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Wes Streeting's move against autism - NAS - time to step up

mrs.snooks

I'm aware that this discussion may get a little heated, but I hope that it stays away from getting too much so. I do not mean to cause offense or lead to any arguments. So here goes.

I woke up to this morning's headlines: 

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is to launch an independent review into rising demand for mental health, ADHD, and autism services in England.

I haven't added the link to the article as I know this will trigger a delay to having this posted. But I'm thinking you will have seen this this morning. 

I am so angry on so many levels. And I am hoping that the NAS is angry too and can respond to his move with a firm and robust response. Because.

Now, I am going to call it out. Mr Streeting, I think that this is what I would be calling: Discrimination. Discrimination with a big, fat capital D. Discrimination against a marginalised group. A vulnerable group. That deserves your protection and that you should have our back. As the HEALTH secretary. Shame on you. Shame on you.

I may not respond to any responses to my thread, if it gets too heated. And I am happy for the thread to get locked or removed.

It's time to Step Up.

Parents

  • Sounds like they are laying the groundwork to find ways to stop us using neurodiversity as a way to justify claiming benefits.

    We are a rapidly growing group with huge waiting lists for diagnoses and an issue with the hidden diasbility looking too "convenient" in the eyes of many in power.

    If they strip the ability to use neurodiversity as a disability then they can save loads in benefits and probably reduce the waiting lists too. What they save in benefits will be worth far more than the small number of voters who will feel disenfranchised by it.

    I doubt we will see large groups of protesters outside parliment as the people affected often don't do groups, don't communicate well and don't like loud environments or confrontations.  From that point of view we will be a pushover.

    This sounds like another step on the ladder to us being cancelled:

     RE: could our "protected characteristic" of autism be cancelled? 

  • in reply to Iain
    Iain said:
    Sounds like they are laying the groundwork to find ways to stop us using neurodiversity as a way to justify claiming benefits.

    From what I’ve seen, a big reason benefits are refused is because people are unable to provide evidence of how their condition/illness/disability affects them, e.g., anxiety, overwhelm, exhaustion.  Maybe it won’t make any difference because people will still be affected by these things, even if they don’t mention ASD.

    Iain said:
    If they strip the ability to use neurodiversity as a disability then they can save loads in benefits and probably reduce the waiting lists too. What they save in benefits will be worth far more than the small number of voters who will feel disenfranchised by it.

    Under the current system of claiming benefits, it mightn’t  make any difference. If people are unable to work because they are anxious, depressed, overwhelmed etc., they can claim. It might put some people off claiming as the government have made their benefits system so difficult that many people are refused when they first claim.

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  • in reply to Iain
    Iain said:
    Sounds like they are laying the groundwork to find ways to stop us using neurodiversity as a way to justify claiming benefits.

    From what I’ve seen, a big reason benefits are refused is because people are unable to provide evidence of how their condition/illness/disability affects them, e.g., anxiety, overwhelm, exhaustion.  Maybe it won’t make any difference because people will still be affected by these things, even if they don’t mention ASD.

    Iain said:
    If they strip the ability to use neurodiversity as a disability then they can save loads in benefits and probably reduce the waiting lists too. What they save in benefits will be worth far more than the small number of voters who will feel disenfranchised by it.

    Under the current system of claiming benefits, it mightn’t  make any difference. If people are unable to work because they are anxious, depressed, overwhelmed etc., they can claim. It might put some people off claiming as the government have made their benefits system so difficult that many people are refused when they first claim.

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