Work Hurts

One of the key questions asked by our Atos Stories play is - what is wrong with getting disabled people out to work? After all, isn't that what disabled people want? Minister after minister will often preach these points, the reforms of the 2012 Welfare Act are all about enabling, empowering,preventing people from languishing on sickness benefits.

The answer is, of course it is, except that...

1. Despite the Disability Discrimination Act many employers still will choose a non disabled person above a disabled every time This is worse in times of high unemployment.

2. The nature of many disabilities (Crohn's Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, mental health) mean people have periods of good health, and periods of poor health. For such individuals to be able to hold down a job, they need sympathetic employers. Employers who enable part time working, flexible work arrangements. Employers who ensure that the employee is not overloaded with work so they spiral into ill-health, and who are supportive when employees need time off due to a flare up of their condition. How many employers do you know like that?

3. Many work places aren't physically adapted to the needs of individuals with disabilities, chairs, lighting, ventilation can make a sick person sicker.

4. Some people who are just too sick to work.  According to the DWP's own figures 32 people a week died between January and August 2011 after Atos found them fit enough to be in the work related activity group. In other words, they weren't languishing on a benefit deprived of the right to work. They were being provided with sufficient finances to live out their days in dignity and peace.


Without the right supports, without the right environment, without the right attitudes, work ALWAYS hurts.

It is time the wealthy millionaire non-disabled ministers in the Cabinet woke up to the fact. Otherwise people will continue to be put through an endless cycle of continual reassessment, and oh yes, they'll keep on dying too..

You can't be disabled because...

We are keen to break up the monologues version of the play with interludes, so we're putting out random questions on twitter and facebook. This one resulted in a phenomenal number of replies & they're still coming in. Lots of black humour, but also lots to enrage us. Thanks to all who participated, here are the answers to:

You can’t be disabled because…

First they came for the disabled.

We can't see PTSD and we've never heard of a hippocampus.

You do not meet my limited definition of being disabled

You drive an Audi. How would you afford it? It would be too difficult for a disabled person to get in.

You can text a friend

You fell for that old chestnut of attending this interview?

You can tweet

You watch TV and soaps and can sit comfortably for half an hour

The reflex test says so. Erm, reflex corresponding to ruptured disc is lower down, you professional, you

You've brushed your hair and you're wearing a nice coat

You can still stick two fingers up at WCAs 

'I saw you stand up!'

You're too young

You can pick up a £1 coin

"You seem alright to me"

"You're smiling"

You look butch. Can't be anything wrong with you.

You could fill in the form

The govt wants all your money simples

You answered questions that was asked

You travelled by bus

You don’t soil yourself every day.

You’re still breathing

You can spell your name backwards

You hold eye contact

You got dressed this morning.

You don’t look disabled enough to me

You brushed your teeth this morning.

You can deadlift 250lbs comfortably... doesn't mean the base of my spine isn't worn away. I can touch my toes too, same deal.

You’re faking it.

You can’t have PTSD because "you've never been in a war zone"

You're not a dribbling, disheveled lunatic howling at the moon and threatening to axe people to death

You’re at university.

You have a girl friend.

You don’t look autistic

You can talk

I cannot see anything wrong with you

You moved your leg.

You can lift an empty box up to waist height.

You’re so pretty.

You can’t be disabled because of Tory ideology.

If Atos were an animal what would it be?

We wanted to liven up the monologue version of our play a bit, so we asked the question of our twitter and FB friends - "If Atos were an animal what would it be?" Our internet friends did us proud!

A cockroach

A tapeworm living in the body politic

Maybe a phoenix, always comes back. Or a flightless Rhea - it has the means, but doesn't know how to.

Not a real animal but an Orc & their HQ as Mordor.I also have a nickname for them "Napoleon's Revenge

I like to think of it as a virus. Like herpes

Some animals seem cruel and vicious to us, but they have no capacity for compassion, mercy or conscience - what's Atos's excuse?

A rat

AWWWW dont insult the rats, my remii and cappit were cute. What about a vulture instead?

Son suggests a leech might be adequate. Blood suckers !!!!

Does a vampire count as an animal?

They could be the European cousin of the Great Vampire Squid Goldman Sucks.

How about a mosquito?

A parasitic wasp

A snake in the grass

A rattlesnake with toothache

A ravenous wolf

Medusa

Necrotising fasciitis.

"ATOS KILLS"

"Atos Kills" is a pretty powerful slogan. And a pretty powerful indictment of a "healthcare" company that is supposed to be about ensuring the right people are supported back to work. But it's a fair slogan when you consider even Chris Grayling recognises 31 people have died whilst waiting for the outcome of their assessment. When you see heartbreaking stories about people committing suicide, dying of heart attack or long term illness following Atos assessments. When you take a moment to read the real stories of real people on Calum's list http://calumslist.org/.

Just one person dying because of a bad assessment hasn't recognised how ill they are is bad. Thirty is terrible. But now the Mirror has uncovered the real truth. Between January and August 2011, 1,100 people have died following assessment by Atos and being found to be fit for work related activity. ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE. That's not 30 people in a year, that's THIRTY TWO A WEEK.

"Atos Kills" isn't a slogan. It's a reality. Shouldn't they be up on manslaughter charges?

