Mobilty

confuseddad2

Hi There

I have 6 yr old Autistic son who gets the low rate Mobility DLA, I can understand why due to his age and no physical disability that leaves him unable walk, however with other threads I have seen I can relate to others parents to how difficult it can be when they are 'spooked' by the surroundings. When travelling by car it certainly has a calming affect due to the fact they will be going direct with the people in the car with them, these 2 actions alone reduces the stress. What I would liked to know is if there are any schemes, charities or organisations that can help families with a disabled person who gets the low rate mobility purchase or lease cars?

[Deleted User]

motability is the charity for this but it means exchanging high rate mobility for a car,so low rate isnt any help
not aware of any other avenues

sleepless_saver

You could try the Family Fund although I don't know if they would stretch to helping with a car.

Dognobs

Or you could just save and buy a car like most people?!

Me and my son have ASD I need to look into this DLA I must be missing out I could give up work!

BigAunty

Join a credit union and then apply for a loan. As a condition of the loan, you might have to be a member with a history of savings for a period of time before you can apply for it. That's the best source of credit for a low income household.

kingfisherblue

There are some children with autism who get high rate mobility, but most of the children that I know who receive this also have other medical conditions as well. Being 'spooked' and travelling more calmly in a car isn't really enough to get you HRM.

I don't know of any charities or funds that would help you to buy a car; the Family Fund can help to fund driving lessons if a car is available, but they do not provide cars or the means to buy one. many charities actually state that cars are excluded from what they will provide funding for.

Instead of buying a car, and taking on all the additional expenses such as petrol, insurance, breakdown cover, possibly road tax, would it be worth budgeting for taxis each week/month, from your current income? Although taxis can be expensive, if you do not need to use them almost every day, then it is likely to work out cheaper than buying a car and funding the additional expenses associated with car ownership.

confuseddad2

To Dognobs - That's what I will prob do, I'am not really up to speed with the benefits system or rules, hence my question.

regarding DLA yes you can apply. Working won't affect getting it as it will be for your son not you, from my understanding DLA is not means tested meaning its regardless of your income. It will also help your son to access more help.


To Kingfisherblue - I completely understand why he receives the low rate because it's not everyday and like I said it's more for physical disabilities. Thanks for your advice.

To BigAunty - That's a great idea. Although really wanted to try and avoid repayments due to the fact for the next year a will only be working as a volunteer to gain qualifications.