Lorraine Hershon
Lorraine Hershon Nov/Dec Column – Pleasure Island
They do say that a change is as good as a rest, and that’s just what I needed.
This year hasn’t been the easiest, so as the summer rolled round again, I decided to look for an adventure.
First things first: I spent some weeks perusing websites and doing ‘costings,’ because I’m the kind of person who plans everything down to the finest detail. I should have been in the military such is my planning finesse.
Where should we go this year? The criteria were tough: accessible – ish, at least for me, suitable for a family with small boys, minimal boats (because my husband doesn’t do them) and of course affordability. (more…)
Lorraine Hershon JanFeb Colomn
Q: Dear Mrs H, We are doing a consultation event next week ad would love you to attend. We can pay you in tea and biscuits and of course wont be able to pay for your time, expertise and knowledge, your childcare or your travel costs even though we expect you to come to the other side of the county. As you know these things are done on the cheap so we couldn’t possibly set a precedent by implying we value you.
Since the arrival of a new Government this year, consultations have gone into overdrive, and as a result I get invited to everything within 100 miles. Yes I get invitations every week inviting me to come to this consultation or that one, or maybe the other one. Invariably they start at 9am and are the other side of the county so I agonise over each one, should I go or maybe I should go to a different one instead? Which one is most important I wonder and then I remember!…. You see I know how these work as I used to be one of those people who ran consultations. They tend to be put together by earnest individuals who have been told they must do a consultation after all it’s a legal requirement. They then put on events that prove to be long and irrelevant, they provide an inadequate venue, inadequate lunch, inadequate parking and inadequate toilets and at the end of the day feel pleased with themselves for running such a ‘unique’ event. After which there wont be any feedback to the powers that be because no one really wants to know how it is, they just want to make sure they have done the ‘consultation’. So we are in the middle of a public consultation on Disability Living Allowance. I have gone through about half of the document, and of course all of the easy read version. One of my first reactions is that the document relies heavily on “spin” to sell it to the public – they have our very best interests at heart after all but when the government relies this heavily on “spin”, inevitably the proposals would be very unpopular if their truth were made clear. (more…)
LORRAINE HERSHON
… reflects on the age of disablism….
Scrounger, cheat, fraud, thief. Just some of the words used to describe those of us claiming benefits. Another phrase I like is ‘lifestyle choice’.
Sadly we seem to live in a society that feeds on fear, greed and envy. Read the newspapers or watch the TV and they are always full of stories about people claiming huge amounts of benefit while running marathons, climbing mountains or ballroom dancing.
If you read any online comments you will find a braying mob mentally which says we should be grateful for anything; that we should be tugging our forelocks in subservience and shuffling off into darkened corners where we can hide with our meagre handouts.
We have had sexism, and racism but we now live in age of disablism. It is a return to good old Victorian values. (more…)
… Shares Her Experiences of Her First Trip to London in Her Wheelchair.
I needed adventure and excitement and, as they say, a change is as good as a rest – so I have just returned from my first ever solo wheelchair trip to London!
Actually it’s my first trip anywhere alone with my chair, but I wanted to meet up with an old friend and didn’t really want to drive all the way, so felt it was time to give public transport a go. So, in keeping with the spirit of adventure, I booked a flight to Heathrow and one back from Stansted.
The flight down to London was great – quick, punctual and the service was terrific. On arrival I took the Heathrow Express which, at a whopping £18 single fair, turned out to be the only accessible option, except a taxi into central London. Actually, while it touts itself as ‘accessible’, I needed help onto the train as there’s a gap of a few inches wide and a funny type of door ‘lip’ to hop over – difficult, especially with a bag. (more…)
Why Do Some People Think They Can Say What They Like About Disabled People?
Lorraine has some great news.
Life’s a funny old thing, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem to matter how much we think we’re in control, life throws in various unknowns along the way – just to keep things interesting.
Sometimes I think it might be quite nice to lead a steady, reliable sort of ordinary kind of life. You see, I used to be one of those people who was so organised; I had these terrific five year plans where I would map out my career, finances and personal life with Great Expectations. The only thing is, since we got into the 21st century, nothing has gone according to plan, and I’ve had to forget all the grand designs – they’re worthless. (more…)
…Loses Her Mona Lisa Smile
Keeping your dignity’s not always an option when the world takes you by surprise
Despite life’s surprises over the last few years, I’ve always tried to maintain a certain level of dignity – or could that really be vanity and pride in disguise? Being honest, I give off a certain level of smugness when talking to friends: “Fallen out of my chair, in public? Oh no, not me, I’ve never done that,” I say, with a Mona Lisa smile. (more…)
