Tomorrow, my one-woman show Lost in Spaces launches an exciting campaign, Quality Writing for All, run by the Literary Consultancy, which will raise my profile as a writer/performer and create much-needed opportunities for others.
Severely disabled people face disaster if the Independent Living Fund ends | Mary O’Hara
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Like anyone in a similar position, I grasp these chances. But such events – as with appearing on Newsnight during the election campaign – are entirely reliant on my care support. Never mind doing the work I love, this support starts at the moment I wake up, when my care worker Emma, helps me out of bed, to use the toilet, to have breakfast, get dressed and so on.
I pay for some of my assistance from the independent living fund (ILF). It’s terrifying that this closes on 30 June, after 27 years of supporting severely disabled people like myself, to live in their own homes. Let’s be plain, I’m frightened.
I’ve been on ILF since 1998 when my first marriage ended. Before that, my husband did the bulk of my care. It worked for a while but when we split up, ILF allowed me to remain fully supported at [...]