I am learning to drive at the moment; the two hours I spend behind the wheel every week literally take me to a different place. Outside of the car I am a young, unemployed disabled person, frustrated that all I have to look forward to is my fortnightly trip to the job centre followed by a large hot chocolate and my weekly dose of Masterchef. But once I get inside the car I become something else – a focused, motivated individual, striving to pass my test so that I can achieve my ultimate ambition. And what is that, you might ask? Well, one day I hope to be the ‘Star In The Reasonably Priced Car’ on Top Gear!

Last week my instructor said something to me that has had me thinking all week, He said “Mark, I think you’ve got it, you can drive!” Since I began lessons in August last year, I did wonder for a moment what else I have been doing instead of driving for the last 10 months! But I have mainly been thinking about the amazing difference to my life that being able to drive will bring. If just having lessons has been enough to transform me, imagine what I will be able to do once I can travel anywhere I want to…

Ticks and crosses

Of course, there is still one final hurdle. At some point in the near future I’ll have my driving test. In less than an hour, my weaknesses and my strengths will be judged by someone who has one chance to do so, and a computerised checklist to work against.  Sound familiar? If so, that is because that is now the situation facing millions claiming disability benefit. During my driving test, one extra tick will give me a licence to travel the world whereas one extra cross could condemn me to more time relying on others and buying endless cab journeys. For many people with disabilities, an additional tick or cross during a benefits assessment could soon mean the difference between keeping their heads above water and being left destitute, without the support services that they need.

I believe that we should all have the opportunity to view the world as our oyster and the coming changes in legislation could challenge that.  That is why I think disabled people and organisations should unite, fight and speak out. Only by doing this will the true voice of disabled people be heard and a more equal society built.

I have had some first-hand experience of the changes that campaigning can bring. I have written for this magazine under its previous name Mobilise, talking about my Barred! campaign. The campaign stemmed from my frustration at not being able to socialise with my friends, and is an enormous source of pride for me. From small beginnings, it has now achieved a change in legislation in Scotland. This means that for the first time people applying for a license to run a pub or club in Scotland will have to show on their application how their premises will be accessible to disabled people. This information will then be published, enabling us to make informed decisions about where to take our business. The campaign has taken a fairly ‘soft’ approach, but I believe that even utilising the “carrot” of positive identification rather than the “stick”, this change could be revolutionary in encouraging pubs to open their doors and enable many people to buy a pint and use the loo. After all, one in five Scots have a disability – that’s potentially 20% of their customers. In March, Ian Murray tabled an Early Day Motion ‘Disabled Access to Licenced Premises’ which “notes the success of the Barred Campaign founded by Mark Cooper” and “calls on the Government to make similar information available in the rest of the United Kingdom so that no one is excluded from a social occasion on the grounds of disability or where they may live.” CLICK HERE  for more details. I’m now hoping that the Barred! Amendment will form the basis of similar changes to the law across the rest of the UK.

Demonising disabled people

However, during the course of my campaign in Scotland, I became aware of some more subtle sociological issues. My campaign may have changed the law, but in reality it garnered little media coverage outside of the disability press.  I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of coverage my story would have received if I had spent the year being pursued by the authorities for a potential overpayment or misjudged claim for benefits.  What chance then of having little coverage?  The reality is the media will pick up on stories that demonise disabilities without ever covering the positive contribution people make to a better society.

This shouldn’t be the case. Remember – one in five Scots have a disability and the legislation I changed will have an impact on all of their lives. Why is that seen as a small, “special-interest” story?  Surely it must be more newsworthy than one individual’s questionable benefits claim?

Campaigning can be hard, especially when progress is slow. Whenever I need some inspiration I often think of the popular American TV show ‘The West Wing’, which had a good summary of the challenge faced when changing campaign tactics: “The hardest thing to do in sport is to be behind at halftime in the superbowl and change the plan that got you there”.

