
#1 I done signed as future no social worker service to help us (deaf people) need help with this PIP forms as it is so harder to explain on write forms.
#2 Clearly, the poster exhibits some major issues following the printed word!
#3 I noticed some deaf still asking friends and relatives to fill in their PIP forms. Please DON'T! always consult professionals or the CAB or a deaf charity who know what to say. Don't be reliant on video access unless you are fully confident you can deal with the DWP on your own and manage a 3-way system. The DWP has own interpreters who perhaps will put questions in a way your usual BSL terp would not, and they won't help you either. You can ask the DWP to come to your home with an Interpreter and they will help you fill in the forms.
#4 Yes probably the best way. They can then see for themselves what the problem is.
#5 You can have a friend or relative with you as personal support if you want that but NOT to do your talking. Don't use children [hearing or not], they won't know what is going on, again, once you abdicate responsibility to someone else you pay for their mistakes too. [It's actually illegal for the DWP or the deaf person to use a child under 16 as support of any kind or, for systems to demand they do.]. The social services can look at it as child abuse.
#6 Last PIP issue 46% of deaf asked relatives and they all failed to claim anything because they made a complete mess of the forms. The forms are quite complicated and ambiguous even for people who can follow all the questioning. If you can't read the forms tell the DWP not ask someone else. Once you pass over responsibility for form filling any mistakes YOU pay for.
#7 You can RECORD any interview with the DWP at your home, [first ensuring the DWP know and given a copy, or, it cannot be used as evidence if a mistake is made].
#8 Be AWARE! most home interviews will NOT be via the DWP at all, but their subcontractors, the DWP do very few face to face interviews themselves. Also, ask if the interviewer is qualified to assess deaf issues. It's important you are assessed by people who know what issues we deaf face.
#9 Ideally going it alone is better (if more stressful option), because that then forces the interviewer to face up to the issues you face directly, why make it easier for THEM? Making it easier for the interviewer can suggest you can mange OK as well. Using support from family or using someone else (Who can be quoted as your carer thence, you get ignored as well), your own help can be given as a reason for NOT being able to claim help from the DWP. It's all about what the see.
#10 If you record proceedings send the same day TO the DWP [There are issues subcontractors do not ask the right questions or, added a few you never knew about after!], so notifying the DWP prevents that being used to disbar your claim.
#11 I need a deaf social worker to help and there aren't any...
#12 Social Services are gone mostly, and if that is something deaf want back, they need to understand it was a massive deaf campaign that got RID of dedicated deaf social workers when deaf decided they wanted more personal freedom of choice and personal control a Social Worker couldn't give them. You ended up at home and ignored whilst systems just connected to a social worker who had different rules to follow and perhaps made decisions for you, that you didn't agree with.
#13 It was a throwback to the bad old days of deaf schools and a social worker for life for deaf people. It made the deaf very lazy too, they even allowed social workers to read or redirect all mail to them. It was younger deaf who decided they didn't want that any more.
#14 Own goal by the deaf. Social workers started acting as interpreters instead which gave them more freedom and a higher wage but without the aggravation.
#15 A lot didn't! At the time less than 35% of 'deaf' social workers had any sign qualifications, that was part of the demand to disband that system. There were no real 'levels' and systems that were reliable. Disbanding the archaic SW system forced an improvement. It was what made the present system of BSL support extant where a deaf person can ask for a BSL terp to assist with the system for free and without the shackles of the 'terp' being a social worker too.
#16 There was a meeting of the social worker directorate where they voted to stop supporting a dedicated deaf sign-based support system because most social workers would fail to qualify under new rules of professional qualifications in BSL. The whole thing went down the swanee.
#16 There was a meeting of the social worker directorate where they voted to stop supporting a dedicated deaf sign-based support system because most social workers would fail to qualify under new rules of professional qualifications in BSL. The whole thing went down the swanee.