https://www.normalisland.co.uk/p/disabled-people-are-not-riding-around
Normal Island News
2 hours ago

Sorry folks, but I’m breaking character today because Nigel Farage has pissed me off and I need to set the record straight. He recently posted this drivel on social media:

Farage is misleading you by giving the impression these cars are given away. Here’s the truth: disabled people get the option of leasing a car through the Motability Scheme. There are strict requirements, such as qualifying for:

Enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Enhanced rate mobility of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) or higher rate of Child Disability Payment (Scotland)

Armed Forces Independence Payment or War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement

Many of these cars require an upfront payment and that varies depending on the vehicle. Disabled people give up their mobility payments for these vehicles, but they still pay for fuel and repairs, etc. The vehicle is typically returned at the end of a three-year lease. As you can see, that is very different from people getting free cars.

You can’t have missed the massive dehumanisation of disabled people in this country. We have the likes of MP Helen Whateley and journalist Daisy Eastlake dedicating their lives to making disabled people poorer. It seems they’d rather take the Motability car from a disabled person than tax the rich a penny more.

When Nigel Farage says he’ll reform our broken welfare system, he means he’ll punish disabled people. It’s so perverse, it makes my head want to explode.

As many of you know I have a disabled child. He is two-years-old, wheelchair bound, and partially sighted. Until recently, we were squeezing him into a baby seat that doubles up as a buggy. This was the only way we could get him into a car. A regular car seat is no good because he can’t support his head. We were given a specialised car seat from the government and guess what? That doesn’t support his head either!

We take our son to regular appointments, typically once or twice a week. At a recent appointment, his support workers looked at his car seat / buggy and said he can’t continue like this.

We discussed the possibility of a motability vehicle and were given a list of the ones available. We were told we can’t apply until our son is three-years-old. The only one suitable for our specialised needs required a £13,000 deposit!

We were basically told to muddle through the next 12 months and somehow cobble together that money. I’m not trying to turn this into a pity party because there might be other options for us to get a car. I’m simply pointing out how damaging the bullshit from the likes of Farage is.

I posted on social media to discuss Farage’s claim versus our reality, and the bile I got in return was unreal. I was told I must be lying because the vehicles are not that expensive. I was told I must’ve been trying to buy a Range Rover for that price! I was told that transporting my son can’t be a problem because we get DLA. I was even told I was a failure as a parent!

No one should have to explain their child’s disability to the world, but this is an important learning moment, so let’s go through this.

First, my point was not that we want or expect a free vehicle. While I think people with special needs should get free use of a car in some circumstances, we would be happy to lease one. Also, we are not looking for something fancy. We would take the cheapest vehicle that is suitable for our needs!

Now let me explain our reality. Yesterday, I took my son to the dentist. I had to put him on my knee in a taxi. When we were heading home, our first taxi didn’t turn up. I sat outside for 45 minutes in the cold with my son. He was crying for about half that time.

Bear in mind, he has several appointments a week with a team of people dedicated to keeping him alive. Sometimes they come to our home and sometimes we have telephone meetings, but often we have to travel.

Our whole life is centred around our son’s needs—we literally live under mountains of medical supplies! Not only is he wheelchair-bound, but he is fed by a machine and takes seven different medications. We have to constantly monitor him to ensure he doesn’t puke or have a seizure.

When we take him places, we have to take his stuff with us, unless it’s a very short trip. Imagine how fun it is when we need to change nappies.

Any trip with our son is a massive challenge, and he is not an only child. Either his siblings come along, or we’re both taking time out of work. Everything we do has to be planned with military precision.

All of this means that a motability car is not some expensive luxury, it’s a necessity. As my son grows, things will only get harder, yet we were told that he wouldn’t get a blue badge.

I’m not gonna pretend I’m clued up on all the rules and regulations. Everything about disability allowances is a minefield that seems designed to put people off applying.

Now, to the idiot who said we get DLA to cover our costs. You’re right, we do get DLA. We didn’t get a penny for the first two years of our son’s life, but we’re getting it now. We’re not spending that money on transport though. We’re putting it towards physio because the NHS only provides one one-hour session per fortnight. That physio is absolutely essential.

Our son’s neurological condition causes seizures and high electrical activity in the brain. It leads to severe developmental delay—and many affected children never show meaningful development. Our son has shown development and that means there’s a chance he’ll one day learn to walk. Realistically, that won’t be until he is five or six.

It was a coin-flip that he even made it this far, but thankfully, he’s stable and his condition is settling down (it’s much worse in the first two years of life). It’s crucial that we capitalise on this moment with physio while his brain is still neuro-plastic. If we don’t, he will likely be wheelchair bound his whole life.

What all this means is yet more appointments, just to give him a chance. Idiots like Nigel Farage want to take away the ability of families like ours to get around. Now you understand why he pissed me off?