Fit to Work in the UK, but Where?

Rory Patton springingtiger.wordpress.com Most sick benefit seekers ‘are fit enough to work,” the London Evening Standard recently reported, in a very short summary of the report by The Department for Work and Pensions. The article quotes the Work and Pensions Minister Steve Webb as saying that many people are “able to work with the right help,” and that, “Those who cannot work will always receive our unconditional support but for those who can work it’s right they get the help they need to get into employment.” The implication of the article seems to be that people are claiming benefits dishonestly. The Work and Pensions Select Committee expressed concern at the way claimants are portrayed by the media as “work shy.” The report of the select committee also raises concerns that the new procedures have not been adequately explained to claimants leaving some disabled people concerned that the goal is merely…

Reflections on Mature Autism

Rory Patton springingtiger.wordpress.com I love it when someone asks me to write a guest piece about my experience of autism because it compels me to think about it in a way I don’t in my blog. On this occasion the invitation has been more or less coincidental with a recent blackout and even more recent meltdown. I don’t pretend to be an expert on autism; sometimes I am not certain I am even an expert on me! There has been some debate over whether Asperger’s Syndrome should disappear as a discrete diagnostic category and instead be subsumed into the more general description of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I personally prefer the label Asperger’s — much more socially acceptable than “Autism” — but recent events have reminded me of just how firmly we are part of the Autism Spectrum. I am very much inclined to believe that the key difference between Asperger’s…