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Benefits Cuts

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Hello all,

Not written anything in a while. I thought I should

considering all the speculation around Disability

benefits.

I say speculation, but mixed a reality. Also top that

with a feeling of a real sense of resentment towards

disabled people.

The current government has a huge deficit left by 14

years of previous Tory governments. A huge deficit

plus an increase in a demand to fuel defence

spending. This money needs to come from

somewhere. But where? Oh yes, benefits. One of

these benefits which I will solely focus on is Personal

Independence Payment because that is the one I

have most experience with.

Firstly Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not

an out of work benefit. It is a benefit which exits to

cover the extra cost of living for those who are

Disabled.

The current state of things is that the government

want to take away this benefit from those who are not

the most severely Disabled in our society.

This is been fed to the people as a line because

people who do not claim PIP are not being told thewhole truth. The cost of living when you are disabled

increases. Let me give you a few extra costs you face

as a Disabled Person:

– charging your wheelchair

-paying taxis to get to and from work

-delivery cost for food shopping

-Therapy which is not covered under the NHS or wait

times are so long you have to been forced to go

private.

-Specialist equipment such as a long cane (the one I

use is £71.50- you may also own more than one fir a

back up)

– a cane tip (which you need to replace up to 2/3

times a year- depending on frequency of use-

£17.50)

– You may need to pay for a carer or Personal

Assistant because you can’t do certain things

independently

These are just a few things which I can think of which

Disabled people pay extra for. This means money on

top of the regular cost of living which a non Disabled

person pays.

If this money is taken away where is the extra cost

going to come from? This is where I need to point out

– again- PIP is not an out of work benefit. Whether a

Disabled person is in work or not, it doesn’t change

their Disability status. Just because a Disabled

person has a job does not magically mean all theirproblems disappear.

The government seems to be getting a bit confused

on this one. They seem to not be focusing on

Disabled people who work. They just seem to be

focussing on the ‘if you can work- you should work’.

But this does not magically mean that your Disability

disappears with a job.

The other thing which is important to point out, the

government is focussing heavily on benefit fraud. Yes,

lets talk about that shall we!

Less than 0% of benefit fraud crimes from PIP. Say

that louder for the people in the back. Less than 0%

of benfndirt fraud comes from PIP! I’ll leave this link

to Benefits and Work here.

Glad we cleared that up.

I could go on and on and talk about how this is the

perfect storm for Disabled People. The reduction in

benefits plus a new ‘right to dies’ policy. Oh I’m sorry

did you not know the government wants to introduce

a law that allows Disabled people who have a low

quality of life to have the tight to kill themselves? I’ll

let you do some reading on that one.

But I won’t go on anymore in this post, but I will be

back. Just remember, anyone can need access to

benefits at any time and we are lucky to live in asociety which- currently- will look after you if you

become Disabled.

Have a great day!

Philippa B.

I am in no way affiliated with any of the links provided.

Benefit Proposal Changes

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Hello all,

As you have probably seen in the news the previous government wanted to make changes to benefits such as Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit.

Changing the benefits system would mean a huge challenge to some of the most vulnerable in society. Making claimants worse off.

The benefit changes which I am going to focus on are Personal Independence Payment. This is because as as a Disabled person this is something which I am more aware of.

I fully understand the Labour government has a deficit which it needs to fix. I fully support the idea of getting people who can work into work, if it is the right decision. But not all Disabled people can work. Not all areas of our society are accessible, which reduces Disabled peoples access to not only work, but life in general.

The fix cannot just be take benefits away and people will work. There are so many more layers to this.
Disabled people need access to specialist equipment, such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, Braille displays etc, which can cost a lot of money, they then ned to be able to access buildings which are not always accessible. The ‘Get Britain Working Again’ has so many different areas to it which need to be addressed it is not as simple as ‘heres a job go do it’. At least not for Disabled people.

The changes being proposed are things like replace money with vouchers. How long will it take to implement this? How many business are going to have to wade through filling in forms to replace a voucher given to them by a Disabled person just so they can exchange goods and services? Business will either stop serving Disabled people, making them even more marginalised, or the business will go out of business because they can’t keep going with lack of money while they wait for the vouchers to be exchanged back into cash. Meaning less services for Disabled people. Leading to more marginalisation.