Bravehearts

Woke up this morning to a message that the Scottish GPs have called to an end to WCA and Atos  involvement in them. It is really heartening to see the medical profession in Scotland come out so strongly against tests we all know are inhumane, unjustified and causing unnecessary pain and hardship. It is also thanks to the campaigning of the wonderful folk at Black Triangle that this has happened. We hope that this is just the start of health professionals everywhere uniting with us in condemnation of a company that is clearly so unfit for this work.

Press release follows.

BLACK TRIANGLE ANTI-DEFAMATION CAMPAIGN IN DEFENCE OF DISABILITY RIGHTS PRESS RELEASE

John McArdle                         0777 831 6875            

info@blacktrianglecampaign.org

http://blacktrianglecampaign.org

Scotland’s GP’s call for an end to controversial ‘fit for work’ tick-box tests carried out by French IT company ‘with immediate effect’

Scotland’s GP’s have today called to an end to the Government’s controversial computer-based ‘Work Capability Assessments’ carried out by French IT multinational Atos Origin for the DWP with ‘'immediate effect’:

http://www.bma.org.uk/images/slmc2011agenda_tcm41-212139.pdf
60 Lothian: That this conference, in respect of Work Capability Assessments (WCA) as performed by ATOS Healthcare, believes that:
i. the inadequate computer-based assessments that are used have little regard to the nature or complexity of the needs of long term sick and disabled persons
ii. the WCA should end with immediate effect and be replaced with a rigorous and safe system that does not cause avoidable harm to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society

The Scottish-based disability rights and advocacy group Black Triangle was instrumental in getting the motion tabled at the Scottish Local Medical Committee’s (SLMC) conference at Clydebank.

Dr. Stephen Carty who works as a GP in the Leith area of Edinburgh and who is an active member of the campaign said:

“I welcome the support of the Scottish LMC conference on this matter.

This sends a ray of hope to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society.

It also sends a clear message to other representative bodies including the General Medical Council (GMC) of the significant concerns shared by many GPs across the country.”

He said that “In my opinion the current contractual arrangements between the DWP and General Practice are unsustainable. The WCA as performed by ATOS is not an effective or safe method of determining "fitness to work" and this must be addressed.”

He continued: “All doctors are duty bound by the GMC to report any system or process that may be harmful to patients. The WCA is a harmful process. Scottish GPs have spoken: the GMC cannot remain silent on this matter any longer”

John McArdle, a founding member of Black Triangle said:

“The scandal of these assessments has gone on far too long. As a grassroots disabled people’s organisation we are over the moon that Scotland’s GP’s have spoken out so clearly and unequivocally in their condemnation. Our GP’s recognise the severe and avoidable damage that is being done to sick and disabled people through this brutal, draconian and profoundly unjust testing regime as they see it every single day. It must be halted now – ‘with immediate effect’.- before any further harm results and whilst the GMC launches a thorough investigation. They can no longer remain silent. They must act. ”

Atos Stories - coming soon...

You'd be forgiven for thinking we were a bit full of it, as we've collected a load of stories and not done much with them... But we can promise you we haven't been idle. The last few months have been spent organising material, writing the play and getting feedback about whether it works. (And like most of you we've also been getting a bit hot under the collar about the Welfare Reform and Health Bills, but that's another story).

We've had helpful comments from enough people to know that the play is on its way to being performable, and some good folk are going to workshop a few scenes. We've also had a think about how to get the play out to as many people as possible and we realise that we need to have two versions.

Atos Stories is more complex to stage and takes the essence of the stories we've collected rather than the individual detail. It has songs and dance, and a lot of physical action. It will probably take a fair bit of rehearsal time and be more costly to put on.

The Atos Monologues will be much simpler to do. It gives space to more of the stories which are rearranged in the form of conversations.It could be performed by one person or twenty and should be a cheaper and easier option.

So we'll make both available and if you want to perform, it will be entirely up to you to choose the one that works best for you.

In addition we'll also be posting key scenes which we think will work well as Street Theatre. There's one scene that has a particular Olympics flavour, so if there's anywhere safe to protest in London in the summer, we're hoping some of you might be interested.

So watch this space, postings coming soon...

And please do email us if you want to get involved atosstories@gmail.com

Dear Iain (& Chums...)

Dear Iain& chums,

We read today that you are pressing on with you disastrous reforms. That you don't believe people are suffering as a result of the Welfare Reform Bill.

You say this despite the wealth of concerns of disabled and seriously ill people, their carers and supporters. Despite the fact you've been defeated in the Lords 4 times over ESA and housing benefit, only narrowly avoiding a 5th because of Lib Dems too cowardly to defy the whip over DLA. Despite the twitter storm caused by the Spartacus Report and the wealth of stories of hardship and hurt that have appeared in newspapers of all political persuasions in the past fortnight.

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when the message boards of disability and carer groups are full of stories of distress and fear of the DWP and Atos assessments?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering  when 40% of ESA claimants (those that have the energy and support to do so) appeal their status of "fit for work"?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when terminally ill people receive letters from the DWP stating they are fit for work?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when 4 of the authors of the Spartacus Report have been in ill-health due to the stress of campaigning? And when Sue Marsh has ended up in a hospital bed?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when Sue is turned down for DLA, when Kaliya Franklin (@BendyGirl) and 500,000 others like her won't qualify for PIP, despite being too sick to get out of the house most days?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when your housing benefit caps stop families with disabled members being able to move to a house big enough for their needs?


You say you want fairness, to create less dependency, to help the most vulnerable. But you seem oblivious to the fact that  your policies do the opposite.

Everywhere we look people are suffering. It's time you opened your eyes and saw it too.