" A disabled woman from Thamesmead has started a petition to stop people on benefits having to travel so far for assessments. Claudette Lawrence, 49, is an activist and campaigner who also suffers with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which can cause extreme mental and physical exhaustion. She has set up the petition because she has recently come into contact with a lot of people who are having problems when it comes to their benefits. The petition calls for the minister for disabled people, health and work, Sarah Newton, to work with the government to stop people with mental and physical disabilities attending medical assessments a long way from where they live." Stop making people travel unfair distances for disability assessments petition here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petiti...o-attend-assessments-that-are-far-from-home-2 rest of article here: https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk...ed-people-travelling-for-benefit-assessments/
petition now at (drumroll please) .......... 62,856 eta: petition: " Please clamp down on Atos, Capita and Maximus and make sure they: - Don't make anyone travel for more than 90 minutes to a PIP or ESA assessment - Don't require an expensive letter from a GP to prove someone can't make the journey - Make sure that everyone who needs an assessment at home is given one Why is this important? People with long term disabilities are often asked to attend assessment centres that are too far for them to travel. This causes undue stress and expense as they are also being asked to pay up to £40 for private letters from their GP to prove they can't make the journey. People who are on benefits due to ill health, cannot afford to pay for private letters. There is a risk that people who are entitled to PIP or ESA will lose out, causing hardship and suffering."
Exhaustion is too easily conflated with tiredness and fatigue. If people accept ME as exercise intolerance, they will question headlines like "Got ME? Get Out And Exercise". They will think "Hang on a minute, exercise makes ME patients worse". I think a great disservice has been done to ME patients by conflating ME with chronic fatigue.
