"My wife helps me fight for my rights to be recognised by social services"

I have been disabled all my life; I know what I need, I know what I want. I feel social services have other ideas, they question everything I ask for and insult my wife my who acts as my advocate.

My wife has fought for my rights to be recognised, has fought for me to gain enough hours to live and not just survive. I feel social services have ridiculed her at every turn and tried to undermine her ability to advocate for me.

In my opinion I am one of thousands of people in the same situation where social services treat you like you are a drain on there pocket, but my wife is there at every step to help me be heard even at a cost to her own feelings and emotions and needs being left behind, what she gives I will never get off anyone else, yet in my opinion social services do not show her the respect and give her the acknowledgement she is entitled too, that she has earned.

In my opinion social services are the biggest abusers of a person’s rights yet because of the tag they wear it appears to be ok. No one questions them, the government writes up papers and pass laws yet no one looks at the form of torture they inflict on disabled people. I believe they take their lives away, remove their dignity and ability to make independent choice and self determination away, but in the name of social work that’s ok.

I wonder how many lay people realise how hard it is to be disabled in the 21st century, not to many as I have realized. But I believe it’s not through family making life hard for you, it’s through social services and the abuse they hand out in the name of a fair society in the name of the government and the abuse they give needs to be bought to light.

But in my opinion it will always be covered up because, even in 2009, it is still only lip service. We speak out and no one will listen.

For the future generations of kids I really hope that we can fight to get our rights as human beings recognised.

I hope more people like my wife will continue to fight because without her and people in the same situation as her I feel we will be going back wards if the government and social services have their way.

I would also like to mention the government green paper on Attendance Allowance and possibly DLA, any one reading this please sign the petition to stop the government taking these off disabled people again. I believe they are going after those who can least afford it.