Disabled Moneysaving

Edinburghlass_2

Here is the thread Savvy Sue was thinking about...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=152

But I agree, we could do better I'm sure!

novelli

you shouldnt have to pay to register, just go to the cinema,theatre, football ground, whereever and ask about a diabled persons rate, usually you get cheaper tickets and a carers ticket for free. But dont pay for registering you dont need to.

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

People in receipt of DLA or AA, or who are registered blind, can get a cinema pass that entitles them to 2 tickets for the price of one. There is a £5.50 admin charge and the pass lasts for a year.

http://www.ceacard.co.uk/

It is also worth phoning your local theatres and asking what concessions they have for disabled people, and what the qualifying criteria are. My local theatre gives two for one tickets to anyone on DLA. I had to produce my DLA evidence, which was entered onto the computer, so now I just phone and say I'm on their disabled list, and the discount is given automatically. There was no admin charge for this either.

Similarly, most local authority leisure centres operate a discounted (or sometimes free) scheme for people on DLA, and also for people in receipt of certain means tested benefits. It is worth phoning around to see if your local leisure centre has a warm water pool, as often the temperature in normal pools is too cold for disabled people as they may not be able to expend enough energy to keep warm.

hth

MSE_Martin

Hi folks,

I've looked at this and am in two minds.

A. If we're talking about disabled moneysaving in respect of benefits and entitlements, then in my view it should stay in the Benefits board. As benefits is about the entire web of social services, and there are many cross over benefits with non-disabled claimants.

B. As for the other elements of disabled moneysaving. Again I tend not to favour the ghettoisation of boards as most of the topics are the same for all MoneySavers, but if the strong feedback is there are specific and deliberate issues that aren't covered elsewhere then I will look at it.

Yet my hope would be if we do have a board it wouldn't just be a duplicate of info elsewhere (ie here's a restaurant voucher etc)

Martin

zzzLazyDaisy

MSE_Martin wrote: »

Hi folks,
Yet my hope would be if we do have a board it wouldn't just be a duplicate of info elsewhere (ie here's a restaurant voucher etc)

Martin

Hi Martin, thanks for taking the time to look at this.

You are right - information about benefits for the disabled and grants for elderly and disabled such as warm front, is available on other boards. But that isn't what we are after here.

This new MSE Disabled board wouldn't be duplicating other threads, because it is for money saving that is only available to disabled people. As a result, those offers and deals are not applicable to the mass market, and so often don't get passed on.

Re the restaurant vouchers - the point of my earlier post was that people holding a Disabled Rail Card (which you can only get if you are in receipt of disabled related benefits) can get a cheap card that entitles them for 2-4-1 meals. That particular offer is not available to non-disabled people, but it has a wide support among many restaurants and is not limited to a particular chain or a set time limit.

Similarly there are 2-4-1 concessions for disabled people at cinemas and theatres to allow a disabled person to take a carer with them. Again these offers are not available to non-disabled people, and are often not well publicised.

Many charities offer non-means tested grants for people with specific illnesses - the crohns association will pay for a washing machine for example. I didn't know that and so spent my precious savings on a new one when my old one died (the benefits board couldn't help me in that case).

But the problem is that while there are offers and concessions targetted specifically at disabled people you have to root those offers out - they are not well publicised and most of the ones I know about I have stumbled across accidentally.

People who are suddenly struck down by illness or accident have nowhere to turn to find out about specific disability related money saving. This is often at a time when money is especially tight because the person is off sick or have lost their job through illness, and these extra concessions, grants, and deals, could make their lives a little easier.... and maybe provide a few treats, if only they knew about them.

It has taken me years to find out about the things I know about - and I still missed out on a free washing machine through ignorance of the help available out there.

Go on - give us a trial run and see how it goes?

Bigs hugs

Daisy

septemberblues

vivatifosi wrote: »

I'm really sad at the way in the last couple of weeks to month the boards have become much more adversarial. I can understand why - people are far more worried about jobs, pensions, debt, savings and a whole host of things that were less of a problem a year ago. But that's hardly a good reason to go kicking people who have a genuine need for the likes of DLA, and possibly because the tide is turning and money will get tighter - an even greater need for a disabled/long term illness section.

I think you will find that the government has deliberately demonised people on incapacity benefit as a way of taking everyone's eyes off people who are able to work but are on JSA or other benefits etc. (As in -if there are plenty of jobs in some areas but people don't want one). This obviously is working as disabled/sick people on benefits are now the new "scroungers" from the state, and they are too sick/disabled to fight back. So now all the sick/disabled are to blame for all the welfare state's problems..................................

The joke being that the DWP's new stand on getting the sick/disabled into work just adds more to the unemployment figures, as they are often still too sick to work, and who would employ them anyway? But that doesn't take into account the heartache, stress and poverty that sick people are then plunged in to.

Savvy_Sue

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

people holding a Disabled Rail Card (which you can only get if you are in receipt of disabled related benefits)

Actually that's not true. I know several people with severe hearing loss who have disabled rail cards, they're NOT in receipt of any disability benefits, and all they had to do was send in their hearing aid battery book ...

That's quite tempting to me, but I would feel a complete fraud applying for one, because although I have a hearing aid I can cope perfectly well on public transport, even without it.

kevsam65

Just wanted to add that I think this is a fab idea........ recently been diagnosed with a degenerative disease , and awarded DLA. Already on this thread I've been made aware of things that I wouldn't have known about!! Well done OP , I'll definately be subscribing to this thread!! :-)

Horace

I think it would be a good idea for a one-stop shop for all things disabled.

There are people like me who are disabled but who are not disabled enough to get DLA:mad: I have quite a severe visual impairment but because I can actually plan a meal then I am not classed as being disabled enough:rolleyes:

I do get cheap coach travel, however because when I book tickets with National Express I say I am disabled (not a lie) and I get greatly reduced fares.

zzzLazyDaisy

Horace, have you had help from a welfare benefit specialist when you have completed the forms for DLA? Your chances of success are tremendously improved if you do have that help.

But it is also useful to know what concessions and offers are around for people who have long term illnesses and disabilities but who do not get DLA. I don't think this thread should be restricted to 'what offers are around for peeps on DLA' as that would be far too restricted. We all know of people who are disabled or struggling with chronic illnesses but who do not get DLA

MSE_Martin

alright already - we'll get one sorted - however it won't be a benefits sub-board it'll be where army moneysaving etc is

Give us a few days though.