Friday 1 February 2008

Disabled badges

We have recently applied for the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance, not because we feel we need this benefit, but because if you do not have it then you do not qualify for a disabled badge.

Grace has a wheel chair when we go out now, but we put on the application form that sometimes she can walk 50-100 metres and sometimes she can't, and on the days where she has walked the distance she can be totally exhausted and have to rest for hours afterwards.

The distance that she can do on 'good' days means that she doesn't qualify for any form of mobility allowance even though she qualified for the wheelchair and got it within one month of the request.

I really don't feel that we need the benefit and would rather it went to someone who would, but we could really do with a disabled badge and also, I can't understand that someone who knows nothing of this illness can decide who gets it and who doesn't? and why are the two connected?

All we want is to park a little nearer our destination and ease to get a wheelchair in and out of the car so that Grace doesn't get run over whilst trying to get into it.

Since having the chair she hasn't cried on her way to school because she is panicking that she can't get her breath and she doesn't want to be late, and its only across the road, its a little up hill and thats very uncomfortable for her, so how on earth would anyone consider that she doesn't qualify?

I wish I could emigrate, what a bloody stupid country........... not just because of the badge, but a whole lot of other things which make me less than patriotic now, things like people getting beaten to death in the street and then getting away with it, and people claiming for injuries and just the horrible state things are coming to and its just accepted, and meanwhile I feel like a criminal for daring to apply for a disabled badge!!!!

1 comment:

Tinypoppet said...

hey lovely Gilly - can you please drop me an email re this having had rather a lot of experience of these damned forms! xx