DISABILTY - THINGS PEOPLE SAY

Some things I've heard recently.

Dundee Polio Fellowship.

• Attitudes towards people with disabilities have changed for the worse.
• We face 'everyday' aggression
• Accused of being benefit scroungers.
• Late-life disability brings increased problems
• Care in the Community - under-funded, under-staffed not enough time

Dundee Independent Advocacy Support.

• Difficulties with Atos/Maximus
• Medical assessments often carried out with inappropriately trained people - example of a physiotherapist assessing a person with learning difficulties.
• DLA to PIP - delays and changes in criteria causing havoc.
• 'Payment by results' is a sanction on service providers.

Dundee Access Group.

• State of dropped kerbs
• Misuse of disabled parking spaces by able-bodied people.
• 'Accessible' toilets that are only partly accessible.

St Mary's Lunch Club, Lochee.
Though not specifically for people with disabilities, never-the-less had a high proportion of such persons present when I visited.  These were some comments:

• "Listen!!!!" - that's the polite version.
• Job Centre - you mean the Gestapo Centre.
• They just talk through you, don't listen and lie all the time.
• Mental health services are hopeless and take forever.
• Turmoil with doctors
• Temporary jobs muck up your CV.  They make it look like you can't keep a job.
• MPs 10% pay rise is a scandal
• When someone is sanctioned, what are they supposed to do?

Dundee Blind and Partially Sighted Society.

• 'A' frames in the street.  City Council banned them but haven't enforced the ban.  What use is that?
• As Christmas approaches shops pile more and more goods into the aisles.  We trip over them and wheelchairs can't get past them.  Is that not a matter for Health and Safety?
• 60/65% of our clients are over 65.
• Visually impaired children have a special unit at Craigiebarns Primary
• Taxi drivers who get to know us are great.
• Quality of life depends so much on the quality of other people's services to you.

Scottish Trades Union Congress.

• "Information received following requests under Freedom of Information Act show that the needless policy of austerity pursued by the Government, and Ian Duncan Smith's department in particular, could be preventing disabled people securing employment."
• In 2010 when the coalition government came to power, in the 781 Jobcentre Plus throughout the UK, persons with disabilities looking for work could rely on the support of 499 specialist Disability Employment Advisers.  Five years later that number has been decimated.
• The information supplied by DWP shows that in May 2015 the number of Disability Employment Advisers had fallen to 297, a fall of 40%.  The on-going attacks on supported employment, the loss of Remploy jobs and other attacks on disability benefits such as the bedroom tax are proving this government plans to be one of the most heartless and uncaring we have seen.
• 'Disabled people need support, not sanctions to get into work.'

A couple of ideas that have been floated.

• Dundee, a decent city.  Can the Fairness Commission try to raise a culture of respect for vulnerable people; promote a Dundee where citizens do the right things?
• A 'GOOD' Places Register.  Can the Commission, or perhaps the Council, set up something along the lines of the Trusted Trader scheme?

The Challenge of Physical Disability

In my presentation to the Fairness Commission on the challenges faced by people with physical disabilities I began by talking about some of the things we should treasure and protect.  First there is the National Health Service - a concept of Collective Generosity and practical goodness.  This concept of collective caring, of loving our neighbour, our fellow citizen and the stranger in our midst is our true national treasure.  We must protect this beating heart of practical goodness against the vultures who are forever circling, looking to health care as a moneyed carcass ripe for plundering.

 

Secondly I spoke of our Education System - a concept of expectation and a collective investment in potential.  My parents told me it was a big battle (I have limited mobility due to contracting polio, or infantile paralysis as it was called, as a baby) to get me into mainstream education.  Apparently they were told that I should go to a 'special' school where I would be 'more comfortable'.  "He doesn't need comfort," argued my mother, "he needs an education!"  At earlier meetings the Commission had heard of some of the difficulties of the attainment gaps in our schools, but we should acknowledge the great deal of extra support provided in Dundee's schools to pupils with both physical and mental disabilities.

 

Third 'treasure' on my list is our somewhat currently battered system of Social Security - the true expression of our all being in it together.  Whilst not wishing to stifle incentive, opportunity or responsibility, it would be dishonest to say other than there will always be those who will never be able to work or sustain independent living, and there are many, many, many others who for some periods in their lives will be shut out from paid work.  The vision of the safety net of social security is another expression of collective caring, of loving our neighbour, our fellow citizen and the stranger in our midst.  The other side of this coin was that those who were able to pay taxes would do so willingly.  Clement Attlee, who was Prime Minister at the time of the birth of the modern welfare state said, "Charity is a cold, gray, loveless thing.  If a rich man wants to help the poor, he should pay his taxes gladly, not dole out money on a whim."  There is something of 'once upon a time' about that I'm afraid, but its a philosophy we would do well to recapture.

