So that wheelchair/Frame/Scooter users can travel around the beautiful city easily and hassle free. Personally as a young wheelchair user living in Portsmouth I know how hard it can be to get around the city and into buildings without having to take longer routes or going into the back entrances of buildings due to lack of disabled access.

Many people, elderly or disabled, cannot climb in and out of a bath. In social housing if the bath has been removed then it has to be replaced at the end of a tenancy, even if it's been replaced by a modern walk-in shower although showers are acceptable in private housing. Please stop this law that came into force when showers did not exist. It's outdated, expensive and should be changed.

Our son who is now 14 falls between severe and moderate learning needs, he is autistic, has chronic lung disease, requires gastric tube feeding and is prone to infection. He also is partially deaf and cannot process words easily. Surrey Education agreed with us that home education was his best option due to the issues he has. However this removes access to speech and language therapy and other communication support as the budget goes to the special needs schools, not the child. This has to change to allow his parents to provide the best support for him. We can of course go private but due to cost this is not a viable option. We need the law changed to give the education and special needs budget to the child. Educating at home is not an easy option to choose, but to limit our options is not only unfair but boarding discrimination.

Cliffden in Teignmouth, Devon, the Lauriston in Weston-super-Mare and Windermere Manor in the Lake District. These hotels are constantly used by blind people and their families and they are essential for these families to have relaxing holidays as they can meet similar people with these disabilities and who understand there requirements and needs.

If Torbay council can get this through, then every council in the land will be punishing the disabled and poor families, for being poor. What is being proposed? They are proposing to make ten changes that are listed below to the current scheme from 1 April 2017: Reducing the maximum level of support to 55% of the council tax charge Restrict the maximum level of support to the equivalent of a band C property charge Savings limit of £3,000 Removal of the family premium Reducing backdating for new claims to one month Basing the reduction on a set minimum income for self-employed earners after one year’s self-employment Reducing the period a person can be absent from Great Britain and still receive a reduction to four weeks Removing the work related activity component for new ESA applicants Limiting the number of dependent children within the calculation to a maximum of two Removing entitlement to Severe Disability Premium where another person is paid Universal Credit (Carers Element) The last one is really poisonous, remove entitlement to Carers!!! Please spread this story, you never know when you may be struggling with sickness. Thank you for your time.

The ancient legal principle that the Government is not above the law is being flouted by the DWP's implementation of benefits sanctions. David had his benefits repeatedly sanctioned by Jobcentre Plus officials. This resulted in him being unable to control his diabetes because he had no money for food. This caused diabetic ulcers. These became infected and he had to have a leg amputated. All these sanctions were eventually overturned, but it was too late. Other cases of illegal benefits sanctions we are fighting include claimants with learning disabilities, mental health problems and physical impairments having their benefits stopped for being unable to get to totally unsuitable appointments. The imposition of unachievable requirements by the DWP, and then the removal of benefits for being unable to meet such requirements, breaches the Equality Act and a set of legal principles governing the way public bodies should behave called Public Law. We support over 500 people to get benefits reinstated each year. Last year we recovered £507,393 for claimants. Help fight back against the destruction of the social security system fought for by our ancestors. We are also interested in launching a class action class action so if you have been affected by illegal benefit sanctions, please get in touch with us at [email protected].

There is mental health funding in Birmingham and Walsall that is meant to provide advocates to those that struggle and need assistance or prompting to be able to live independently with mental health day to day. This support helps people to get outside and live their lives by giving them confidence and support. I’ve tried to access this support and have been told there are no available advocates. Without this support many patients end up housebound. It’s like a mental health postcode lottery. I’m a mum and it really pains me to see my children missing out on making lovely memories during their summer holidays, because I can’t access the help I and many others suffering in silence need, to manage anxiety and depression, bipolar and many more mental illnesses. I'd say cuts to NHS mental health is wrong ... how are people meant to get better if theres no one there to reach out to in time of need... 😕 I feel strongly about this matter ... Call it personal experience ... Age , race , sex , rich or poor....... Mental illness can affect anyone ....

