i will never forgive the DWP for denying my benefits, mmoney i could’ve used towards a powered wheelchair or medical bills (my private insurance wont cover my chronic condition) like my life could be slightly better than now but the rats working for the government guard it’s money like it’s theirs

"we are reviewing applications with the support of the DWP. please can YOU provide an original document from the DWP"

just. ask the fucking DWP about it. maybe. perhaps.

Dystopian shithole of a country.

So if any'a y'all were ever curious about just how far I am into shipping, I was sad this morning and cheered up instantly because I got reminded of my two favorite middle aged men.

my favourite thing in the world is when you get a letter from the government accusing you of essentially being fraudulent when youre not, so you send an email to the email listed on the letter that explains how it isnt fraud and you attach documents to prove it, and then months later they send another letter saying you did not reply to the last letters (they only sent the one) and as such you are subject to a penalty of £125 and oops if you dont pay today, it goes up by £50, and thats just not an amount of money most people have handy to pay off false fraudulent claims. so this time, you email them again and you then go through their website to send another email, and then you call them and explain it, and their workers tell you that its all sorted and youre no longer subject to the penalty.

and then, a month later you get another letter saying that youve been picked up on the false fraudulent thing again and warm you about the penalty you have to pay. because apparently the worker on the phone removed the penalty but didnt change the incorrect information on the system like they were meant to.

so then you have to email them again, explaining everything again, attaching all the evidence again, and also call them again just in case and explain everything again, and this time she does change it on the system and says shell have a corrected certificate sent to your email within the hour.

and then two hours later, you get an email saying youll be emailed the corrected certificate within 24 hours.

I HAVE ONCE AGAIN DEFEATED THE GOVERNMENT

i hate being awake this early eugh blehgjghgh ptooey

IF YOURE IN THE UK PLEASE READ THIS

Many of you may know how fucked up the PIP application process is. If you don't, I can firsthand attest to this. I know they didn't even read my evidence, as they told me in my refusal that I have "no problems" with walking, despite multiple pieces of evidence, including a letter from my GP, regarding my use of a wheelchair. They expect us to jump through impossible hoops to prove our disability. My grandma who has had polio since she was a child and cant leave the house on her own due to this had to apply SEVEN times. It's ridiculous and dehumanising.

If you are disabled or care about disabled people, I'm sure you agree with me that it needs to change. If you do, please have a look at this petition. It's a step in the right direction to at least get Parliament to talk about it and hold this review- but we need to get it off the ground. Share it with friends and family and anyone who will listen. Don't let noise around this die down. We need this!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/620962

IF YOU'RE NOT A UK RESIDENT PLEASE DONT TRY AND SIGN THIS! Even one false signature, if proven, can void the whole thing.

What can you do to help? Spread awareness among anyone you may know who is resident in the UK, and ask others to do the same. The more traction this gets the better!

It’s my 40th birthday today.

I am queer, neurodivergent and disabled. I am genuinely really fucking proud of myself for making it here. I genuinely never imagined seeing 40 as the undiagnosed autistic kid or the closeted-bi and nonbinary-but-don’t-even-have-words-for-that-yet teen.

Or when I was becoming seriously chronically ill and disabled due to what has turned out to be several genetic conditions a decade ago, when both my workplace and the DWP everything they could to make it as bad as those times again and threw me back into years of suicidal ideation again.

Happy birthday, me. I’m really fucking proud of you for surviving this and achieving the stuff you have. The odds are you won’t make old bones, and I’m okay with that, but let’s be around for a good while longer yet, okay?

DWP (Dialogue without Plot)

Nimona: So, if you're Bal, boss, what's he? Ambrosius: Me? Nimona: Yeah, Nemesis. I got a nickname for you, you came up with 'Nim', but he's got nothing for you. Nimona, smirking: It's like he doesn't even care enough to try and come up with a cute nickname, which would be helpful by now since your name is freakishly long. Ambrosius: Ambrosius: Actually, she has a point. *pouting and crossing his arms* What gives, Bal? Ballister, looking at him with a gentle smile and caressing his face: Can't it be that I just love everything about you, everything about you is so beautiful, even your name. Each letter, every syllable... *kisses his nose twice for that* It seems like a crime to omit even one thing out. Ambrosius, face practically in flames: T, thanks... Oh, look, time for a pop corn refill! Be right back! *Quickly scurries out of the room to try and calm himself* Ballister, waiting for him to be out of earshot before grabbing a throw pillow and smacking Nimona who had cracked up immediately: You gremlin, stop trying to start a thing! Nimona, still laughing: Fucking ducks, how did you even come up with the ball of cheese on the spot? Ballister: Our monthsary is coming up, and now thanks to you, I have to think up something new! Nimona, started laughing even louder: Ambrosius, from the kitchen: How are you laughing so much?! We're watching horror!

