8 minute read
Why We Need a Disability Union
With more and more conditions put around funding and support for disabled people, Dan White explains why we need a union to help us fight for our rights…
IN 2016, new conditions were put into place for charities. Grants from central Government departments came with a hefty price. The price being that those charities were not able to use said grants for “activity intended to influence - or attempt to influence - Parliament, Government or political parties” This amounted to a virtual gagging clause for charities who applied, who were desperate for funds to survive and to carry on assisting people. Recipient organisations were now basically, blackmailed into appeasement. It appeared the administration was telling the charity sector that criticism was something they were not prepared to tolerate.
I am fiercely political in my work. As a parent with a hidden disability, caring for a 14-year-old child with a physical disability, I fail to see how anyone in a similar situation cannot be politically driven.
I see both sides of the spectrum as a carer and a disabled person. To see charities locked into this impasse of frustrated silence infuriates me and no doubt the hard-working and caring people within them. Having a political voice is imperative to me. Working deep within the disabled and care community I witness the desperation of so many families. I often turn disabled people and carers to the charity sector, but the charity will is now blunted and so help is not as effective as it should be. I’m not angry at them, I’m angry for them. As Covid bites down especially hard on both of us, carers and disabled individuals alike, the ability to show outrage has been limited to whatever safe criticism the charity is allowed to show.
Charity is now in a bind. What was now needed was to have something fighting back at the equipment manufacturers’ horrendous prices and the legislators of grossly unfair laws, something that would fight for what is right for both groups collectively, carers and disabled people. There needed to be somewhere specific that would not be prevented from tugging on the coattails of the power makers, in other words, a union.
Union means “the action of joining together or the fact of being joined together, especially in a political context” and this is exactly what I discovered in the Disability Union. Formed last year by activist and wheelchair user George Baker, this union simply wants to change the status quo through words, positive and peaceful activistm. This fresh and unique collection of disabled people and carers is not afraid to say to the state “This is wrong, this stops, now.”
Its focus is on people and issues that the charities can’t afford to step into for fear of funding withdrawal, with many supporting services available for its members. The entire union is run by and for disabled people and carers.
This is not just an advert for George and his dream of mass unity, this is about people finding that much needed outlet for the pain and frustration that they have held in their hearts and minds as the system continues to shout them down. For me, I have found a home that challenges political decision-making and supports people with the voice of lived experience. The UK’s 17 million disabled people and its 1 million plus carers are encouraged, with the union’s support, to kick back unimpeded, and to amplify through a collective voice the simmering frustrations that affect them on a daily basis. This is not playing charity off against union, both are obviously needed, but only one can be unafraid to ask and demand.
All I am trying to say is please support your charity, they are needed, staffed by passionate and probably equally frustrated people. However, don’t think they can rattle the locks of Government and demand the changes that are needed, that’s where a unity of people comes in. Unions can be the channels of your frustrations where you can meet like-minded people and talk to the teams about issues outside of white goods and wheelchair spares.
In an ideal world, we would not need charity, but capitalism decrees that we must. There has to be a pecking order of equality apparently, with us unfairly at the bottom. So until equality is an established precedent, unions must always be there, being the counterpoint, the angry sibling of the charity. We all need help but we also have the right to demand the right to have support. We all must and need to work together, carers and disabled people, it just makes progressive sense.
So if you are left with anything from this piece, I hope it’s a desire to seek out a union like the Disability Union, so that your burning frustration finds kinship and release. I’ve joined and the word is spreading, people are wanting to be heard, not just given hyperbole. How do I know this to be true? I asked George.
“There are lots of people who speak for us, but no real living community of us and by us. That’s what The Disability Union is for. We’re here for the disability community and their carers. Together we will be much harder to ignore. By working together we will win the rights, support, and inclusion we deserve. We’d be honoured if you’d join us. We’ll support you every step of the way.”
Do you see? We are more than just charity cases.
Author: Dan White, The Disability Union
Marketing Officer
Website: disabilityunion.co.uk Twitter: @DUnionUK Facebook: @DisabilityUnion
SOCIAL PRESCRIBING: HELPING STROKE SURVIVORS TO FLOURISH
BEING discharged from hospital following a life-changing event such as a stroke or brain injury is a huge victory for many, but feeling mentally well enough to embark on the next stage of rehabilitation is fundamental to further recovery.
Stroke survivor Kate Allatt knows this only too well. Determined to find ways to help herself flourish post-stroke; Kate set out on a personal journey to take back control of her life through wellbeing-focused interventions.
Now ambassador for GripAble, the smart mobile assessment and training platform, Kate explains the concept of social prescribing and why it is an important part of the stroke and brain injury recovery process.
What is social prescribing?
Social prescribing is a means of enabling allied health professionals to provide non-medical interventions and refer patients to a range of community services to support their health and wellbeing. The concept seeks to address people’s needs in a holistic way, and aims to support individuals to take greater control of their own health. The ‘five ways to wellbeing,’ researched and developed by the New Economics Foundation are the foundation of the social prescribing approach, comprising of connection, being active, taking notice (or being mindful), learning, and giving.
Social prescribing and recovery
There are many factors that influence whether stroke survivors can progress from simply surviving to thriving upon returning home. But first feeling emotionally and mentally well – or at least, better – is key. Improved mental health helps people to build confidence, self-esteem, and resilience, which will in turn assist with the motivation, adherence, and engagement they need to help them reach their rehab goals. “FOLLOWING MY OWN RETURN FROM HOSPITAL, I IDENTIFIED A NEED FOR CONNECTION WITH PEERS WHO WOULD TRULY UNDERSTAND ME AND THE CHALLENGES I WAS FACING.”
But specialist mental health support isn’t necessarily easily accessible for all, and even more so in the wake of COVID-19, which has put already overstretched mental health services under huge strain. This is where social prescribing comes in. By focusing on what matters most to people, whether this be forming social connections, taking part in a purposeful activity or learning how to take better care of themselves, the concept offers greater sustainability and accessibility, and takes pressure off the healthcare system.
Following my own return from hospital, I identified a need for connection with peers who would truly understand me and the challenges I was facing. The connections I made with stroke survivors that were ‘like me’ were crucial to my recovery journey and by sharing our achievements with each other, however small they seemed, we encouraged each other to become the best versions of ourselves. Exercise also played a key role in my recovery journey, and with the help of a personal trainer, I managed to run just one year after my stroke, after being told I’d never be able to walk, talk or use my arms again.
Though I didn’t know it at the time, by surrounding myself with better social support and getting active again, I had discovered some of the core principles of social prescribing and the five ways to wellbeing.
Peer support for stroke survivors
Here at GripAble, we understand that, if you’re a stroke or brain injury survivor, or live with conditions such as MS and Cerebral Palsy, it can be difficult to stay motivated to do your daily rehab exercises, as well as factor in maintaining relationships and protecting your mental health. This is why we believe holistic support is essential, and are facilitating peer mentoring sessions to help existing and new users of GripAble to flourish.
To find out more about future peer mentoring discussion sessions, please email Kate at: kate@kateallatt.com For more information about GripAble please visit: gripable.co.
