Wednesday 15 February 2012

I'm on benefits but I'm no scrounger

Not everyone on benefits is a scrounger.

Of course, some abuse the system but there are investigators in the DWP who are catching them.

I have had enough. I am not a scrounger and this is why.

I am in the unenviable position of claiming Disability Living Allowance and Employment Support Allowance because I have Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

There are more than 300 forms of this long-term illness. There is no reason why a person gets MS.

Unfortunately there is no cure.

My body can’t fight off the cold weather any more, which is why rooms I enter in, including cars, have got to be well heated, even in the summer.

The pain in my body is constant. I cannot lift my niece, whose now just under seven years of age.

I cannot jog anymore, which is why I treasure my Race For Life t-shirt which I earned by participating in the one at Wembley Stadium in 2008.

This is also why I value my medal for running in Regent’s Park the year before, for Cancer Research.

When holding a drink in my hand, it’s got to have a lid on top or it must be half full – my sense of balance and co-ordination has gone awry.

I also have to use a walking stick to get by.

The only advantage I now have is in knowing my neighbours no longer tell my parents I’m drunk when they see me walking, which I still do for exercise.

All of these things people take for granted and I realise there must be thousands of people worse off than me.

When I found myself in the position where I had to claim because of MS, I was just as shocked as anyone else and now I’m disgusted at how I’m treated as a benefit claimant.

Try going for a job interview with my condition – I still believe nobody owes anyone a duty to give them a job.

I’ve had more than my fair share of people at first showing interest in me working for them then realising they are ignoring my calls.

Over the phone or by e-mail, I get one of two reactions without fail: “How much disruption is the MS going to cause if you get the job?”

Or the straight-forward one when I’m told: ”You need to be realistic, you’re an insurance liability.”

No matter what you are claiming or why, one is deemed and treated as a scrounging fraud until you prove otherwise.

I am not just talking about the Department for Work and Pensions but also the people I meet everywhere I go, every day.

The look of disgust as you meet someone new and get asked: "What do you do for a living?"

I see the expression on their face when I say I’m not working.

One former colleague, now working at a specialist branch of Reed employment, even said to me: “I’m surprised to see you here as I knew how much you like work".

Working for a living is food for my soul and I felt it justified my existence on this planet.

The same person also remembers I worked three days and nights straight and I did this more than once, as I was proud my body and mind allowed me to do this, so when MS came to me, I just couldn’t understand why.

As a result, I even hated God and wanted nothing to do with the man -yes he had to be one as no woman would do this to me.

I'm glad to say I no longer have this negative feeling and praise Him and his son for the blessings in each and every day.

Until I met up with the members of the Brent Association of Disabled people, who help people who are disabled to have a dignified life, I felt like a freak of nature.

Then when toying around on the Internet, I found out about The Shane Project, which focuses on ethnic people with MS, which finally eased my anger as I was still saying in my head, "why me?".

As far as I was concerned, God had no right in giving me this illness. I was so pleased at being a hard-working member of society.

Thankfully, meeting with members of this group, which introduced me to other people who are Afro-Caribbean with MS, changed this negative feeling.

On average, gas and electric costs £30-£40 a week depending on the season – yes the bills do still come in and they are higher for me as I have to be in an area with heat, as I mentioned earlier - and the reasons why.

Do I have any luxuries? Yes, I have a flat screen TV, bought by my mum a few years ago. Do we have a games console? The answer is no.

What little I have is bought and paid for - as once I've eaten and paid the bills there is never anything left.

Where I live, there is no dog racing track for me to spend my benefit money – Walthamstow in the east of London (I live in the north-west) was closed many years ago.

My budget is so tight that if an emergency crops up, like me being rushed to hospital because I’m passing out again, I have to take an ambulance as there is no other way to get me home from hospital.

I’ve collapsed down the stairs, which is why Brent Rehabilitation Services have installed a stairs banner in my parents home, who I now live with.

This is because I was thrown out of my rented flat when I asked for my landlord's permission to install a similar device - they will deny this, of course but many who used to rent privately when they were able-bodied will tell you a similar story.

When I go food shopping, it is worked out to the absolute penny. There can be no deviation as there is nothing to play with.

Before MS, I used to drive, which included paying road tax, car insurance costs, fuel prices and all the other benefits of having my own transportation – now I have to pay for a cab.

I haven’t been on holiday or even a weekend away for years, whereas I did this at least twice a year when I worked.

Living on benefits is degrading, depressing and there is no room for any luxury of any kind - ever. I wouldn't have had a Christmas dinner last year if it wasn't for my parents.

I spend my spare time helping people who also need help, at the Brent Association of Disabled People. I’ve also helped at the Tokynton church branch of Cricklewood Homeless Concern. I don’t go to the theatre anymore.

Going to the local gym isn’t plain sailing. Unless I arrive when the cleaner is on duty, the floor at the women's changing room at Bridge Park Community Centre is wet and dangerous, which also means my walking stick is ineffective.

I’ve complained about the water and the need for staff to check the changing rooms but nothing gets done.

Even the disabled toilet is used by people wanting to wash out hair dye.

I'm not lazy, so I cannot keep quiet when I read the nonsense being published about benefit claimants.

Yes there are fraudsters out there, I know this first hand as I once worked as an audio typist for a company that has a contract with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which interviewed benefits cheats and sometimes I had to transcribe the fourth tape on the same person before they admitted there wrongdoing.

So to all those who think I'm a lazy, talentless, fraudulent scrounger, I'll say this. You’ve got to deal with the cards life has sent you.

I didn’t and wouldn’t choose to be disabled – I liked being an active person who seized the day and had full optimum health.

I avoided alcohol and spicy foods. The gym was my second home.

The next time you meet someone who is on Disability Living Allowance, or claiming benefits in some other way, ask yourself if you really are picking on them because they are a nice, easy target.

This isn't living or a lifestyle choice, it is surviving.

Andria

PS, since I do want to work - I assure you I don't bite, I just have MS - please don’t hesitate to view my other site by clicking here.