The aims of the organization are to provide a transparent and non-partisan representative voice for disabled people in the face of welfare reform, and negative coverage of the disabled as ‘scroungers’ in what seems to be a campaign against us. Political parties should be formulating policies to convince us to vote for them, not targeting us to please a fictional Middle Britain. Yet there is no unified voice for disabled people preaching this message – and many of the big disability charities are felt to be working contrary to the interests of the people they are supposed to represent.
We need to stop acquiescing to the portrayal of us as weak and helpless. Yes, we are disabled, and there are circumstances where we are open to physical harm. But there are 11 million disabled people in Britain: as a voting-block, we are capable of making or breaking a Government. We see it as our mission to remind society not just that disabled people exist, but that we have rights which must be respected. Rights which may seem unimportant to the not yet disabled, but rights which will at some time be vital to you or your family. We are not allied to any political faction or other interest, but we will use the political process, the media, and any other tools available to fight for disability rights.
The Coalition Government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats with their draconian welfare reforms are taking advantage of our perceived weakness, just as Labour did before them. We need to rally under one banner and show them that they face a real challenge. We also need solidarity – we are reminding people not to ignore injustice just because it won’t at present affect you personally. It is in the interests of DLA claimants, ESA claimants, and all other disabled and not yet disabled people, to fight in support of each other.
Related:
Disability Living Allowance cuts are relevant to all
We want to work – but government would rather cut costs than help us
Disabled Activits and the Anti-Cuts Movement
Anne Novis MBE: A Push too far
Related:
Disability Living Allowance cuts are relevant to all
We want to work – but government would rather cut costs than help us
Disabled Activits and the Anti-Cuts Movement
Anne Novis MBE: A Push too far
6 comments:
I am worried sick I have a few disabilities and the stress is making it much worse.I only get the high rate mobility I have put in for care but was refused 3 times.I have become so depressed that I have cut myself off from people dont go out much now and its getting I dont want to eat.To tell you the truth I want my life to end prefurably in my sleep.I have enough diazapam to knock out a horse.I think about it every day now I did tell my key worker but there isnt much one can do if some one wants to end it.I have a car and kept the old hoover tube as I have heard that carbon monoxide poisoning is just going to sleep a few of my family have gone this way really nice people too.I have noticed that this reform bill has gone quiet lately.I wonder what they will do I think they want to cut every ones benefit one way or another.I hate the tories since maggie shut down the pits its never been the same since. o well take care strange how i am the first to comment???
This government doesnt seem to care about anyone apart from rich people. I have PTSD and have been hospitalised with severe depression several times, and have had lots of people calling me a nutter and had a death threat on my blog to pour petrol through my letter box and set fire to it but the police wont do anything, the police told me I was an attention seeker and that threatening to poiur petrol into someones letter box does not constitute a death threat, but they did at least send the fire brigade round to put good fire alarms in, but she phoned up the Crisis Team and made me talk to them on the phone, but I wanted them to investigate the crime that had been committed against me, not try to frogmarch me to mental health services, who I dont trust now because they made me have child abuse councelling at one of the places I was abused at as a child. I think the government is frightening.
Don't kill yourself please Anon, don't give them the satisfaction. If they make me homeless or do anything else I am going to squat at Checkers. I certainly wont think about killing myself, no matter how depressed, because they want people like us dead so don't give them the satisfaction.
I'm still working in the NHS, I have PsA and find it incresingly hard to keep going, but am refusing to let 'the management' get me down.......one suggested I take a career break so I could get well!(Meaning not show on their sickness figures when I'm too ill to work) Hello!? Who would pay my bills, living costs etc. Apparently I can just go off work onto benefit! Really? Well that's really refreshing to know its that easy! (Sorry, you need to read that all with a sarcy voice in your head) Keep going Anon, keep fighting, you are worth it.....we are all worth it! Don't let anyone else make you believe you're not
hi all, i stumbled across this site after finding the black triangle campaign. im sick with dread every time i read a new suicide story alongside the cuts and every time the mail arrives i dread those brown envelopes, my incapacity benefit changeover to esa claim form has gone in by recorded delivery on the 7th december and to this day it hasnt been signed for by them at atos. i assume they are exempt from signing or they are playing silly buggers. now every fortnight im becoming more and more stressed hoping the benefit has gone in and dreading the outcome. as much as you know there are thousands going through this misery, it doesnt help when we all have individual problems like having an invisable illness like chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia like myself and idiots out there still say dumb things like 'we all get tierd' and ' you look well' ok, thats a great compliment but they dont see the real you struggling behind closed doors to do the most basic tasks. then the realisation of knowing that when the benefit gets cut or stopped i am going down the very real road of eviction and homelessness. how on earth do you cope with that when you are already so ill? nobody is going to pay my bills or take me in. i have contemplated suicide in the past for very different reasons, but i feel those thoughts and feelings bubbling to the surface again. somehow on our very best days we have to remember we all deserve respect and have complete self respect. you know you are ill, you know forcing yourself to work or to perform for the system will make your condition a whole lot worse, so why are so many people doing it? simple. fear. i can see all angles of this mess and misery, i hope more and more people come together and the strength is there to stop all this once and for all.
Hi there,
Really interesting blog here. The disabled, among many other minorities in Britain, are severely under-represented and I'm glad to see a blog like yours bringing awareness to the issue.
Perhaps you would like to share your blog on Glipho? We're a new social blogging platform, and could bring your blog to new audiences and gain exposure. You can import all your posts from this blog to Glipho very easily. If your interested, come have a look over at http://glipho.com and see if you like it.
Thanks for your time and continue the good cause you work for here.
All the best,
Teo
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