abuse shouted at me because I use a mobility scooter.

The Government set targets for staff to reject 80% of appeals.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been accused of setting an "outrageous target" that staff should turn down four out of five benefit appeals. The Independent

There was an outcry from disability groups and the official targets have recently been abandoned thankfully. It’s still a disgraceful system that keeps reviewing disabled and long term sick benefit entitlement. It puts unbearable stress on already vulnerable people.

Yes me too!ive got severe osteoarthritis&a few other medical/health problems(mostly mobiltiy related)and have aquired a disabled parking permit this yr and my son is now a driver (with his own disability)so when we go anywhere we get a lot of this.No ones ever shouted at us outrite yet thankfully-but one ELDERLY lady came and gaped right in the windcsreen to check we had a blue badge-seemingly simply because she& her husband had walked straight across the parking space my son was trying to enter to get to their own car with their shopping trolley.my son had waited patiently and didnt beep them or anything-he's a careful driver) but because hes a young driver and im a youngish-looking 54(i hope!)she obviously thought she had more right of way than we had! We've had a few do this like theyre 'checking' we are entitled to the space! My older son gets it too-and its my younger grandson whose got the disabilty-so folk look at my son as though theyre not 'entitled'- its no one elses buisness why you need it but apparently everyone else who uses these spaces/or scooters etc seem to make it their buisness to 'vet' you! I wouldnt mind as much,except I dont care about THEIR reasons,its their own buisness!

We had a positive experience when Mum used a mobility scooter to take her little dog out for a walk. The dog was a bit scared of the scooter and a lady a few doors away, who didnt know Mum at all, watched her going past for a few days and then offered to help with walking the dog if Mum ever felt she couldnt manage. Mum was a bit of a recluse and very isolated so she didnt take up this offer immediately, but the lady was often in her front garden (probably on purpose) and would say hello as the mobility scooter went by every afternoon. To cut a long story short, eventually help was accepted and the wonderful stranger became a friend and incredible support to Mum in her last couple of years. I really dont know what the family (who mostly lived at a distance) would have done without her.

Paddyann my daughter too has an invisible illness and has suffered a lot of verbal abuse when parking using her blue badge.Her response is usually that she would rather be healthy and not need the blue badge and even though she comes across as strong these incidents always leave her shaken.We would both love to support your daughters campaign if you could let us have a link to it.Thank you.x

I am the same paddyane, I also suffer with fibro plus other conditions, fibro always needs company. I have a sticker on my car reminding people that not all illness are visible. Out with my aunt one day and parked in a disabled space an older man said I was lucky to park so close to the shops, she rounded on him asking what was so lucky being disabled at 45yrs, exit one man with his tail between his legs. I have also a notice on the front door informing people there is a disabled person inside, and no cold callers, it really works.

My son in his 30's was given a mobility scooter because he was born with Talipes (club foot as its coined). He looks young and healthy, however, he has had so many operations on his foot, his bone has worn away, and his foot and ankle is held together with metal pins. He is in agony after walking for a couple of minutes or more, and the abuse he gets for parking in disabled bays is unreal. Its a sad world we live in sometimes. x

Having had my colon removed in 2001 I was advised to apply for a RADAR key (which I never did) and told that I was entitled to use all disabled toilets due to the need to have access to water. As I was only late 30s, mobile and have no signs that I am anything other than able bodied so I was rather worried that I may be frowned upon. I do my utmost to avoid needing to visit the loo for anything other a wee when out and about and in the 17 years I have only needed to do so 4 times. The first 3 times I was tutted at and reprimanded when I came out and someone in a wheelchair was waiting. So the last time I had to use one and opened the door to a very elderly man with his wife in a wheelchair I launched into a pre-emptive strike explaining that I had a hidden disability, but he was absolutely lovely and was surprised that I felt I needed to justify my use of the disabled toilet!

It's a stretch to suggest that "the Government" are responsible for the attitude of a few mindless morons who don't have the imagination to realise that there are many forms of disability, some of which don't necessarily advertise themselves. Those responsible for such abuse are beneath contempt, and should simply be ignored. Sheer ignorance.

