# 'I’m suffering': woman who confronted May tells of disability cuts ordeal



## Northerner (May 17, 2017)

Kathy Mohan didn’t know Theresa May was coming to her home town of Abingdon on Monday, but when she saw the prime minister walking around the town centre canvassing for votes, she decided she had to make herself heard.

Mohan, who has struggled with her mental health and has a borderline personality disorder as well as mild learning difficulties, told the Conservative leader that she was struggling to cope after having her disability benefits cut.
“When I saw her she didn’t want to talk to anyone who wasn’t up her street,” she told the Guardian. “But I got in there, I wanted to have my say. I just came out with it. I said I have learning disabilities and I want to stick up for other people. I’ve seen what people are going through, I know that people are killing themselves.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society...heresa-may-disability-cuts-ordeal-kathy-mohan

TM's one reported encounter with a non-cherry-picked member of the public served to highlight the reason why she avoids them - she has no answer to them because she is part of the cause of this woman's misery, and has no intention of doing anything to make her life better, or the thousands like her


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## Wirrallass (May 17, 2017)

I wept as I read Kathys story  - I sincerely hope Theresa May will honour her word and not forget Kathy's plea for help on behalf of herself and all mental health sufferers - and similarly those with learning disabilities.
WL


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## Lucy Honeychurch (May 17, 2017)

Very upsetting to read, I'm disgusted with how disabled people are being treated


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## Wirrallass (May 17, 2017)

Lucy Honeychurch said:


> Very upsetting to read, I'm disgusted with how disabled people are being treated


Agree  - discrimination is an understatement.
WL


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## mikeyB (May 17, 2017)

Disabled people are just not considered, apart from the large (and budget) hotels, who do have disabled rooms with special bathrooms. But it is public spaces that bother me. People regard dropped kerbs as a wheel rim preserving means of parking on the pavement, thereby removing access for wheelchair users to the pavement, and blocking travel along the pavement. Any of you lot ever done that? 

And the wonderful town of Tobermory. Not a single dropped kerb along the length of the Main Street, only on the end of pavements at road junctions, of which there are two. Aros Hall, a main entertainment venue. Steps up, no ramp, and a stairlift inside. Brainless. There's a disabled parking space outside the chemist shop. Dropped kerb ? You guessed it. No. Again, brainless. McGochan's Pub - best in Scotland - great food and beer. Full wheelchair access to the bar.  Toilets no. There I have to use one hand to aim, and the other to hold a stick for support (for me as a whole, not anything else). 

As for travelling in a wheelchair anywhere, you cease to be a human being with a mind and feelings. People avoid eye contact in case you are dribbling. You are also deaf. I have had "Does he need his food cut up". 

Mind you, it's not all bad. As often as not, it's banter, like when I was expertly zipping round the tables in McGochans one drinker at the bar observed "bet you can't do that when you're pissed". Or the rally driver who looked at me in the wheelchair in Spar and said 'What number are you then?"

Sorry for the rant. It shows how it's not just Tories who ignore the disabled, it's a national mindset. We're just not included.


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## Ditto (May 17, 2017)

> "Does he need his food cut up".


 At least it wasn't "Does he take sugar?"  

When I used to give out the mass cards in church I always made a point of greeting and handing two to the lady in the 'chair and got right funny looks from the pusher, but there was no way she could take one was there, she was pushing!


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## Wirrallass (May 17, 2017)

Ditto said:


> At least it wasn't "Does he take sugar?"
> 
> When I used to give out the mass cards in church I always made a point of greeting and handing two to the lady in the 'chair and got right funny looks from the pusher, but there was no way she could take one was there, she was pushing!


That made me laugh!


