I have Dyspraxia and Fibromyalgia, am not claiming DLA as I am very fortunate not to need it at the moment. On bad days I need some help with getting out of bed, cooking etc but as I am still fairly young (20s) I am hoping it will be a while before I do need DLA. I struggled to get my current job after graduation, took me a year - Dyspraxia put people right off (Fibro dx was only a few weeks ago). I am almost 5 months in to it, prior to that I've only done bar work and shop work since I was 15. So far I have had a month off sick for the Fibro (return part time tomorrow) and around 4 half days off for brain scans, neurologist, neuropsychologist and Rheumatologist appointments. Not to mention a number of late starts/early leaves due to seeing my GP for medication, referrals etc. I'm still 6 weeks away from the end of my probation!
I worry that if I lost my job I would seriously struggle to find another. I worry that Remploy, the government funded organisation to help people with disabilities and health conditions find and keep work will have it's funding removed. I worry that others who are worse off than me will struggle to find work, will be told they are fit to work when they aren't and will have their quality of life seriously damaged. My DP is a civil servant in the Fast Stream so I worry that if he loses his job I'll have to quit mine and move back home as I can't afford to live in London on my salary - especially if my income is reduced due to having to go part-time or having prolonged periods of sickness.
I hate this implication that anyone with a disability is workshy or a benefit cheat. I hate this idea that just because some people with disabilities can do great things (like paralympic athletes etc) it means those of us who don't are too lazy or have the wrong attitude and we're 'disabling' ourselves by thinking we can't do things when in fact we can. My employers have actually been great lately but people who are sick for large amounts of time, people who need extensive adaptions to do a job are not as attractive to employers as those who don't on the whole. Especially not in the recession!
When I was dx with Dyspraxia my DP thought it was great I was finally diagnosed (as an adult) as it meant I would easily find a job as people would want me to fill their 'quotas' [hhmm]
People seem to think that Disability is some kind of amazing free ticket - you automatically get a job because you're disabled and will sue anyone who turns you down for one under the DDA/Equality Act, you don't even have to apply for DLA or ESA, your Dr just tells SS and they fall over themselves to offer you thousands of pounds a year in benefits. Motability cars are some kind of free for all where people who are on incapacity benefit for 'blisters' or 'bad back' get a nice, completely free, new car every 3 years. They don't realise how hard it is for people with disabilities, they don't know how hard people who look after people who are sick or disabled have to work. They think GP's just diagnose anyone who walks through their door with ADHD etc if asked to so their parents can claim benefits. They assume anyone with a learning difficulty is thick, but of course, they can push trolleys or stack shelves so it's ok.
My DP said that at his work, under the previous government, they had diversity training (one of his colleagues is blind and has a guide dog in the office) and were told that the Civil Service considered adaptions for disabled people as just as reasonable as someone who wasn't disabled asking for a light bulb in a dark room with no windows to enable them to do their job. If only everyone else thought the same way!
I am going to get off my soap box and write to my MP now...