Disabled people need better access to support and that is not going to come from putting more barriers in their way.

Follow stories of Disabled people online and you will see how unfair the system really is. Follow charities such as Scope (click here for Scope) and read about their campaigns to help Disabled to get the support they need. 

I am on Threads @VisuallyImpairedPip

I am in no way affiliated with Scope, I just think they do a great job.

Books in 2024

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Hello all,

It is that time again where I tell you about all the books I read in the last year. I listened to six books. In 2023 I listened to seven books. So really I didn’t do to bad in comparison.

I do wish I had listened to more books though. We’ll see how we get on in 2025… 2025!

Cher
By: Cher

I saw this book advertised in a shop and had to download it on my Amazon subscription. The book is absolutely amazing. Cher talks so openly about everything and there is so much that made me laugh and made me feel quite sad. If you love Cher then you need to listen to this book. It is part one of two and I cannot wait for part two.
This is the last book I read last year I got through it very quickly. I think it took less than two weeks. I just couldn’t stop listening to it.

Sonny Boy
By: Al Pacino

When I was in London I saw this book advertised on the tube and I added it straight to my collection. Much like Cher’s Book it made laugh and cry.
I loved that he read the book it was a brilliant listen. I think I listened to it very quickly. Most people I think don’t realise how much effort actors and singers etc have to put into their craft. Al Pacino really lays out all of the things he had to do to make his dream a reality. 


The Third Gilmore Girl
By: Kelly Bishop

I listened to this book because I am a fan of Gilmore Girls. I absolutely love Kellys character Emily. This book as with the others made me laugh and cry. I think I loved it so much because she was so determined to get what she wanted and wouldn’t let anyone tell her no.

The Twat Files
By: Dawn French

I love Dawn French. I love anything French and Saunders. What was great about this book was that she was saying everyone makes mistakes and makes a fool of themselves. Thats just human.

Berserker!
By: Adrian Edmondson

His book was one I saw advertised and had to add to my list to read. I enjoyed his book because he talks a lot about the Comic Strip and how a lot of the people involved had a massive part to play in a lot of the comedy I have listed too. He only ever talked about himself and never delved into his personal relationship or marriage with Jennifer Saunders which is wonderful because it shows his respect for her and their marriage. Plus I have read her book it was quite difficult at times.
I found the parts where he wrote about his partnership and friendship with Rik Mayall to be a difficult listen because of what happened. You can tell how much he cared for him.
Plus he’s from Yorkshire, which is grand.

Making It So
By: Patrick Stewart

Patrick Stewart is a great Yorkshireman which is enough reason to buy the book. What I loved was his dedication to theatre. He has played so many great roles which I got to listen to as part of his book. He truly is a national treasure. I just loved listening to his book. Listening to the parts where he talks about growing up in Yorkshire and how someone saw something in him which helped him to push himself to do more and really work on his dream was wonderful.

I really do enjoy audiobooks, especially when the person who is reading it is the person who wrote it.
I do however wish I could access physical books. I miss sitting down with a physical book and just reading. With a nice cup of tea.

But we have audiobooks so I can use those. I can listen to them anytime I want. Its good to listen to them while you’re doing other things.

What books have you listened to this last year? 
I am on Threads @VisuallyImpairedPip

Taxis

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Hello all,

This year there have been a lot of major changes in the layout of the city where I live. One of these changes has been the taxi pick and drop off near the bus and train station.

In order for me to get a taxi I now have to walk out of the station down a pathway and turn right onto a main road. The taxis are parked in a line up the hill. There is not really a pathway for you to walk up and get into the taxi. It is just a small curb designed to stop cars going into the wall.

The other day I was getting my taxi and found that the taxis were facing up the hill instead of down. This means the passenger side is now no longer on the ‘curb’ side.

I was confused at first as it was not what I was expecting. These taxis are council run and there were no emails sent out in the news letter regarding these changes. They did mention a change to other taxi pick up points but not these.

This now means I need to walk up the tiny ‘path’ which there is no room to swipe your cane what so ever. 


The image below is from when the taxis were facing down the road.
 

