Sick and disabled to do workfare or lose £71 a week.

[Darkesteyeswithflecksofgold]

Guardian has revealed even more heartless plans towards sick and disabled people.



www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/sep/03/disabled-benefits-claimants-fines-work

[CFSKate]

I've just seen "Badger Vs Disability: A grudge match"
bottomfacedotcom.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/42/

[Bilbobagginstummy]

Thanks, OrangeKipper - I will look into that.

I know, it's awful. An objective assessment, if fair, is acceptable. An unfair assessment with skewed criteria is not.

[OrangeKipper]

Sorry, the only thing I can suggest is joining www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ who have lots of expert advice, but it's a subscription site. There may also be disability advocate organisations local to her but, guess what, they're closing for lack of funding.

Says a lot that the DWP are spending their money on expensive professional arguers rather than on attempting to accurately assess disabled people's level of capacity... Remind me, what actually is the purpose of the disability benefits system? To support the sick, or to create nice little jobs for bureaucrats and lawyers?

[Bilbobagginstummy]

An acquaintance has just reported back from a tribunal where apparently the questions have changed, with the apparent aim of making sure that appeals don't succeed (the 40% figure was presumably too high for someone). she was humiliated by a barrister she didn't know was going to be there; she had been told it would be an informal hearing.

I have been googling and can't find anything about these changes. Does anyone, please? Is there anything that she can do to complain about her treatment at the tribunal or request a new appeal with fair criteria?

[SammyTheSwedishSquirrel]

This is so very, very sad and I'm so glad we got off the ship before it sinks. It was such a relief to move to a country where the state looks at me and my condition (autism) and asks what help and support do I need and then tries to provide it. It's not perfect (social services couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery) but the motivating principle is very much 'how can we ensure this vulnerable person has the best outcome in their life'. Faults and all, it feels like they care. That's the difference to me. In Britain it's like they just don't care about people anymore :(

[cornzy]

That article is shocking

[Sparrowp]

Hmm Job seekers allowance is £71 a week. It is completely inadequate to live on, for any person.

Of course the disabled don't want to live on JSA and are fighting to keep the higher rate of ESA.

This is a cynical divide-and-rule ploy to pit jobseekers and the disabled against each other.

[BollocksToKarma]

It's not much but it's a start...

link

[domesticgodless]

@pumpkin incredible isn't it how logic flies out of the window once hate and prejudice are legitimised....

[pumpkinsweetie]

Absolutely Dark, they wouldn't expect an able bodied person to suddenly turn into an olympian over night so why are they expecting this of the disabled

[Darkesteyeswithflecksofgold]

threeorange i totally agree.
Its not just on this site either. You only have to go to sites like MSE to see nothing has changed. In fact its getting worse.
The media and societys attitude towards the Paralympics re. disabled people is "well if a Paralympian cun run,swim like Ellie Simmonds etc then why cant you (disabled person i see in the street do that)
How many articles have we seen in the press or attitudes in society have we seen asking why all able bodied people cant run like Usain Bolt. Ummm NONE!

[threeorangesocksmorganisagirl]

of course mn can be used as an example of views.

[OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos]

But I wouldn't ever just take MN as an example. By the very nature of MN being a forum that draws opinionated debate, there will always be people that have strong, and often wrong views.

I can't say I see much in the way of anti SN threads, certainly nowhere near as much as a few posters seem to state there is.

The fact that some disabled people can achieve great things (I say great because that's my opinion of significant achievement when there have been extra barriers and struggles to face) is not directly connected to what happens to those who can't do the same. Disabled people do not form one homogenous group. The achievement of one is not there to take away from another. So yes, I really do believe what I wrote in my last post.

[threeorangesocksmorganisagirl]

Freddos' come on, do you really believe that, if you just take mn for an example.
the attitude has not changed.
the anti sn threads still appear.
yes some disabled people can achieve "great" things(although I don't like the way it is decided what is deemed great) but what do you suggest we do with rest?

[pumpkinsweetie]

I agree kiwigirl i don't think this goverment wants to pay out for anything and they would much rather we all drop dead

[kiwigirl42]

I find all this so frightening. I've just lost my job because I have chronic migraine and spend 5-7 days per week in a dark room in agony. It been 5 yrs now so its not as if I haven't tried to keep going.
But apparently migraine is not considered a valid reason for 'being ill'. So I'm applying knowing I've got a hell of a fight on my hands and it just makes me feel awful. I think they would actually prefer people to top themselves with the pressure so they don't have to pay out.
Thank god DH can afford to feed me or I'd be on the streets (I have no family at all who would help me)
Bastards.

[domesticgodless]

Pumpkin people do see that. 1 in 3 people gets cancer. That is why the government recently changed the law.

Cancer is a daily mail headline obsession.

now, a cancer diagnosis will mean going in the Support Group (where you still get a totally shit amount of money, you just starve a bit less)

However another terminal diagnosis will still lead to you having to work until you have 6 months to live. And I wonder who will determine how long people have to live. ATOS, through a computerised test? As doctors clearly can't be trusted any more :S

[pumpkinsweetie]

That is awful cornzy- Goes to show this government know absolutely nothing of the REAL world!
If they actually saw the amount of medication a cancer patient has to take, how sick they get during chemo, how much pain they go through on a daily basis, how many appointments they have, the nutrapenia they can endure when white blood cells are extremely low etc.

I feel very strongly about this and i would like to know how we can stop this??!
So a terminally ill cancer patient who has to endure life pro-longing chemo has to spend the last weeks/months of their life working??? Fucking discusting!

Not only that being given six months doesn't always mean six months so how the hell can they make that the limit grr?

[OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos]

But that comes from people being uneducated about disability issues, not because of the Paralympics. If anything, the Paralympics are helping to educate people in a positive way.

I think it's better for the general perception to be that some disabled people can achieve great things, rather then for the general perception to be that disabled people may as well be written off altogether.

[domesticgodless]

definitely threeorange

Such a bloody shame, that the truly great achievements of some disabled people have been used to diminish and stigmatise others further.

[threeorangesocksmorganisagirl]

I link it because (and have seen this already on mn) that people see disabled people running races. and stuff like that....
then post asking "what is disabled"

[domesticgodless]

The Paralympics provided a great 'beard' for the cuts. OOOh look aren't our disabled people great! Look at them go! It's not what you can't do, it's what you can... etc.

So if you can't 'win' through your disabilities you can go die.

[OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos]

Threeoranges, while I agree with your sentiment, I find it really unfair that you are linking this in any way to the Paralympics (which I love and feel compelled to defend).

These cuts were happening before the Paralympics and would have happened whether or not they were held in this country. There are a lot of good things that have happened for disabled people because of the Paralympics and that should be celebrated.

There are a lot of crap things happening to disabled people at the moment, but that is an entirely separate subject to the Paralympics.

[domesticgodless]

cornzy I think they just exempted cancer patients from the rule about terminal illness but not sure about other illnesses. Presumably those are sort of 'less' terminal cos they don't grab Daily Mail headlines like cancer.

[threeorangesocksmorganisagirl]

it is the legacy
always was going to be,
a lot of disabled people will never be able to work, they *have to be supported,
Camscam, knows this, he more than anyone else in government should.
yet he is happy to take the little money that disabled people get off the and let them live in poverty.
very sick man