Action Blog
Viewing entries posted in February 2010
Fit notes are a coming
From 6 April 2010 it is almost certain that the 'sick note' will be replaced by a new 'Statement of Fitness for Work'. What will this look like and what help is available?
Comfortably Blind - Part 1
Hi. My name is Shezan Hirjee. If you read Sandi Wassmer's blog, you may recall that I have Glaucoma and after a year of unsuccessful operations, I finally had success and got a healthy amount of my vision back so I decided to chuck in my job and go trekking in Nepal for three months. When I returned and told Sandi all about my experiences, her immediate reaction was to ask me to write about it, so here I am. But, before I went, I did have a few concerns...
Carers who care for loved ones. Not a job for the fainthearted.
When I decided to grab hold of the grieving process with both hands and mourn the loss of my eyesight wholesale, I tried to get my husband, Mark, to come along for the ride. But, the truth was that, although he was going to be there to love and support me and catch me when I fell, which he did plenty, it was a journey that I had to take alone. But, and boy is this a big but, it would now appear that although he did not need to join me on my journey, he did need to have one of his very own.
Can you see my arms now?
The Work Capability Assessment for people claiming Employment and Support Allowance is supposed to be a thorough test to establish levels of capability for work. It involves a long questionnaire and a medical examination performed by a 'healthcare professional'. This person often has only a basic knowledge of visual impairment. So how professional are the tests that are carried out to establish degrees of sight loss?
Impaired? Yes. Able? Definitely. Disabled? Occasionally.
I know that I have made it unreservedly clear that I am not a fan of labels or political correctness for the sake of it. I guess that's because my interest, or at least where I think the crux of the issue lies, is not with what you call people but more about how you view them and, consequently, treat them. I am a big fan of human rights and seem to be quite happy with the label 'human being', although many people that know me might question this and try to redirect me to my home planet.
Don’t get caught with your trousers down
Things are moving on the Disability Living Allowance higher rate mobility component front. At the moment people with mobility problems arising from sight loss alone can get just the lower rate of the mobility component. From April 2011 this will change and the higher rate mobility component will be opened up to some people with severe sight loss. When major benefit changes come along it is easy to get left behind. Don't get caught with your trousers down. Read on to find out who may qualify and what you could be doing now to improve your chances.
Who is caring for the carers?
My delicate little ego may try to prevent me from facing up to the fact that Mark is my carer, but it is true. It is what it is. He is my carer, and a damn marvellous one at that. It is a mighty stressful and demanding job and, although there is nothing I can do about it, I do see the toll it takes on him and, if he is not careful, the role of carer could simply consume him.
So the dealer said, ‘Do you tell your clients about ‘Motability’?
Every car has its day. When I bought my Streetka four years ago it was the best thing since sliced bread. Three years later I decided to keep it rather than trade it in. What a mistake! A year later, constant commuting finally took its toll. It became a financial headache, so it's gone.
Finding a great optician has been a life changing experience for this visually challenged girl
It is just one of those things that most people don’t get. If I am blind, why the heck do I wear glasses? Well, since only 3% of those registered blind in the UK have no vision at all, the rest of us do have some useful vision. As the Retinitis Pigmentosa only affects the back of my eyes, at the front, the lens has always required correction and, using glasses or contact lenses does improve the useful vision that I’ve got.
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accessibility, apple, assistive technology, beauty, benefits, braille, burnley, christmas, confidence, coping, digital inclusion, disability, disclosing disability, discrimination, dla, dwp, education, employment, esa, family, fashion, grieving, guide dogs, holidays, human rights, inclusive design, inclusivity, independence, independent living, iphone, life, lifestyle, living with sight loss, money, pension, people, personal independence payment, registration, respect, rp, sailing, shopping, sight loss, social inclusion, technology, travel, vi people, web accessibility, welfare rights, work,
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