Thinking of making an Advocating Course. Could this affect my ESA entitlement?

iza

Hi, I am having thoughts to make an online advocating course for disable people. The course is online for free provided by charitable organisation. However I won my case in 2018 and now on ESA. I wonder if making the course could affect me somehow? Please advice. Thanks. 

Alex_Alumni

Hi @iza thanks for posting your query.

When you say making a course might affect you, do you mean that it might bring up any negative feelings you may have had around your experiences as a disabled person? 

Or are you wondering if it will impact your ESA?

iza

Hi @ Alex_scope, I am wondering if it will impact my ESA the most. But the course should be online so I should be fine with the level of anxiety. However, I watched movie on Netflix today known as 7 yards and I got slightly stressed. The story of that young man didn’t stress me out as my mum is in similar situation when now she needs care 24/7 and she has very strong aphasia on top of everything. What stressed me was that  some people are such lucky with support they got during illness when I personally had to face all my health problems and my mum problems alone. I just got such a flash back today of all life troubles I faced last years that I simply crying now. The most terrible is that I had to wait with crying until my son will go to bed so he cannot see my tears. He gets very scare when I  am crying once here is nearby. I wonder : do I will manage to participate on emotional level  with all content of that course ? Do I am going to get bad feelings or flash backs ?  I was avoiding for very  longer time topic about disability or sharing with anyone information on that  or topics of my illness or my mum illness. I didn’t have any flashbacks for 2 years until today. So I am a bit sad now and wonder why the movie brought up so much out. Anyway the course start in a April so I perhaps chance to prepare or work on my emotions. Any advice is highly appreciated. Thank you 

Alex_Alumni

Hi @iza thanks for explaining for me, that's really helpful. I'm sorry to hear how the film has affected you, I felt similarly emotional after watching Crip Camp on Netflix. The thing with films is, they are designed to play on our emotions, sometimes to entertain, sometimes to challenge us. Naturally, if we've had similar experiences to those we see on screen, those will come racing to the front of our minds. It's completely natural, but that doesn't make it easy to manage. 

If you feel as though you're having a tough time with your emotions, have you considered talking therapies? They can be a real help in processing and understanding everything that's going on. Unfortunately there might be a long wait, but you can self refer here. 

I'm afraid I can't advise you on the ESA side of things as well as I'd like, but I've marked your post as unanswered, so hopefully our members can shed some light on it all for you.

iza

Hi @Alex_Scope,

I would like to thank you very much for your warm replay. You are right by  saying that some films are for entertaining some to challenge us. I usually watch comedies only but I decided to wider the spectrum of movies to movie which  include disability aspects. I watched quite few movies  about disable's people life but this one is the only one which flare my emotion as you said to the front of my mind. I really did not expected that yesterday. 

I cried a bit and I think the tears cleared my soul. I am taking today day very easy. Thank you for mentioning the talking therapies but I usually over cry the emotion or put everything in the writing and then shared it.  

Thank you very much for transferring my post to benefit section as well. 

I wish you a very good  day. 

Alex_Alumni

Hello @iza just checking in to see how you've been since you last posted, have you decided what to do about the advocacy course?

iza

Hi @Alex_Scope, actually I didn’t as the course was known as advocating and employability training. The part of employability in the course program put me off, they also required some practice with mentoring org over the summer time and this is something I cannot do. I didn’t sign up. However, I practice my skills in real life. Just finished complaining procedures towards my council for not providing adequate support to mentally ill neighbour who is highly antisocial, aggressive, abusive towards me and was harassing me ( mostly ) and another neighbours for the last few years. So , I am simply advocating for myself in real life going with the flow of intuition. I am simply moving soon to the next level with that complain. If you know a layers, organisations who are supporting people like me in Country Court with complains agains Council please let me know as taking that case to that level would be final step and maybe 🤔 it will bring finally the solution permanent and forever once for good, as I do not like when people mess around, especially if it touch my private, personal life. 

Ross_Alumni

Thanks for replying on this thread @Iza, sorry to hear about what you and others in your neighbourhood are going through with your neighbour.  In what way do they abuse and harass you?

Have you made the council aware of the impact what they are doing is having on you and your neighbours? Hopefully they can respond to your complaint and provide them with the support they need. 

iza

Hi @Ross_Scope, I can only say that personally I phoned 100 times over 5 years to report all incidents, Council is acting very slow, they do not want to relocate the person. I went through all complaints procedures and now counting my days to refer to Housing Ombudsman. I also stop voting for mayor of my council because no point to vote for someone who does not care for those who vote for. Anyway the girl does not seam to get enough monitoring from med/ support key person as well because no one is coming to check on her. More over another mums , I know from my son’s school who are living on another location near by have exactly the same problem with they neighbours who are also mentally ill. So it is general problem for the are we live in and they problems are  ongoing for years as well . In my country of origin we do not have problems like that (I never heard off them ).  The biggest problem is that our children witness all those antisocial behaviours of mentally ill  people from very young age and that is simply affecting their childhood. No one seems to really care about the fact that the youngest see staff their truly should be protected from. The children’s childhood is simply agony of living of living in fear for years ( children whose witness her bad behaviour now jump up of scare when they see her on a street …. ) . And those who are taking seats and represent Council are all over social media how they do support movement of peace on the streets and children in the borough. Why they do not support peace on the Estates and children happy childhood here ? I still looking forward to get the answer from whoever can provide to me here and everywhere possible. 

If anyone has suggestions please you can DM me. Perhaps, someone will explain me differently.