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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2009 16:55:07 GMT
Hi Guys, I saw a little about getting guaranteed interviews or DLA etc.
Is a diagnosis an officially recognised statement of disability? How does all this work and is it a good or bad thing?
To be honest I have never considered myself remotely disabled, although I have clearly had impediments.
What are your thoughts on all this?
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Post by .... on Sept 17, 2009 18:17:43 GMT
I don't think anybody diagnosed with anything is necessarily disabled. Officially or unofficially. As far as I understand the law relating to such things doesn't require a person to have a particular condition let alone a diagnosis in order that they be classed as disabled for the purposes of the DDA, for example. What they do have to have is an impairment that disables them significantly in comparison to others. Also important to note that ADHD might be considered to be a 'context disorder'. If a right handed person is given left handed scissors they will struggle, but can probably learn to use them eventually if they choose to. I'm not sure if you can invoke guaranteed interviews for jobs you aren't significantly impaired for? I think they are designed to allow people whose significant impairments can be overcome by minor adjustments/technology/n other stuff to get a fair shot at jobs. I think there is also a high probability that people with context disorders apply for jobs that minimise any impairments they have - making the whole thing academic most of the time.(Also guessing the exception to this rule is when someone has a passion to do something in particular) To make things even more complicated there can be upsides to having ADHD
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Post by .... on Sept 17, 2009 18:28:00 GMT
Ps. Realise that I'm considering your question theoretically and that things in reality tend to work completely differently to the theory
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2009 19:22:03 GMT
Hey ABC,
Yeah i remember someone on here getting an interview through one of those guaranteed interview situations. can't remember who though, might have even been roland... -so i guess you are entitled to it.
I think chrysallis is right about the DLA stuff, you can't just have something that people recognise as a disability, you have to actually demonstrate impairment.
Although i'm not sure i agree about the context disorder part... I don't even really know if there are any up sides to having ADHD either. -Are our strengths because of ADHD or inspite of ADHD?
i guess i'll have to think about that -matt ;D
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Post by boo on Sept 17, 2009 19:31:36 GMT
or maybe both?? lets face it we wouldnt be who we are without it, upsides and downsides, the downs can only make us stronger and the ups ........no scrub that, i cant think of any ups either
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2009 19:41:39 GMT
hahahaha ;D
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Post by laura on Sept 17, 2009 20:24:35 GMT
lol ;D i cant at the moment either
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Post by .... on Sept 17, 2009 20:31:28 GMT
Thats good about guaranteed interviews then! I know a couple of people that would really help. When I mention context disorders I'm referring to the 'its not me its you' way of thinking ;D. Even the thought of large queues or appointments requiring much 'sitting still' are liable to give me panic attacks. But its not me! If queues were made illegal I'd feel fine. And I really think I've gotten better at queuing too. (You get alot of practise around here!) Anyway I know it might be a pipe dream, but I like to think its possible for at least some people to engineer a life where ADHD isn't as disabling as it is for my 10 yr old right now. Quite often I find she's disabled more by the unrealistic expectations of the world than she is by her own traits. And I think her energy, hyperfocusing, and ability to run on so little sleep might give her an advantage over others when she is older. I guess you have to change what you cannot accept, accept what you cannot change, and petition like hell when the local health authority put something in the wrong one of those categories!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2009 21:05:49 GMT
I think ADHD means you have somthing that makes life harder i actually have another condition that falls under same rule that i never even considered until looked at due to ADHD. Its like the autistic guy who can memorise pye how is that a disability dont supose it is but he cant drive etc. Someone said to me you have to take medication maybee for life then that is meaning you cant function normally without therfore you have a disability.
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Post by roland on Sept 18, 2009 9:55:00 GMT
Here's one of my upsides to having ADHD: One morning I was in Bristol rushing to get to a meeting for which I was late as usual when suddenly I saw 5 swans take off from the floating harbour and I stopped and watched them flying low following the course of the water with the morning sun catching and illuminating them against the dark water and stone walls, and I forgot all about the clanging and banging of the constructions sites, the roaring of the busses, and the people rushing to get to work, and my meeting. I know everybody quotes the following poem by William Blake so sorry if it seems a bit trite: I think it's likely that my ADHD gives me the capacity for losing any sense of what I'm supposed to be doing and where I'm supposed to be going, which means I have the ability to just stop in my tracks and watch flying swans! Of course this doesn't help me to be productive and earn money, and I was even later for my meeting than usual and people were disapproving, but for a moment I enjoyed myself.
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Post by boo on Sept 18, 2009 10:26:04 GMT
thanks for that post roland. it made me smile, i mean really smile and i thought of myself doing exactly the same thing too i think you wrote it beautifully too, i could 'see' just what you saw
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2009 12:22:31 GMT
Roland what a beautiful and uplifting thing to say, your right you know, you say lots of good stuff on here, you ought to write a book or somthing you have a talent there seruously. Its good to look at things like that.
Re DLa anyonw can claim it I know a social worker who claims it because he struggles with directions and gets lost easily because he has dyspraxia, so he claims the low rate mobility aspect.
I claim mine, for support with mobility and things with cordination, and relaxation. IBefore all this extra stress im experiencing at the moment i used it to join a gym which i quite happily sat in the jacuzzi, sauna and stem room which helped me relax and clear my head.
