once again been refused a blue badge ! Do these occupational therapists not look into factor of fibromyalgia, heart disease and osteoarthritis when making judgment as to whether or not entitled? Yes maybe I can walk more than 150 meters when pushed but there seems to be no consideration as to the pain this can cause and the impact it can have on the rest of my day if I have to do it.
Also my GP has always maintained I need to do some sort of exercise for my health and mindset which I can do some days but the fact I have hospital appointments regularly and to walk from a parking space to the main entrance alone leaves me exhausted what can I do to make these people feel my pain and understand it’s basic things like appointments that I find overwhelming to attend mainly because of the long walk i need to take to get to that destination
I am feeling pretty frustrated about this this morning 😞
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Lorilal
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Hello, I am sorry too read this trying too get the right help, sometimes the forum can be quiet at weekends but I hope any members with past experiences may pop on with helpful advice . Just annoys me that genuine people like yourself. asking for help,and already refuse twice🙁xx
Thank you. I’m perplexed as to how they come to these decisions I’m not a judgemental person specially now since my conditions could come under the invisible disability umbrella but surely not everyone with a blue badge needs to be unable to walk a few steps or in a wheelchair and these 3 refused awards reads to me that that is the case !
I’m at a loss however I’ve put in a change of circumstances request for my ADP award maybe since I have had further difficulties I might warrant more points for the mobility side and be able to apply through that I just feel so deflated again nobody asks to be isolated and in constant pain I most certainly did not expect to be in this position and filling out copious amounts of paperwork to justify yourself is a further pain 😖 however that’s my rant for today over stay positive I keep telling myself lol
HiI'm sorry you have been refused. It is so frustrating. I too was refused 3 times. Just this month got mine and that is simply because I did a change of circumstances form and went onto ADP and was given more points for mobility and the distance I could walk lowered but it was enough to allow me to apply automatically for a blue badge.
It makes such a difference to have it, so don't give up. Hopefully you will get more points gor mobility awarded too and can then get your badge.
Wishing you all the best and have my finger crossed for you. Xx
Hello Lorilal, I am sorry you have been refused your BB. I was refused some years ago because they said I seemed to manage the walk back to my car without undue distress or whatever. I can't remember whether I was using a stick. Anyway, jump forward to 2024, and I have been awarded the BB, no argument. Since the first time when all I had was fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis in the knee (no small thing at times), I have gained seven compression fractures and walk with two sticks. On the day of the assessment, I took no pain killers, and I made no effort to walk at a normal pace. I felt that the young person who interviewed me was just following a tick-box method, but she did ask "When shopping, do you lean on the trolley?", to which my answer was Yes. I don't know how important that question was, but it could open up our eyes to how we should talk about our everyday lives.
I have to say, though that having a blue badge does not guarantee a disabled space. There is one space at our little Co-op, but when I arrived there was nowhere at all to park, so I had to drive down the road and then walk back up. The car parked in the disabled space had no blue badge and the driver came back to the car, saw me looking at his windscreen, took no notice, and started smoking before turning towards the shop. I wanted to say to him that he could have saved me a walk, but he probably wouldn't have understood why that was important (to someone walking with two sticks).
Also, disabled spaces at hospitals are not user-friendly, requiring the driver to walk to an unknown office to register. This happened to me last week; Thankfully, a few people pointed me in the right direction and the deed was done. Luckily, I am now registered for the next few years in two hospitals (that I don't normally use!) I didn't have to return to my car until after my appointment.
On the other hand, I have been thankful to have the badges most of the time, even if they don't help when you have to walk along the endless corridors of hospitals. So do try again, and talk at length about how you can't maintain the ability to get from one place to another, that what is often forgotten - how often do you go anywhere without carrying something? Carrying bags, especially when using sticks, is awkward if not challenging. Carrying boxes is an impossibility. Not any easier using a walking frame. Standing in a queue - avoid wherever possible! I don't think they're very interested in how you manage at home; it's the difficulty of walking, and they don't realise that to walk 50 metres means you have to then walk another 50 to come back. We have good days and bad days - make sure, the next time you have an assessment, that it's a bad day - no pain killers, and wear yourself out with housework before you go!
totally agree it’s those facts I struggle with re: hospital and GP appointments other than that I have help with shops etc I just would like my independence and confidence back I’m afraid of falling few near misses and have walking stick but advanced osteoarthritis on hands restricts this aid can be too painful to use.
I’ve lettered them for a review this time stating it’s not the walking distance it’s the pain and discomfort when having to walk.
but it is related to the distance that can be walked if you are hoping to get a badge based on ‘mobility’ element. Its the ability to physically be able walk it regardless of if there is discomfort when doing so.
It is possible that you are like me and that in my case, it was not the OT that made the decision but a faceless bureaucrat in the local council who had set the guidelines for who and who should not get a badge purely based on PIP scoring levels. (And I wasn't well enough to jump over THOSE hurdles again to appeal at the time)
If I'd lived at my previous house, it would have been a different council, and I would have been entitled to one.
Who knows however was signed by an OT but I’ve heard that whisper before ! I’m not asking for much I hardly go out with exceptions of appointments and they suck the life out of me I dread appointments 😖
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