On the other side of the argument, I do think that any mode of transport which uses the public highway ( that includes motorised disability scooters, bikes and horses) should be licensed with identification plates or ID like cars and require insurance. Then if there are any accidents the victims have some come back especially as disabled drivers ride them on the footpath too and some think they have right of way. Also, horse riders and cyclists often seem to ride in pairs taking up one side of the carriageway.

I am blind and carry a long white stick to enable me to keep check of the surface I am attempting to walk on. I have on a number of occasions been verbally abused "get out the way you blind Brastud!" "Your eyes look perfectly normal to me so you can't be blind!" My optic nerves are non functioning so of course my eyes look fine. I have also on a number of occasions been physically abused and pushed out of the way and even punched in the face to test if I could see the punch coming!

The people who have done this have been of all ages and all backgrounds including a disabled person who hit me with his crutches shouting "you aren't effing disabled!"

The strangest abuse was from a woman on a bus who told me to move out of the front disabled and elderly seat so her dog could sit on it and look out of the window! The driver intervened and warned her he would throw her off the bus if she persisted.

It is a nightmare to go anywhere at busy times of the day, so thank goodness many shops now open at 6:00 am and online shopping is available to me.

It's a very emotive subject, isn't it? My hubby uses a self-propelling sport wheelchair which was made specifically for him and he's often knocked by able-bodied people when we're out and about, as well as having been almost knocked out of his chair by a couple of mobility scooter users. So, we are very careful...

As far as the disabled parking spaces go, he regularly gets abused by "older" people because of the way he looks (tattoos covering both arms from his RN days!) before they even look to see if he has a blue badge.

However, the most judgemental people we've encountered were during a GP visit recently! I am DH's carer, but I had a heart attack 4 weeks ago and whenever we go to the GP or hospital for my appointments, everybody assumes it's HIS visit/appointment because he's the one in a wheelchair - so yes, I am really sympathetic to those who have invisible disabilities, health conditions, etc.

I do feel for you Caroline - you must have developed a rhino hide by now! It's a weird world we live in nowadays.... "live and let live" seems to have gone out the window

What a sad world it is that genuinely disabled people have to have a set of responses ready to justify their rightful use of facilities they need. I suspect in part this is because other disabled folk are often in competition with able-bodied people who abuse the disabled parking available.

In relation to hate statements or actions regarding disability, these can be classed as hate crime so possibly victims of this behaviour could report this to the police.

On the other hand, my late father-in-law was an absolute terror on his mobility scooter and would deliberately ram his scooter into people's legs if they were in his way, particularly at the supermarket!

I have a visible disability, though not thankfully affecting my mobility so have been on the receiving end of unwelcome comments about that.

I do have great respect for those who use mobility scooters - I ride a motorbike so am used to the facility of efficient brakes. However when my Mum was alive I was trying to park a mobility scooter we had hired at the garden centre and found the perishing thing had no brakes, and pulling on the lever which would have been brakes on the bike, actually activated the motor on the scooter, and I nearly backed the perishing thing into a wall! Lethal!

I think it's only right that ALL recipients of ALL benefits have their cases regularly and rigorously assessed.
Has anyone read the case reported yesterday in MailOnline?
It cites an EU national who came here in 2011, refused leave to remain, married a British citizen and claimed housing and housing benefit plus council tax paid, PPI, disability benefits, carers allowances and other benefits MULTIPLE times, using MULTIPLE false IDs over 7 years. Altogether, he received hundreds of thousands of pounds of government money.
That is why we need to have stringent rules and in depth investigations. One can't assume that people tell the raw truth. We've seen the tv programmes showing fraudsters turning up in court on a mobility scooter or crutches to answer charges relating to fraudulently obtaining benefits, having been filmed working as a roofer or playing golf (with a bad back) and women too, carrying bags of shopping and working in a hairdressers standing all day.
The benefit pot is finite. We are a generous nation but the few will always spoil it for the many and that goes for every sector, not just benefits and disabilities.

some users think they own the pavement and go charging on without a care for pedestrians, old, young or mums with pushchairs, so you are not all saints

Far less money is “lost” in fraudulent benefit claims than is withheld from those whose disability benefits have been stopped or reduced. The expense of administration, assessments, tribunals is colossal.
Why can’t a consultant’s word be believed, rather than an assessor’s, who meets a disabled or sick person for 30 minutes, ticks a few boxes, refuses to listen to explanations, in order to disqualify a deserving case?
It is unfortunate that the fraudulent few give genuine claimants a bad press.