They wouldnt let you have it if you werent entilited to it so its worth a try. Some of my friends are bi-polar and suffer with anxiety anbd they work and claim it too.
Hope this helps
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2009 14:31:03 GMT
Roland, you're my hero! ;D
-you're so right, i was focusing too much on how ADHD stops us from engaging with the world like 'normal' people. But what's more important, getting to a boring meeting, or watching the beauty of swans in flight?... we're only here once!
i agree with meggie, you should write a book, and call it- 'Screw Meetings, Watch Swans!' ;D
-matt
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Post by haydreamer on Sept 18, 2009 15:55:51 GMT
Id rather be swanning around then attend a meeting too!!!! ;D Roland, have you thought about being a poet?
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Post by laura on Sept 18, 2009 22:38:53 GMT
i bet that was a great sight roland
i totally agree, the amount of times ive been late for something walked in and said 'have you noticed how beautiful those buildings are?' and they just look at me as if to say what buildings, and i love watching the sun shine off the water, with the ripples and birds.hhhmm happy thoughts ;D
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2009 0:17:08 GMT
Hi all thanks for the posts.
I'm still not sure what a dx represents though in terms of an official statement of an impediment.
I guess the closest answer was that it is a beginning and that then things are tested, based on the level of impairment. Seems a rocky road in a lot of ways. I mean how do they quantify an impairment?
Does it qualify as a learning difficulty like dyslexia? The reason I ask is that some forms I need to fill in, ask if I have a disability according to the disabilities discrimination act 1995 " a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities" It then asks for a best description amongst several options. ADHD is not mental illness but what is it....?
Thanks Roland,that was very poetic and makes me wonder if we ADHDers are more prone to an aesthetic, romantic bent? It does seem unlikely that we'd be anymore drawn as a group than anyone else, though.
Maybe they meant us when they talk about taking some time to stop and smell the roses...?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2009 19:43:55 GMT
I like feeding the swans and the ducks they take bread out of my hand and the kids like it. I think it is great in someways we can detach ourselves from the hum drum reality.
It happened to me today and i relised at the time that the way i think isnt always bad while everyone else was sweating about the work load i was just not bothered as i dont get boged down in detail as i cant remember enough to do that.
I had also managed to get them more business than they had ever had and was told that if i keep it up for a month we can all have a bonus. This again being an example of somthing everyone else found demeaning and boring i liked, talking to people and telling them about service. ;D
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Post by laura on Sept 19, 2009 20:43:07 GMT
thats fantastic safe ;D im really glad its going well for you. getting paid to talk to people, sounds good i start my new job on tuesday! getting nervous now but excited too ;D
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Post by twix on Sept 19, 2009 21:18:46 GMT
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Post by twix on Sept 19, 2009 21:27:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2009 21:48:05 GMT
Cheers Laura good luck sure be A OK think about how good it will be when everyone is looking at work and your looking at swans and buildings and not getting stressed about hum drum, or getting boged down in small talk or small minded politics from sad little creatures with nothing to do all day but think of ways of bringing people down to their sad petty ways.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2009 22:09:18 GMT
well done for finding those old threads twix!... ;D
-m
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2009 23:45:49 GMT
Thx Twix and everyone else. Those threads were very interesting. This really is such a great site, we are truly fortunate to have (be) it!!!
I think in this context I'll just put learning difficulty. I'll probably just pick and choose on a case by case basis in the future.
One of the advantages of being so mercurial perhaps?
All the best.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2009 14:23:13 GMT
i receive a small DLA benefit. i mean i have several conditions that work together to disable me from certain things - but basically how it works is you have to fill out a 60-page application form (seriously) all about how you're impaired physically or due to anxieties or eating problems (unable to make food due to the inability to think properly enough to plan a meal, for instance), etc. etc. and it's all got to do with: how well could you function by yourself? do you need someone else to help you with certain things, else you'd be stranded? and then they write to your doctors for reports. so yes you need a diagnosis for it, but having the diagnosis doesn't automatically qualify you as 'disabled'.
having said all that, the DLA is nonsense because they claim i don't meet the criteria for sight problems, despite the fact that my tourette's means i can barely walk down the street on my own without running into people, running into light posts, stumbling and falling down stairs, etc. because i just can't see where i'm going, my eyes are ticcing so badly. they say just because i DO go out there and walk and get to work, it means it must not be that bad, whereas the truth of the situation is we need money, therefore i MUST work whether i like it or not, and i have absolutely no choice in the matter so i just live with the daily pain, humiliation and endless accidents. but try getting the govt to understand that.
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Post by .... on Sept 22, 2009 22:19:18 GMT
I can understand why you are frustrated with the government! I've read recently that the government are considering scrapping some kinds of disability benefits and putting the funding under direct control of social services. I'm not convinced that this will improve efficiency or access to help for anyone, and I'm not convinced it will save the tax payer any money once the administrative burden of it is handed to social services. I'm usually pretty good at spotting the advantages of things but this one just makes me cross. www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_102733.pdf (see pg 32) EDIT Should have mentioned, so as not to worry anyone, the paper makes clear that people who currently claim any disability benefits will maintain their current level of support and won't lose out from the changes.
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