Post on 16-Jul-2015
Version 2 using Photosymbols and more complex language
Questions to ask Candidates
Self-advocacy means speakingup for yourself.
23 self advocacy projects shut down last year.This makes it harder for people to learn how to speak up for themselves.How will you help if I vote for you?
There is a law called the mental capacity act.
Mental capacity law helps people to make choices.
It is not used properly.People with learning disabilities don’t get choices or people choose for them.How will you help if I vote for you?
Some people with learning disabilities have children.They don’t always get the right help.Sometimes they have to give up their children.How will you help if I vote for you?
Hate crime is when disabled people get hurt. Disabled people might be attacked or called names.It is getting worse.Powerful people need to stop hate crime.How will you help if I vote for you?
People carry out hate crime againstdisabled people.The criminals are not being punished.They do not always go to prison.How will you help if I vote for you?
Social care is very importantfor disabled people.A lot of the money has been taken away.
There isn’t enough money for social care.How will you help if I vote for you?
Disabled people have had cuts to the money that help them.They have had more cuts than anyone else.People with the most needs have lost 6 times as much money as other people.How will you help if I vote for you?
People in power talk about benefit fraud a lot.This makes disabled people sound like scroungers.Tax fraud is 15 times worse than benefit fraud.
But benefit fraud is talked about more.This gives disabled people a bad name. How will you help if I vote for you?
The cost of social care makesdisabled people poorer.It makes it harder for people to get help.How will you help if I vote for you?
Disabled people often need a lot of support.
When a person’s family supports them they often are the first to suffer from cuts.They are the first to receive social cuts.How will you help if I vote for you?
The Independent Living Fund allows people with disabilities to live at home.
If this is stopped there will lesshelp for disabled people.This means they will not be able to live in their own homes.How will you help if I vote for you?
Disability Living Allowance coversthe extra costs that a disabled person must pay because of their disabilities.
This is to be changed into thePersonal Independence Payments.The Personal Independence Payments only covers some of these costs.
This change would cut disabledpeople’s money by £1.5 billion.
It would put more pressure on social care.How will you help if I vote for you?
The Work Capability Assessment is a test used to choose if a person can getthe Employment and Support Allowance.It is bad for the health of disabled people.
80% of disabled people do not feel like they have been listened to in the test.How will you help if I vote for you?
Most adults who have learning disabilities do not have jobs.Only 7% do.In this 7% most of the jobs are part time.The average rate for average people to have jobs is 73%.This is a big difference.How will you help if I vote for you?
Someone with a learning disability can still easily get ill.Often illness is over looked.It is put down as our learning disability instead.Doctors and nurses are not checking us for illness properly.People are dying.How will you help if I vote for you?
There are many treatments in the healthcare system. A lot of these would be good for people with learning disabilities.Often we are not allowed these.
Sometimes we are given poor treatments instead.This is not fair.How will you help if I vote for you?
Lots of people with learning disabilities have to live far from home.
This makes it harder for friends andfamily to visit.
Friends and family need to know they are safe.Over 3,000 people live far from home.
People in these placed might be abused.These places have still not been closed.How will you help if I vote for you?
The Housing Benefit rules have been changed.
Now adults who are under 35 can only get shared housing.
This means they cannot have a house of their own.
This makes having a real home very difficult.How will you help if I vote for you?
Everybody should have their own home.Most people with learning disabilities do not.Only 15% of people with learning disabilities have their own home.
How will you help if I vote for you?
People with physical disabilities need homes to suit their needs.Most housing does not cater for them.
This makes most housing out of reach for people with physical disabilities.
How will you help if I vote for you?
Someone with a learning disability should be close to their family if possible.
It is easy to move people with learning disabilities away from their family. It is hard to bring them back to their family. That is wrong.How will you help if I vote for you?
Annual Health Checks are important. Action needs to be takenafter these checks.
Health Action Plans tell youhow to keep healthy and whathelp you can get.
More people need these.How will you help if I vote for you?
These slides have been adapted in an attempt to support people with Learning Disabilities to understand more about the issues which have been raised by the Learning Disability Alliance. Total Communication is committed to supporting people to understand and also to speak out . Easy read or accessible information is one way of helping to achieve this. We have made an attempt to simplify the language and the concepts but have no wish to be precious, if the images or wording don’t work for people please feel free to alter them. There are 2 versions available using Photosymbols one with simpler language and concepts. And one where we have retained most of the language and concepts from the original work by the LDA. This version has been made using Boardmaker symbols, some symbols have been adapted or created in an attempt to convey some of the concepts.
We would like to acknowledge the following people for their help in producing the materials: Speech and Language Therapy Students -‐ Emma Dixon, Serena Butler, Sophie Gordon & Vanessa McGill. Communication Development workers -‐ Amir Uddin and Mark Booth. Peter Le Grys from Photosymbols for access to the library of images. All of whom gave up their own time to help.
Boardmaker symbols: Picture Communication Symbols © copyright by Mayer-‐Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission. For facts and figures go to: http://bit.ly/wrong-‐list Alison Matthews & Shahnaz Ashraf , Total Communication Organisation