This sort of thing annoys non disabled people

sparkycat2

I know someone who will not get a disabled person's bus pass or rail card, or use discounts, or claim things like warm homes payment from their energy supplier.

Because of the perceived social stigma of being disabled or on welfare, the fear of people viewing them suspiciously or with disdain as malingerer or scrounger.

They also fear the disability benefit changes. Thinking they will be called in and questioned and treated unkindly and have their benefits stopped.

They see the tabloids and TV programs that depict claimants as scroungers and maligners or receiving overly generous benefits at taxpayers expense and say they expect one day to just be abandoned by society or euthanized.

We seem to be going backwards as far as making the vulnerable feel part of society, let alone a valued part of society.

Dunroamin

sparkycat2 wrote: »

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The DWP is not disinterested in fraud the fraud department is ever growing, with a ever increasing budget and increasing resources being deployed to tackle fraud as well as private sector contractors being brought in on payment by results contracts to also target benefit fraud.

.

I would certainly hope that the DWP is disinterested on most points of benefit policy; would you want them to be be biased?

sparkycat2

Dunroamin wrote: »

I would certainly hope that the DWP is disinterested on most points of benefit policy; would you want them to be be biased?

I would want them to be interested in eliminating fraud by preventing or catching it as oppossed to disinterested not caring about fraud, ignoring it, or actively understating the level of fraud.

As far as reporting the level of fraud I expect them to do so honestly using the best evidence, method.

BobQ

Dunroamin wrote: »

Obviously, nobody should make malicious or dishonest reports.

However, it's interesting that you say that someone who's getting benefits has been "assessed by an independent expert" when the received opinion of those who've been rejected is that those doing the assessments are dishonest !!!!!!.

A certain lack of consistency there, perhaps?

I have made NO comment on the accuracy or validity of the assessments, so to accuse me of inconsistency demonstrates the weakness of your argument.

pipkin71

Mupette wrote: »

I find it's not just non disabled, but physical disabled attack those with hidden disabilities, as they feel that they are genuine because you can see their disability...

shame really you would of thought understanding would of been there.

I have a bad back - how much do you think the bad back comes under criticism, when claiming benefits.

Interestingly, I have even had comment from some claiming for MH issues, despite the fact that my health problems are easily identified through scans, etc.

Understanding is not just required from those with physical health problems.

Truth is, people, no matter what their disability, or not, are not always understanding of illnesses they have no knowledge of. Your comments are unhelpful as you have generalised and anyone can have a lack of understanding of another's condition, no matter whether they themselves are suffering from physical health issues, mental health issues, or are fit and healthy.

pipkin71

sparkycat2 wrote: »

Many people understate their care and mobility needs, too proud to admit needing help, embarassed about detailing their problems or doing so causes them distress or they feel stigma about detailing say mental health issues, scared of being put in to a care home if they admit they need help can not cope.

I don't think that is necessarily the case for many claiming disability benefits, 1. because many people will seek the help of a benefit advisor in order to claim, 2. because people who are turned down are ready to appeal.

I'm sure, in some instances, there will be people who might not put everything in their application but there are many more looking up the DMG, using sites to help with the application and asking for help from benefit advisiors.

That's not to say that anyone doing the above are fraudulent claimants, but that they use the above in order to succeed in claiming disability benefits, and, to do that, they are more likely to give every detail of what the health issues are, to secure benefits, imo.

pipkin71

rogerblack wrote: »

I found myself really envying the life of the guy who had paralysed legs, and was trying to make his own wheelchair.
This disturbed me quite a lot.
The increasing numbers of attacks on disabled people are a clear result of the blatant distortions of the facts put out by the government,
It can be way too easy t concentrate on your own disability, and minimise others.

Leading to headlines like '7% of disability benefits claimants genuine' and similar rubbish.

It does bother me the opinions that people are holding about disabled people. The first time I experienced discrimination, it left me in tears. The fact that someone could treat a disabled person with so little respect, it was shocking.

I have had further incidents where there is discrimination, but it has never affected me as greatly as that first time. It still saddens me though, that there are people who are inconsiderate of others, or who treat others so badly, because they have disabilities.

I'm not so sure that the blame should be placed squarely on the government, or if the opinions are now stronger than in previous years, but it is sad that there are people who think the way they do.

I suppose though, there are people out there who hold strong opinions about all sorts of people - those with a different skin colour, elderly people, immigrants, etc, that you do have to rationalise and not get so upset.

Personally, I don't ever want to feel the way I did the first time I experienced discrimination. I won't let anyone lead me there again

pipkin71

clemmatis wrote: »

I read it just now. It's pretty scandalous -- "hypocrisy" is rather a polite word, in the circumstances.

I read it and a general thought that came into my mind - not connected to that poster as I have no idea how they are affected, health wise, but, when you have problems with your hips, you can have care needs.

I have difficulties with certain tasks, due to the arthritis I have. I can't pinpoint as I have arthritis in spine, hips and knees, but, the problems with my hips has added to what I am able to do and what I now can't do.

Just a thought that the poster may not just have mobility problems

rogerblack

On the above, I've missed out on around 40000-80000 pounds of benefit over the years, as I diddn't realise I was entitled.

Then there is the thorny issue of if people understand why they are getting benefit,
In some cases, this will be quite clear.
For example, someone with paralysed legs getting DLA.

In others, especially in the case of people with complex interacting multiple disabilities, perhaps who needed help to fill in the forms, and doesn't really understand more than they are getting benefits for being 'disabled'.

The hideously bad decision letters often don't meaningfully explain things either,

seven-day-weekend

I think I have said before that I know a young lady who needs help to fill in the forms. She is physically able to write and her intelligence is normal.

Hoewever, she has Aspergers Syndrome and part of her condition is that she has trouble understanding instructions and expressing herself clearly. Open questions like 'what help do you need' are more or less incomprehensible to her. If you ask her 'do you need help to maintain concentration', she would understand that and answer in the affirmative, but would then likely go off into free association with her thoughts and get completely off-topic.

My son, my husband and myself helped her to fill her DLA form in , by explaining the questions and putting her answers into a comprehensible way to go on on the form. When we'd done that, we'd read out what we had put and asked her if that was what she wanted to say. Then she wrote it on the form.

So it isn't always playing the system to get help, even if you can write and have normal intelligence.