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Well done Welsh Govt. Blue Badge Scheme

22 replies

SallyBear · 14/12/2012 07:35

here
So if the rest of the "powers that be", would just wake up and realise that as Autism is a recognised disability, people with Autism should get the same rights as other disabled people and get a blue badge for parking without having to jump through bureaucratic hoops.

OP posts:
cornycarrotshack · 14/12/2012 07:36

< applauds >

Icedcakeandflower · 14/12/2012 07:51

joins corny in applause

coff33andmintspies · 14/12/2012 08:54

Hope the rest of the uk follows suit x

CwtchesAndCuddles · 14/12/2012 09:37

Great news - I'm in Wales and ds has a blue badge (discretionery) but I know of many parents who have been turned down.

I was dreading being turned down when ds badge needs to be renewed, looks like that's one less thing to worry about now!

BeeMom · 15/12/2012 02:42

Exceptional - it is just a shame that it automatically links to stories of blue badge abuse at the end :(

Eliza22 · 16/12/2012 22:19

It's a bloody joke, isn't it? Arent we supposed to be a United Kingdom? My son has autism and crippling OCD. And I do mean crippling. When we lived in Hereford, we had a blue badge. We moved counties and its not been renewed. It's made a massive difference to our lives. To be honest, we didn't use it that much as its so hard to get ds out of our home but, it made a big difference to our lives.

I contacted my MP who supported me in an appeal but we got nowhere because autism isn't considered a disability in terms of mobility. In England. Due to new regulations which came in in February 2012.

Maybe I should go live in Wales, with my mum.

But.... Great news for those Welsh people with autism so YAH!!

ShrekTh3Halls · 16/12/2012 22:24

we're all moving to Wales.

Debs75 · 16/12/2012 22:28

We have had a blue badge for DS who is autistic.

He has absolutely no sense of danger at all and had a terrifying habit of trying to grab car bumpers when they went past.

He has nearly been hit several times and as he also has the annoying habit of leaping out of a car door we need that extra room.

I am glad that Wales appears to be making it universally available. Shouldn't it be if you get higher rate mobility you automatically get a blue badge?

PearlyWhites · 18/12/2012 15:52

Where I live a blue badge is automatic if you get high rate mob

SallyBear · 18/12/2012 16:32

But you have to get HR mobility to get a Blue Badge. If I could have just applied to my LA for one on the strength of his paediatrician's report then it would have saved me the major hoop jumping that we had to do. It all worked out in the end.

OP posts:
Pixel · 18/12/2012 18:18

I don't think it's a blanket policy for England, just depends where you live. Ds had a blue badge even though he was only on low-rate mobility, we are in the Brighton area.

Eliza22 · 19/12/2012 08:50

Pixel, my ds was awarded his Blue Badge in Hereford in May 2009 and was on Low Rate Mobility. It was due for renewal in May this year. We have relocated within that time span to Cheshire. The badge was refused for renewal in Cheshire AS HE ONLY GETS LOW RATE MOBILITY.

We were told that new criteria came into force for England which would not, under any circumstances, allow the renewal of a Blue Badge unless ds was in receipt of HIGH RATE MOBILITY and could not walk beyond so many yards without pain or acute breathlessness.

We appealed and were refused again.

May I ask, has your child's Blue Badge been renewed in Brighton since February 2012? Did he have to undergo a mobility inspection? (Testing how far he could walk for breathlessness/pain). Sorry to be nosey but am curious.

PearlyWhites · 19/12/2012 09:10

Eliza it is not true it is not a blanket policy for england, in Merseyside a blue badge is automatic with high rate mob otherwise you fill in a form and they check with your gp

BsDad · 19/12/2012 09:11

Hi,

Below is a link to a letter we submitted with our blue badge application. We were successful and it has made a huge difference to our lives. I don't know how much the letter contributed to getting the badge but it may be of use to anyone looking to apply.

autisticson.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/blue-badge/

Eliza22 · 19/12/2012 10:06

PearlyWhites, Cheshire must be a tough council then. We had support from GP and Consultant Psychiatrist who's treated ds for 2+ years with varying degrees of success. At the appeal process we had a letter of reference from our MP who had followed ds's case and stepped in to help when he was so ill he ended up in hospital.