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 17, 2017)

Mention of inaccessible loos reminded me of this:  http://stickmancommunications.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/toilet-traps.html

There's one about dropped kerbs too, and a reminder that most people are not intentionally obnoxious when it comes to disabilities, just thoughtless:  http://stickmancommunications.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/inconsiderate-parking.html
http://stickmancommunications.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/inconsiderate-parking.html
On the other hand ... http://stickmancommunications.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/the-things-we-do-for-disabled-people.html


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## mikeyB (May 17, 2017)

Ditto said:


> At least it wasn't "Does he take sugar?"
> 
> When I used to give out the mass cards in church I always made a point of greeting and handing two to the lady in the 'chair and got right funny looks from the pusher, but there was no way she could take one was there, she was pushing!



Have you any idea how humiliating that experience was? Maybe not. It doesn't matter, I'm only on lower rate PIP Mobility, so I'm not really disabled, the government say so. They will probably say the same at the reassessment I've asked for. That's how the system works. Give the rich tax cuts and sod the disabled.

I don't need the money, I need the doors that open when you are on max rate PIP mobility. Automatic blue card. Motability for a road going mobility scooter. Making it simple to get hospital transport. Giving me a more powerful voice to protest.


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## Amigo (May 17, 2017)

Even disabled facilities are sometimes a joke and clearly designed by people who've never relied on a wheelchair. Problem is 'accessible toilets' rely on people being weight bearing and don't allow for a helper or the turn of the wheelchair. Places widen the doors a bit and think they're being really disabled friendly. 

When I took my mum out in a wheelchair, it brought it home to me just how much more needs to be done.

I'm pretty sure your claim will be successful Mike and I'm certain the appeal certainly would be!


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## mikeyB (May 17, 2017)

TheClockworkDodo said:


> Mention of inaccessible loos reminded me of this:  http://stickmancommunications.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/toilet-traps.html
> 
> There's one about dropped kerbs too, and a reminder that most people are not intentionally obnoxious when it comes to disabilities, just thoughtless:  http://stickmancommunications.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/inconsiderate-parking.html
> On the other hand ... http://stickmancommunications.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/the-things-we-do-for-disabled-people.html


Thanks for those links, Juliet, reading the stuff I was thinking that's me, that is.

Of course, you come  at this problem from the opposite angle- the invisible disability, the type above all that DWP assessors refuse to understand, the bad days, and the worse days. I don't know if you have succeeded in penetrating the DWP fortress, or even whether you've tried. Some people these days just don't bother, because they haven't the strength to fight.


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 17, 2017)

I am in a similar position Mike - don't need the money, but could really do with being officially categorized disabled - at the moment I'm in limbo, not well enough to work, not ill enough to claim benefits.  I used to have a blue badge, but they tightened up the rules about who could get them at about the time I moved house and my new GP, never having seen me on a bad day, was unwilling to support my application for renewal.  Can understand her point of view as she'd seen me walking perfectly easily, just not seen me do something which would cause me to collapse (such as walking into a shopping centre - they are completely inaccessible for me because of the overwhelming sensory stimulation) - but at the same time, she might have stopped to consider why my previous GP had suggested I get the badge in the first place and gone out of her way to support my application (maybe even rung my previous GP to ask?!).


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 17, 2017)

If you are confused, my previous post was in reply to your post before last!


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 17, 2017)

I've never bothered to apply for benefits because of not needing the money, but a ridiculous number of the people with ME who are refused them initially go on to get them on appeal - I can't remember the figures, but it really is silly, something like 70 or 80%.  So why not give them to them in the first place and save everyone's time, money, and energy?!


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## Amigo (May 17, 2017)

TheClockworkDodo said:


> I am in a similar position Mike - don't need the money, but could really do with being officially categorized disabled - at the moment I'm in limbo, not well enough to work, not ill enough to claim benefits.  I used to have a blue badge, but they tightened up the rules about who could get them at about the time I moved house and my new GP, never having seen me on a bad day, was unwilling to support my application for renewal.  Can understand her point of view as she'd seen me walking perfectly easily, just not seen me do something which would cause me to collapse (such as walking into a shopping centre - they are completely inaccessible for me because of the overwhelming sensory stimulation) - but at the same time, she might have stopped to consider why my previous GP had suggested I get the badge in the first place and gone out of her way to support my application (maybe even rung my previous GP to ask?!).



