Campaigns

Disability Living Allowance - audio diary

Summary: In December 2007 we will be presenting the Prime Minister with a compilation of your audio diaries with accounts of the real diffence the receipt of higher rate mobility allowance would make to the lives of blind and partially sighted people.

• Why do we need your audio diary?
• How to keep your audio diary?
• What should I do with my completed diary?

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Why do we need your audio diary?

We really appreciate the amazing support that there is for the DLA campaign. We think that keeping audio diaries will be a powerful way of highlighting why it is so important that people with severe sight loss should be able to claim the higher rate mobility component.

We would like people to keep an audio diary documenting everyday mobility problems they face and telling of ways that receiving higher rate of mobility allowance on DLA would help to overcome them. The diary should be kept between the end of August and 7th October. Your audio diaries would provide first-hand accounts of the real differences the receipt of higher rate mobility allowance would make to the lives of blind and partially sighted people. The info you provide in your audio diary would be both sent to your MP and presented as part of a compilation of all the diaries we receive to the Prime Minister. These presentations will happen on the 4th December (The anniversary of the DLA lobby of Parliament held last year).

If, once you have read through this information you would be happy to keep a diary please can you ring us to let us know? Call us on 020 7391 2123

How to keep your audio diary?

In order for us to use the audio diary you provide, we would need you to sign the consent form confirming that you would be happy for us to use your name and details on information that will be sent to your MP. We can, if you wish, withhold your name etc. when the information is used elsewhere. We require this signed consent in order to use any part of the audio diary you create or to re-record your diary if it's original sound quality is too low to be reused.

• consent form (word) - please complete and return to Campaigns Department, RNIB, 105 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NE

We will send you an audio tape on which you can record your diary. Please contact us if you don't have a Tape Recorder, we can make other arrangements for you to keep a diary. At the beginning of the tape we would like you to provide your personal details including:

• Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• Sight Condition

Then state in your own words the reason you are keeping the audio diary, (if you are unsure how to phrase this say something along the lines of, "I am keeping this audio diary to show the mobility problems that I experience in my everyday life due to my sight condition and how receiving the higher rate mobility component would allow me to do the things that I need to but can't.

Now you can begin to record entries in your audio diary. Remember these entries do not need to be daily, instead record an entry when you feel it is the right time or you have something important to contribute to the diary. The length of each entry does not matter but as a rule try and keep them under 5 minutes long as this will allow you to provide a number of separate entries in your audio diary.

In your entries you can cover anything relating to the mobility problems you have experienced or ways in which you think higher rate of mobility on DLA would help you get out and do more. We have listed a few ideas of things that you may wish to do but perhaps can't.

• Being independent - not having to rely on other people to give you a lift or fitting in with their plans; being able to make your own decisions about when and where you go out.
• Keeping in touch with friends and family
• Going out to local social clubs or groups
• Missing appointments for the Doctor, Hospital etc because you can't afford to pay the fare
• Not being able to make appointments that you need because you know that you can't get there or can't afford to pay to get there.
• Are you forced to use a local shop that you can walk to or get to easily rather than a larger shop that is a bit further away but that offers you more choice and better value for money?
• If you are of working age, do you find that you can't afford to pay for travel to look for work? Does lack of money restrict the number of times you can visit the Job Centre or employment agencies?.
• Have you had to turn-down employment because you can't afford to travel there?
• Have you had to miss out on attending further education you haven't been able to travel to the college?
• Would you have liked to start an evening course but couldn't because you can't get there?

Don't worry about how you phrase things, it is fine to be natural and casual and we won't need a lot of information. To give you a bit of an idea we have given a couple of examples; we would however also like to you to explain if you can the impact that not being able to do these things has on you and the quality of your life.

• Wednesday 1^st August, I'm supposed to visit the clinic today but what with getting my phone bill and other unexpected costs I just can't afford the fare to get there; I'll have to cancel the appointment. Thursday 16^th August, I would have liked to visit friends, I haven't seen them for ages. Saturday 25^th August, 'Kiss Me Kate' is coming to the Playhouse. It would have been great to go, especially as they offer concessionary tickets. I just can't afford to pay for a taxi to get there.

Don't forget, explain what a difference it would make if you could do the things that you can't currently do.

Please don't include information about holidays that you might have liked to take. It is fine to include information about social trips.

What should I do with my completed diary?

Once you have finished your audio diary please ensure your name, address etc are provided both at the start of the tape and written on the outside of the tape, then together with your completed consent form send it to us at Campaigns Team, RNIB, 105 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NE. If you require further tapes to continue your diary please contact the campaigns team on 020 7391 2123 to request more.

We would like all audio diaries to be returned to us by the 10th of October. This will give us time to listen through them and create a compilation of key points that are made within them in time for the 4th December when they will be presented to the Prime Minister.

We will also send a copy of your audio diary to your local MP reaffirming your support for the DLA campaign and once again reminding them of the mobility problems you face everyday as a visually impaired person.

Samples from the audio diaries will also be put on our website and may also be used in staff/volunteer/member magazines.

Once again, we really need your help to keep pressure on the Government and hope that you will be willing to keep a diary for us. Please do ring to let us know that you will be keeping a diary and please feel free to give us a ring if you have any queries on 020 7391 2123.

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Content author: campaign@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 08/04/2008 18:38