Students and the middle aged disabled

Heket I am sorry you are surrounded by so much disrespecct, but I am not sure that this is general in universities.

We lived in a university area for 15 years, we were younger and were not disabled, Housing was more mixed, there was a large area of small 19th century terraced houses, one side of the university, medium sized properties on two sides and bigger houses, often divided into flats on the fourth side.

I do not remember any of the attitudes you complain about. Ours was a very cosmopolitan society, our neighbours came from a variety of cultures, and this applied to all parts of the university area. Students are noisy, especially late at night and drink to much. We knew that when we moved there as we are both graduates

The only time we had aggro with the students was when a particularly vandalistic group came up one year, we had three years of constant complaints to the university about our front gates being removed, fences, hedges and cars damaged and faeces on our front paths, but once they graduated, that stopped. Quite a number of houses on all sides were student houses and many of the owner occupiers were academics or worked at the university, so we did not really have the kind of neighbours you describe, although the local Conservative MP had his constituency home opposite us, we rarely saw him.

I am sorry you have so many problems. Could you move somewhere else?

I honestly think it is disability discrimination and I don't think people realise how pronounced it is. My daughter lives in supported living, it's just a house in a cul de sac and she lives with one other 'service user' (I hate the terminology) and I DREAD one of the neighbours complaining about them. Thankfully so far we haven't had any complaints, afaik and the neighbours always says hello to me when I call round. That said we have been met with so many negative comments and behaviours over the years. I remember a respite centre being built where we used to live, which benefitted my daughter directly as she could go there for respite. The houses that backed onto the site (which was large, so plenty of green area around the actual building) set up a petition to stop the much needed development. I remember going out for a meal with my work colleagues and one of them lived in one of the houses that backed onto it and she ranted on and on about how 'they didn't know what types of kids would be in there' 'they could make all sorts of noises' She basically sat there and told me she could bear to look at my daughter. Some people are just narrow minded and I'm sorry you've encountered it too.

In the 90s I was involved in the move from large institutions for people with learning disabilities into small group homes in the community. When a planning application went in, we always knew which areas would object the most. The letters of objection were astonishing in their bigotry and ignorance - eg people with learning disabilities = psychotic murdered.

Later as a local MOD rehabilitation centre expanded because of Iraq, Afghanistan etc, some locals in the very naice part of town objected to a large house in their road being converted to accommodate families visiting their war injured relatives. Oh if only it had been an Officers only facility. Secondly, some of the men ( many who had had amputations) were taken to use the local leisure centre. Cue outrage at frightening the locals.

I know it’s only ever a minority like this, but they are vocal, often well connected locally politically and are often successful.Even when they fail, they leave a legacy of bigotry and hatred in their wake.

Murderers

Considering there are two rows of homes here for the elderly and disabled, two " halfway-houses " quite near and a community centre for the disabled pretty close, it doesn't stop people from parting with their £300,000's when properties come up for sale, which isn't often as those who leave are usually elderly and downsize their property rather than leave for any other reason.

People have to be housed somewhere, live and let live I say.

Heket- I'm intrigued. What form does this disrespect take? What do people actually do that upsets you so much? Genuine questions as your post seems to be a bit vague but obviously deeply felt.

I remember some years ago hearing that plans for a MOD rehabilitation centre and facilities for supporting visiting families being objected to by local residents; I cannot recall which part of the country it was although I think it was in the south.
A public meeting was held with both sides represented, and the residents were astonished to learn that the campaign had been formulated by local estate agents worried about losing their profits and circulating 'misleading' information. Once the facts were made clear the residents dropped their objections and supported the development.

eazybee

I remember some years ago hearing that plans for a MOD rehabilitation centre and facilities for supporting visiting families being objected to by local residents; I cannot recall which part of the country it was although I think it was in the south.
A public meeting was held with both sides represented, and the residents were astonished to learn that the campaign had been formulated by local estate agents worried about losing their profits and circulating 'misleading' information. Once the facts were made clear the residents dropped their objections and supported the development.

Yes it was down here in Surrey. I didn’t hear the estate agents angle but it figures - but why any support at all regardless of who orchestrated it? It wasn’t the facilities, they existed already, - it was converting a large house for family accommodation visits as the number of service personnel needing rehabilitation increased because of Iraq and Afghanistan. I know the road involved - very upmarket - it was all about property values.

Out of sight, out of mind

www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/jul/31/military.immigrationpolicy?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Here’s the story at the time - 14 years ago. Nice letters of objection - doubt it was all about evil estate agents.

Quotes from two of the letters

One letter to the council said: "We pay a premium on our properties to live in as near a rural environment as we can to London, thus enjoying the peace and relative tranquillity that this brings with it, together with a communal sense of good neighbourliness. If No 36 were to be changed into a 'hostel' this would change completely with the constant comings and goings ... similar to a small hotel."

Another complains that "there is no provision for guarding the premises as there is with other military establishments or for protecting local people either from attack by terrorists, or by those taking revenge, who may themselves have lost family members ..."

I bet these two residents wore their poppies with pride every November ?

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1570130/Disabled-veterans-jeered-at-swimming-pool.html

The swimming pool story made the national press.

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Reported

We lived in the University area of a big town for 14 years and I do not remember any of this hostility.

We did have one year when unknowingly the university granted places to an intake with a higher than normal proportion of vandals, who damaged gates and fences, sh*t on people's front paths, played games running down a street using the roofs and bonnets of parked cars and as a final gesture as their presence at the university ended, knifed all the tyres on DD's car, she too being a university student but elsewhere.

But once they graduated, life returned to normal. Noisy on weekend evenings, but otherwise quite enjoyable. I cannot remember ever objecting to anything, nor of the residents in the area as a whole objectingto anything - except for three years, the excessive vandalism.