Sometimes I feel that disability campaigning in the UK is stuck at half time. That is not to say that the ‘plan that got us here’ was not inspiring and effective. It was just forty years ago that Jack Ashley and Alf Morris pioneered landmark legislation granting recognition of disability rights into UK law. And there have been some amazingly positive changes as a result. When I wanted to learn to drive I simply called up a leading driving firm and explained my requirements. I didn’t have to chain myself to the railings, I explained and knew that I would be assisted. But having spent generations fighting for our ‘rights’, we still have a lot to do. We need to develop equality of access and opportunity in our society. We need to change perceptions and media understanding of disability. I believe that my experience has given me an insight into how to make that happen. That’s not to say I know all the answers, and I hope I don’t come across as arrogant. My passion comes from my love of campaigning and from my own experiences as a person with a disability.

Working together

To make the first positive change we must challenge the invisible line between organisations that are disabled people campaigning, and organisations that campaign on behalf of (often because they care for) disabled people.  This line is rarely seen but when it is, it confuses those we try to influence. After all who does know best, the doctor or the patient? The carer, or the person who has to live with the disability on a daily basis? I believe that both are right, and both must be heard. By campaigning and speaking together a more rounded campaign can be shaped.

Secondly the movement must refocus and re-energise. Disabilities rarely affect only one aspect of a person’s life, but campaigning in a way that covers all aspects of someone’s life exhausts organisations and looses key strategic focus. I would argue that the positives of campaigning in a focused and united way can be seen in the current campaign regarding welfare reform. Every disability charity I know of has campaigned on the issue. Greater equality can be achieved by working on the same issue whilst also demonstrating how the various different people they represent could be affected by these reforms by being unable to integrate into society.

People, not numbers!

Featuring individual stories is also an effective way to campaign. Talking about a person is a better way of demonstrating something than talking about statistics. With Barred, I also found that social media (like Facebook and Twitter) was really useful as campaigns can interact with people outside of their immediate support base.

The third task the movement has to do to be just as affective in campaigns on other issues concerning disability is to learn. It must learn what went well and what did not. This way any future campaign can be better because the mistakes have been made. This can be applied to major campaigns run by big charities, but it is also useful for individuals who are, say, campaigning in their local area. If you did not get the response you wanted, think about why not. Target those who did respond well first next time – try and enlist them as supporters. Think about the things that didn’t work so well, and how you could improve them. After all, if you don’t pass your driving test first time, you are given a list of the things that you need to work on. You may need a few more lessons, but that is not to say you’ll never get out on that open road!

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1. Back on the Road with a Mobility Asessment
2. Accessible Motorhome – Home Comforts on the Road
3. Disabled Motoring UK? – You decide!

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1. Government backs down over removal of DLA
2. Blue Badge Reforms Announced

Key changes include:

• Providing local authorities with an on-the-spot power to recover badges that have been cancelled and misused;

• Shared administration between authorities – including an online application facility – resulting in faster renewals, reduced abuse and operational efficiency savings of up to £20 million a year;

• Wider use of independent mobility assessments to determine eligibility, including where previously that assessment was carried out by a GP; and support for this by giving local authorities control of National Health Service spend on Blue Badge assessments;

• The replacement of handwritten badges with standard electronic ones which are harder to alter and forge;

• Extending the scheme to more disabled children under three years of age and severely disabled Armed Forces personnel and veterans; and removing residency requirements for disabled service personnel and their families who are posted overseas on UK bases

Read the press release from the Department for Transport here.

Director of Policy and Campaigns Helen Dolphin

Helen Dolphin, Director of Policy and Campaigns, was in London today to hear the changes to the Blue Badge scheme announced by the Transport Minister Norman Baker.

Shortly after the changes were announced, she issued the following statement:

I’m very pleased to hear about the reforms which have been announced today, and I look forward to their introduction in the very near future.

