Hi lovelies!
So yesterday I went to London with Scope the disability charity
To go to the
I don't know the sign for that
It was a political thing
Basically each of the 3 main political parties
in Britain
Sent a representative to answe questions from an audience of disabled people
About what each party is going to help disabled people
and also their policies
I found it incredibly interesting because obviously when there is an election
You want to know the specific policies that are going to be really important for you
and mine are obviously like disability, gay rights...
I think I got kind of angry and frustrated but at the same time I wanted to cry
and in fact I did cry
I'm not going to cry on this video because that would be the second video this week that I've cried in
So here's a little snapshot of the day
and afterwards I'm going to be outlining to you what I learned
We are in a big old room
With Scope
Hello!
Hi Clara!
How did you find it?
C:It was very informative in a sad way
I'm half fired up and properly angry and half really sad
I'd like they talked more about social issues
we talked about social care but not about how each party is going to be changing
The rhetoric they use in order to combat social stigma
That was completely left out today
I didn't notice but I look too much like Snowhite today
It wasn't really my intention
I'm not going to be signing in this sectioin
because I don't know various of the technical words and Idon't want to get them wrong
but there are closed captions so please hit the CC down there
The reason why I became so incredibly frustrated is just that surely it should be sorted by now
It seems so simple and so obvious there are a wide variety of disabilities and there are a huge number of disabled people
1 in 6 people in the UK have a disablity
and how should they be treated considering everyone is different, probably with different disabilities
and the disabilities affecting them differently they should be treated as individuals
I also guess they should be treated with compassion and care
Although this video is going to be apolitical because you should make up your own mind
I'm not in the position to tell anyone who they should vote for
I always fee like that's wrong, unless I'm going to become your MP I'm not gonna tell you who to vote for
I did find it a bit amusing that Penny Mordaunt
who is the conservative minister for disabled people
didn't really recevie any claps
So the Lib Dems sent Baroness Brinton
and the Labour party sent Kate Green
Baroness Brinton by the way amazing
She is a fabulous human being and the first wheel chair user to lead a political party in the UK
Clearly the woman knows what she is talking about
and then Kate Green who is for Labour has worked in a variety of different roles
and these two women gave amazing answers really clear, really concise
and very kind
That seems like a very strange thing to say, almost like you should have to say be kind to people
when it comes to they way they are asssed for instance
making sure that people get what their need
helping people to get into education
and emplyment if that is what they are able or want to do
So they got a lot of claps
many rounds of applause
and Penny (conservatives) did not
So the way it was run yesterday, they talked about 3 areas
Who is actually looking after you?
Being your own independent person, it's very important
However I am gonna talk about it party by party
Because that's a slightly easier way
I've chosen this in a random order 1, 2 and 3
So it's fair
First of we are going to start with Labour
Things Kate Green highlighted about labour:
They are very interested in protecting the interest of disabled people
Should be things that the benefit system guarantees
Disabled people also need
One thing that I really appreciated they raised
was about the public space
and how it's not always friendly for disabled people
Think about transport, getting around in cities
I know we live in England and we got a lot of cobble streets
It is genuinely sometimes like Harry Potter
However it's very important for people to participate in the public space, but they need to be able to access it
When it comes to taxes Kate Green got a rather large round of applause
For mentioning that labour would like to scale back the taxes on disabled people
Because being disabled cost a hell of a lot more
They would also like to get rid of the bedroom tax
Means that people receive less housing benefits if their house is judged to have one or more spare rooms
This greatly impacts disabled people because you might have an overnight carer who is only sometimes there
Is that a spare room, is it not?
There might also be equipment issues, where are you storing your equipment
I know, it seems strange to think thta you need extra equipment when you are disabled but genuenly
You do
People stod up and asked questions
They unforunately run out of time to take questions from the floor
except for the ones that had been pre approved and arranged
One of the most moving questions was from a chap who has autoimmune disease
and he asked why do people get reassessed when they have a condition that is never going to get better
and they are already at the maximum entitlement
The only way that could go is down
So people are clearly assessing them hopping to be able to give them less money
What a horrible, stressful thing for a person to have to go through
I know myself it's absolutely awful sitting in front of someone
and having to explain your condition and get questions like
Is it going to get better?
Are you going to die from this?
Will it get worse and exactly how?
If you ever had and explain how your phisical conditions are gonna get worse and die
You will know
Pretty SHIT
One thing that Kate highlighted that I think it's really important is
It is a fund that helps disabled people get whatever is they need to be able to do their job
The money is actually payed to the employer and not to the employee
If you for example are deaf and requiere an interpreter they money is payed straight to the interpreter
It doesn't go to the disabled person at all
However, Access to Work as I'm aware of it and any disabled person
They will tell you that you will always get half of what you asked for
Always
Also Access to Work it's not something that is prmoted, it's not something they tell you
I only head about it from a friend who does interpreting and is payed by them
and was hey, this will probably be great for you!
No one told me before that, no!
Labour have pledge to put more money into that pot for AtW
and hopefuly that will help more disabled people find better employment that suits them
Kate also highlighted that labour would like to improve access to justice
for disabled people who have been treated unfairly at work
or at home
Which has been greatly affected recently by cuts to the legal aid fund
Becase you know
poor people
why not kick them when they're down
In sumary I'd say that labour position is all about
Number 2 we are going to be looking at the liberal democrats
Who were represented by Baroness Brinton
I felt and I'm pretty sure the majority of the room also felt
that as a disabled person one of the few disabled people in parlament
what she had to say was incredibly... almost held more weight
I'm gonna hit you with some facts now
Boom!
