Published on 12, July, 2020
I read that the government are wanting to look into all disability claimants bank accounts to see what we are spending money on and they can then say that oh! you spend the money on a certain item you should not so we are now going to cut your money.
This is something that they hope to do in time, it has been on the online news.
This would be terrible for us autistic people because a lot of people do not understand autism and how diverse we all are:
for example: autistics might buy the following some might not and need other things for their autism:
Felt tips, paper, pencils art things: they would not understand that this helps us stay calm by being creative and can help stop us going into further meltdowns etc.
A computer and games: same reason as above
A piano and sheet music: could be a special interest and is needed for the autistic person and help stop meltdowns too.
Fancy clothes: for me its 1950s style clothes, to express myself and I cant stand to wear certain clothes
Gluten free foods, special travel like a taxi as buses might be too stressful that day
An indoor clothes drier to stop damp
collections of trains or magazines, comics etc
Some people who dont understand autistim and will think that oh they are buying what they want not what they need, tut tut, they should not be buying that.
What about the autistic that goes on the trains all day because they like it is sooths them. and then someone will say well if they ride trains all day let them work on the trains, but that autistic might be able to talk to people one day but then another day might be mute or unable to and could not work.
yes there are autistics that can work, and those that work long term are ones that got lucky finding their job that is good for them for example they like action figures so work in a forbidden planet. and are okay with people as long as they are talking about the products. but others cannot cope with work at all.
I feel that the government need to understand autism much more. No two autistic people are alike.
What about the person who is has to pay for a private dentist because they dont like the building their local NHS dentists are in for example, and need to have the calm of a private dentist that understands .
Some autistics might have to spend a fortune on a pair of shoes as they cannot wear cheaper ones for what ever reason (the way they feel etc)
these are not all conditions or needs I have just listing how diverse we all are and why this new plan is not very nice.
Because it is scary somehow, big brother is watching you type stuff.
It also puts non-disabled people against disabled people they dont understand, they have never seen an autistic meltdown for example
The DWP can already investigate people's bank accounts if they have reason to believe claimants are fraudulently claiming benefits. As I understand it, I don't think the idea is to dictate what people can and can't spend their money on, but more to check that claimants' savings are not in excess of the benefit eligibility threshold.
Somehow, I think it's unlikely the DWP would cut a claimant's benefits because they had, for example, spent money on crafting supplies. To be honest, although the DWP would be able to see that a claimant may regularly spend money at a retailer such as Hobbycraft, that is probably as much as they would know. It would take too much time and effort for the DWP to also contact retailers to request details of exactly what the claimant had bought.
Whilst it may seem like an invasion of privacy, I don't think genuine claimants have anything to fear just yet. However, I am in agreement that the UK government lacks adequate knowledge of how autism can affect us.
yes I read that they do flag up anything unusual to stop fraud etc which is needed off course as those that are at it should get caught.
But I dont think it is good for them to know decent genuine people where they spend their money if it is hobby craft or John Lewis for example. It can lead to more controlling measures in time. Which is worrying