Equal Opportunities for people with disabilities and health problems.

I think people with disabilities and health problems have been treated very unfairly in the past, it was getting but since the cuts have come in six years ago things seem to be going back to where they were. Attitudes and support needs to get better.

I myself started off in a mainstream school. Teachers became aware I had a learning problem, no one knew what. Child’s Psychologist spent a week or two with me to see I wasn't to cope to find a mainstream school. I was sent to a boarding school for Special needs children to find I was still not fitting in. I was finding it hard to learn, I was facing bullying due to the fact the children seemed to think I was thick because of been a slow learner. I attend another two Special schools but they were day school but I still faced the same kind of problems. On top of that I couldn't communicate with the staff or children. I left school without any qualifications, which made me feel very angry and frustrated. People in those days believed me to be an unsuccessful person yet adults told me that school years are the best years of your life couldn't see it but strangely I was right. I disliked myself and I felt as if I was disliked by others.

Little did I realise that all not live is black and white. Like I said on one report on this website, I left school March 1986 thinking my life was going to be nothing because I left school with nothing then I achieved my Riding for the Disabled Grace 1 Certificate in April 1986, which totally surprised me, then things looked for me from there.  

Roughly about twenty years later I knew someone who had a son who had epilepsy and Dyslexia like I do, Diabetes like I haven’t. At the age of 16, he’d passed 14 GCSE’s; this was because he got 1 to 1 support.   

Reasons why I couldn't learn very easily back in the 70s and 80s is because I was on very strong medication for my Epilepsy, which made me fully unawareness of what was excepted of me from others. People who work in School, Colleges, Universities, employers and etc need to be aware of the reasons why some people may not work to the way they except. Gps, hospitals, chemists and etc need to be aware of how most medications can affect peoples’ ability to learn and work. Also most medications if not used carefully can affect a person’s awareness all round including getting around, which could cause them to need more support than what they would normally.

Little did my family realise years ago that I would be able to live alone which turns out I can with a small amount of support.

Employment and Support should be matched up to peoples’ abilities and disabilities to know the right support people need. Health and Safety support needs to be taken into account the government wants people with disabilities and health problems to work the same just like other people.

Today the cuts are causing big problems, some places are already affected, and other places could be affected in the future. In order for people with disabilities and health problems to gain more independent for example education needs to be more accessible with the right support. These cuts take away the rights for people disabilities and health problems to not have for example; the rights of having their own children and many more rights.