Friday 9 March 2012

Disabled Scum: Disability Rights UK - Who Are They?

Do you remember my post "Just who are Disability Rights UK" a couple of weeks ago. Well it seems their Chief Exec Liz Sayce is Maria Miller's apologist in Chief as she has been justifying the decision to close ReEmploy. I have linked to a Blog criticising this shameless betrayal of disabled and I suggest that we all contact this organisation and tell them they do not speak for us! Their phone number is 020 7250 3222.


Disabled Scum: Disability Rights UK - Who Are They?

Thursday 1 March 2012

Thank you, and can you let me know if I need to rename this Blog?

Big day today.

Played Golf with my Father in Law this morning. Unusually, he beat me. However I have an excuse. It was foggy.

So what I hear you say, it's the same for both players?

But it's not for me because without visible reassuring walls to my reality (trees, bunkers, bunny rabbits hopping through the grass, Deer running through the trees! (yes, I do live in a nice place, don't I?)) I begin to lose my reference points which means I begin to lose my ability to balance. I think this is because my balance is "screwed" but I manage to keep myself upright by adjusting my body on feedback from my eyes alone. If you take my eyes out of the equation.......timber! I wonder how that variable condition would be assessed for PIP?


After this morning of benefit scrounging (although I don't get any benefits!!) I went to see a new DEA at Maidenhead Job Centre. I actually felt sorry for the lady because I sat myself down, introduced myself to her, explained that Iain Duncan Fascist and Cripple Killer had said there were lots of jobs for disabled people out there, gave her my cv and told her to find me a job. I agree that maybe I was a touch forceful, but I decided that in the context of this interview I was going to believe all of the lies the Government had been telling.

We then went through everything I had done since coming back from Abu Dhabi in 2008 to find a job and we agreed that I had done everything I had been asked to do, everything suggested to me and more.

We then discussed why I had been unable to find a job despite thousands of applications and nearly a hundred interviews. As regular readers of my blog will know I believe it is because I do not interview well because my disabilities impact upon my ability to present a knowledgeable, sharp, friendly, personable candidate at interview. (and YES, I am all of those things and more (honestly)).

She said 2 things. She wasn't going to find me a job. No shit Sherlock. But, she then said that she was going to talk to somebody and see if there was anything he could suggest to help me relax and make a better impression at interviews.

Four years of signing on (first JSA, then ESA (because being unemployed depresses me)) and this was like a revelation from God. I resisted the temptation to ask why it had taken 4 years to get too this place because this was the first time I had met this particular advisor. SUCCESS. She arranged to call me next week with next steps. Yippee.

AND THEN, I went and spoiled the bloody lot.

I got offered a job! and it's a good job!!

...and I accepted. Start next Monday.

I'll tell you more another time, but what are your views on what I should now call my Blog (or what I should call it after Monday!!).

However, it's 21 years after my car accident and up until the end of last year I thought I was the only person like me and nobody else shared my hopes and fears. The campaign against the WRB has changed that perception and I've made some virtual friends! The point is that although I won't be Tweeting and Blogging whilst at work I will still be actively involved because the WRB IS NOT FAIR.

Now it gets interesting.......

The Home Secretary's response to re IDS's Daily Mail Article