It creates fear, anxiety, distress and an exacerbation of a disabled persons conditions. If somebody has to travel out of area for an assessment it may cause the individual pain, anxiety, panic attacks and other symptoms of their illnesses. People have the right to be treated with respect and dignity. It is not the individuals fault that they are sick and need to rely on the state for financial support. Many people with disabilities have worked and been active members of society. Illness can happen to any of us. People are human with feelings and should not be made to feel humiliated and undeserving whilst attending assessments. An empathetic nature is vital when carrying out health assessments. Nearly all disabled people want to continue working, Nobody wants to struggle financially, have their independence taken away and experience life changing illnesses. The assessors need to be aware of this. It's important to ensure that if somebody is suffering from a mental health illness they are assessed by somebody that works in the Mental health field. If somebody has Parkinsons Disease they need to be assessed by somebody who works in Neurology. An assessor can not understand and individuals needs if they have no knowledge of the illness. Claimants have been unable to attend their assessments because it has been too far to travel. This must be taken into account . It's obvious that if somebody is in a wheelchair it's going to be difficult for them or if somebody is agoraphobic getting to an assessment centre may be impossible. Claimants should not be sanctioned if they have a genuine reason for not being able to turn up. There should be a complete overhaul of the way assessments are devised, dealt with and carried out by Atos and DWP. Disabled people are committing suicide because of the way they have been treated by this organisation the number of which is being hidden from the public. The true statistics should be published

Help us protect our Crisis Line in Bristol! Earlier this month, Bristol Mental Health (BMH) announced the proposed closure of the crisis line from the end of November 2016. Some concerned users of the crisis line have expressed anxiety over the potential changes, sharing that they worry they would "lose a valuable service" that has helped them 'throughout the last eighteen months or so', approximately how long the line has been operational. With at least one in four people experiencing a mental health issue in their lifetime, now is the time for increased and clear mental health support that is easily accessible for all. We feel that there needs to be more improved signposting, with clear and easily accessible information available for people wanting to use mental health services and seek support. We want to ensure that any changes to the crisis line are in the best interests of those currently accessing services, and those that may access Bristol’s mental health services in the the future. We will be meeting with BMH and Bristol CCG on 9th September to discuss the crisis line further, and will also announce a date for an open meeting to get wider views in the near future. In the meantime, please join us in ensuring proper scrutiny of the future of our Crisis Line and spread the word of this vital campaign by signing and sharing this petition to show you are with us when we meet with them. If you want to get in touch about this campaign, or share your experience of using the Crisis Line, then please drop BIMHN Secretary, Tom, an email at: [email protected] References 1. BIMHN article breaking the story: http://bimhn.org.uk/news/bristol-crisis-line-closure/ 2. Bristol Cable article: https://thebristolcable.org/2016/08/mental-health-crisis-line-to-close-oh-wait/ 3. Second BMH Statement: http://bristolmentalhealth.org/news-and-events/bristol-mental-health-news/2016/august/statement-regarding-bmhs-crisis-line/ 4. Latest BIMHN statement and link to third statement from BMH: http://bimhn.org.uk/news/response-latest-crisis-line-statement/ 5. Updated BIMHN news article on the campaign, including latest statement from BMH: http://bimhn.org.uk/news/crisis-line-update/