 

If anything undermines any sense of security that people with disabilities might have it is the introduction of the current Work Capability Test.  It was, we were told, a revolution.  People with disabilities were to be tested on what they could do, not on what they couldn't do.  Great!! Absolutely right.  But this proper concept with which nobody could disagree has been turned by the Government, through agents like Atos and Triage and JobCentre Plus into a tool of exclusion, a weapon for sanctions.  At the recent Tory Party conference, blatantly and dismissively Ian Duncan-Smith said, "Disabled people should stop relying on the State and work their way out of poverty." 

 

In preparation for my presentation I loitered around a few groups and agencies asking what they were saying and will post these shortly.

THE TASK OF DUNDEE FAIRNESS COMMISSION

I had the opportunity to give a presentation to the Fairness Commission on Tuesday 27th October on the challenges that people with physical disabilities face in every day living.  I have no doubt that everything we face, people with mental or unseen disabilities face these challenges with knobs on.

 

But first I had a word or two to say about the task of the Fairness Commission as I see it.

 

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said, "There is no greater injustice than to treat unequal cases equally."

 

The Fairness Commission is looking at a city which has huge divisions.  Many citizens, including most of us on the Commission are doing quite well, whilst many of our fellow citizens are struggling just to keep their heads above water; still others  are utterly dependent on meagre benefits and foodbanks.  Side by side in this city walk the secure and the insecure, the expectant and the depressed, the honoured and the dismissed.  Ours is a city of unequal cases and we have been appointed to try to make things at least a little bit different.  That is our task and we cannot be even-handed!  we are called to champion the cases of those whose urgencies are treated as of no account.

SOLUTIONS

The September meeting of the Dundee Fairness Commission took place in the Finmill Centre in Fintry.  There were two presentations and we also had a helpful NHS 'Inequality Briefing' paper before us.

 

Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance outlined the 'Living Wage' and 'Stick Your Labels' campaigns.  The Scottish Living Wage Campaign is driven by a coalition of trades unions, faith groups and voluntary organisations and believes "that all workers deserve a wage that gives them the chance to achieve a decent standard of living for themselves and their families." 

 

The 'Stick your labels' campaign has 3 pledges:

• poverty is not inevitable
• Attitudes matter
• Actions change attitudes.

This Fairness Commission is about Dundee and what we can do here to make ours a fairer, more equitable city.  At the end of Peter's presentation questions and discussion focussed on Dundee.  We had been told that only two Scottish local authorities had signed up to the Living Wage campaign.  Why not Dundee, was what we wanted to know. 

 

Dundee City Council wants to be an accredited 'Living Wage Employer' we were told and are "wrestling with the challenge, not ducking it."  Social care costs appear to be the biggest impediment to achieving accreditation.  "Why is it" asked Alison Henderson of the Chamber of Commerce, "that we keep hearing that social care, hospitality and retail are a problem?"  Small businesses are showing the way.  Poverty is a problem that has solutions, we should not be talking about the inevitability, we should be talking about solutions.

 

On the 'Stick Your Labels' campaign, the Commission recognised that using language that dismisses and diminishes is a serious problem.  This was clearly illustrated in the use of the term 'disabled people' in the second presentation.  I myself had to point out that people with disabilities are not 'disabled people' but persons of other abilities who happen to have a disability.  'Myth busting' is another crucial element of the campaign to change attitudes.

 

Jim McCormick of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation talked about the Changing Face of Work.

 

The number of semi-skilled jobs has fallen dramatically in recent years.  The 'revolving door' rather than the 'escalator' is the experience of many low wage earners; that is to say there has been a loss of expectation to advance from your low paid and the fear of getting the heave is now all too prevalent.  Over a third of workers receiving working tax credits are in retail, health and social work.  Devolution has made little difference.  Commenting on the effects of this summer's budget, for people on the new national 'living wage', the bad news hugely outweighs the good news.

 

The key messages from the NHS 'Inequality Briefing Paper' (which we did not have time to discuss) were:

• good work provides a decent income, widens social networks and gives people a purpose.
• not all work is good for health.
• for working-age adults, not having a paid job is bad for your health.

It appears that the commitment of Commissioners, reflected in the intensity of discussion, is making our current self-imposed time constraints of a 2 hour meeting untenable and we have to do something about that.

FAIRNESS COMMISSION MEETING ON EDUCATION - 25.8.15

Three presentations were made on the subject of 'Closing the Educational Attainment Gap in Dundee'

Dr. Edward Sousa of Strathclyde University argued, what to my mind was a highly questionable proposition, that "Who you are in Scotland is far more important than what school you attend."  He was however making the valid point that parental involvement and encouragement is important - as are 'rich experiences' for children

On 'aspirations and expectations' he suggested that aspirations of parents and pupils across income groups are often similar, but expectations are quite different.

