The Daily Mail is carrying a story, last updated at 12:08 am today (11th October 2011) which states that “Iain Duncan Smith has ordered a crackdown on thousands of families with youngsters diagnosed with ‘naughty child syndrome’ who get new cars paid for by the state.” Since this article targets people with ADHD and it is inflammatory, AADD-UK has written to the Right Honourable Iain Duncan Smith seeking clarification as follows:
Dear Mr Duncan Smith,
The Daily Mail, yesterday Monday 10th October 2011, reported in their article titled “Parent of a child with ADHD? Have a free car under £1.5bn taxpayer-funded scheme” that you “ordered a crackdown on thousands of families with youngsters diagnosed with ‘naughty child syndrome’ who get new cars paid for by the state” and also that you were “enraged to be told initially by [your] department that there were no precise numbers on how many people with the condition received free cars.”
The complete article can be found here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2046924/Parent-child-ADHD-Have-free-car-1-5bn-taxpayer-funded-scheme.html
Since we have not yet been able to find where you have publicly attacked people with ADHD and their families in the past, we are wondering if your position is being reported accurately by the Daily Mail. If you have not been accurately represented by the Daily Mail, then please let us know and we will report this article to the Press Complaints Commission.
If however, the Daily Mail’s account is accurate, we would like to remind you that since ADHD has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities it is therefore a real disability and a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Targeting people with a protected characteristic could potentially place yourself and your department in breach of the Equality Act, and in the event that the Daily Mail’s account is accurate, we will be seeking advice about this.
I look forward to hearing from you and to receiving clarification.
Kind regards,
We’ll let you know what happens!
AADD-UK
adhdbrighton
aethelreadtheunready
veillantif
Hello Anne, I am really sorry to hear about the difficulty you had to go through and I think it is really a pity that people don’t understand the pain they give for other people especially to disabled people. It will be really good if people were a bit understanding and helpful. It is really pity when the media and the MP’s pick on people and families who are in need of help for themselves….
Posted by Chevy Volt | January 13, 2012, 12:10 pmWe still haven’t received a reply from Iain Duncan Smith, not even an acknowledgement , so we’ve gone ahead and filed a complaint with the Press Complaints Commission about the Daily Mail’s attack against people with ADHD.
In the meantime, we’ll give Iain Duncan Smith a bit more time before we send a follow-up letter requesting clarification of the way the Daily Mail presented his views about people with ADHD.
Posted by veillantif | October 12, 2011, 2:21 pmEven worse is the article by Richard Littlejohn in the same paper. He denies that ADHD even exists, it’s just the naughty schoolboy syndrome. Also according to him all that one has to do is fill in a simple form and ring up your garage and then take delivery of a free top-of-the range BMW. Clearly no research carried out, a thoroughly unpleasant, bigotted attack on a section of the disabled community.
Posted by Brett Boniface | October 11, 2011, 4:05 pmI have read the article, it is full of incorrect assumptions. It took me 18 months to get DLA for my son for his ADHD having to go through the stress of an appeal. The article implies that its an easy task just fill in the form and hey presto. Having worked for some time as a benefits advisor I know the rules of getting the mobility part of DLA, to get the high rate, the only rate that qualify s some one for Motability, a person needs to be unable or virtually unable to walk without severe discomfort. This award must also be for 3 or more years. Most children with ADHD will receive low rate mobility as they need supervision. I would also like to point out that the car is not free, it is paid for out of the DLA, and if you require a more expensive car you can top up a extra cost. DLA is one of the more difficult benefits to apply for and already has various checks in place to confirm what an applicant says about their condition. I am fed up with MP’s and the media picking on people and families that I am sure would give every penny they had if their disability could be taken away. I for one would not like to live in a society that didn’t support those less able to support them selves.
Posted by Anne | October 11, 2011, 3:32 pm