Looking down a hill with taxis on one side, with no usable path. A bus is parked on the other side facing up the hill.

You can see on the left there are a row of taxis with the ‘curb’ I am referring too. You will also notice there are busses on the side other of the road. Pedestrians are now expected to walk up this narrow ‘curb’ and out onto a road which is used by busses on the other side. It is also used by vehicles coming up that road which have just dropped people off.

The bottom road onto this road looks like the image below. This is a very narrow road.
 

Looking onto a road, adjacent is a small narrow road with cars parked in the small bays at the side. Two Victorian style building are either side.


A narrow street with parking bays on the left hand side.

I have written an email to enquire bout this situation asking who I can email directly.

This situation is not safe even for people who can see.

Yesterday the taxi man at the back of the queue got out and helped me to get to the taxi at the front. He asked me if I needed help in getting a taxi. He gave me his arm and guided me up the the hill and helped me into the taxi. The taxis are always very helpful and understand my frustration at this new situation. They assured me one of them would see me waiting and walk me up to the front taxi so I can get in safely.

But it does still mean we need to walk in the road.

It takes away a level of independence from me where I can get into a taxi and get home.

I am understandably not happy with the council about this and it is no way the fault of the people who drive the taxis. They are doing what they have been told to do. They have always been amazing and very helpful. I just wish the council understood the impact this is having on Visually Impaired and Blind People.

Since writing this we have had an update from the council where they have said the train and bus station is re opening January 5th. Which means those busses will be moving back into the Interchange. However until then I need to put up with this situation.

I am really hoping when all of this work is done our city will look amazing and people will enjoy the new renovations. I think it will look lovely.

Merry Christmas to you,
Thank you for reading,
Philippa B.

Scoliosis and the cold

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Hello again,

The weather is getting colder which means my back is hurting more and more. It is not just my back which hurts with the cold, but my joints ache too.

I have to keep going for my sport massages. These are really helpful because it helps to reduce the tightness in my muscles. This means I can move around a bit easier and feel a little less pain. I then have to keep doing my physio exercises to help keep the muscles and joints as usable as possible.
However, this is just a continuous cycle of sport massages, physio exercises and pain relief.

Due to my curved spine I will always be in some level of pain. It is just about how I manage it. There is no full solution to Scoliosis, which is what the condition is called when you have a curved spine. Even if you have the surgery to correct your spine you can still have to deal with the pain.

Currently I have pain in my right shoulder and neck which then runs all the way down the right hand side of my body. I am trying to keep warm today as it is due to snow heavily later on. The temperature is currently 1.

I am not a fan of the cold due to the high levels of pain I have to put up with. I wish people could understand a little more about the constant pain people with Chronic pain have to deal with.

I am going to go do some other things and get on with my day. Stay warm and safe.

Thank you for reading,
Philippa. 

Motion sensor

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Hello all,

As the evenings and mornings are getting darker I thought it would be a good idea for me to buy one of those motion sensor lights.

They will actually come in handy all year round.

I bought this one from the RNIB, click here. It is motion activated, it can double up as a rechargeable torch and it can also be left on all the time if the user prefers. I don’t think we will use that setting though.

The first one I bought I put at the bottom of the steps. It turns on when I reach the bottom step which is ok. It also turns on when you’re about 4 feet away in the other direction.

It is quite bright which I normally dislike. However because it turns off after a few moments and only lights up the floor area that is OK.

I then decided to buy one for the kitchen to make it easier to find one of the light switches.

They have been in use for a few weeks now I am really glad I bought them. They make it a lot easier and safer to navigate when it is dark.

One of the best things about it is it automatically turns on if you have a power cut. Which is very useful. If you are visually impaired I would recommend buying something like this. Along side a few battery powered torches which you can place around your home. It is much safer than a candle.

No I am not being paid for this post. I just really liked my purchases.

Let me know what other safety tips you have for navigating in the dark.

Thank you for reading,

Philippa B.

Benefits, what now?

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Hello all,

I thought I’d drop in and post something as I am aware I haven’t posted anything since Scoliosis Awareness Month.

Since then we have had a General Election. How fun. I have taken the opportunity to write to my MP to congratulate them on staying in office. I have also used the opportunity to raise my concerns as a Disabled Constituent regarding the proposed changes to the benefits system by the previous party.

