----- Original Message ----- From: "BlindNews Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 8:39 AM Subject: Woman fighting for blind people's rights
> Lancashire Evening Post (UK) > Tuesday, December 04, 2007 > > Woman fighting for blind people's rights > > By Melanie Wallwork > > Caption: Maria Pikulski is lobbying for the rights of blind people > > A woman from Leyland was fighting in Parliament for the rights of blind > people. > Maria Pikulski, 46, of Fox Lane, is taking on the Government to demand > that blind people get the same amount of benefit payments as other people > with disabilities. > > She will address MPs - including Minister for Disabled People, Anne > McGuire, and the blind MP David Blunkett - during the visit. > > Maria, who used to work as a nurse, was diagnosed with Leber's Hereditary > Optic Neuropathy over four years ago and is now registered blind. > > Visually impaired people are currently excluded from claiming the higher > rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), which > provides help to disabled people for getting around. > > The blind can only receive the lower rate of £17 per week whereas > wheelchair users can receive £45. > > Maria said: "We are not getting at people in wheelchairs, just using them > as an example. We have difficulties, especially with safety and feeling > vulnerable." > > Maria was a nurse at Chorley Hospital for 14 years. She now works > part-time for Action for Blind People and would like to become a > > Rehabilitation Officer with Visually Impaired people but says lack of > cash has stopped her. > > She said: "Like many blind people, I honestly believe that I'm being > stopped from getting on in life." > > Maria's visit comes on the first anniversary of the biggest ever blind > people's lobby of Parliament - organised with the Royal National Institute > for the Blind and five other sight-loss charities. > > A compilation of audio diaries, recorded by blind people including Maria, > highlighting the real impact of their exclusion from the higher rate of > DLA will be presented to Anne McGuire. > > Two hundred and fifty three MPs have backed her calls for a change in DLA > rules, and it is hoped that others will now follow suit. > > Maria added: "They've got to look at it again and how we claim it - I > don't know why we have to fight for it. It would make a big difference in > letting us be independent instead of having to rely on other people." > > As for the future, Maria lives with her partner of 12 years, Richard > Moore, but says children are out of the question as she does not want to > pass on the condition. > > Last Updated: 04 December 2007 9:53 AM > > > http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Woman-fighting-for-blind-people39s.3552004.jp > BlindNews Mailing List > Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "subscribe" as subject > > Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe" as subject > > Moderator: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Archive: http://GeoffAndWen.com/blind > > RSS: http://GeoffAndWen.com/BlindNewsRSS.asp > > More information about RSS feeds will be published shortly. Send instant messages to your online friends http://in.messenger.yahoo.com To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