I have Spina Bifida and as I age, my condition is slowly getting worse. I have arthritis in both knees and both ankles are slowly turning in.
My husband got me a mobility scooter,mostly for days out and weekends away.
I must admit, as lovely as it is to use, I feel a bit stupid sitting in it. I have never had anyone comment (yet), but I do get the looks.
I am always with my husband and he has told me that no one would get away with it if anyone was to say something to me.
I have also had dirty looks when I have had to use a disabled toilet. I self catheterise. You would never know by looking at me there was anything wrong.
It is true, I think, that if are a wheelchair user, people are more sympathetic, but if you use a scooter then you must be lazy.

I think part of it is just a lot of people nowadays showing a total lack of respect for others. It has to be the way they have been brought up or led to believe they have priority over everyboby else, the 'me' society. Just returned from a trip to the far east where I was offered a seat on every underground and bus trip, doors were held open for me - total respect for the elderly and presumably for each other too.

When I was in a wheelchair I also got some sarky comments, but they were from folk I knew, not strangers. Some folk have a warped SOH and think it is clever to throw out gratuitous insults in an attempt to wind you up. I used to think of clever replies, but not always at the time.

I didn’t know there were set speed limits for mobility scooters. That’s interesting. 4 mph doesn’t sound fast but the average person walks at 2mph on a clear pavement, less in town with their bstackes. So mobility users are going at twice the speed at least of the average person.

Something to bear in mind when you are in charge of a solid vehicle that hits a pair of fragile legs?

Hmmm. Whilst insults and nastiness is uncalled for I can sympathise with both sides.

In my area the majority of people I see riding these mobility scooters are hugely obese and from the outside it appears that their mobility difficulties are self-imposed. This does not engender kind thoughts if their driving is poor and inconsiderate toward others.

Although some riders are careful and considerate, there are sadly a great many who are very bad drivers, not properly in control of their vehicle, appear to believe that they have right-of-way over everyone else and just go ramming through wherever they want to go without a thought for innocent pedestrians or cyclists. Just saying.

Yes, I definitely think equality campaigns have a negative effect. Because when 'ordinary' folk like me (not disabled/ black/ gay) get flak, we have to 'suck it up' because we're not 'special' (I had an old man try to knock me off my bike with walking stick! I've been called every name under the sun. I've been bullied at work.) But no one really interested in that. And I think that causes a creeping irritation towards those who ARE deemed worthy of special protection. I would advocate a balanced attitude- tolerance to the disabled, good to see them getting about BUT to scooter users, be aware you can't just mow pederstrians down, special though you are! (SOME absolutely have no regard!)

I understand about hidden disabilities. I look like a relatively agile pensioner but can only walk short distances, can't lift or carry shopping and a supermarket trip means I have to lie down for the rest of the afternoon. I require disabled toilet facilities too.
I am not entitled to a disabled parking badge.

As several posters have said, unfortunately there are some people in this country who are thoughtless and unkind. This includes both people with and without disabilities.

My adult stepson has a legitimate blue badge for his genuine disability which he has had since birth and I can see some people glaring at him when we park his car. Having said that, we try not to park in a disabled space if we can see a ‘normal ‘ space nearby. A certain amount of exercise is good for him and I know that other disabled people might be in more need of the ‘disability parking space’. On other occasions we have to use the disability space because of the distance involved in getting to the shop etc.

The worst abuse I have seen with my stepson is when a bus conductor hit him on the shoulder because my stepson was too slow in getting his buss pass out for inspection. The man then denied it, so we couldn’t take any action. ?

Starbox ‘Tolerance to the disabled’ How frightfully good of you. What a patronising disabling attitude - bully for you that you haven’t got a disability. Have you the slightest yes the slightest idea what every day life is for people like me? The everyday struggles to do everyday things that you take for granted ,the everyday worries and pain, the erosion of your independence,the sadness at the loss of everyday things you can’t do.No you damn well haven’t with your ablist privelege - I don’t want your bloody patronising tolerance - just a few more rights would come in handy

maryeliza, the comment about sadness and everyday struggles struck a chord with me. It can be so difficult at times. ?