There was a lot of talk around introducing a voucher based system instead of Direct Debits into your bank. There are many issues with this such as; how do we know who will accept the vouchers? People are supposed to allow Guide Dogs into their establishments and that does not always happen. Even if it is the law.

How can we be sure that everywhere will accept these vouchers?

Also who is to say what we as Disabled people need to live our lives? Do we not get a choice when it comes to brands for what we need to purchase?

The money which we receive finds its way back into the economy when we spend it on the services we need. Such as mobility equipment, physiotherapy and sport massages (which may not be available on the NHS but go along way in helping with our pain management), cleaners, fuel for cars, heating and powering our homes. I could go on with this list but hopefully you get the idea.

Disabled people have to pay more just to be able to exist. We need to power mobility equipment, we need to keep our homes warm, we need to be able to pay for additional transport because public transport does not always exist.

I am hoping to hear back from my MP soon. I want to ensure this Government does not add to the stress and pressure which the previous government caused. Which has sadly lead to the deaths of many disabled people.

We must protect the most vulnerable in our society and that includes Disabled People.

I will probably write more on this issue soon.

Thank you,
Philippa B. 

Scoliosis Awareness Month 2024

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Happy Scoliosis Awareness Month 

Scoliosis is a condition where the spine twists or curves to the side and it’s normally appears between the ages of 10 to 15 years. 

I was officially diagnosed as a teenager and was told my Scoliosis was mild. That I would not need to have any surgery and that if I did have the surgery it would only be down to cosmetics. A the time I decided not have the surgery as it was very daunting and I was also about 13 and would be coming up to do SATS/GCSE’s. 

One of the other reasons I did not have it done was due to all my other health conditions. Due to them not thinking it would get any worse we decided not to have it done. 

However, as I got older I found myself experiencing more and more pain. To the point at which it became a daily occurrence. 

I think had I had known that my Scoliosis would turn from mild to severe I would have opted to have the surgery. When you have a lot of health conditions it can be hard to navigate and manage them all. 

If you or someone you know has Scoliosis it is important to really consider having the surgery. It took me along time to decide against it. If you can, speak to people who have had it done. Speak to a surgeon and get as much information as you can. 

There are support groups available and you can find information online. Here is a link to the NHS page about Scoliosis. This page, Scoliosis Support and Research is all about general help and support, including pain management and finding a specialist. 

Now I manage my pain through a mixture of exercises, sport massages and physio. I also take painkillers. 

Living with scoliosis is hard and just because you have had the surgery does not mean all the pain disappears. You will always be living with some level of pain. 

Thank you, 

Philippa B. 

PIP what is it for?

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Hello all, 

There has still been a lot of negativity in the news regarding Disabled people and benefits. I think what is quite dangerous is that our politicians do not seem to have a clue about what our lives are like. 

An example I will focus on is Personal Independence Payment. 

A lot of politicians seemed to be going around talking about how we should make work pay. They will then proceed to discuss talking about how too many people are claiming PIP and we should change the benefits system to ensure people stop claiming these benefits and are instead allocated vouchers or grants. 

Here are a few reasons why I believe this will not work: 

Access to Work already exists on a similar basis and there is a huge backlog of claims waiting to be processed. These are benefits which enable a Disabled person to have the necessary support in place to help them access work. 

If PIP is put onto a similar scheme then those who are accessing PIP will be in a similar situation where the government is ill equipped to help process claims for items or services Disabled people use. 

But what are some of these services? 

Some Disabled people may pay for their care needs out of PIP benefit because they don’t qualify for support from the council. They may need support with anything from doing their shopping (yes Disabled people have the right the right to wander round supermarkets like everyone else) 

Not all treatments are covered under the NHS. I use PIP to pay for physio which includes a sport massage. Physiotherapy alone is not enough for my back pain. I have a curved spine and learning to stand up straight and just having better posture is not the answer. It’s a mixture of exercises, correcting my posture (within the limit of my curve) and sport massage. Without which I would be in a lot more pain than what I am with the physio  (I am currently sat in bed while I write this because my back really hurts). 