The DWP: you have a work capability assessment via telephone next week.

Me: ummm I have communication issues and shutdowns and no one to support me in this call. If I suddenly can't communicate verbally I'll have to just end the call. I don't want to be penalized for this.

DWP: We'll cancel this for two weeks then be in touch with another appointment giving you time to source support

Me: Calls autism support service (run by volunteers) and asks for support

Autism Support Service: We don't offer that but can refer you to CAB and write a letter about your needs. Come in next week.

Me in appointment: So yeah that's me and my needs in brief.

Autism Support Service: Great we will write a letter and it will be with you next week and we've referred you to the CAB.

Me: Thank you so much that's really helpful.

CAB calls: yeah we don't offer that service but you can ask for a face to face appointment at your home. You'll need a doctor's letter to support this though. Here's a number for an advocacy service local to you. They could help you in the appointment but there may be a waiting list.

Me Calls advocacy service: Hey I was given your number by the CAB... Explains issue...

Advocacy: We don't do that or anything to do with benefits. They CAB may be able to help.

Me: actually they can't but thank you anyway.

So now I have to get GP appointment and letter to say that I need a Face to face appointment at home due to communication issues and autistic shutdowns.

This is a lot of communication that I've had to do to arrange support and make accessible an assessment that is there to assess my disabilities in relation to work. It's taken weeks to get this far no of least because I can't communicate with everyone back to back even if that were possible. I can't sit on the phone and call and call people explaining everything over and over again in one go.

All this to access an assessment with an organisation who deal with disabled people all the time. Set up by a government who have made getting support to access health care, social care and any support with anything like this impossible due to cutting funds to public services. It's almost like the system is set up to make it really fucking hard for people to access benefits.

Calling the DWP really is like. Their job actually is to fuck me over and try to take away the benefits to which I am legally entitled. We know that and they know that. But then you have to call them and politely pretend their job is to help me as a disabled person, and oh, there's been a small mistake somewhere along the way.

The Tories have ruined the economy (as in the real one that ordinary people have to live in, not hedge fund wankers), let wages stagnate, done nothing to mitigate the cost of living, sold off and demolished more social housing than they've built, allowed the private sector rental market to become the Wild West, underfunded public services and let the NHS stagger towards oblivion - including its mental health services, where early intervention is key to preventing long-term illness but 1.9m people are on waiting lists for treatment.

But fuck that, eh, we're all workshy scroungers.

BTW, this is only the latest of the many recent attacks by politicians and the media on people with mental and neurodevelopmental conditions. That feature of any self-respecting liberal's newspaper rack, The Guardian, ran a story not long ago about 'over-diagnosis' of autism, despite every indicator suggesting it's probably under-diagnosed, again especially when you consider how many people are sitting on waiting lists for assessment. I sense the establishment, Tory and Labour, is putting out feelers to gauge the public mood around further cuts to support for those of us with conditions they can dismiss as 'over-diagnosed' or 'just a normal reaction to the ups and downs of life'.

The fundamental thing I grew to understand about unemployment benefits is the jobcentre's objective is not to help you get back into work, it's to get you to a state where they don't have to give you any money. Like if you manage to get a job in your field that pays well and means you probably won't be back on the dole for the foreseeable that's nice isn't it but the exact same result is achieved for them, much quicker and easier, if they can force you into working nights at an Amazon warehouse for minimum wage, or sanction you for some imagined offence, or make the whole process so miserable you decide it's not worth the pennies they give you and stop bothering to claim it. An individual working there might give half a fuck about what happens to you, the DWP doesn't. All they care about is that you're not on their books any more so the numbers look better

I regret to inform you that abled lefties are at it again

If you think this is a good idea fuck you