One-legged Paralympian ‘not disabled enough’ for benefits

[roachieuk]

Wayne Fisher, a former Paralympic basketball player for Great Britain, has been told he will not receive benefits because he is not disabled enough.
Fisher, who had his lower leg removed as a child because of a condition which meant it did not grow normally, had applied for a disability living allowance after losing his job, in the hope that he could apply for an automatic Motability car, and increase his chances of finding work.
But despite having received the allowance when he last needed it in 2005, he discovered he was ineligible for the benefit because it is now only available to the 'most severely' disabled.
Fisher, who featured for GB at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, has a five-month-old daughter and his family are living off the maternity pay of his wife Emma.
"I know the government is cracking down on benefit cheats," Fisher told the Manchester Evening News, "and they're right to do that. But I'm not putting this on, I can't just grow another leg."
His wife Emma added: "We have to live on £109. I bet people in the government spend that on lunch."
Fisher said that the Paralympians at the recent London Games have not convinced the government to change their attitude to those with disabilities.
"I've worked most of my life," Fisher said, "and I want to carry on working. I've paid into the system all my life and when I want something back from it I feel like they are putting up a brick wall. The Paralympics have changed attitudes, but the government has not changed its attitude about helping those who need it."
Several ministers presented medals and attended the Paralympics, and received a mixed reception from the audience.
While London Mayor Boris Johnson was cheered for the most part, and former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown received a generous welcome, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Home Secretary Theresa May were both roundly booed at the Olympic Stadium.
Their perceived attitudes to the disabled and cuts to funding were cited as possible reasons that they attracted hostility.
Record-breaking Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, now a Baroness, has slammed voiced her opposition to the changes, saying Disability Living Allowance enabled disabled people to live with their independence intact.

One-legged Paralympian

Bloody disgusting i hope the government enjoy their self's they have enough effing money for them self's

 

[smirnoff_rules]

lower leg ? so his not unemployable then .. there has to be a point were we stop paying for people ? wots next a bad chest .. lm sorry but if u can do 30mph in a wheel chair and train 5 days a week u can do something to pay tax , call centers , pc work ? theres lots u can do

 

[VectorZ]

lower leg ? so his not unemployable then .. there has to be a point were we stop paying for people ? wots next a bad chest .. lm sorry but if u can do 30mph in a wheel chair and train 5 days a week u can do something to pay tax , call centers , pc work ? theres lots u can do

Yes there is lots you can do, but you've obviously never faced the unspoken discrimination in the work place and the ignorance from people that can't seem to understand that just because you can hold your shit together for a 15 minutes doesn't mean you can do it 40 hours a week, or 10, or even at will. I've been told 'off the record' many times that you haven't got the job because the boss doesn't want to have to put a ramp in, or is worried about the liability of you perhaps getting a crutch caught in some wires or on the stairs, or 'flexibility' for regular medical appointments or treatments doesn't fit in with the companies vision. That is of course illegal but it's easy to brush someone off with another excuse in a saturated employment market. God forbid you should be in so much pain that you can't get through 24 hours without knocking back pills that render you so useless and unpredictable for even a part time job behind a till a few hours a week because it'll mess someone else's shift up. Everybody is different even if they share the same disability - thinking you understand what somebody is capable off just by seeing they have a limb missing for example, is just as ignorant as the rest of them. You don't know how much pain they could be in or whether one knock could have them laid up for weeks or not.

Save it for the coonts that don't want to get off their arses.... not the ones that can't yet still want to work and feel ashamed to have to put a hand out to exist

 

[smirnoff_rules]

r we talking about the same thing ? (lower leg) fook me u can still walk around ,, my backs fooked and take taps all day but still work and run my own company .. theres has to be a point to start and end

 

[m4rkyw]

r we talking about the same thing ? (lower leg) fook me u can still walk around ,, my backs fooked and take taps all day but still work and run my own company

poor you,, at least youv got a back that you can still use somewat an a few pills help the pain a little, FFS the guy has half a leg missing "no pills will help that", so are you saying you know anything about how to live with that disabality and the way it affects life on a dailly basis, no didnt think so, the difference from you and him is you own a company an prob earn ok or better ,that guys got next to fook all including 1 an half legs, take your snobbery elsewhere mate

 

[ellie1998]

I don't think the paralympics have done the disabled any favours at all.
They have shown what people with disabilitys are capable of and will have reinforced the governments belief that disabled people can work.
In the governments blinkered view if you can compete in the paralympics then you can work.
ATOS is an affront to civilised society, I would have more faith if they were qualified doctors.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19437785

Atos, a sponsor of the Paralympic Games, said it ensures its service is "professional" and "compassionate".

