One Voice - action for disability
Finally Spring is here, and a bit of warmth on those tired bones!
Regular readers will know that this edition of the newsletter is later than usual—this is because we wanted to bring you details of the One Voice AGM, and information on a new job and service One Voice will be managing.
One Voice will be recruiting a paid advocacy co-ordinator as well as some disabled people who want to train as paid advocates—have a look at here for more information.
Also in the newsletter news and comment, benefits news, requests for volunteers for a mystery customer project, and a request for information on your recent voting experience, plus a big hello from one of our volunteers.
The deadline for the next newsletter is May 31st
The views in this newsletter are those of the article writers, they are not always what One Voice thinks.
The One Voice AGM will be on Saturday 28th June, from 10.30-2.00.
As well as business and lunch, we are aiming to make the AGM as interesting and as much fun as last year.
We hope to start with some fun gentle exercise again to get us warmed up and ready for action, as well as talking about some issues that are important to us and having a workshop.
If you have got any ideas on speakers you would like us to invite, or topics you would like us to cover, let us know, the management group will be making decisions about the AGM agenda on 16th May.
After my holiday in February and some holiday reading, I want to stir up some debate about stem cell research, and political decision making.
I was recently persuaded to read Jodi Picoult’s book “My Sister’s Keeper”, which, if you ignore the last chapter which is cheap emotional thuggery, raises some interesting thoughts about genetic manipulation and family members who are donors.
In the book a young girl has leukaemia, and her parents take the decision to have another child who has the right genetic traits to be a donor to help her sister.
The book doesn't set characters up as all good, or all bad, so it makes you really think about things like is it morally right to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? How far do we give medicine and doctors power in making these decisions or using their influence? What rights does a donor child have? Can parents make the decision in the childrens' best interests?
Although I don’t do book reviews, and this is not my kind of book, I think you should read it if you are interested in any of these issues. It’s a so much better way of thinking about the issues than the pitiful approach the Government has recently taken.
It’s an odd kind of world we live in, where masses of Labour MPs, - including a large number of ministers — threaten a revolt over stem cell research and demand a free vote.
These MPs, including so-called Christians like Ruth Kelly, cannot in good conscience allow experimentation on a cell because of their views on the sanctity of human life. Apparently, human life has more sanctity to them when it is just as few cells, than it does when it is a person, because these rebellers who got their own way, were mysteriously silent when it came to the poorest people in the country (many of whom are disabled) having their 10% tax rate removed.
These people were largely silent when it came to getting rid of Incapacity Benefit, without first tackling employers’ reluctance to take on disabled employees.
It’s very odd that for these people life is more precious when it’s a few cells or strands of DNA which could possibly go towards forming a person, but is less precious when it’s a living person who needs those stem cells to help improve his impairment.
Odd that the preciousness of life does not come into decisions to keep millions of families in poverty with other policies.
I don’t think these people think that life is precious at all—they just don’t want their beliefs to be challenged by a science that could actually help people such as those experiencing Alzheimer's and other conditions.
And isn’t it better to try to medically improve people’s lives with cells rather than other people?
Are you a disabled person who uses black cabs? If you are and you have access problems we want to hear from you.
We are working with the officers who license taxis in Wolverhampton, to improve the service for disabled people.
Wheelchair users have already had an input, and we would now like to hear from people with other mobility impairments, people with sensory or other impairments who have had difficulty using black cabs and want to help improve the service.
Job Details: 22 hours/ week, 1 year post
Salary Scale SO1 pro rata: £14,121
Annual leave entitlement: 11 days p. a.
Service Objective: To provide advocacy support for people with physical and sensory impairments living in Wolverhampton.
Principal purpose of the post: Responsibility for the development and delivery of an advocacy service for Wolverhampton Citizens with a sensory or physical impairment.
This is a new post to co-ordinate a new service funded through Social Services commissioning and managed by One Voice, to provide an advocacy service for people with physical and sensory impairments.
The service will oversee training and development of disabled people so that they can become paid advocates for disabled clients.
The successful applicant will understand the social model of disability, and have direct personal experience of impairment.
S/he will have experience of advocacy, and a commitment to the advocacy charter.
To find out more, or get an application pack contact One Voice:
Telephone: 01902 810016
Email: mail@1voice.org.uk
Post: One Voice, Regent House, Bath Avenue, Wolverhampton, WV1 4EG
You can find out more about the post on this website
Closing date for applications: 28th May, 2008
Employment Support Allowance (ESA) replaces Incapacity Benefit.
For ESA, new medical and capability assessments, - the work capability assessment - will look at what a person can do and identify what steps they might take towards taking up work.
This new medical test will be applied to people who currently receive Incapacity Benefit, as their benefit entitlement comes up for reassessment, starting in 2010.
ESA replaces IB for new claimants from 27 October 2008.
Under the new regulations, people who have paid National Insurance contributions or have been disabled since childhood will have to apply separately for the enhanced disability premium, and for each of the passported benefits that they may be entitled to and that people who are currently getting Incapacity Benefit/ESA get automatically. If you dont't apply for these other benefits, you wont get them, and could be up tot, they could be up to £60 a week worse off, so check your entitlement.
In Wolverhampton people on the benefit will be sent to Seetek in Waterloo Road as they have the contract for getting Incapacity Benefit/ESA claimants off benefit and back to work.
Wolverhampton City Council wants to hear from people about their voting experience in the recent local elections.
Did you vote? If you did not was it for a reason relating to access or disability?
If you did vote, was it by post or in person?
Did you find it easy to do, or where there disabling barriers?
Were you able to get into your polling station—was the staff helpful?
Was it a disability-friendly experience for you?
Please contact the Senior Disability Policy Advisor—Stuart Malpass - to tell them your experience—all information will be kept confidential, but they do need to know what ward you vote at. You can contact Stuart by email:
Stuart.Malpass@wolverhampton.gov.uk
Or by telephone: 554063
Textphone: 554086
If you would prefer not to be identified, you can contact the One Voice office with your experience, and we will pass it on without your name.
My name is Nigel Driver and to communicate I use a Pathfinder.
I do some voluntary work for One Voice.
Over of the last nine months I have been doing an Access course at Wolverhampton College. As part of this I am doing A-level English which has been hard at times, but I am pleased to say I have passed the exam and my oral presentation, I achieved level 2 in these.
I would just like to say that if there is anyone out there who is disabled please don't 'give up' I'm not and am trying my best to get to University!"
[Cassandra is an anonomous One Voice columnist who likes to stir things up - this is the second 'Cassandra' in One Voice's history]