There are more disabled people than gay people
Welcome to the most unrepresented group in society
Baroness Brinton was talking about how there are major problems that need to be tackled
In the representation of disabled people in the access of disabled people to work
to education, to public life
She mentioned how since she uses a wheelchair her entire party had to rethink where they hold meetings
Because they cant hold a meeting whitout her
Accessibility seems like such an obvious thing
but yet
Barones Brinton mentioned that a friend of hers, a fellow MP was not able to run this time
because he needs a BSL interpreter and our current government have chosen no
Not to reopen the fund that pays for access for disabled MPs
Under the Lib Dems BSL will be recognised as an official language
Things that were mentioned include:
Let's not tax disabled people so much who's lives are pretty expensive anyway
Also looking again at the closure of the Independent Living Fund
They would also get rid of the PiP capably assessment
because there are a ridiculous number of assessments
PIP has replaced DLA
Which pays a certain amount of money to disabled people, the money it's based on the disability that they ahve
and it's not means tested
so it doesn't matter whether you are a milionaire
Because being disabled will just cost you more
I recently went through my own PIP assessment and it is quite horribl
You have to write down all the thigns that are wrong about yourself, the ways in which your disability
affects your live, your pains, your difficulties....
They ask you really intrusive questions
Really intrusive
And there is this constant state of fear whitin you
that they will...
Despite the fact you struggle, you struggle so hard and you need help
Despite that they will say oh, but, not enough...
You are not struggling enough
and they will take everything away from you that helps you
and then you just die
and I'm not even being hyperbolic here, because loads of people have had their
DLA/PIP taken away and then they died
and the assessors are all people who are in the medical profession
That the government contacted and said hey could you be an assessor
I had an assessor who at least had a knowledge of one of my disabilities
I have 2 genetic issues
and he had a good knowledge of one of them
He completely understood the many different ways which affects you
I have Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder which isnt just about oh, your joings hurt
It's so much more than that
It's about oh sometimes your internal organs just... don't
They are like. nah.
He understood how living with pain every single day has a very knock on effect
But most pepole
Who have an assessment, their assesor have no idea about their condition
Has no idea, has not worked in that field
It's a rheumatologist and are going to meet someone with mental health issues
Do they know anything about that?
No, they don't
That's not a fair and proper assessment
For Christ sake...
Employment Support Allowance
which is the amount of money that is payed to disabled pepole who cannot work
Back before PIP, on DLA, you could get an indefinite award
That means this is it, you are ill for life, this disability is always going to affect you
There's no point in ever coming back to it and being like heeey still got cerebral palsy? oh you do...
Unfortunately on PIP that's not the case
They are gonna come back
and check
So, in summary
And finally moving on to Penny Mordaunt who came from the Conservative party
Penny pointed out that there is no group in society more discriminated against
Important points from the Conservatives
One thing the conservatives talked about that Ithought was really interesting and important
was for the wellfare system to learn from the health care system
Yes!
Because if you are assessing someone to find out whether they ahve a disability
Why do you need to constantly be badgering this disabled person?
So her idea would be for an almost Passport
type of thing
Where information about a disabled person is stored in one place
that health care can access but also that wellfare can access
Genious, actually government working together
This is going to seem quite strange but sometimes I wished Ihad a disabled card
That I could hold up
Cause I'm aware I have an invisible disability andyou can't always tell that there is something wrong with me
Maybe I'm in town
and I've got 5 meters of walking ability left
So then we get on the bus and obviously I need to sit down
So we take one of the disabled seats because, it's allowed
and then oh my god
the looks
How dare you be sitting there...
Young thing like you should be standing...
No
So if Ihad a little disabled card I'd just pull it out, hii...
and I hate filling out forms
where Ihave to list everything that is wrong with me because it's so depressing
and then it takes a week in which Ihave to watch Fast & Furious a lot
and read some Buffy fan fiction
To feel really happy again!
If you'd like to stop that last week that would be great
One thing I disliked however was she talked a lot about money
about how the economy needs to be strong
In order for this things to happen
and yet in the other hand she talked about how she has the biggest budget of any of the departments
So like maybe stop using that money to reassess people
I also wasn't too keen on, she talked a lot about bringin in third sector
As in charities, which smacked of privatisation
and the idea that charities should be coming in and filling this gaps
where government used to be
and now because of cuts have drawn back from
and I really don't think that's right
Charities aren't there to fill those wholes
They do the basics, charities are here for the extras
The most important thing that I learned from yesterday is taht
I almost don't care who you vote for, I just care that you vote
That you make sure your voice is heard
and it's too late now but
for next time apply for a postal vote which make sure that on the day
if you are not feeling well you dont have to get out of bed and go to the polling station
You will be able to vote from home
Or you are allowed to get someone to vote in your place
They will go for you and they can do it
If you have a carer or a family member that you trust that is an option
Then please pleasee do it, it doesn't matter, just vote
Just let your voice be heard
Decide who you think follows your views on thi sissues
and vote!
Vote for them!
That's all there is to it!
Now get down on those comments and tell me that you voted/will vote!