Of course they sponsored the games, anyone that competed will be fit for work in their eyes now .

 

[zad]

poor you,, at least youv got a back that you can still use somewat an a few pills help the pain a little, FFS the guy has half a leg missing "no pills will help that", so are you saying you know anything about how to live with that disabality and the way it affects life on a dailly basis, no didnt think so, the difference from you and him is you own a company an prob earn ok or better ,that guys got next to fook all including 1 an half legs, take your snobbery elsewhere mate

He has next to fook all because he aint got off his lazy arse and found work.....

Im sorry but I have to agree with smirnoff,

He said he had worked all his life? so that goes to show he is able to work nothing has changed he still has 1 n half leg... his house will already be adapted etc so he shouldn't get any special treatment than if say I ended up out of a job, I have worked all my life and would only get Dole amount...

 

[Him Her]

Just to clarify, DLA (Disability Living Allowance) is qualified for on the basis of mobility outdoors and/or care required. That's it, it's not a benefit for the disabled, in fact you don't even have to be physically disabled to qualify. Some mental issues qualify too.

It's not an assessment of what someone can do in the workplace nor has it anything to do with discrimination which I accept is more widespread than many would like to think.

That said as vectorz pointed out, the employment market is saturated, in some places there are 5 unemployed for every available job. In others it's more like 35...

 

[MH]

ATOS only completed the assessments, they did not decide on who is or is not eligible for the allowance. The government done that, The assesment would basically have been "can you walk?" "Yes", a report then sent to the government.

 

[emarald]

Lower limb amputee and he wants a car, nothing wrong with him,the winging turd, he is just trying it on. and before anyone starts moaning at me again I have been visiting the limb department for over 30 years and met many people with lower limbs missing, I myself can climb a ladder run, jump,drive a car,tractor,jcb,I have put up countless satellite dishes,I play badminton and football (mostly in goal), I have a below knee amputation, had triple bypass surgery, I claim no benifits

 

[zad]

Lower limb amputee and he wants a car, nothing wrong with him,the winging turd, he is just trying it on. and before anyone starts moaning at me again I have been visiting the limb department for over 30 years and met many people with lower limbs missing, I myself can climb a ladder run, jump,drive a car,tractor,jcb,I have put up countless satellite dishes,I play badminton and football (mostly in goal), I have a below knee amputation, had triple bypass surgery, I claim no benifits

Mostly in goal ya lazy git!!

 

[sargie]

Lower limb amputee and he wants a car, nothing wrong with him,the winging turd, he is just trying it on. and before anyone starts moaning at me again I have been visiting the limb department for over 30 years and met many people with lower limbs missing, I myself can climb a ladder run, jump,drive a car,tractor,jcb,I have put up countless satellite dishes,I play badminton and football (mostly in goal), I have a below knee amputation, had triple bypass surgery, I claim no benifits

Is this you?

 

[VectorZ]

Lower limb amputee and he wants a car, nothing wrong with him,the winging turd, he is just trying it on. and before anyone starts moaning at me again I have been visiting the limb department for over 30 years and met many people with lower limbs missing, I myself can climb a ladder run, jump,drive a car,tractor,jcb,I have put up countless satellite dishes,I play badminton and football (mostly in goal), I have a below knee amputation, had triple bypass surgery, I claim no benifits

Well done. Aren't you the lucky one

 

[zad]

Is this you?

Quiet clearly not he had both legs...

Emerald has a valid point and then gets shit comments like VectorZ which to me looks like a sarcastic comment...

 

[VectorZ]

Quiet clearly not he had both legs...

Emerald has a valid point and then gets shit comments like VectorZ which to me looks like a sarcastic comment...

