Pathways to Work DWP

lizzie7ne

Hi I have been enrolled on a one afternoon course called Mindfullness (psychological appoach in improving pain management) by Pathways to Work of the DWP., so need to go to retain my ESA but also I am willing to have an open mind as I take the view that I will do anything to help control RA.

Today I got a letter from them telling me the afternoon to attend.
The course is being held in a community centre which is basically an old victorian house with narrow steep steps to the three floors.

Now I have poor mobility, have great difficulty walking and standing and stairs are very hard for me. I was awarded ESA because I got enough points on my poor lower limb function.

The letter states: to get to the workshop room, you need to go up one flight of stairs (the narrow winding concrete stairs), to use the toilet you have to go up a second flight of stairs!. Please note there is no lift available!!!.The course lasts 2 and a half hours.

S0 I rang Pathways to work up and said I would be unable to attend the course because the venue is not disabled friendly, it would be impossible for me to climb all these stairs. I thought it was very wrong that due to the venue those with poor mobility would be excluded and that I thought it was disability discrimination
If this was a course to help control pain management well if I struggled up these flights of stairs I would come out worse than when I went in.

They said they would get someone to ring me back. Anyway i had to go out for a physio appointment, when I got back there was a message on my phone to say they were sorry they had made a mistake and the course would be on the ground floor. Personally I dont think they made a mistake and if I hadnt pointed it out to them they would not have done anything about it. Also wondered if it was some kind of benefit agency test, i.e. if I attended the course and could climb all these stairs well then I would not be as disabled as I say I am.

Well enough of my rant



lizzie

lindalegs

Hi Lizzie,

I've fought many similar battles myself - often with colleges when classrooms are upstairs, with no lift and I've stated on enrolment forms that I have poor mobility. :roll: Things are improving nowadays I'm pleased to say.

Well done you for pointing it out ...... but will you still have go upstairs for the loo or are you just going to cross your legs?:?

Enjoy the course.

Luv Legs

lizzie7ne

Hi Linda

Well I hope I dont have to cross my legs!!!. They are ringing back on Monday, to be honest I dont believe the letter was an error. However the building in question does have a large room downstairs as well as some offices, I am presuming there is a toilet on the ground floor and its suitable for disabled people. There is no way I am climbing two flights of stairs to go to the loo.


lizzie

dolittle

Hi Lizzie,
Sounds fishy ... like a DWP Undercover Fact Finding Mission! Would an intelligent, and we must presume they are, person whose job it is to organise this event be so dumb as to arrange it upstairs? Mmmm makes you wonder ....

I wondered if there was a loo to go with the 'big room downstairs' - I really do hope so, especially if you're on water tablets!!!!!!

Seriously, I hope it's useful to you.
Dolittle

tkachev

I am glad you stood your ground.I have been to restaurants where I could not climb the stairs to the loo so was unable to drink anything with my meal and I have a weak bladder too!I live in dread of situations like this.If you cant do it you cant do it.....

Elizabeth

naseebapnaapna

the theory about fact finding is good.....but they are just not joined up enough to get the facts to the department in question, so i would say htat you go them to change the rooms. if htey ahdn't maybe otehrs woudlnot have gone either.

hope you get good info formthe course.

take care

n a a

lizzie7ne

Hi an update, just had another phone call from Condtion Management DWP to say that they had given me the wrong information !!!!! the course will be on the ground floor and their is disabled toilet facilities on the ground floor so dont have to climb two flights of stairs. So I said well yes I would go now, since they have made it accessible to me.


lizzie

lindalegs

Good for you Lizzie. These battles are worth fighting to make our lives more comfortable, trouble is we shouldn't have to fight in the first place should we? :roll:

Well done and enjoy the course.

Luv Legs