if I continued to testify against them, so because of me he was beaten up and while unconscious he was set on fire, killing him, the fire then burned my house down ... I'm sorry I didn't die too, I have to live knowing a man died because of me. And people think I chose this life

You mean all those local authorities about to be merged as part of the government devolution white paper which is inevitably going to lead to redundancies? It's not being widely acknowledged yet but that's going to happen and there'll be more people out there job hunting, able bodied or not.

personal finance situations are forcing and have always forced people to work in jobs they don't like

@Maitri108 , what is NMW work please?

This is what I think too.This govt seems to be copying the Tories .Cuts to Winter fuel allowance .targeting the soft targets such as people with poor MH .They can all work the lazy bastards! When people can barely cope with day to day life ,Is having a job going to improve their health?Answers on a postcard please .Honestly to hear KS speak you would have thought MT was back! Few jobs ATM ,CS cutbacks .NHS management being targeted. Where will they find these imaginary posts I wonder

When I was made redundant from one job I got another job cleaning out seaside chalets. Some of them were minging and I hated it, but it was a job that put food on the table.

That's not correct is it. People apply for vacancies, they go for interviews, they get a job. No one is forcing them to work in supermarkets. Everyone who has a job does so because they want money in exchange for labour. They're not forced into a particular position and told to work there.

My situation:

Abused in childhood. Had therapies but have PTSD /OCD. Undiagnosed because the NHS has labelled me as anxious and depressed rather than delving into why.

I've been on antidepresents for 20 years now.

Diagnosed in adulthood as autistic and ADHD

Parents didnt care enough to realise this.

Struggled through school and had huge issues with people. Couldnt stay in college because of the pressure and people.

Left college and got a few jobs. I remember hiding in the stockroom selfharming and sobbing because i didnt want to be there and couldnt deal with customers.

I found DH and had 3 children in close sucession.

I feel i did this because i felt abandoned by my parents and i wanted to create the family i didnt have myself.

Loved Motherhood but struggled massively. And my anxiety went through the roof.

Ive spent the last 20 years thinking my kids are going to die.

I dont believe i have normal anxiety, I feel like something is really psychologically wrong with me but GP just refers me for CBT therapy and antidepressants.

-I don't socialise at all
-Dont have a single friend
-Do all my food shopping online
-Dont go on holidays (cant stand the change of environment)

• Dont drive because i cant bare to have lessons with an instructor and couldnt deal with people beeping at me etc...

-Don't leave the house by myself EVER.

• Cant even walk my dogs round the block

-Have constant OCD thoughts that im going to die/my kids are going to die. If someone knocks on the door i start panicking because I think its the police and theyre telling me someone is dead etc...
-have constant heart palpitations

• am on 40mg citalopram and daily propranolol

-Have to be someone if i go anywhere. I cant even go to the corner shop for a milk.
-constant flashbacks to childhood. Even seeing a toy I had in a shop can make me feel like the world is suffocating me.

I have no life :(

I am on LWRCA from ESA transfer.

I get standard PIP on both awards.

10 points on mobility

10 points on daily living

But because its all spread over in 2's Im no longer able to get PIP

Every day I think about ending my life but i keep going for my kids. How can I abandon them?

But its a miserable life :(

I dont know what job i could do as im struggling with my life already, just the monotonous task of making dinner feels too much most days.

Plus what qualifications do I have? A few GCSEs and 20 years of unemployment due to raising kids and not being able to cope mentally with anything??

If i cant even go into my local food shop and fill a trolley what good am I to an employer?

Care and education require people who are stable and consistent which many disabilities don’t allow for. Local authorities slightly better for flexibility but that’s why nothing gets done at a local level so not better for society at large.

As I said I was fortunate, I had enough saved not to have to claim sickness or benefits and to live modestly but I absolutely could not have worked for a long time.

people who need money and not be on benefits will take any job, It's not a bizarre concept ( appears to becoming one though)

Where'd you get that idea from...?
"Flexibility" does mean "not a 9 to 5".

@Puyyt

that is such a sad story

can you look into other avenues of psychiatric treatment?

you are worth so much more -

don’t give up seeking a solution

you can do this

You are assuming they care

@PaintDecisions , your poor friend sounds in a bad way. Why do you think he’d be a target for these reforms!

I wouldn’t consider myself young, im in my 30s.

I appreciate your situation and by the sounds of it you won’t be affected by this change anyway and I certainly don’t object to anyone receiving a benefit they are entitled too.

However if you were affected, this is the way I am interpreting what you said - showering takes you 2 hours, okay, I get up at 6am every morning to get myself and my child ready. I take them to nursery and commute to work. I have to get up early so I can get to work on time. If it takes you 2 hours to shower then you could get up early or shower in the evening when you are home. I don’t have the physical disabilities you do, but I know it takes me X amount of time to get ready, and you know it takes you 2 hours so that’s the same.

You don’t need to wear leggings and a shirt to work, there are plenty of pull over tops and plenty of professional looking pull up trousers which work the same way as a leggings and a T-shirt. I know this because I wear them myself for work for the reasons below.

I was left incontenant after childbirth and I also suffer with IBS so I also understand the need to be near a toilet, it’s never been a issue to find a job where the toilet isn’t a miles walk away. Obviously a supermarket probably wouldn’t be suitable for you, but most offices or small retailers could be. Im currently pregnant so again I understand the nausea and dizziness albeit for a different reason, I just make sure I am sitting down. I also have concentration issues due to another condition so again I understand that to some extend, my employer is very supportive and allows me to take regular breaks (I have a shorter lunch to make up for those).

So the job you could do, very much sounds like mine. I also used to work for a bank, you would have had no issues working as a cashier or customer service advisor in a high street bank (although appreciate they are quite hard to come by nowadays). Receptionists, admin assistants, all of those types of jobs seem to be of a similar nature that could accommodate your needs.

Re transport, do you never leave the house to go shopping or anything like that? What do you do in everyday life? Not be sarcastic but interesting to understand if you are worried about your benefits potentially being cut that there must be a element you wouldn’t qualify for which is likely to be the day to day stuff so chances are you leave the house to go places? You can also get taxis or public transport if you don’t drive. I know people I work with who claim PIP that use that money to pay for taxis.

I’m not for one minute suggesting you should be working if you genuinely can’t but I hope you can see that there are potential solutions to problems if you look for them, and there are also many people working who have the similar if not the same problems that aren’t eligible for benefits, and still manage to go to work every day.

What has your GP said when you’ve asked for a referral to see a Psychiatrist?

soft targets such as people with poor MH .They can all work the lazy bastards! When people can barely cope with day to day life ,Is having a job going to improve their health?

In many cases meaningful work does significantly improve mental health - routine, purpose and financial stability are all contributors to good mental health. Part of the difficulty is that a symptom of many mental health conditions is that they feel intractable and so breaking that cycle is very difficult indeed and there’s simply not enough access to services to help in their approach medium to long term.