“We’re not numbers, we’re real people with dreams” – Birmingham Disability Slam Council cuts

Bob Williams-Findlay, 73, has spent a lifetime fighting the system to ensure disabled people have the opportunities available to others. His cerebral palsy means he has multiple health problems and uses a wheelchair – but while his body is ravaged his mind is as sharp as a needle.

And he’s furious at Birmingham City Council’s plans to dramatically cut budgets for services used by disabled people and families of children and young people with special educational needs as part of the “recovery budget”. “It’s always the least able, the most marginalized, those of us who cost money to support, who are the first to be hit. They think we’re easy targets, that people won’t make a fuss – but we’re not numbers. we are individuals, with unique lives and dreams,” he said.

The council’s £300m of cuts over two years will see, among other things, the closure of adult day centres, cuts to home help, cuts to services for the visually impaired and deaf, large increases in support fees and closing some libraries, among others. Transport currently provided to teenagers with disabilities to and from colleges in the city will be stopped and community early help services are being stopped.

READ MORE: For 35 years Rachel attended Birmingham ‘lifeline’ day center – we dare not tell her it’s closing

Want to know what’s really going on in Birmingham’s corridors of power? Subscribe to my newsletter

Bob is one of dozens of protesters affected by council cuts who will gather outside Birmingham Council House this week (Tuesday) to show the strength of their feelings ahead of a full council meeting. “All I’ve ever asked for is the same level of control and opportunity that everyone else has,” he told the gathering.

“Equality isn’t about being the same – it’s about having the specific things we need to meet our needs and the right support to live our best lives. This council devalues ​​us, denies us our human rights and we say enough is enough. ”

Bob, who lives in an insured home, said he recently had to cancel two hours of day care provided by an agency because the costs had risen so much that it was eating up a quarter of his pension. Instead, a friend helps him, but he’s not sure how long that can last.

Raju Miah, 31, from Kings Norton, has been blind all his life. He has struggled to get the care he needs in his housing association supported housing flat and currently pays for 13 hours a week of extra help. An active and exuberant man, there is not enough foresight to allow Raju to go out as much as he would like.

So now he regularly “lives on the edge,” as he puts it, and goes out on his own, relying on kind passers-by to point him in the right direction, help him cross roads or get on and off buses. It puts him at significant risk. , but says he can’t stand being stuck at home with his life going by “I want to be out there experiencing things, like everyone else. I have that human right, but my circumstances mean that I am dependent on others. Every time a service is downgraded, or we have fewer options, or the cost of care goes up, our lives get smaller.”

Jean, who looks after her brother Robert full-time, is terrified at the prospect of losing Harborne Day Centre, which she has attended for 43 years. She is severely disabled, a wheelchair user who cannot speak and needs specialist support and 24-hour care. She says the council’s short-sighted plan to make savings by cutting day care options will cost a lot more in the long run – as more families are likely to ‘fall’.

“It costs £19,200 a year for Robert to go to the day center five days a week for five hours a day; we contribute £3,000. the care home would cost at least £156,000 a year.

“I look after him every day and night for the £81.90 Carers Allowance reward. It’s crazy that no one recognizes the long-term impact and huge costs that will occur if carers like me can’t cope.”

Linda looks after her brother Gary full-time and he also attends Harborne Day Centre, where he has been going for 39 years. “It’s a family to him, a big family. He feels safe and I know he’ll be well looked after there.”

Users will be offered places at the remaining five centers around the city if, as proposed, four other centers are confirmed to close, the council says.

But says Linda, “I’m talking like this is all easy and doing us a favor. My brother has learning disabilities, epilepsy and is autistic and needs around the clock care. I love my brother and I could not contemplate him. to go into a home – but the daycare center is a vital part of our package. It gives Gary a much better life.”

The rally in Victoria Square involved Brum Rise Up – a coalition including trade unions, service users and citizens, brought together by campaign group Adunarea Populară. It also highlighted cuts to SEND services, libraries, arts and culture.

The council previously said the day center proposals were introduced because of “falling attendances” and to allow for “more flexible and responsive support for citizens”. The families have hit back at the claims, saying the council has not provided any evidence of its development plans or indicated how long the remaining centers will last before they too disappear. They claimed the council had tried to close some of the day centers six years ago and had since worked to justify the closure.

“They say young people and their families don’t want to go to these centers and they’re too expensive to run, but instead of trying to fix those things, they’re just going back to the quick response of closing to save money in “Hurry up,” said an angry Jean. “They consult with no intention of changing their minds, it’s a ticking exercise.”

READ MORE: People are dying on the streets of the West Midlands – if we care, we’ve got a funny way of showing

Kate Taylor, from Brum Rise Up, said the proposed cuts would be “devastating”. It will rip the heart out of our city,” she added. She said the group wanted the council to put the austerity plan on hold until after the general election and for the government to “reconsider the way it funds local authorities”. It accused the council of failing to see people who are most affected by his cuts, nor does it consider the long-term harm “These are not numbers on a spreadsheet, they are real people,” she said.

Residents can get involved in consultations on the various planned cuts. One on the future of the council’s day centers is due to close on July 9.