Disabled people living in fear of

A report in today Guardian say that charities supporting the disabled are reporting massively increased prejudice towards disabled people thanks to the "scrounging" narative being used by government ministers and the DWP in particular being widely reported in the media. Some disabled people are afraid to use disabled parking places as they are reguarly being challenged by members of the public demanding to see blue badges and check if its being used by the person its issued too. Others are being told they don't look disabled. Theres an assumption that everyone who's disabled must being getting massive amounts of benefits, new cars every three years etc.

I think this is awful, disabled people face enough hurdles in life as it is without this too. The amount of DLA fraud is a tiny proportion of the amount not claimed, not that its easy to get DLA anyway, even before the government cuts.

I hate the way people with disabilities are being portrayed, I used to be able to work 15 hour days, or work all day go out at night, get up the next day and dig 70" of potato trenches to work off my hangover and then go home and cook a roast dinner. Do people really think I want to not be able dig even 10" of potato trench without doing myself a mischief that will take me a couple of days to recover from? Do people think I like having to ask people to do simple things for me that even 5 years ago I wouldn't have even thought about not being able to do? Do people think I like being in constant pain with no real hope of relief, and the sheer exhaustion that goes with it when every movement brings an indrawn breath and a tensing against pain?

Not heard of it round here, the charities I donate to havent indicated such, and I dont take any notice of newspapers any more, ..more media hysteria probably... it sells papers they say.

Sounds like some of those that are expected to go out and earn an honest living are struggling to come to terms with just that...

They're probably the same people who park in Disabled Parking Bays and then rush into the supermarket.

it does not surprise me,...~

Hang on Paul - a diabetic may be own a valid disabled sticker...

Rob...Sorry, don't quite follow you...

It never ceases to amaze me about those who will use parent and child bays as well as disabled ones when they dont qualify either Paul, shame the able bodied cant be arsed to walk a few extra yards.

It makes my blood boil, Pete.

Rob, owning a disabled blue badge and displaying it is fine, its those who dont have one and take the piss.

I am one of those who challenges people using disabled parking spaces. The reason is because I get really fed up when I have my disabled mother in my car not being able to get into disabled car parking spaces.
On of the principle reason for providing wide disabled car parking spaces is because they are wider - letting me get the wheelchair up to the car door. It may actually help matters if the wide parking spaces for 'Parent & Baby' plus the Wide disbled spaces were posiyioned further away from the entrance. The unthoughtfull lazy ablebodied would not then block them. Some normal width reserved disabled spaces could still be provided near the entrance for those who do not nead wheelchaird.
The majority of those I challenge do turn out to be lazy fit people, so I will continue doing so.

Paul - a diabetic may be fleet of foot but have a valid blue sticker. Sorry I didn't put my point across very well. A few weeks ago I hurt my back and had trouble moving - yet I didn't qualify as 'disabled'.

Does that make sense?

Good for you, Everhopefull,... so do I.

Then there are the chavs who park the beemer right over a white line, giving themselves a double space, ..ignorant sods.

I agree with you about lazy fit people using disabled bays. But theres a much wider issue here of how disabled people are treated.

wonderoushen, I refer you to the post by Everhopefull, its because of the lazy fit people that the deserving disabled are being questioned in car parks, not by the government. I will always confront an illegal parker in such circumstances whether its over a mother and baby or a disabled badge owner.

Rob...Thanks for the explanation...

Providing the person is disabled then there is no issue here...

In recent years many supermarkets have brought in private car parking firms to monitor folk looking to abuse the time permitted to park on the premises...I'd like to see these guys (or gals) also monitoring whos parking where...

No worry Paul (Blokey hug).

I do tend to think and expect others to read my mind.

I honestly thought in the 21st century that we had moved beyond victimising the sick. If you saw this sort of behaviour in a playground you would see it for what it was. And those that perpetrate this level of victimisation are imho no better than a school bully.

Has the blue badge replaced the old orange badge ?

Just curious...

speedy, I refer you to the first half of my second post in reply to Everhopefull.

