He crossed over the road and yelled the same thing for a third time, and I worked out that he was saying "fucking DLA stick". I said, "I don't know what you mean?" but as I was saying the words I realised that I did. He was implying that, as I walk with a crutch, I was faking a disability to receive benefits.
For the rest of the length of the street, he yelled 'fucking DLA stick' at me again and again. I felt very intimidated and frightened.
And I knew. I knew that it was caused, as well as by a nasty, nasty man, it was also caused by this:
and this:
and this:
and every other story by the government and the media portraying disabled people as lazy (see the photo in that final screenshot!) scroungers.
I do not need to justify my use of a mobility aid to a complete stranger in the street, never mind one who is flinging abuse at me. The thought that I would carry a big, awkward metal thing around with me at all times in order to claim benefits is just ridiculous. The realisation that this is what some people think, that's frightening.
If anything like this happens to you, remember that it is a disability hate crime. You can report it directly to the police, or through an intermediary such as Stop hate UK.
The war against benefit claimants is, sadly, proving more effective than ever.
(This was cross posted at incurable hippie blog)
Sadly right wing scum in the press appear to be stigmatising anyone on benefits, this time its those with disabilities. They do the governments work for them to justify treating people like sh*t.
ReplyDeleteIt breeds hate and intolerance in society. It looks like Cameron has realised we don't have a "Broken Britain", but is determined to make one.
I hope this does not destroy your faith in human nature.
All the best
Sorry to hear about -but sadly not surprised-my wife has been a wheelchair user for seven years (cannot weightbear) and I have witnessed (probably due to a plethora of lies and distortions akin to above)recently even that is not seen as sufficient "evidence"-claims have been made that she can "walk",and comments -seriously made that she was not "trying hard enough" etc-people are getting emboldened to make such comments.
ReplyDeleteI'm still seething about this...good bloody grief!
ReplyDeleteI am scared stiff. Every day I read something new about how the govt hate me and how I am scum for being disabled and how they will plonk me on esa and give me one year to find a job that isnt there and then they will take MORE money away and 10% of my housing benefit thus making me and my family homeless also.
ReplyDeleteI am petrified I know this farce of a consultation is all lies because they had made their decision long ago and we are the fodder for them because we are scum to be done away wish and so myself and my family will end up homeless being that then my child will be taken from me and put into care and i will be dead because i wont be able to take the stress of this, so they have ruined my whole family as i know my mother will also be dead as she wont take the stress, as she is ill also. So my childs entire life will be ruined because of this, my other two childrns lives also.
Petrified doesnt even cover it!
I'm lucky that PTSD doesn't obviously show. One of my triggers is people telling me I'm not as ill as I am (thus telling me by extension that my experiences weren't that bad). These days the rage that causes is directed outwards at the source rather than inwards in the form of shame. If someone had a go at me over my benefit claim in the way described above I have a horrible feeling that they'd be experiencing my condition themselves pretty soon. If they were lucky. I'm not a danger to anyone who treats me with respect, and I'm not proud of my capacity for violence. Incidents like the above terrify me, not because of the perpetrator, but because of what I'm capable of.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that this happened, and I'd like to echo the advice to anyone else to report, report, report. Register your protest.
I've been there myself, something over half a dozen times, most recently with the false accusation to the benefit fraud hotline I discussed in my article of the 18th Jan. The last set of verbals was from three men in their 50s in the middle of the afternoon on the High Street, yelling "This is the DWP, we know you're faking it". They were standing in a pub doorway, so drink likely contributed, but drink didn't make them pick me as a target, they picked me as a target for their hate because I am disabled and because the government (irrespective of party) and the media have spent the last several years portraying disabled benefit claimants as frauds.
ReplyDelete@DavidG - they picked you for their target because they are filth. I'm done trying to be understanding about "ignorance", I really am. Ignorance is just lack of knowledge; it doesn't cause abuse by itself, there has to be malice and lack of compassion. I don't know about you, but I haven't had a "day off" since I was 3 years old; every day is a hard slog to manage my condition and scrape whatever joy I can from life, just as it is for many disabled people. You and me, David, like many others, may not be "in employment", but damn we're hardworking. People like *that* are scum, scrounging the same air as you are breathing, which they're not fit to.
ReplyDeleteSorry folks, I just f*cking hate them.
I've been seeing this happening with more and more frequency - I am certainly imposing enough that people don't shout at me when I have my stick (probably look like I'd use it, and they'd be right!) but I do fear for my disabled son as a lot of the people on the bus we ride tend to make rather not-so-veiled comments over his head, so I've stopped taking them on the bus as he just gets so agitated.
ReplyDeleteI think it's only going to be a matter of time before one of us is actively attacked so I would have a care, everyone and be careful. This does seem to be getting ugly.
My sympathies...I've been subjected to 'examinations' by what was then the Benefits Agency Medical Services',and told the fact that I have arthritis walk with a stick doesn't constitute 'proof of disability'. Er, pardon me, arthritis IS a disability, able-bodied people don't have arthritis...then I had to go through a lengthy appeals procedure as the doctor who 'examined' me claimed I had 'no difficulty in kneeling', whereas in fact I cannot kneel at all; I think there was a question of professional ethics involved here. And why can't WE prosecute THEM for Benefit Fraud if they tell lies...because that is what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteThis is utterly terrifying!
ReplyDeleteI am currently having CBT for mental health problems. One aspect of this is my therapist trying to reassure me that the wider public are sympathetic or at least will not notice and that it is not dangerous to go out side as I often think [I have varying levels of agoraphobia].
This makes me sick. My condolences to you. These things happening makes me want to point out that I'd love to be as well as they are [people making the comments] and would happily swap.
On top of that, despite my usually caring nature, I honestly feel great hatred and wish I could inflict the ailment mocked by the mocker on them (if you follow me!), just for a month, a week.. even a day.
yep the abuse we disabled folks get is increasing - the term "you people" is frequently used down here ,example "you people should not be out in this weather " - said to me when out during snow on mobility scooter - well f*&K me - we people have to do our shopping too - what next ? will we be forced to ware a badge to mark us out as "untermensch " ?? - history is repeating itself - the Nazis hated disabled people too .
ReplyDelete