Hi, my name is GlynnD73

Hi,

Thanks for the opportunity to get involved with Scope.

I'm Glynn, a 52-year-old guy with considerable hidden disabilities from being seriously assaulted 20 years ago. Over the last 20 years, I've worked hard on getting my life back together, and I'm a fully qualified paralegal and fellow member of the Legal Secretaries and PAs (FILS). I also go to university full-time to do a BSc in digital marketing. It's a 4-year course including a foundation year.

Over the last 20 years, I've been attempting to get DLA and, more recently, PIP. In the end, having it awarded by a tribunal and then having it stolen away from me by DWP assessors who didn't understand the concept of what a cognitive brain injury is and how it affects people. Having this injury from the assault has made me more determined to get what I'm entitled to in law.

Today's announcements by Liz Kendle serve nothing more than lip service to an already broken social security system and fuel the hatred towards disabled people who are already marginalised in today's society, with no support from this and previous governments. Whilst it is a fact that there will be more disabled people year on year, it should also be looked at why that is and what can be done about the health of the nation and what support can be given, instead of just a visit to the hospital now and again. After my assault, I was given NO support to get well again, and this delayed my decision to go back to study and work.

A further issue is that the DWP believes that you can never be disabled if you are a student at university or have a driving licence, and then chooses to use this against the disabled person by claiming that a disabled person can do things with this. The DWP is unable to understand that you can study as a disabled person with additional reasonable adjustments made, and this principle is also the same when driving.

I have just completed a 700+ page Mandatory Reconsideration of a decision maker, as they assumed things that could never happen as a disabled person, and it was pretty clear that the decision maker had no concept of disability at all. I have also had a tribunal judge state to me that PIP is for sick people and NOT for disabled people. Perhaps if that's the case, there should be a total and complete reform of the PIP system for disabled people.

As you can tell from this long introduction, I hate injustice when it comes to disability.

I hope to chat with some of you more soon, perhaps with an update.

Regards

Glynn