“I work for the charity Mobilise [now Disabled Motoring UK] which represents thousands of disabled motorists, many of whom are Blue Badge holders. As a result, I know just how important the Blue Badge scheme is for so many disabled people. From a personal perspective, without my Blue Badge I would not be able to park close enough to the places I need to go and so I would be considerably less independent.

There have been some fantastic advances in recent times which have allowed people with even the most severe disabilities to drive, but what is now hindering the mobility of disabled people is the fact that often they just cannot park when they reach their destination. This is mostly down to abuse and misuse of the Blue Badge scheme.

A recent estimate put Blue Badge abuse in some major cities as high as 70%. It’s really no surprise that genuine badge holders are struggling to park.

One of the reasons for such high levels of abuse is because  there have been very few enforcement powers. Some local authorities have also shown a certain lack of willingness to tackle blue badge abusers. I hope that providing local authorities with an on-the-spot power to recover badges that have been cancelled and misused will help improve the situation. I am also pleased that there is going to be a shared administration between authorities – this too will help reduce abuse. For the Blue Badge scheme to benefit disabled people it must be preserved for them.

However, it is not just abuse of the scheme which is a problem. As a charity we have been aware for some time that some UK local authorities (possibly with the best intentions!) have not been following the issuing criteria very strictly. It may not seem like a big problem but it could mean a person getting a badge in one area who would not get it down the road in another local authority. For the scheme to work badges must only be issued to those who really need one and so I’m pleased that the administration of the scheme is being addressed too.

It’s now 40 years since a disabled persons parking badge was first introduced and I hope that the reforms announced today will help make it a scheme fit for the 21^st century.”

Disabled Motoring UK (formerly Mobilise) has participated fully in various consultations on Blue Badge reform. You can read our full policy document on the Blue Badge Scheme here.

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1. Blue Badge reform in Wales
2. Blue Badge Scheme
3. Baywatch

09.00 Start work at the Civic Centre along with two other BBFI fraud investigators.

One is the contract manager and assigned to this Borough and the other a case manager who runs prosecutions.

As well as helping with the running of prosecution cases and on street operations  I run the company. I enjoy working with the large number of stakeholders and have ten years experience of running on-street operations with multiple stakeholders. On the contract in this Authority I have an outstanding team of very professional staff including a retired Detective Inspector with 30 years policing experience and an ex-manager from the Home Office who managed Counter Terrorism cases.  I spend the first hour redrafting the protocol on joint working with the Authority and the police. I find the better the processes the smoother the on street operations will be. Once an operation starts and badges are being ceased/vehicles removed and people arrested it can become a little complex and to prosecute things must be watertight.

10.00   Due to interview suspect of misuse of a blue badge

In this case a man was using a Blue Badge in a builders van with ladders on the roof. The Police were working without BBFI and asked the man whose badge it was. The man handed over the badge and admitted it belonged to an elderly female relative and he was using it to park free while working on a roof. We intend to prosecute him under section 117 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act. Because we are unsure if the police cautioned him before he admitted the misuse we have sent a letter under the guidelines set out in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) asking him to attend a recorded interview. He didn’t turn up so we will send another letter inviting him to an interview. If he doesn’t show we will issue proceeding against him.

12.00 Brief police before joint BBFI / Police operation

We are in the local safer neighbourhood office with two Civil Enforcement Officers, a tow truck driver and two police officers. All staff are briefed on the joint operation. We have briefed the neighbouring boroughs that we are carrying out the joint enforcement operation. The plan is to check all badges in a small area against a list of lost/ stolen or deceased persons badges and look for fake badges, badges with an amended expiry date or photocopies.

12.30 Start the operation in a busy North London High Street

We will ask to see all badges and ask where the disabled person is.

