Sunday 16 January 2011

One Month Before Heartbreak

Since Friday I have been trying to find the time and energy to write a post to contribute to the blogswarm event One Month Before Heartbreak. I doubt, at this stage, my writing will be anything ground-breaking, but I could not let this event go by without drawing attention to it.

I am not disabled, however I have plenty of first-hand experience to tell you that any of the blog posts you may read as part of this event are not unusual.

I had planned to write about the worrying trend I see in the public attitude to disability here in the UK. I have plenty to say about the increasing boldness of our media and politicians to talk about those claiming disability benefits as a burden on the public purse. I would probably have veered into the territory of writing about the misinformation that is out there about the nature of disability benefits and the dreadful language that is so casually used. And if I’d got started on the charity model of disability benefit provision that is increasingly talked of, or how the ‘most vulnerable’ will be protected, or the expectation that disabled people should be grateful and humble about any help they receive . . .well, I might never have stopped.

But it’s been a tough old week. I’ve been helping a loved one get through a current dignity-stripping DLA nightmare and it has taken its toll on me too. If the blogswarm had happened at another time perhaps you would have had more eloquence from me. I have already read enough posts tonight to know that anything I was going to write has already been covered wonderfully by others.

These events are unbelievably valuable. The ‘Blogging Against Disablism’ days have raised my consciousness an enormous amount. If you can find the time, please click on a few links in the Master List http://onemonthbeforeheartbreak.blogspot.com/p/master-links-list.html and hear some of the voices that we so rarely get to hear.

There are many, many posts worth reading from the personal to the factual; from the angry to the sad.

I will draw attention to this one http://onemonthbeforeheartbreak.blogspot.com/2011/01/welfare-cuts-and-callous-coalition.html as a good factual, journalistic piece.

Also to this one http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-will-never-take-away-my-shoes.html as one that made me both smile and cry a little with recognition.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for taking part in OMBH. I've scheduled your post to go on the blog at 9am today linking back here. If that's not ok please leave a comment on the blog & we'll get it removed as soon as we've got the spoons ;) Thanks again, BG Xx

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