Your letters - March 2009

Clarkson divides the nation on language

Following your editor’s comments on ITV News about Jeremy Clarkson’s description of Gordon Brown, I am absolutely livid with the BBC for allowing Clarkson to continually abuse people verbally. The statement he made about Gordon Brown is absolutely disgusting and has really offended me. I am visually impaired like Gordon and have monocular vision. On one hand the BBC sacks Carol Thatcher for saying that a tennis player looked like a “golliwog” but Clarkson can verbally abuse disabled people to his heart’s content and seem to get away with this. This is just unacceptable. He should be sacked forthwith from the BBC.
Jillian Wolfenden, by email

Get over it! If Gordon Brown is an idiot and has one eye, then he is a two-legged one-eyed idiot who has taken the UK down the proverbial toilet. You would be better apologising for having one of your own wreak such havoc on the Brits.
Rodney Ryan, by email

NuDrive review was too negative

We were delighted to learn that NuDrive had been reviewed on your website and in the magazine (Disability Now, January 2009, Uphill struggle). Thank you for kindly doing this. As the people behind NuDrive, however, we were of course disappointed to find that the review was so negative. We understand the purpose of a review is to provide unbiased feedback for consumers and we applaud Disability Now for providing this service to a group that is so often targeted and taken advantage of. We nevertheless question the way in which the review was carried out. We feel the outcome of your review should have been more specific to wheelchair users with cerebral palsy. At the time of our rep training your reviewer, we did advise him that the product may not be well suited to him. David’s condition is not mentioned in the review and therefore to advise all wheelchair users that the problems encountered by David would be true for them is not accurate and potentially misleading. We would also question the amount of time that David spent with the product in understanding how it works and getting familiar with it, which from experience is fundamental to experiencing the benefits. We have to date received so much positive feedback from our customers, to the extent that our customers are actually voluntarily attending meetings with the NHS to campaign for its wide prescription.
Robert Orford CEO, Pure Global Ltd, Watford, Herts

EDITOR’S NOTE
It’s not possible in a review for one person to reflect more than their own experience of a product. The points that David Burroughs made were a valid reflection of his own experience, regardless of his individual impairment or condition.

Playing the slots

I read Helen Smith’s article (Disability Now, February 2009, Making numbers count) in which she argues that disabled people may not have the strength or dexterity to use pay-on-foot machines. I am a blue badge holder but don’t drive because of bad vision. I’d question whether someone who doesn’t have the dexterity to use a slot machine has the dexterity to drive. I wouldn’t wish to deny anybody mobility but we have to respect the safety of other road users.
Spencer ArnottHomer Green, Bucks

Four wheels good, two feet bad

Well done to councils for gritting roads this week, but what about pedestrians? The National Federation of the Blind, whose members have campaigned for safer pavements for 30 years, are asking why local authorities ignore the safety of pedestrians during bad weather. Blind and partially-sighted people still have to work and shop and those with guide dogs still have to walk their dogs. Snow takes away our kerb and crossing indicators and makes accidents more likely. We all pay our council tax, so why are only road users considered? Even car drivers become walkers when they get out of their cars.
Jill Allen-King MBE, PRO, National Federation of the Blind

Rights, not charity

As a parent who for years was the main carer for a young disabled man, I take exception to the idea put forward by J. K. Hayward (Disability Now, February 2009, Letters) that disabled children should rely on help from charities and not have any rights funded through the tax system. Not only disabled children but disabled adults should in the 21st century have rights and not rely on charity or discretionary payments from public bodies. What sort of society are we if we make disabled children and their families beg for help? The BBC’s portrayal of disabled children as pathetic and helpless perpetuates the myth that disabled people might deserve charity but not rights. It is offensive, outdated and wrong. This is, I expect, the logic of the campaign against Pudsey. Is J.K.Hayward really saying that tax payers’ money should not be used to support disabled people? If so, why not go the whole hog and just shut them up in workhouses once more.
Linda Burnip (Mrs), Claverdon, Warks

Digital discrepancy

Following your review of the BT Freestyle 750 cord­less digital phone, (Disability Now December 2008, When size matters), my part­ner felt the phone would suit our joint needs (large numbered buttons for him and hearing-aid compatibility for me) but before buying it, he decided to check with BT Customer Services and find out what “hearing-aid capable” meant: did it mean it was compatible with both analogue and digital hearing-aids? BT checked and assured him that the phone was OK with digital (but not analogue) hearing-aids and since that suited me, we went ahead and bought it. After charging it up, I tried the phone out, only to discover that it was not compatible with my digital hearing-aids. I got a constant, loud buzzing noise when I switched my aids to the ‘T’ position and could not hear any sounds from the phone line. We are disgusted, especially as BT has since told us that the phone is not in fact hearing-aid compatible, despite all the claims to the contrary. I’d advise hearing-aid users and those with a hearing impairment not to buy this phone, as the guidance is misleading and has caused me and my partner a great deal of stress and upset.
Lindsey Barlow, by email