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Cost of disabled Equipment and improvments

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Boychris
Boychris Community member Posts: 19 Connected
Being once able-bodied then suddenly struck down with a disability through Sickness, accident or through whatever means, Will and in my case caused untold stress, anxiety in many cases it will cause depression.
But I have asked this following question and have never managed to get a full straightforward honest reply to, and that is  Why does the cost of everything in which, the disabled person has to use or need to adapt to enable us all to live our lives without further injury and in comfort to maintain a level of independence and which is acceptable to the user and others around us.
Also one has to ask the question why do some companies who offer products or service to the disabled find it acceptable to vastly inflate prices purely because the need/ requirement is there for the service or product users. A Typical example, a Disabled person requiring the use of a mobility scooter/wheelchair whilst on holiday I have found that companies are demanding on average £65/85 per week or more with a £200 deposit.Add this to the cost of a holiday and the cost of the overinflated travel insurance we have to buy this could double or even triple the holiday cost.
In reality looking at this subject broad spectrum, I have found that I as a disabled person, it does not matter what the requirements the cost a have always found to be higher, than the cost that an able-bodied person would pay for a similar product or service without the disabled implication attached. for example, a 2-week holiday insurance  to Europe :
Able Bodied cost (age say 60) Cost ON Average £30-40 for a holiday cover.
A disabled person, wheelchair user, with history of say heart attack or stroke(age 60)
Cost of travel insurance for a 2 week holiday ranges from £155 to a staggering £389. Fact. even if you tell the company you have had no further health episodes for the previous 5 years, that will be our cost still. one questions as to why because it does not include the wheelchair that an extra cost. 
Time after time I have found the cost for goods and services inflated because of disability and believe that it is the time that Local or even national Government should take a stand and regulate prices and fees for goods and services for the disabled. V a t relief is available to the disabled providing you meet certain criteria, or have certain health conditions, but the cost for services i.e alterations to your living Accommodation, or paying your council care bill is not Why??
Has anybody else found or thought about this subject,  my mind I do believe we the disabled are getting ripped off, or mislead,  do you agree that this needs more regulation.

Comments

  • Pippa_Alumni
    Pippa_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,793 Disability Gamechanger
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    Hi @Boychris, thanks for sharing this with us. I'm sure many of our members will also share your frustrations with additional costs. You may be interested in this past discussion about extra costs as a disabled person, too.
  • Nystagmite
    Nystagmite Community member Posts: 596 Pioneering
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    It's supposedly the lack of demand.

    Yet, with some smaller items, you can get them somewhere like Amazon (where you pay the VAT) and they're cheaper. It seems that as soon as they slap the word "disabled" on anything, it ramps up the cost.
  • Boychris
    Boychris Community member Posts: 19 Connected
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    Thank you Pippascope and Nystagmite, I went and read the latest discussion about extra cost, very interesting it seems we are all in the same boat, we get Branded a label, Disabled or something similar, and it opens up a world of Greed.
  • rainbow7
    rainbow7 Community member Posts: 5 Listener
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    Hi I have noticed this also applies to sensory toys. You can usually find something quite similar on the high street for a fraction of the price. I had to buy my son's wheel chair even tho he's 12. I though we would of got some type of assessment to get it free but apparently not. 

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