Panorama - Learning Disability Hospital abuse

[BakeliteBelle]

I know it is on AIBU, but why no debate on here? Did anyone watch it?

I forced myself to watch it because one of the factors in abuse of people with learning disabilities is the fact that good people who care, stand by and do nothing because they can't bear to believe it is possible.

I cried watching it and feel so utterly distressed that as my DS reaches 18, I won't be able to care for him at home because he is too challenging, but I can't bear the thought of what might happen to him away from us...

Too, too distressing. I want those bastards to be done for torture and find out what it is to be hurt and bullied and stamped on themselves.

What the fuck are LA's funding learning disability hospitals for anyway? They were meant to have closed years ago - why on earth are private companies receiving funding to open new hospitals? It beggars belief.

I won't sleep tonight

Good. Awareness sloop necessary.

I overheard a school run mum saying "Oh, I didn't watch that disabled care home program.....things like that upset me". I don't know this lady at all but I'm aware of her son who keeps telling him he's WEIRD and GAY. Sounds to me like she ought to try and force her delicate sensibilities to watch the program. Her son too

Christ....my brain has gone.....

HER son tells MY ds he's weird and gay.

And awareness is sooooo important. Sodding iPad!

I was wondering about 'Sloop' Wendihouse!!

I know many people Wendi who did not watch the Panorama program as it would be too upsetting.
I made myself watch it and if I had not have watched would not have been able to believe the level of abuse that went on.
Not watching deliberately is just hiding from a societal reality that no one really wants to acknowledge.

I don't think it is an option NOT to have watched the Panorama programme. One of the reasons abuse of disabled children is 4 times the rate of abuse of non-disabled children is that people can't face the possibility of it happening at all. We have to learn from this. I now know that Local Authorities are funding hospitals; that Local Authorities make dreadful errors of judgement; that any 'home' that doesn't allow relatives into their children's rooms is quite likely to be operating a regime of torture and abuse. All very essential and useful stuff.

2Boys, I think you are fab to keep this topic live. Well done!!

Exactly 2boys, and that's why I also watch those heartbreaking stories on romanian/russian orphanges and the like because although they really break my heart and I sob my way through them, ignoring them doesn't make it go away.
It's easier to ignore things like this for the sake of your own peace of mind but ignoring it won't make the changes which are needed.
These issues need to be open in the public domain. It's harder to ignore it if we all know it's going on and the changes are more likely to happen (hope that all makes sense!)

Thanks Bakelite for saying I am fab! I hate seeing this thread slip down the page. I really cannot leave this thread alone.
I also believe that I have learnt alot from being part of this thread.
I am sure we will all keep 'coming back' as this is an ongoing, hugely important issue.

Thing is 2boys, my ds is only ten. But one day he'll be all grown up and I can see him. Walking/nervous shuffling down the street, wringing his hands, talking to himself or anyone who will listen in order to allay is anxiety and being laughed at.

We say we promote disabled and learning difficulties awareness but really, we can promote all we like, there are some "feral" (excellent word, thanks for that earlier on this thread) folk who just find others' difficulties and misfortune hilarious.

yes - feral is a polite way of putting it. It makes me despair and how can people who are ignorant/ cruel or plain nasty be dealt with? I don't know...

Criminalising them under 'hate' laws..?
Some how making 'them' socially unacceptable..?

Must be honest, I used to go on another site (not for disabled, just a general newsy/gossipy type thing) and MOST British people were ok, some brilliantly understanding of disability. But then it joined with the American site and OH MY DAYS such animosity I've never heard the like, it was vile. I stopped using it in the end cos it was too upsetting.

However it is true there are too many who are not just ignorant but scared of disability. Even a good friend of mine admitted some years ago that she got scared when a learning disabled adult stayed where she worked (holiday place) but to be fair she's now learnt a lot more and is more understanding cos she made the effort to. But there are too many who are frightened of it or openly hostile and I wonder if we can ever teach people like that.

I have another friend who has a young son severely disabled. She ended up going to court over her neighbour because of his open hatred and mocking of her little boy. I won't go into it but it was truly horrific what they went through as a family. There were 3 police witness statements (they'd watched for some length of time) but because they refused to show the judge exactly the faces etc this guy was pulling (they were embarrassed and didn't feel that it was dignified towards my friends son to show) the judge said they were obviously making it up, he didn't even read their statements not did he watch the CCTV footage of what this guy was doing, He got away with it!
Unbelievable.

Bloody hell unpa1d... how awful..

Well one good thing that came out of it was that cos the bloke had paid for a top lawyer he had to sell his house hahaha and move away. They've got nice neighbours now. However she still sees them around and they still mock. In fact I was in a supermarket with her recently and one of his family works there and was blatently challenging towards my friend. She ignored it but I was mystified until she explained who this person was.

Wendihouse - did the school ever get back to you about that charity visiting concerning disability awareness? As unpa1d says with some people who fear disability/ the unknown education maybe the key and clearly catching kids to educate is the way to go.

Wendihouse
Sorry- it was only yesterday you posted about it so unlikely.
Hope it does go ahead as sounds great.

No....school haven't got back so, it's not looking likely this term.

I think making disability predjudice a prosecutable offence is a good idea. Let's face it, if I went about hurling abuse at " foreigners" I'd be cautioned for racial hatred or something.

Disabled people need to count!

That git of an MP should be sacked for suggesting disabled people should feel grateful to work for less than the minimum wage.

It just perpetuates the "disabled people don't count" concensus.

What a horrible story unpaid. Inclusion isn't quite working is it?

There is a - sadly common - phenomenon known as 'cuckooing' where vulnerable people living without enough protection in the community are 'befriended' by neighbours. Those 'friends' then go on to exploit the vulnerable person mercilessly, taking their possessions, money and food and sometimes abusing them. Because the vulnerable people are often desperately lonely - social inclusion, my arse - they want the cuckoos to stay. The cuckoos effectively groom them and convince them they are their friends.

Have any of you watched 'Dead Man's Shoes', by Shane Meadows. Oh God, what a film...

Not seen 'Dead Man's shoes'.
'Social inclusion' as a concept is bandied around a lot. However with inadequate support it is just a politically correct phrase with no teeth. It can be like a badge for professionals to say 'look what we have done' yet can be a disaster in reality -especially if done on the cheap. It is not enough to stick someone in a house and more or less say - there you go - social inclusion accomplished.

No, but watched last night's "Inside I'm Dancing".....made me sad.

What on earth can we do to protect our dc's? Mine is an only child too.

Keep trying to do links to things re Winterbourne but its not working at the moment..Grrr

Wendihouse - I understand how stressed you feel about your son's future. I hope by the time he needs/wants to leave home things round support/ dealing with ignorant gits might have improved.

Has this been linked to yet? here

Thank you Bakelite.. that was one of them. Wonder what I was doing wrong!!

Not seen that film Bake, will look out for it. Have seen inside I'm dancing I think- is that the one with..oh damn it I've forgotten his name...used to be in Shameless and was in Narnia (mr tinmus?)...aw he's gorgeous too.
Anyway where he's in a wheelchair and moves in with that lad who's also disabled?

Aha James Mcavoy that's him!