Quote of the Week

“Know me for my abilities, not my disability.”

Robert M Hensel

Guinness World Record Holder for the longest non-stop wheelie in a wheelchair, covering a total distance of 6.178 miles.

Quote of the Week

"Disability is not a ‘brave struggle’ or ‘courage in the face of adversity.’ Disability is an art…It’s an ingenious way to live."

Neil Marcus, playwright

Quote of the Week

‘Disability is an open club. Hang around for long enough and you’ll become a member.’

Bert Massie, Former Chair of the UK’s Disability Rights Commission

Equality within my Borough (Part 3)

Have you faced discrimination within the London Borough of Sutton and if so, what were the circumstances?

I believe that in everyone’s life education is paramount and is the most important starting block for life’s journey. Changes have taken place within the Borough and I would hope that a similar scenario would no longer take place. My own experience was based around my secondary school education. At the age of 14 years, my school in Sutton took the decision that it was no longer viable for me to continue my education with them and steps were taken to transfer me to a “special school” in Kingston. I do not want this and with the backing of my parents, I was able to appeal against this decision and continued my education at my mainstream secondary school. This situation arose purely by my London Borough of Sutton school not recognising the minor changes that needed to be implemented i.e. ensuring that all my classes were on the ground level etc. It was almost as if myself and my parents had to educate my educators!

Another way in which I have experienced discrimination is within the workplace and I truly believe that this still exists today and that the London Borough of Sutton should be doing more to educate and advise employers within the borough. As I entered the world of employment, I applied for many positions both locally and throughout London. I was rejected time and time again often with the organisations giving me feeble excuses by way of an explanation but it was very clear to me that these decisions were taken due to my disability and amounted to indirect discrimination. At the time, laws were not in place that allowed me to challenge this and today it is a very different story. However, there still exists within the London Borough of Sutton the opportunity for disabled people to engage in “meaningful” employment mainly due to lack of understanding and knowledge of the true access requirements of disabled people. I do feel that not only the London Borough of Sutton but also London as a whole should be addressing this.

Do you live your life in a way that others may consider as different?

My initial response would be “no” – I live, work and socialise just like everyone else. However, on reflection I suppose the true answer would be “yes”. I do live life just like everyone else but the manner in which I do it is somewhat different. I do not think of this as being different merely as a change in the way of working or accomplishing things. These so called differences are purely my uniqueness just like someone picking up the telephone and calling a friend – I would rather grab my phone and text instead which is actually more in line with the youth of today!

Equality within my Borough (Part 2)

What are you views on discrimination within the London Borough of Sutton?

There are many different strands of equality and as a disabled person living within London Borough of Sutton I feel that the approach to equality in the borough is not always very equal.

With regard to race discrimination, the London Borough of Sutton has historically been a “white” area i.e. approximately 87% of the boroughs population is “White British” as opposed to 50% in some of the other London Boroughs.

In relation to “Sex Discrimination”, I do not believe there is a major issue with discrimination within Sutton and I am aware of any initiatives and schemes aimed at gender issues particularly relating to the number of women’s groups etc in all areas of the community.

Obviously disability is very personal to me and it was not until the beginning of the 21st Century that I began to feel that discriminatory barriers were being removed within the borough. At this time, disability appeared fairly high on people’s agendas and disability issues began to be taken more seriously. Unfortunately, I do now feel that after this initial appreciation of the issues it has somewhat abated and is not being treated as importantly as race and sex discrimination within the Borough.

I do not believe that there are that many experiences of discrimination within the Borough in relation to other equality strands such as Age, Sexual Orientation, Religion and Transgender.

Councils paying for disabled people to have sex!

A recent story caught my eye in the Daily Mail and whilst I have to be mindful that this particular paper has a history of sensationalism when reporting disability issues, I did think it tied in with my previous blog.

The headline and the story itself will cause a certain amount of controversy particularly at this moment in time when all benefits are being heavily scrutinised to weld the axe on the cheats and it will be seen by those who have no real experience of disability as society gone mad! However, we need to look at the genuine facts behind the story.

The emphasis of the story is that some Local Authorities are paying for fun and frolicking in Amsterdam for sexual pleasure but this is most misleading. The person in question is in receipt of a Personal Budget from their Local Authority and has made an informed choice and that choice should be theirs alone. The only thing that is important here is that they have a personal need and the need can be met – the actual need is irrelevant and should not be questioned.

The Personal Budget scheme is in place to empower the independence and well-being of disabled people and let me tell you the process for applying for a Personal Budget is not easy. Every aspect of your life and needs are delved into. At times the process is extremely intrusive and for many this can deter them from continuing with any application but it does identify the genuine needs of the disabled person and identifies clear outcomes.

Personal Budget funds provide a disabled person with independence and an enhancement to their lives. If we want to look at this fully, we need to understand and be broadminded enough to accept that disabled people do have sexual needs and for some, establishing committed relationships can be difficult. Therefore, paid sex can seem the only option.

More importantly, we need to remember that like everyone disabled people have Human Rights, namely the freedom of choice i.e. how to spend their personal budgets and freedom to have a sex life in whatever form they choose.