13.00 We identify some potential badge abuse

The owner of a van displaying a Blue Badge has been questioned before and the badge belonged to a child. The woman driving the van works in a beauty salon. The child was at home last time and I suspect misuse again this time. The woman is not arrested but the badge is seized  by the police for the second time and handed to BBFI. Last time she was interviewed and issued with a warning and the badge handed back. This time it looks a lot worse for her.

14.30     Finish police operation

After the operation has finished we have a debrief. We have seized one badge that was being misused and inspected 16 badges. No badges were lost/ stolen or deceased peoples badges. We asked three drivers to see the photo on their badges and all were being used correctly. This shows a high level of compliance in this area, but we have visited the area three times in the last three months on joint operations. This time the High Street had plenty of space for disabled motorists which is a far cry from the situation three months ago.

15.00      Back to the office to draft witness statements

The woman who was using a child’s Blue Badge to park for work  was committing an offence and after discussing the case we decide to prepare the case for prosecution. We will draft our statements and the police will send statements to BBFI.  It will be up to a Director in the Authority to ultimately authorise the prosecution. If the prosecution is authorised we will issue the summons. The woman will have to pay costs of about £250 and be fined about £300.

16.00     Case prepared for prosecution under Section 117 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act.

18.00     Home time!

This article first appeared in the November 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

No related posts.

The Red Wheelies Mobility Formation Team like many things came about by accident.   All the team members have  multiple sclerosis and ride mobility scooters and  wanted to race their scooters, after all even lawn-mowers are raced so why not scooters? After some initial trials and tribulations to be allowed to race they found a suitable venue.  It was while waiting to race that a couple of the girls started weaving in-and-out of each other and eureka the Red Wheelies were born.  A dressage choreographer designed the original  routine, a uniform was agreed on and as the scooters being used were all red the name Red Wheelies seemed just right. The Red Wheelies were born and took part in fun days raising money for local MS charities.

Two of the original team moved to the Kent coast where they became members of the Kent MS Therapy Centre. Realising some serious fund-raising was required, they resurrected the Red Wheelies team.  Notices were put up in the centre asking for volunteers from the users of the centre to join. A number did and were surprised how much they enjoyed themselves.  As not everyone had their own scooter, local mobility company UK Mobility was approached and agreed to supply additional scooters. Soon 8 ladies could be seen practicing on their scooters in the centre’s car-park to the strains of Shania Twain.

Performances were made at a number of local fetes and took part in the wettest Herne Bay Carnival ever.  Wet Weather conditions became synonymous with Wheelie performances to the point where wet weather is now known by the team as ‘wheelie weather’.

Realising a much bigger effort was needed by the team to raise the sort of money that could really be beneficial to KMSTC, the group decided upon the idea of a charity walk. Due to the teams shared condition charity walks are normally not an option but the group were set upon the idea of participating in one themselves.  After one of the team went to Cumbria on holiday she suggested the team ‘walked’ Hadrian’s Wall on their scooters, in effect the team’s second pair of legs.

An email was sent to David McGlade at Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, the company with overall responsibility for the trails, explaining the plan while asking for any help they could offer.  Their response was superb, leading to the company being instrumental in helping plan the route and introducing the Wheelies to people on the trail who could help.

Forever Active stepped in to offer the team ten Quingosports  scooters for the trek.  These scooters are fantastic, designed specifically for the terrain covered on the route.  Knowing the teams penchant for attracting ‘Wheelie Weather’ local firm Colmans of Herne Bay donated wet weather gear.

The trek should take approximately a fortnight to travel the 84 miles between Segedunum and Bowness-on Solway.  At the end there will be a lasting legacy of a trail that is truly suitable for all.  The team consists of 16 individuals – the nine actual Wheelies, plus seven long-suffering husbands acting as the teams support crew.   The team is treating it as their annual holiday, paying for their  own accommodation, travel and food expenses. As a result all money raised will be going direct to the charity.  Progress on the walk can be followed on both  www.redwheelies.co.uk and www.twitter.com/redwheelies.

