PIP part 3

[sammason]

As you know I (a UK citizen) am in the process of claiming the crip benefit called the Personal Independence Payment (PIP)/. ( cut for words about money )

Comments

[sammason]

Much empathy about handwriting that goes wrong :-( I learned the hard way not to say, 'I can't write.' People laugh at that. Now I say things like, 'Pens aren't for me.'

Before I was asked to stop working as a demonstrator (teaching assistant in Univ labs) one of the senior academics asked us to do all our marking electronically. Using a keyboard. That system let me mark consistently and fairly. I liked it so much that I used a word processor to mark all the other modules. Then another senior academic moaned that by not writing comments with a pen, I deprived the students of feedback. He emailed, 'I assumed it was due to your condition.' How ablist was that!

[sammason]

Indeed, many senior academics don't know technology that their students think everybody uses. Then there are those, eg the eminent one who required me to mark electronically, who are living evidence that old scientists never die. (They often don't smell that way either.)

[dimity_blue]

for others, this could be a real barrier.

I wonder if that's why. If you can't fill the form in, you can't claim the benefit.

[sammason]

You cynic! I agree.

The Information Leaflet days say that we can ask for help with the PIP form. The person I'm closest to is helping me. If she became unable to help, or is she weren't in my life, I'd have to pay money for help. Money!