Posted: 20 Jul 2014 07:41 AM PDT
Rob prepared this statement
for the recent Disability Rights UK conference (18th July) He was not allowed
to give his statement - we publish it here so people can understand why all
voices should be heard and listened to.
The Fight for Our Lives
My name is Robert Punton I am a disabled person and an
Independent Living Fund (ILF) recipient I come here today to oppose Disability
Rights UK stance on the closing of the ILF.
I have been a disabled
activist for over 30 years both in a paid and unpaid capacity. The money
I have received through ILF funding has in no small part enabled me to achieve
this, I have employed the same two guys as my Personal Assistants Mike Orme and
Darren Harrison for over 25 years and now I am employing their son Daryl Harrison-Orme
in the same capacity. If the closure goes ahead this puts our partnership
(family) in serious jeopardy.
I make no bones about the
fact that as a person with high support needs without this extra funding I
would be languishing in a Scope home or one run by some other likeminded
establishment. In saying this I am not in anyway denigrating the lives of
anyone living there but I much prefer my lifestyle and will fight to my last
breathe to save it. Make no mistake everyone using ILF is in the same boat
and none of us want to sink.
I am a member of DPAC and Co
Director in Community Navigator Services with Clenton Farquharson MBE and Jack
Nicholas it is a Community Interest Company we all identify as disabled; we aim
to build capacity within communities to allow them to participate within
society to their fullest n need or want. We all agree the closure of ILF
will severely destroy the advances that disabled people that achieved in last 3
decades.
Disability Rights UK and
Simon Stevens advocate that when they close ILF it will make it a level plain
field when they pass on funds to local authorities and everyone will be treated
equally, equality only works when you use the highest possible denominator, in
other words no one wants to be treated like their neighbour if they are being
treated badly. The term we like to use now is fighting for social justice
for all, hence wanting the best standard of living (in this case support plans)
for everyone.
Simon Stevens and his
supports say that the ILF has made users of their scheme elitists in their
communities. I can’t argue that this may be perceived in that light.
However, I would argue this two-tier system in society cannot be blamed on the
independent living fund or its users; it was the Conservative government who
closed the ILF in 2010 under the guidance of Maria (Killer) Miller, and in
doing so cut off thousands of possible or probable new users of ILF,
Con-Demning them to the level of substandard support given by most Local
Authorities.
This substandard support
shows the priority most local governments, and therefore National Government
accord to people requiring high support – they are more than willing to leaving
wallowing in our own shit!
Anyone following the campaign
to SAVE the ILF led by DPAC and Inclusion London must know that we the major
goal is to reopen the ILF to all people who fit their criteria. In doing
so, raising the standard of those people’s support. We believe this is
the only solution not butchering the funding of the so called “lucky” ones
it in all honesty won’t help anyone.
I would love to know where
the advocates of this Don’t Save ILF think the monies to raise everyone’
standards of support will come from. The money release from ILF we be swallowed
up by incompetent politicians looking after their powerful votes, not us the
people they view as worth less. In Authorities like Birmingham
While I disagree with Simon’s
argument I support his right to voice his opinion. However, it is an
understatement to say I am flabbergasted to hear Disability Rights UK supports
this argument. I thought you represented disabled people not the
establishment!
What really exasperates me
though is that we never learn from our mistakes. Once more we are doing
the governments work for them fighting between ourselves while they sit back
laughing at us. We must stop fighting and work together to defeat the
Con-Dem coalition.
I will finish with message to
the camp supporting shut ILF. If you can’t support don’t fight us.
Today we fight for our lives,
if we lose today there will be no Tomorrow just an eternity of marginalisation
and isolation either trapped our own homes or corralled in Care(less) Homes run
by unscrupulous privateers only interested in profit not people
Thank you for listening. I
hope you hear me!
See also: http://dpac.uk.net/2014/07/disability-rights-uk-independent-living-or-new-visions-in-neo-liberalism/
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