A question for all election candidates: are we a civilised society?
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Version 0 of 1. Forty years ago, our first, longed-for child suffered severe brain damage at birth, for which no one was to blame. She was born into a changing culture regarding disability – she was not locked up in an institution but cared for in a loving home with two parents and a later sibling. We suffered as any family with a disabled child. I, as her mother, could not undertake any paid work as my role became main carer, which has resulted in a diminished financial situation now that I am in my late 60s. As a family we were restricted in our freedom to live as other families do, but we were determined that our daughter live a dignified and fulfilled life and reach whatever potential she was capable of achieving. We cared for her at home – at great financial, emotional and physical cost to our family unit – until she was 26 years of age. She then went to live in a residential provision to help give her some restricted independence and to give us some respite to live out the rest of our lives without the constant worry about what would happen to her when we were no longer able to care for and support her. She is at present lovingly and professionally cared for 24 hours a day in a small-home situation with three other disabled people, in the community she grew up in. All this comes at a cost, of course. Yes, she receives state benefits which are now undergoing some radical changes. As she is unable to understand the new 23-page claim document she now has to complete to access any benefits, we as her parents and appointees have to do this on her behalf, and will do this willingly and truthfully and on time, so as not to incur any penalties which will result due to lateness or non-completion. One of the aims of this document is to assess whether she is fit and able for paid employment, and she may have to be subjected to a face-to-face assessment to make sure we are not telling lies about her and that her brain damage has not miraculously disappeared, and that she is not therefore entitled to any benefits. One of the questions in this document asks “How often do you behave in a way which upsets other people? a) every day b) frequently c) occasionally”. I find this question both insulting and offensive, and discriminatory to anyone who struggles with any disability. There are many people whose behaviour upsets us – for instance the drunks in my home town on a Friday night who vomit and urinate in the street, the drink-fuelled louts whom we had to sit on a plane with for two hours last year, the profane language and rowdy behaviour on train and bus journeys we have recently undertaken. Are their rights to benefits, if applicable, being questioned? What a dismal reflection on a society which now seems to believe that any benefit payment for disabled people may be determined on their behaviour in society. Surely our daughter, even if disabled, has human rights – she has a right to live in society secure in the knowledge that she is a valued human being, despite her limitations caused by no fault of her own, and a right to state help so she can live that life. Are we a civilised society and country that cares for the sick, the weak, the old, the disabled and the vulnerable, or have we become so brainwashed by politicians of all persuasions and the media to believe that everyone who is in receipt of benefits is “a scrounger” and a drain on the economy? Perhaps all the candidates in the forthcoming election would like to answer that question.Norman and Janice RobinsonMorpeth, Northumberland |