Transport is a big issue for Disabled people. Not all transport is accessible due to a number of reasons. One example maybe with bus stops and cycle lanes. As a Visually Impaired person I find it dangerous using bus stops which have cycle lanes separating them from the pavement. Therefore Disabled people like myself will opt for taxis instead of busses when these cycle lanes are in place.

How much does it cost to buy equipment as a Disabled person? 

I use a no jab long cane which enables me to navigate my surroundings while I am out and about. The jab cane means I don’t get a horrible pain in my shoulder and neck if I walk into something with my cane, because I the cain has a spring in it. These canes cost £78. 

If you wanted a standard cane you would looking at around £37. 

People will often have more than one of these items incase one breaks. I have three canes, one at work, one for eevrday and my spare. And no they are not all the no jab ones because they are expensive. 

Then there is the maintenance for your your cane. You will need to Geta new tip for it, which for some people that time can vary greatly. These tips can be around £18 for the high milage one I opt for. 

Have a look around online and see how much wheelchairs which are self propelled can cost. There not always covered by the NHS which people often think is the case. Here is one I found after only a few minutes. It is £399. 

Imagine having to pay for all the normal daily things which everyone needs and then consider these additional costs on top. 

Being Disabled costs money. They money Disabled people get does, surprise surprise, find its way back into the economy. The money Disable pound, or the purple pound is worth up to £212 billion. Imagine how much money business are missing out on because they do not always think about their Disabled shoppers. 

When you are scrolling through the news over the next few weeks as the general election looms, remember to actually think about how the Disabled Community is one you could become apart of at any moment and how would you like it if someone said ‘you should work for your benefits?’. 

Thank you for reading, 

Philippa B. 

Negative Narratives

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Hello allo, 

The government has really ramped up it’s messages about Disabled people hasn’t it? 

There has been a lot of negative narratives and harmful stereotyping surrounding our community. But where to begin…? 

I think I’ll start with the blatant lack of understanding. The government does not seem to not understand the benefits system… They do not seem to understand that Personal Independence Payment or PIP, can claimed whether the person is in work or out of work. 

Furthermore it appears as though people do not fully understand the word ‘independence’. The payment exists to support Disabled people with extra costs of living with a Disability. 

You also do not automatically get the benefit because you are diagnosed with ADHD, or a Visual Impairment etc. 

It is a horrible process which a Disabled Person needs to go through. They ave to fill out a really long form where they tell the DWP how their Disability affects them. Once they have filled in this form, and provided medical evidence they then have to go to an assessment centre or have someone come to their home and ask them really invasive questions about their daily routine, washing habits, eating habits, whether or not they have job or friends… then the Disabled person is given a score and this score then adds up to how many points they get. This scoring system then decides if they are allowed any benefits which could help them to cover the extra costs which come with being disabled. 

More often than not the person will fail this assessment and will then have the option to appeal the decision. Again the decision could come back as a ‘no sorry your visually impaired and can’t see very well, you don’t ever leave the house alone on new or unfamiliar journeys, but you don’t qualify’. 

Then the Disabled Person has the option to essentially take the government to court. This is called a tribunal. You have to go and sit in front of a Judge and Doctors and make the case that you are Disabled and just want some help with the extra cost of living and keeping yourself alive. 

The tribunal process is separate to the DWP and it is independent. It does not have any government backed companies behind it, like ATOS trying to save the government money. 

A majority of the time Disabled People win these tribunals because the people at them are medical professionals and people who practice law. Therefore they understand the person in front of them and their needs and what they are entitled too. 

Do you honestly believe it is an easy process putting yourself through all of that? So many Disabled do not have the energy or support to go trough it. Quite often Disabled people might end up taking their own lives because they have run out of energy and money to support themselves because whilst they are fighting all of this they have no benefits because they have been stopped. 

Whilst I am writing this I am very much aware of the level of pain my right side is in due to my Scoliosis. 

Do not judge Disabled People. We have just as much as right to exist as anyone else. Our lives have meaning. 

If you are reading this and were not aware of how these new policies will impact Disabled People please contact your MP and express to them your concerns. Help Disabled People to be able to just have the right live. 

Thank you, 

Philippa B.