The journey starts with  a Blessing from The Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, as the Wheelies move from one World Heritage site  to another – Hadrians Wall.  On the 11^th of May a  civic send-off from Segedunum by the Chief Executive of North Tyneside Council starts the walk proper, which concludes with a reception at the end of the walk with the Mayors of Allerdale and Maryport.

The Hadrian’s Wall Walk team are a diverse collection. Eight of the nine members are grannies, two celebrate their ruby wedding anniversaries this year, three will turn 60 before the end of 2009 and between them boast an impressive combined age of 542. The ninth member is an ex-wheelie who jumped at the chance to take part.

Planning the walk has been hard work but fun for the group.  Having done it all themselves, the team remain surprised at how much they have already achieved, beyond their own expectations.  The team hope to raise money for the charity, help create a trail suitable for use by disabled people, raise positive ms awareness – there is life with MS and to have fun and a memorable experience.

This article first appeared in the July 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

No related posts.

Having suffered extreme physical abuse and extensive burn damage to both feet during my early years, at one point there was some doubt over whether I would even survive, let alone be able to walk. However, thanks to an eminent surgeon and various plastic surgery specialists, I was eventually able to have an active and rewarding childhood. Pain was always there, but at that stage of my life it was manageable, and I felt it was worth suffering to experience the freedom I enjoyed.
Eventually I joined the military and served five years with the British
Army.  Excelling physically, I ultimately ended up serving with the
Airborne Forces. The Fire Service beckoned next, and again, physical endeavour was still within my capacity. I was a keen sportsman, and my activities ranged from rugby and football to climbing, parachuting and ski-ing.
But eventually I realised that in life most good things do eventually come to an end.

About seven years ago I saw the first signs of trouble on the horizon. The
pain in my feet and lower limbs was increasing in intensity and duration.
Although previously the pain had varied, there were no “good days” anymore, and the “bad days” were getting worse. Sometimes the pain brought tears to my eyes and my general mobility was decreasing. I was beginning to have serious doubts about my ability to continue working.
A visit to my GP confirmed the worst of my fears. The condition of my
feet was indeed deteriorating, the pain and overall discomfort would
progressively worsen; and there was pretty much nothing that could be done.
All they could offer was pain relieving medication and a blue badge
which would minimise the need to spend time on my feet when out and about. I took them both, but after a brief spell on the powerful drugs, I handed those back. Although they helped with the pain, they were leaving me in a trance-like state for much of the time. This was interfering with both my personal life and my work, and it didn’t take me long to decide that they were robbing me of too much.

I was now down to just the blue badge. But this was a trade-off too; as well as the help this gave me, I also had to deal with the prejudice I experienced from other blue badge holders as I parked in the disabled bay. I may look the picture of health, but appearances, as we all know, can deceive. The reality is that I am often in great pain.  I simply choose not to let it become all that I am. I choose to go training at the gym and cope with the pain afterwards.  I choose to use a treadmill and rowing machine at home, and to suffer the pain in private. I choose to ski, to walk, to drive –I choose to live, rather than let pain dominate my entire existence.

I also choose to use my blue badge only when I really need to, rather than whenever I can, which is why the sneers and comments of derision are particularly hurtful.  So, when you next see someone walking away from a blue badge parking bay, try and remember that although their disability may not be as immediately visible as yours, they may be suffering far more than you could ever imagine.  Their disability may well be every bit as real as those of an amputee, a wheelchair user or a person with impaired vision – you may just be unable to see it.

This is not about “my disability is worse than yours” or “your disability is worse than the next person’s” – it is about refraining from judging each other. As an organisation and as disabled people I think we have all been both victims and, sometimes, perpetrators of such attitudes. But if we choose to judge each other, we have no right to complain when we are prejudged and compartmentalised by society. If we are to achieve anything, we have to be united amongst ourselves, and to demonstrate the tolerance, awareness and understanding we demand from others.

This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just  £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

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