Hello. First of all I’ll like to apologise for being deaf. You see I live in this wonderful country, with thousands of years of history. This same country where it is supposed to have a reputation for a sense of fairness and equality for all.

The same country where people are treated decently and fairly and helped where possible.

But of course all of that goes out of the window if you happen to have a disability. 

Being disabled means you’re a workshy lazybones that just sit at home watching daytime TV and claiming money off the Government.

True…at moment I’m unemployed after having been unfairly dismissed from my previous employment (the court case for this is due early in the new year (2011) where I am more than certain for a victory). So I must be workshy.

Never mind the fact that I’ve been in employment since 1999, with one of my first job working for McAfee in IT.

Never mind the fact that I work in a demanding skilled job that requires plenty of education to do. You must remember that I’m disabled and therefore just a lazybone workshy that just stay at home.

I’ve not had much luck in finding a job for a while so rather than carry on doing this. I guess you’re thinking…”AH SEE! Just like I’ve been saying for the past 12 years, despite all that employment you’re a workshy lazybones really!” Sorry about that. I know…it’s difficult isn’t it?

Actually no. I’m registered as self-employed now and attempting to start up a business. To make money. And hopefully be able to grow it to a point where I might employ other people, giving them an income. I might not succeed but at least I will try my best to succeed. If that fails, it’s back to job-hunting.

I’ve already done my work in figuring out how to keep cost down to a minimum. It’s hard starting up a business with an almost zero budget, but working in IT does have its advantages - there are ways that I can operate an office without needing to do any IT purchases and being legal (ie no pirated software). 

Done my research there. All of that mean I must be working.

However I only need one thing. Starting a business mean I have a major barrier. It is called a telephone. When I attempt to sell my services, I leave a number for people to call.

You see…if I leave an email or a mobile for texting only - guess how many sales I get from that?

Zero. 

A big fat zero. I’ve tried my best but people simply aren’t interested if there’s no telephone for them to call. They won’t email. They won’t text (instead I get calls on my mobile. I can’t answer them. Because I can’t hear it. Try as I might, I simply cannot hear it).

So I must apply for Access to Work so I can provide a telephone service so that people can call in order to allow me to sell my services.

By the way, in my 12 years of employment guess how much I have claimed from Access to Work? I’ve done it twice. Both times for a new laptop with a webcam for video calls on the move. Each time, roughly £800-900. I’ve used an interpreter *very* infrequently and most of those times, not covered by my Access to Work.

But fortunately I live in a bloody fantastic country, aka the UK with its reputation for sense of fai…oh wait so that’s me screwed. My Government think I’m not worthy despite my best efforts.

The same Government that decided to cut Access to Work funding. And cut DLA etc to encourage us to go back to work. I’m trying, but seriously, you’re making it harder on me as it is. Meanwhile I read about you letting Vodafone off their 6 billion pound tax bill, and allowing people like Philip Green earn £1.2 billion in UK - let’s put that into numbers - £1,200,000,000. But at the same time he get it tax free. it’s earned in UK. He work in an office in UK but pay 0% tax? Tax from that would be £285 million.

It’s a fucking sham it is. Proud to be British my arse. Fucking ashamed of it really.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/dec/08/disability-living-allowance-cuts

http://www.arbitraryconstant.co.uk/2010/12/dla-reform-cons.html

PS there are probably mistakes etc above, but I was just pissed off and ranting off. Do read up articles such as in The Guardian above and so on. Lot more accurate information.

Edit - more links:

http://natasha4labour.blogspot.com/2010/12/take-out-weak.html