I write to you now on my 10th day of solitary confinement, penned up in my 7th floor cell. No, this is not the remake of Papillon, my name is not Steve McQueen but like him I have committed no crime and like him when he did his bout of solitary, I have stubble to rival Desperate Dan.
Sadly this is what happens when you rely on a wheelchair to get around and your wheelchair requires emergency repairs. A fact that seems to slip the mind of those people whose job it is to maintain such a vital piece of equipment. If your car broke down, you would expect to be offered a courtesy car, no such luxury is afforded to wheelchair users.
Only prohibitively expensive wheelchair hire could have saved my dilemma but millionaire, I ain’t. These are just some of the hidden costs that don’t seem to be considered in government plans to scrap Disability Living Allowance.
Having been without it for 10 days I now more than ever value the independence and freedom my wheelchair gives me. A wheelchair is not a luxury like a car, but a necessity for thousands of disabled people. Many of us take for granted the ability to pop down the shop when you run of milk; losing my chair means I have lost my lifeline as well as my connection to the outside world.
Having had a glimpse of what it might be like to do time, I am now more determined than ever to do ensure the same fate does not await other disabled people. I am particularly concerned about those living in state-funded residential care who stand to lose their mobility component, an absolutely vital link to the outside world. Nobody should be left prisoner in their own home.
Government plans to tighten the eligibility criteria of DLA, removing homecare support from all except those deemed to have a ‘substantial’ need, I believe, will only serve to make a difficult situation worse, and could mean those with fluctuating or hidden impairments will fall through the gap.
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