 

Sara Spencer of the Child Poverty Action Group gave us many insights into their report 'Cost of the School Day' which is to be published on 2nd October.  She illustrated 'cost' barriers to full participation in school life.  Often even short school trips and the small costs of clubs and fun events are impossible for some.  Costs are complex but the Commission agreed that we should be looking at the desirability of increasing the clothing grant.

 

Paul Clancy of Dundee City Council Education Department outlined some of the initiatives being pursued by the City Council to lessen the attainment gap.  He also spoke of 'placing requests' which have resulted in 1 in 3 children in Dundee attending schools outwith their catchment areas.  When asked what effect the ending of these placement requests might have, he replied, "Dramatic, but it wouldn't be a popular policy!"

 

If the Fairness Commission is to achieve change then it cannot be afraid of championing unpopular policies.  It must ask of what it proposes, "Is it right and is it fair to those who are least able to articulate their needs?"  In this case we must ask ourselves, "Do we wish to push for an end to parental placing requests?  What benefits would accrue?  What would be lost?"

SHAME ON US ALL

A selection of headlines from this week's newspapers must make us wonder what kind of country we live in, what kind of nation are we?

"NATIONAL LIVING WAGE WILL 'DAMAGE CARE HOMES'"

 

In a letter to the Chancellor, the five biggest providers of care homes (Four Seasons Health Care: BUPA; HC-One; Care UK and Barchester) claim that the National Living Wage could result in a catastrophic collapse in the number of care homes.  The companies said that they supported the National Living Wage (put that to music) but efforts would be needed to rescue the care system.  The UK Homecare Association made a similar warning last month, saying services to care for people in their own homes would become 'unviable'.  The Government said, (don't hold your breath) social care 'would be considered' as part of the spending review later this year.  Clearly, the care and dignity of our fellow citizens who are elderly or disabled is valued at no more than the minimum wage that we can get away with.  Shame on us!

 

 

"ONLINE GAMBLING HELPS RANK GROUP CASH IN"

 

 

The business pages report as 'good news' that the Rank Group has cashed in with a 19% rise in pre-tax profit to £74.1 million in the year to June.

 

There has been concern for some time over the growth of betting shops in our high streets and the powerlessness of local authorities to do anything about it.  However, in the figures issued by Rank, revenue in betting shops grew by only 2% compared with 21% in digital.  Chief Executive Henry Birch said, "We are particularly pleased that the strong digital growth continues."  Maybe in our concern for the proliferation of betting shops we have had our focus in the wrong place.  At least in betting shops there is company and, hopefully, some responsible staff who might encourage the over-hyped punter to 'go canny'.  But what curbs exist for the person alone in the bedroom at the computer with 24 hour betting available at the click of a mouse?  Heavens above, 'thanks' to in-play betting, at five past three on a Saturday afternoon I could place a bet on who is going to score the next goal for Partick Thistle....now there's a route to throwing your money away!  But I shouldn't joke, the income generated by the gambling industry dwarfs the expenditure on the care of the elderly.  That is wrong.  That is a sin.  Shame on us all!

 

 

"WILL THE DWP NOW FACE SANCTIONS FOR UNTRUTHS"

 

 

Speaking of sin, what about the revelations this week that the DWP have been inventing people in an attempt to continue the delusion that the welfare changes are reasonable, fair and welcome.  Far from apologising, the department has come out with some guff about the need to positively promote the worth of the sanctions regime.  To you, me and most folk, they are claiming that its OK for them to lie.  Were a claimant at the Jobcentre found to be giving false information, it would immediately be identified as lying and the claimant sanctioned.  Can the man at the top, the wicked and/or hapless Iain Duncan Smith not be sanctioned?  A withdrawal of his ministerial salary might be a start.



DUNDEE FESTIVAL FOR PEACE

The focus of the Dundee Fairness Commission so far has always ended up with issues of poverty and lack of resources.  There is no greater, nor blasphemous, waste of resources, than the eye-watering sums spent on weapons of war and oppression. Trillions and trillions of pounds, dollars, euros and every other currency under the sun are spent on the manufacture, use and threat of use of weapons ranging from hand guns to nuclear bombs. 

One of the annual delights in my life is to go to the Duncan of Jordanstone degree show.  I've been going for the past 20 years and never once been disappointed.  The range of imagination that fires the artistry of the students is utterly amazing.  One student this year had an exhibition illustrating what he perceived about the world's trouble spots - he gave examples from the Middle East, the Central African Republic, the Philippines and Pakistan amongst others.  There wasn't a weapon at all in his display, it was all examples of heavy engineering.  He said, and I think I quote him properly, "Wars are as much about engineering and economics as about actual warfare."  At the time I knew instantly I was listening to wisdom.

This year, the Dundee Festival for Peace comprises various events between 6th August (Hiroshima Memorial Day) and 21st September which id the U.N International Day for Peace.

Details of individual events can be found on the dundeefestival4peace Facebook page or by emailing dundeefestival4peace@gmail.com