Yes, it was clearly sarcastic and of course he has every right to his opinion, but in my opinion and experience, tarring everybody who has a disability with the same brush, openly shows a very narrow and ignorant mind set. I've also met many disabled people over the years being in the same situation myself and I would say probably 95% of them would rather not HAVE to rely on some kind of benefit to allow them to live as normal a life as they can and don't moan about it, but get on with it and try do as much for themselves as they can.

As for you, I'm not even going to attempt to get into a conversation about it and take the bait. You too are entitled to your opinion... no matter how wrong you are or how bigoted it makes you look

 

[Paul-K]

My late Father in-law had his lower leg cut off when he was a child just like this man, in his late 50's he applied for dla and after several applications he received it, but he never applied for it because he only had half a leg it was his other leg and hip that was the problem, 50 years of putting his weight on the other side of his body wore down his joints, having half a leg missing never stopped him doing anything including working as a baker for most of his life.

 

[emarald]

Yes, it was clearly sarcastic and of course he has every right to his opinion, but in my opinion and experience, tarring everybody who has a disability with the same brush, openly shows a very narrow and ignorant mind set. I've also met many disabled people over the years being in the same situation myself and I would say probably 95% of them would rather not HAVE to rely on some kind of benefit to allow them to live as normal a life as they can and don't moan about it, but get on with it and try do as much for themselves as they can.

As for you, I'm not even going to attempt to get into a conversation about it and take the bait. You too are entitled to your opinion... no matter how wrong you are or how bigoted it makes you look

If you look at the OP you will see that the the guy lost his lower limb, now you tell this narrow minded person how the fook that stops him living a normal life??.
I am qualified to give my opinion, being in the same situation as him, what qualifies you?

 

[VectorZ]

If you look at the OP you will see that the the guy lost his lower limb, now you tell this narrow minded person how the fook that stops him living a normal life??.

I give up! How the hell can you possibly know what condition his leg is in?!?! Was it removed at the exact same place as yours? Was his surgeon as good as yours and sorted the nerves etc all out properly? Do you get phantom pains on a Weds afternoon at 15:32 just because he does? How can you possibly know the toll it has taken on his body, especially as he was a paralympian 12 years ago? Did you put your body through the same pounding as his so you get identical pain and complications. Like somebody else has mentioned, I also get secondary problems now with my hip and back that are nothing to do with my original injury so who knows, other than you, what he has to deal with..... I had a tooth extracted 20 years ago. Have you ever had one done? I wonder if it hurt you as much or for as long as mine did. Gum still gives me pain now, does yours? Shall I go on with your ridiculous argument?

I am qualified to give my opinion, being in the same situation as him, what qualifies you?

I'm not an amputee, but I am disabled and unable to walk. I know what pain is whether I'm laying flat or trying to put weight on it, nearly every hour of the day I'm awake, not that I get more than a couple of hours sleep here and there because of it, and I've had it rip my life apart until I lost everything. I am also claiming NO benefit other than a blue badge, and I get on with my life as best I can without complaining about it but I'm not so fookin dumb to think everybody else in my situation should be having the same experiences or limitations as I may. I have about half a dozen amputee friends that I met through physio sessions. 1 lower leg amputee and the rest are whole leg or double and not one of them has ever come out with such bollocks as you. I can't wait to show them. I did give you the benefit of the doubt as you're rightly entitled to your opinion but now I just think you're a bitter argumentative dick!

Oh by the way, I've also got Fibromyalgia. I can do the washing up one day but can't move my shoulders the next. What the hell is up with that.... guess I'm just a coont.

Now fook off.

 

[smirnoff_rules]

your fighting the case of someone u dont know or know if he is in pain or not ,, thats wot these people in power are doing ? very strange

 

[portbhoy]

Could someone explain to me what the extra money is for? Does it take more to feed clothe and heat him? I accept that he may have travel restrictions (but that doesn't account for the extra help he would get) and besides he would probably already qualify for a free travel card dial a bus etc. I have to agree with Smirnoff and Emarald this guys a chancer and it's right he got refused he worked before he can work again. My father tells the story of when the shipyards closed around here in the mid 80's of how the line for sick at the DSS was longer than the line for unemployment benefit despite the fact that most of them where at work the day before. It's just typical of the malaise that has gripped this country and I for one agree unless there is a very very good reason you can't work then you should contribute this country isn't going to get great again on it's own.