Woman's Hour this morning

[theDudesmummy]

If you missed it, do listen to Hannah's interview on Women's Hour this morning!

I heard it - struck many chords with me.

As I posted on the chat thread...

Something of a damp squib (I thought, others may disagree).

Missed opportunity to talk about the non-extension of disability discrimination rights to parents who care for DC with disabilities - no legal requirement to make 'reasonable adjustment'.

This could have led to a pertinent discussion around day to day difficulties and challenges directly related to the needs of the child (necessary hospital appts etc) and the 'disabling' difficulties and challenges that are a consequence of educational and health services failures and the necessity of becoming an SEN legal expert, SALT, OT etc. We don't do it for fun or as an optional add on.

This could have led to a discussion on how the SEN changes will impact from the pov of a carer. Will the situation for carer's be improved?

...I am sick of seeing 'self-employment' portrayed as some kind of solution to the problems of structural inequality. The 'deserving' poor can become self-employed (and will rather than claim benefit it they have any moral backbone!). There is a danger that there is being drawn a picture of the deserving disabled and the deserving carer. We can't all become self-employed and sell SEN aids (to each other!)

Will try and find and listen

I belive that anything that highlights the issue of how many barriers are placed in the way of parents with children who have special needs has got to be a good thing, whether or not it reflects the experiences of all, or even most of us. It is something that even close friends struggle to really understand. A good friend of DH's even said to him the other day oh, well we both work full-time and have a nanny and it is fine, why don't you get a job? (DH has had to give up his career because of the complexities of DS's situation and running a home ABA programme). Very difficult to people to understand that we can't just hand DS and all his needs, practical, legal, therapeutic and much more, over to a nanny. Someone has to deal with it all. Full time. It's not just childcare, it's so much more. It would be good if more people understood that.

I listened. I enjoyed it but think you get more if an impact when people are invited to phone in and share their experiences. It didn't really hit home the issues I felt. I had visions of the listener feeling all warm and fluffy that the interviewee had started a lovely business from home. Also I didn't feel the impact on siblings was covered properly and felt that the listener came away with the impression that she was lucky to have a glimpse of the other life and that made up for it. It's bloody difficult raiding a NT child alongside a child with ASD and creates endless issues, like friends coming home to play, school runs if you have one kid at special school and the isolation of the sibling from other children (usually at the instigation of the parents). All this impacts on the wider issue of work.

I agree would have been strengthened with a phone in. Also thought she could have used more of the research she did with parents here on mn beforehand as many of the experiences were so well portrayed on that thread.

However, must be hard to keep on track with such an emotive issue - I would have crumpled at several points during the iv as 6 years on and I could still weep about my dd' s disability freely!

Just last week I experienced the lack of understanding and empathy my employer shows regarding our situation. My dd was ill and I needed time off. Even though I offered to make up the hours in the evenings by working from home, they made me feel guilty and I got a shitty email from my line manager. Last time dd was hospitalised for the same illness so was the last thing I needed on top of all the stress. They just don't get it!

So glad at least our struggles are being raised

Did anyone listen to this again today? I think they are covering the topic every day. I didn't catch all of it but the interviewee had a daughter with learning disabilities and started a business her daughter could work on. I felt it was following the same pattern about self employment but there was also a bit where she was discussing her son who had now left for university and her voice was breaking up just talking about him and wondering if he had missed out on things.

I posted my comments on the original thread.
The broadcast made me feel crap