I have suffered with fibromyalgia for the last 10 years or so and the pain just gets worse on a daily basis. All I'm told is I have to live with the pain as there's nothing they can do for me.

Wheelchair users are being discriminated against every day, in all walks of life - education, work, homebuilding and social life. They are being denied access to buildings, venues and premises that other people in our society enjoy. Non-wheelchair users are often unaware of the obstacles wheelchair users face. Wheelchair users may want to join in with things but are being denied the opportunity to. The world puts up so many barriers . For instance, going to the theatre is an experience enjoyed and cherished by many families, especially during the festive season. However, like many other activities, theatres and shows often fail to be wheelchair accessible. Although the accessibility of venues has improved, wheelchair access is often forgotten, or indeed never thought about. I acquired my disability in 2010, and was plunged into a World that I didn’t know existed. I found that I couldn’t go here, couldn’t go there, couldn’t do this, couldn’t do that. It’s torture. The Equality Act describes disability as a ‘protected characteristic’. However, the Act is neither monitored nor enforced. If I think someone is in breach of the Act, it is up to me personally to raise a court action. As the majority of wheelchair users will be surviving on DLA/PIP, this means that this is outwith the realms of affordability for most of us. Is it deliberately cost prohibitive? This Act is nothing more than lip service – a façade to wrongly give the impression that the Government gives a damn. I was concerned about the number of premises which appeared to be inaccessible in the City Centre of my home town of Edinburgh, so I undertook my own accessibility survey. The results revealed some gobsmacking figures. I surveyed 130 properties on Lothian Road/Bread Street/Grassmarket on the West side of the City Centre. A massive 95 (73%) are NOT wheelchair accessible. This is Edinburgh, home of the Edinburgh International Festival and World famous Hogmanay celebrations and Scotland’s capital city, in the 21st Century. It’s appalling. This means that I would have to raise 95 court actions! Everyone who asked what I was doing during the survey made the same comment – “I thought everywhere was/had to be accessible now/these days”. I am not niaive to believe that this situation is confined to one City. The issue exists in every village, town and City, UK-wide. Wheelchair access needs to be a pre-requisite of planning permission for old AND new buildings. Inaccessible premises change ownership, undergo extensive refurbishment and re-open as ‘newly opened’ businesses, and are still inaccessible! How is this being allowed to happen?

Over 65s are as likely if not more likely to need these payments as their younger counterparts. As people get older their joints and body become less able to cope with public transport especially if they have disabilities, but they also need to be able to remain independent in order to maintain their quality of life.

Children with autism need extra support to enable them to play football and participate in other sports and activities. This support isn’t available in mainstream activities. Children with autism and adhd benefit from physical activities and feeling part of a team also boosts their self esteem. Children with autism deserve the same opportunities as other kids to participate in football and other activities.

The UN committee on disability rights have asserted that the UK government have systematically failed to meet its commitments to the disabled. The outsourcing of PIP assessment constitute a significant part of that systematic failure.

This is a crucial topic that must be addressed more, this is because 1 in 5 people will have some sort of disability. There are 11 million people with disabilities in the UK and there are unfortunately only 5 disabled MP's. This is why i would like to change this and allow everyone to be represented in the UK.

It is unfair that local residents and visitors who cannot use stairs should have to make their way to other stations. We demand a lift be installed to correct this injustice.

I am a support worker and much to my shame I had not thought of this until a tenant mentioned it this week as she likes to be independent, she likes to be involved in all aspects of her life and you would think this would be an easy one. Anyone with sight difficulties would have to go around carrying a magnifying glass to see most of these dates. A simple fix would be for food manufacturers to increase the size of these labels.

Although now retired the bond between Dave and Jarvis is extremely powerful. Not only has Jarvis been a wonderful guide to Dave but he has been and continues to be a great ambassador for the charity. In his time Dave has filled many volunteer roles with Guide Dogs as a branch chair, Volunteer Liaison Officer for the region, a speaker and fundraiser as well as organising the regional Guide Dog carol Service. Jarvis is a very nervous dog who frets when not around Dave yet Guide Dogs are using his welfare as a reason to remove him. How would removing him be good for that welfare in his old age. Jarvis is well known throughout the Church Of England and is known and loved by so many.

My Son has missed out alot of his childhood which should be "the best days of our lives" and he's only 8. He's got a disability along with other issues that have an impact on his life and being able to socialise with his peers. He was out of school for a while with very little support from the Local Authority which meant me having to go off work to care for him. He's been waiting for 5months for an appointment with CAMHS with no help or support in the mean time. It's not fair that our youths are being failed big time, especially the ones that may need the extra help and support than others!

Respite for families with children with disabilities is an absolute lifeline and essential way to help keep a rested and focused mind. The children need it too. Without this respite families simply just cannot function humanely.

Saxon Hill Acadamy is a special needs school in Lichfield for children up to the age of 19. It currently runs a Sleepover Club where students can stay overnight. At the moment this runs four nights a week during term time. This provision provides a place where the students can socialise together, something which is difficult outside this setting due to the complex needs of these young people. As well as the social side it also helps with independence away from the family. The staff help the students to reach their potential in a safe and happy environment. This a unique service not provided by many other places and is important to the pupils, families and staff of the school. I speak from experience having been a pupil at Saxon Hill Acadamy and attending sleepover club for many years. I believe it helped the move to residential college easier for me when I left at 19 and gave me the confidence to succeed in the future. I am currently working in theatres and I am the disability officer for a local political party. The County Council have just announced that they are cutting funding to the sleepover club which means places are being reduced from 44 to 33. This means 11 students will have their places taken away from them. This will happen from the 1st April 2019. Furthermore the contract is only being given for one year and will then be reviewed before next April. This means sleepover could be closed next year. This is an important facility that needs to be saved and have it’s funding restored.