Like I said this is about much more than who uses disabled parking bays which if any of you had read my OP in full you would of noticed. The article was also talking about people using walking sticks being challenged, just because someone can walk either with a stick or unaided dosen't meant they're not disabled, there are far more "walking wounded" than people realise who's disabilities are just as profound as those of wheelchair users.

Yes, the orange badges ceased to exist a few years ago.

Thanks, Souly...

not all disabilities are imediately obvious. Any anyway, whar is a disability? Even the DDA doesnt define it clearly. without checking I seem to think i says something about a health issue that affects day to day living, has lasted over a year and will continue to last.

this notion that to be disabled means you need a wheelchair is ludicrous.

I once had strong word with my local Tesco after a 'verbal exchange' with a clearly fit woman who used a disabled parking bay. Tesco told me they could do nothng to prevent the spaces being taken by such people. I told them it was high time that they did. Id like to see stores announce over the tannoy that car reg whatever is inconsiderately parked in a disabled person's bay. Name and Shame

Parent and child parking tho is another issue for me. Why should a woman with a 10 y/o get to park nearer than me? And what is wrong with pushing a buggy a few extra yards to the entrance? Years ago before women had cars of their own they'd be doing the week's shop pushing a pram along the high st nipping in and out of different shops.

I suppose it has to be near the door because the idle so and sos would take the disabled person's spaces

anyway enough! Back to work for me - deadline to meet lol

It is all down to peoples attitudes.

I was talking to some people a while ago, one woman had hired a woman, another workers daughter, she has dyspraxia, she eats all the time, doesn't wash, spills food down herself, has no volume control on her voice, is untidy but she can drive and her work is fine no problems there. She had talked to her about personal hygiene and eating but it didn't work. So she was thinking of letting her go cause of how she smells and looks. She only works there 2 hours a day, 3 days a week. When she hired her she knew all these things.

People with dyspraxia see things different, think different, although medication is helpful for certain things, there is no cure for a disability.

It made me really sad, my neice has dsypraxia and when it comes to her finding work she will face the exact same things. Although my neice has slightly different offerings, she can do craft things but has no co-ordination so can't ride a bike and probably wont be able to drive, she likes to be clean and tidy but doesn't stay tidy for long and she eats like she hasn't been fed before.

I fear for her finding work when she is older, not just work she is capable of but other peoples attitudes towards the things she has no control over.

You would be surprised how many people think that because you have disability you have to look a certain way or act a certain way.

xx

Its both disgraceful and dispicable and typical of the society we now live in !!!

Is there a typical face look... a disabled person should have or wear ???... i blame Mr Cameron for all this IMHO... setting dog on dog so to speak

Wasnt it in Germany at one point , that the disabled were considered the same, as has been said now in our Society today and not even worthy to live...?

Long and hard battles have been fought for the rights of disabled folks, it just isnt fair they be treated in this shocking way...im truelly appalled to hear about this.. such a backward step indeed to say the least makes me sooo very very angry !!!

Yes I do think there is a real problem of many disabled people being seen as scroungers. Not all disabilities are immediately apparent, many have a delayed reaction to physical exertion that brings on a flare, others are variable with fluctuations from day to day, and many of us just grin and bear it, feeling almost ashamed to walk with difficulty so we try to walk normally, especially when we are with able bodied people. To those who have no idea what it is like to live with a disability, it is too easy to look at someone and think they are scrounging.

It's something I came up against myself with one particularly nasty neighbour a few years back who said he had been taking photos of me as he was determined to prove I wasn't disabled. Why did he do this? Because I had objected to his planning application to build a garage outside my front window.

So scared was I that I would be investigated I wrote to the DWP to request that they re assess me. After all the form filling and a medical they said I was still entitled to it. But I lived the next couple of years in fear, constantly looking over my shoulder and nervous even on my good days of doing anything that could land me in trouble. I also stopped parking in disabled bays with my blue badge. All the accompanying stress made me really ill.

In the end I decided to voluntarily hand back my DLA which funded a car, send the car back and buy myself a little runaround, and finally have peace of mind, something DLA can never buy!

Before you judge anyone on appearances, just stop and think!!