UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi,

Recently i have been seeking help due to more deterioration in vision. I am lucky to hold onto my driving licence.

I recently spoke to Action for Blind Bristol and they are fantastic. Highly recommend going to see them! They advised me to start talking to Access to Work...

I put in an application to Access to Work due to the fact I find night driving impossible and my job requires me to travel between to places of work at around 4:30-5:00. I leave work between 8-9pm. In the summer this is no problem, in winter this is a major challenge. Due to when classes start (I'm a gymnastics coach), I have a time when I am required to be at the workplace, therefore public transport is just not quick enough to travel between two locations. Access to Work have said they cannot proceed due to the fact I have a driving licence and therefore legal to drive.The women on the phone just could not understand why I am unable to drive at night at all.

After a frustrating conversation,I was told to get a letter from my GP (who also will have limited knowledge of KC), outlining why I cannot drive at night, although she effectively told me not to bother!

Has anyone else found themselves in a similar situation? I am unable to change start and finish times due to the nature of the work and when children are around. Public transport is costly and not quick enough to let me move from workplace to workplace. I dread when the clocks go back as I know I will not be safe to drive, although apparently I will still be ''legal''. I'm now not sure where to go next. I guess a lot of us just 'risk it'.

Thank you
Stacey x

Hi Stacey,
I'm so glad you found Action employment advisers helpful. I'm always recommending people to contact www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk for advice and I've always had good feedback from members who have used them.
But the attitude of Access to Work is something else. Have you tried going back to Action for suggestions on how to proceed? And rather than asking your GP for a letter, a letter from your hospital consultant or optometrist would probably carry more weight and they would know much more about your specific difficulties and about KC.
It's so frustrating when schemes that are designed to help have seemingly inflexible rules and insufficient knowledge of the effects of unusual conditions. And paying for a taxi service or a volunteer driver would cost the state considerably less than out of work benefits! I don't think 'risking it' is an option when any accident could involve other people. But you should be able to get help to enable you to carry on being one of the 'hard working people' that politicians keep banging on about! That's what disability discrimination laws are supposed to be all about.
Fortunately you've still got a few months to pursue this battle. Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Anne