It is very much missed. We didn't get opportunity to use it much but it made the difference between a handful of parking fines (when, in desperation I'd just have to park up and take the consequences) and being able to coax and prepare ds for even a ten minute trip out of the house.

I am flummoxed.

Eliza22 · 19/12/2012 15:11

BsDad. Good to hear the letter accompanying your application was successful. It is similar in content to our "case" presented to Herefordshire Council in 2009. We also had an additional report from his Paediatric Consultant and we too, received a phone call and within 3 days, a Blue Badge.

In the time period from 2009 to 2012 my son's condition deteriorated rapidly requiring CAMHS treatment additional to his ASD issues. As I say, the Blue Badge Dept refused his renewal citing new guidelines which came into place in February 2012. For, I was told, the UK. You may find that in the future when your child's renewal is due, there will be real difficulty in a new award being made. My MP fought my corner and stated clearly that, my son's condition had worsened to the extent that not only was he a danger to himself but others also. Our various clinicians backed us up. Blue Badge refused saying that if it didn't include pain/breathlessness or loss of limb, then "autism" was considered a " psychological" condition, which simply, under new regulations, was not valid in terms of mobility. To which statement, two qualified clinicians involved with my son's care, provided additional reports stating that ASD was NOT a psychological condition but a developmental, PHYSICAL, brain condition.

It made not one bit of difference, we were 3 times refused. My son is 12 now. He requires one to one supervision, 3 feet from out front door and I recently had to pick him up and carry him, like a toddler.

I write this as a warning to those who like me, had a Blue Badge for ASD and are due for renewal.

As a matter of interest, has anyone who, like us is on High Rate Care component of DLA and the lower rate of MOBILITY, who has since February 2012, received a Blue Badge for ASD ?

Pixel · 19/12/2012 18:54

Ah well I'm not much help there I'm afraid because ds was awarded high rate mobility last year so I don't know if he'd have got his badge renewed if he'd still been on low rate.

Eliza22 · 19/12/2012 19:07

Ah, ok. Thanks Pixel.

SallyBear · 19/12/2012 20:08

That's so crap Eliza. I can't believe that the LA are still refusing. There is no justice. What would it take for them to reconsider - an accident involving a car and a DC with severe ASD and no sense of danger l? The mind boggles. We got ours as DS4 has HRM. I had to fight to get it. My LA touted the usual party line of "he can walk, has no physical disability and that Autism is not a recognised disability." I would love for the Chief Executive of my LA come and talk to local parents who have kids like my DS, and then go to a busy Tescos car park and see what it's really like. Angry

OP posts:
PearlyWhites · 19/12/2012 22:14

That's awful Eliza, the council should be ashamed of themselves.

Eliza22 · 20/12/2012 09:12

We're supposed to be a United Kingdom. And I say this as one who recently asked my GP if she could review my prescription medication as frankly, the cocktail of drugs I take for bone problems is just too expensive now that it's NHS policy where we live to give ONLY ONE MONTH'S SUPPLY of meds where previously it was two. So, instead of 2 x 28 tabs at a time it's now £7.65 for 1x 28.

Nothing against the Welsh by the way. My mum lives ther!

Eliza22 · 20/12/2012 09:17

Oh, and SallyBear, the Blue Badge letter suggested that we might wish to apply for High Rate Mobility which would mean automatically, a Blue Badge award. So, rather than consider (as they did in Hereford) the needs of the individual, the suggestion now is that an application is made for more money (HRM) to get a parking concession, where just a badge would be appropriate, at no extra cost to the taxpayer.

My ds is well at the moment but if his condition changes again (and it usually does, quite dramatically) then I will reapply.

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