A quarter of Britons now say they are disabled.

[Amity Island]

I still think that it's too much of a blanket term to say that one (potentially) disabling condition is automatically more "onerous" than another condition.

its not a blanket statement to say there will be "some" with conditions less onerous than managing type 1, cos there will be.

The benefits for those classed as disabled, from what I remember a long while ago, was based on prescribed conditions which automatically offered benefits. Now, it's very much on an individual basis and how each individual sees and deals with a disability. It very much different to how it used to be.

 

[CliffH]

its not a blanket statement to say there will be "some" with conditions less onerous than managing type 1, cos there will be.

The benefits for those classed as disabled, from what I remember a long while ago, was based on prescribed conditions which automatically offered benefits. Now, it's very much on an individual basis and how each individual sees and deals with a disability. It very much different to how it used to be.

Well I agree with you that legally it's "very much different to how it used to be", which is intentional, to take account of the massive disparity in how "onerous" conditions can be for different people.

Perhaps the biggest difference is money: someone with (for example) Type 1 Diabetes with plenty of money is likely to find the condition less onerous than someone who has insufficient money, because of factors such as being able to buy healthy food, probably having the time and motivation and facilities to get plenty of exercise and not having money worries to increase stress. There was a very sad string of posts on here a few months ago from someone in the US who was spelling out to those of us in the UK just how difficult it can be in the US to be able to afford decent food and medication when one has Diabetes and a limited income.

 

[Amity Island]

Well I agree with you that legally it's "very much different to how it used to be", which is intentional, to take account of the massive disparity in how "onerous" conditions can be for different people.

Perhaps the biggest difference is money: someone with (for example) Type 1 Diabetes with plenty of money is likely to find the condition less onerous than someone who has insufficient money, because of factors such as being able to buy healthy food, probably having the time and motivation and facilities to get plenty of exercise and not having money worries to increase stress. There was a very sad string of posts on here a few months ago from someone in the US who was spelling out to those of us in the UK just how difficult it can be in the US to be able to afford decent food and medication when one has Diabetes and a limited income.

All these changes and extra taxes, national insurance, disability payments is all driven by the government being charged debt on its own borrowing.

Who would charge themselves interest?

The United Kingdom National Debt Clock 2025 Counter >> nationaldebtclock.co.uk

The Great Kingdom UK national debt grows at a rate of 45.486 pond per second! Watch the live debt clock 2025. Watch it live...

www.nationaldebtclock.co.uk

 

[Robin]

All these changes and extra taxes, national insurance, disability payments is all driven by the government being charged debt on its own borrowing.

Who would charge themselves interest?

The United Kingdom National Debt Clock 2025 Counter >> nationaldebtclock.co.uk

The Great Kingdom UK national debt grows at a rate of 45.486 pond per second! Watch the live debt clock 2025. Watch it live...

www.nationaldebtclock.co.uk

I’m not sure I understand your reasoning. If you borrow money, the people you borrow from normally expect interest on the loan. Like a mortgage, you wouldn’t expect your building society to lend you money and let you repay it bit by bit without wanting to earn interest on the loan so they’ve got money to lend to other people?
The Government borrows money from ordinary individuals, and from bodies such as pension funds, who expect interest payments on their loans.
Would you expect to be told by your pension provider, that sorry, they can’t pay you your monthly pension, because they’ve lent all their money to the government and aren’t getting any interest payments, so they’ve nothing to pay you with? Similarly, if i want to squirrel away some savings, I want to earn interest on them, so that the sum has a chance of keeping up with inflation, and is worth what it was at the start.
If I choose to put my savings into Treasury stock, I’m actually lending it to the Government, in return for interest payments, and my original sum returned at the end of, say, 5 years.

(Apologies if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick, but it does seem like you’re saying you don’t expect the government to be paying interest on their debts.)

 

[Amity Island]

I’m not sure I understand your reasoning. If you borrow money, the people you borrow from normally expect interest on the loan.

I've misunderstood, I was under the impression the Government borrow money from the Bank of England which is itself nationalised and wholly owned by the Government.

 

[Robin]

I've misunderstood, I was under the impression the Government borrow money from the Bank of England which is itself nationalised and wholly owned by the Government.

They have in the past borrowed from the Bank of England, on occasions, known as ‘quantitive easing' but they only do that when the economy is really creaking.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Now, it's very much on an individual basis and how each individual sees and deals with a disability.

Yes I think PIP (and DLA before it) were brought in as methods to reduce expenditure. Simply having a thing was no longer enough. You had to be able to demonstrate (in excruciating detail) how it affected you, and (as I understand it) what the financial impact of that was. PIP / DLA did away with blanket coverage. Individual assessment of impact and need was required. Eg it costs an applicant x thousands extra because they have an amputation / limited mobility and need a powered wheelchair / specially adapted car etc.

Periodically we have folks join the forum asking whether they can get PIP because of their diabetes, and the advice is always that diabetes alone is not enough.

You won’t get enough points on the form if all you have is diabetes.

 

[paultrose]

You won’t get enough points on the form if all you have is diabetes.

Last time i was running out of room on the form and next time i will have extra things to list

 

[Rob Oldfield]

Just to add going back to the original figures, I think a good chunk of the increasing numbers is down to advances in diagnosis. Someone I know, who is 67, was recently diagnosed with autism. The relief that she felt, after years and years of just having to face the world and being permanently marked 'odd', to get a formal reason for it was definitely a good thing.

She also makes the point that, if education and systems were designed by someone autistic, then it would be those who we now consider 'normal' who would be struggling.

 

[CliffH]

Just to add going back to the original figures, I think a good chunk of the increasing numbers is down to advances in diagnosis. Someone I know, who is 67, was recently diagnosed with autism. The relief that she felt, after years and years of just having to face the world and being permanently marked 'odd', to get a formal reason for it was definitely a good thing.

She also makes the point that, if education and systems were designed by someone autistic, then it would be those who we now consider 'normal' who would be struggling.

I've spent my whole career working with people with various forms of neurodivergence and I'm so pleased that there's more understanding (and less stigma) now than there used to be. Thinking back to my schooldays, I can recognise neurodivergence of various kinds in many kids who were simply branded "stupid" or "naughty" at the time

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I can recognise neurodivergence of various kinds in many kids who were simply branded "stupid" or "naughty" at the time

Yes, when I was at school dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia were hardly recognised at all.

 

[silver minion]

I am fairly certain one of my brothers is dyslexic although he hasn't had a formal diagnosis. He always struggled to read and much prefers learning by video or just doing if it's something practical. His writing shows signs of dyslexia too.
I worked for a company about 15 years ago who provided assistive technology to students with disabilities so I learned a lot about dyslexia at the time along with many other disabilities. Met some very nice students over the years. Loved the job but unfortunately got made redundant when the owner decided to cease trading.