Yet again the headlines do not convey the true facts behind the story and another negative representation of disabled people hits the streets fuelling the moral outrage against disability.

Christmas Greetings

It’s been a great year here at PureshPower and I wanted to thank all of you for your continued support and readership. I have enjoyed sharing my views on all things disability – both the good and the not so good!

Real inclusive change will happen but the road is still long and we all have much to do throughout the journey. I hope you will continue to join me in supporting the efforts of all those pushing for positive change.

I hope you all have a wonderful festive season and that Santa brings all your Christmas wishes. May the New and Coming Year bring you every happiness and success in all your endeavours.

See you in 2010..............

Equality Bill 2009 & the Existence of Inequality

On 27th April this year, the current Government released the Equality Bill 2009 with the intention of simplifying and harmonizing existing legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act, Race Relations Act, the Sex Discrimination Act, the Equality Act 2006 and many other anti-discrimination legislation.

With so much equality legislation in force, it is sad to see that we still have an increase in terms of actual inequality.

Ronald Dworkin, a political theorist, based his theory of equality on the principle that “every person is entitled to equal concern and respect in the design of the structure of society” and “real equality of opportunity can only be measured by its success in creating equality of outcome”.

He further argues that if everyone, regardless of physical and mental ability, are to have genuine equal opportunities, then an equal opportunity must exist for all participants to end the race at the same time whether they need more considered or continued support or not.

The Disability Discrimination Act is currently the only equality legislation that requires anyone to invest financially into real equality of opportunity but this in reality is minimal as the Act states that only “reasonable” changes can be expected at a “proportionate” cost.

For many employers and service providers accessibility is considered low down on their list of priorities and even the simplest of adaptations such as ramps, induction loops etc are rarely considered.

Only time will tell whether the new Equality Bill will make significant changes to providing genuine equality of opportunity to people with disabilities but it is my belief that until fundamental changes are made to people’s perception of disability, we will not see true equality.

Artwork by Disabled Artists

The final piece in our series of artwork by disabled artists is "A Representation of Disability" by Andrew Milne.

Andrew is a member of the local arts group run by Sutton Centre for Independent Living and Learning.

Artwork by Disabled Artists

The next in our series of artwork by disabled artists is "A Representation of Disability" by Linda Marshall.

Linda is a member of the local arts group run by Sutton Centre for Independent Living and Learning.

Disabled People and Television

Official statistics show that 98% of British homes have a television and the average adult spends approximately 24¾ hours per week watching - be it the soaps, quiz shows or current affairs.

But how are disabled people represented on our screens?

There is a general lack of representation of disabled people from mainstream programming and when they are, it is usually in the role of a disabling stereotype. Many current affair programmes concentrate on issues related to the traditional medical treatment or look at stories under the banner of “triumph over adversity”. Many of our fictional programmes portray disabled characters as being powerless and victims further reinforcing the misconceptions of disabled people.

I strongly believe that better representation of disabled people in all forms of the media would provide an instant educational tool and provide an ideal opportunity for people to learn more about disability. Genuine portrayal of disabled people would remove the many myths and stereo-typing associated with disability.

In the 21st century it is hard to comprehend the small-mindedness that still exists in our society and I was shocked to learn that the introduction of a disabled television presenter could cause the floodgates of complaint to open.

Cerrie Burnell is a children’s television presenter who recently joined the CBeebies channel. The important questions here should be “can she do her job?” and “does she entertain the children?” Unfortunately, these seem to have taken a sideline to “but she is disabled” and a vicious campaign has begun.

Parents across the country are complaining about her role and claim their children are traumatised by her disability. The BBC has been accused of “political correctness” and “trying to meet employment quotas”. Both statements are extremely wrong on all counts. How can a disability be classed as “political correctness” and there is no such thing as “employment quotas” any more.

There are many things in our world today that can and do cause worry to children but disability should not be one of them. Parents must have a duty to educate their children and instead of using Cerrie Burnell as someone to be vilified they should be using this opportunity to remove the “stigma” of disabled people. Children are now introduced to all manner of information from an early age and why shouldn’t disability be one of them?

I do hope that the BBC treats this matter with the sensitivity it deserves and continues to support not only Cerrie Burnell but many other disabled people. On many occasions, disabled people are introduced not because they are ordinary but precisely the opposite and for this reason we need to change our mindset.

What is the "Social Model of Disability"?

I believe strongly in the Social Model of Disability and fully embrace its more modern approach. As I go about my job, I am frequently asked "What is the Social Model of Disability?" So here goes - a quick definition......

There are various ways of looking at disability.

The traditional and most commonly used method is the Medical Model of Disability. This puts the focus on the individual disabled person and because of what is “wrong” with them and the main point of why services need to change i.e. services need to change to fit with the individual disabled person.