The term ‘Short Breaks’ for families of disabled children, conjures up a beautiful and relaxed vision of families merrily enjoying weekends away, holidays abroad and special, celebratory times with family and all at the expense of the tax payer, when in reality this could not be further from the truth. These short breaks are periods of respite for the families giving them precious time to spend with their other children whose needs are, through sheer necessity, often placed a distant second to their disabled sibling’s complex care needs. This time often allows families do the ordinary everyday tasks that many of us take for granted, such as homework, going swimming, maybe a trip to the cinema and spending priceless time with their parents. Parents often carry out the more mundane domestic tasks such as washing, cleaning and shopping during these times. Other parents access these services to enable them to take part in social activities, maintain friendships and relationships, and access further training or have some simple down time to recuperate so they are able to continue to care for their child at home. The few short hours our special children spend at the specialised after-school clubs, Youth Clubs, Holiday Play Schemes, Saturday Clubs and overnight breaks, with highly trained staff who can meet their complex needs, enables many parents to continue to work full time and provide valuable financial contributions to the economy and local community. The short breaks undeniably enable families to cope with their extraordinary day to day life. The withdrawal of these short breaks will have a catastrophic effect on some families who will quickly become unable to cope and will be faced with one of the most heart breaking decisions any parent will be forced to make, which is to move their child into a residential setting, thus splitting their family forever. Our special children simply cannot access mainstream activities, no matter how much we would love this to be the case and these short breaks give each and every one of them the opportunity to socialise with their peers, to laugh, to play, to be children – how can anyone deny them this? Would it be acceptable to close all of the mainstream playgrounds, groups, holiday schemes, after-school clubs and social activities? The answer to this we are sure, would be a resounding NO! Parents of our special children must invest huge amounts of time and energy to meet the care requirements and demands of their disabled children and they do this without question and at great personal cost, as this is what parents do for their children. The savings being made are potentially equal to the cost just one child moving into residential care? By keeping the funding in place you will support hundreds of children and families for the same cost as one in care.

Ryanair threatened to leave two disabled octogenarians and myself aged 76 at Malaga airport because we were unable to download inbound boarding cards, which they do not allow to be downloaded before the outbound flight. We could not download them in Spain because we do not own smartphones. We were humiliated at the airport and forced to scrabble around for the cash. The stress has had an effect on all three of us and spoiled what had been a recuperative holiday. Michael O'Leary, the Chief Exec. of Ryanair told me personally that I should have bought on at an internet café or an hotel." Why not just allow them to be downloaded before flying?" I asked him. I have not yet had a reply to this simple question. Many people have been fined in this way and I would like them to sign this petition. I have two letters from O'Leary refusing to return our money.

In February and March 2012 my 11 year old daughter, Sophie, was put in a ‘spit hood’ by Sussex Police officers on at least three occasions. Sophie has a rare neurological disability, similar to autism, that can cause her to act in ways that people find challenging. She can become very upset when she is over-stimulated and can sometimes spit out of frustration. I had never heard of a ‘spit hood’ until one was used on my daughter. It is a material bag that goes over someone’s head with a drawstring to tighten it. Sussex Police allows its officers to put spit hoods on anyone who is spitting, regardless of whether they are a hardened adult criminal or a terrified 11 year old disabled girl who isn’t in control of her actions. I cannot describe how traumatic it was for Sophie to be hooded by police officers. Due to her disability she finds it very upsetting to have someone even touch her head. Having strangers put a bag over her head when she was already extremely distressed was profoundly shocking for her and she still hasn’t fully recovered from the experience over four years later. In June 2016 the Independent Police Complaints Commission published its report into Sophie’s treatment by the police. It found that 11 police officers and one member of police staff had cases to answer for misconduct. However, the IPCC wasn’t able to criticise the repeated use of the spit hoods as this was authorised by Sussex Police policy. Obviously it is not a pleasant experience to be spat at; however, the risk to police officers needs to be balanced against the very real psychological and physical risks to children who are subjected to this shocking treatment. Several of the largest policy forces around the country, including West Midlands Police and Merseyside Police, do not authorise the use of spit hoods on anyone let alone on children. In 2009 a man died after he was placed in a spit hood and became unwell in a Peterborough police station. In the wake of national media coverage about Sophie’s case (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/08/ipcc-criticises-sussex-police-treatment-11-year-old-disabled-girl) Sussex Police confirmed that it would not stop its officers from hooding children. I think this is wrong. The police do an important and difficult job, but I don’t think they should be allowed to treat children in an inhuman, degrading and dangerous way. If you agree with me please sign this petition and call on Sussex Police to stop using spit hoods on children. Thank you. Note: names have been changed for legal reasons.