Being 'officially categorised as disabled' doesn't confer any automatic rights to benefits Juliet. The DWP are not interested in the severity of the label. It's always down to meeting their criteria which doesn't allow for fluctuating conditions and I'm convinced that there's still deep suspicion in their ranks about ME. It doesn't compute with them I'm afraid!


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## Lucy Honeychurch (May 17, 2017)

Where I live the assessments take place in a building with no wheelchair access, bloody ridiculous.


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## trophywench (May 18, 2017)

Lucy Honeychurch said:


> Where I live the assessments take place in a building with no wheelchair access, bloody ridiculous.



Struck me with irony the time when I went to the assessment centre.  Of course!! being in the same building as the Job Centre - it obviously HAD full wheelchair access.  DOH.  Have to say the last office I worked in reckoned they had a disability compliant office by virtue of the ground floor being fully accessible to wheelchairs and even a unisex Disabled loo.

However if you happened to be a CLIENT you couldn't come to a meeting - since the only meeting space was the Boardroom on the top (3rd) floor, only accessible by the 2 flights of stairs between each floor.


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## Ditto (May 18, 2017)

> Have you any idea how humiliating that experience was?


I can imagine, but hope I'm never in a position to find out, I will be swearing a lot. 

What gets me about disabled toilets is they're nice and roomy but it's just an ordinary loo but with handles. They need built up loos like we have at home in Mum's bungalow. That's what she's used to. Trying to get her up and down from an ordinary loo is a nightmare.


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 18, 2017)

Amigo said:


> Being 'officially categorised as disabled' doesn't confer any automatic rights to benefits Juliet. The DWP are not interested in the severity of the label. It's always down to meeting their criteria which doesn't allow for fluctuating conditions and I'm convinced that there's still deep suspicion in their ranks about ME. It doesn't compute with them I'm afraid!



Sorry, Amigo, I wasn't clear - I don't want the benefits, just the recognition!  It's not so much the DWP for me, since I don't claim anything, it's other organisations, wanting to know if I'm "registered" disabled.  There's no such thing as a disabled register, of course, but it would be useful to be able to say that officially I am disabled because ... .  I used to show them my blue badge, but now I don't have one it tends to rest on whether the person I'm talking to knows anything about invisible disabilities or not.  Mostly I have to say people have been wonderfully helpful, but some still do insist on my showing them some sort of proof


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## Amigo (May 18, 2017)

TheClockworkDodo said:


> Sorry, Amigo, I wasn't clear - I don't want the benefits, just the recognition!  It's not so much the DWP for me, since I don't claim anything, it's other organisations, wanting to know if I'm "registered" disabled.  There's no such thing as a disabled register, of course, but it would be useful to be able to say that officially I am disabled because ... .  I used to show them my blue badge, but now I don't have one it tends to rest on whether the person I'm talking to knows anything about invisible disabilities or not.  Mostly I have to say people have been wonderfully helpful, but some still do insist on my showing them some sort of proof



Oh believe me I understand exactly what you're saying Juliet and the frustrations around it. You're right, there isn't a 'Disability Register' as such although decades ago we did have them at Social Services. However, arguably you have eligibility for registration under the terms of the Equality Act for the following reasons;

*Definition* of *disability* under the Equality Act 2010. You're *disabled* under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
*Definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 - GOV.UK*

I'd certainly argue that diabetes could be considered under that definition (even though most diabetics wouldn't consider themselves as disabled and rightly so). Regular testing and associated risks plus possible diabetic complications means people are eligible to be considered under this Act in the workplace for 'reasonable adjustments' to be made. 

Interestingly, I have automatic qualification to be 'registered disabled' because I have cancer but would never tell anyone I was disabled even at a job interview. 

The problem is some disabilities are subtle, complex and utterly debilitating without an obvious manifestation. It will be one hell of an uphill battle to get recognition in certain places and the added suspicion must really compound the misery. Every situation has to be fought then on a case by case basis. Regards, Amigo


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