Contrary to this is a more forward thinking approach which is being used more widely and this is the Social Model of Disability. This moves the focus away from the individual disabled person to the barriers that the disabled person faces and it is these barriers which disables them. They do have an impairment or condition but this is private and personal to the individual and should not be the subject of gossip or chit-chat. The barriers that face a disabled person can be wide ranging e.g. physical, attitudual, information and communication, organisational and environmental to name but a few. The Social Model of Disability encourages inclusion of disabled people within all mainstream activities and most importantly treats disabled people on the same level as everyone else.

Is it simple to get money for straightforward disability related items?

Today I had cause to complete an online form for a referral through my Local Authority for funding for replacement automatic door openers at my home. First impressions were good – a simple form that needed to be completed and hey presto with the push of one button my referral would be winging its way to the appropriate person!
My of my how naive could I be?
It was true I could submit the form online but it was the way this form was written that really got my blood boiling.
One of the very first questions it asked me was whether I already had contact with the local social services and whether any past funding had been received. A clever little tick in the “yes” box then. Still straight forward enough I hear you cry.
No, No, No – The pesky form then went on to ask me all about my disability, needs and living arrangements! Surely this is already on their records and therefore as soon as I placed the relevant tick in their relevant form it should have bypassed all this form filling but no, yet again, I have to tell them my life story.
Definitely a case of bureaucracy at its worse.
Over the years I have come to believe that navigating the maze of disability benefit or funding is worse than completing my tax returns and I could probably read War & Peace quicker.

For many years the need for an easing of bureaucracy was being debated. The Disability Challenge – The Conservative Party’s disability website - (http://www.thedisabilitychallenge.com) in June 2007 states:-

“Councils throughout the country would like to reduce the bureaucracy of the assessment process but legislation requires much of the assessing, thus making reduction difficult. The third layer of bureaucracy is perhaps the worst because it is hidden. It is the bureaucracy that providers of social care must tolerate. It comprises: reports to get star ratings from the Commission for Social Care Inspection; 26 performance assessment frameworks, including key thresholds; delivery and improvement standards reports for the Audit Commission; best value performance indicator reports; comprehensive performance assessment reports, and, for the Department of Health, the referrals, assessments and packages of care reports. All that bureaucracy comes at a huge price of £2 billion. That money is used in the assessment and commissioning process, not in delivering the services that carers and disabled people need.”

The Labour party states:-

“Work through the Office for Disability Issues, established by Labour, to ensure cross Government action to achieve substantive equality for disabled people by 2025 is imperative” (http://www.labour.org.uk/Equalities)

Well to my mind, no major party is doing anything to assist the disabled in gaining access to the funding that is so desperately needed and before you all begin to shout at your computer screens, I do appreciate that this can be applied to many groups of society. However, the difference that can be gained to independence by this vital funding is immense and therefore the red tape and bureaucracy should be cut with very large scissors as quickly as possible.

Doggy Poo!

This has really irritated me over the past few days in that an inconsiderate dog - or should that be dog owner - keeps leaving his packages all over the street outside my office. Apart from the disturbance to members of the public using the road, it is of particular distress to me as a disabled person, a wheelchair user, as I have to navigate around these "blobs". I was thinking "do you often see a human being crouching down in the middle of the street and depositing their waste - apart from Paula Radcliffe that is". Shouldn't it be the same for dogs/dog owners. Today, I contacted my local council to complain about this and I am really unsure how seriously they took this matter. I suppose I will be waiting weeks and weeks before something is done!

Visit to The British Library

Last Tuesday I was travelling to the British Library which is across the road from the new St Pancras International Station. After experiencing my poor level of service at St Pancras station, I proceeded to depart the station to walk over the road to the British Library. The pathways have been newly paved and all the dropped kerbs were in fact dropped kerbs i.e. completely flush with the road surface. They were also very wide and obstruction free. However, all the way through from the station there was a clear lack of visual contrast, as everything (paving, kerbs, railings etc), was a light grey colour and there was no differientation between the objects.

I then passed the front of the British Library (where there was a non-accessible entrance with steps) and I saw a sign with the wheelchair symbol telling me to go around the building. It was lucky it was not raining that day as the route was quite long and it was uncovered.

When I got into the British Library, there was a courtyard outside where there were some steps (which did not serve any purpose) but again there were no warnings at the top of these steps to alert you to the fact of their presence. From the point of view of a wheelchair user, these steps cannot be seen.

I then walked around the courtyard, again uncovered, to go into the entrance to the British Library. At which point, the security guards carried out their security checks but I was slightly concerned that as a disabled person, they just did their check without telling me what they were doing i.e. they seemed frightened to talk to me. Anyway, after this, I went up in the lift which did meet the required dimensions under the access regulations. However, it did seem rather small and maybe unuseable in some situations. I then went up in the lift to the Business and IP Centre in order to meet with Rachel Elnaugh who I was seeking business advice from. Her advice was extremely helpful and gave me a positive way forward. The only point I would make about the room I went to was that, again, the dimensions were all correct as per the access regulations but a sofa was positioned right by the turning circle so by using my wheelchair I found it difficult to manoeuvre in and out of the room. This is the type of barrier that staff need to be aware of within organisations such as the British Library i.e. that small steps of repositioning the sofa shows that they want to include disabled people within the services that they provide.