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Thursday 22 September 2011

access versus inaccessibility

One of my close friends and neighbours does remarkably well despite her 'visual handicap'. Or as she would prefer me to say Blindness. Hardly a day goes by without her encountering people who seem unable to cope with what being blind means. From the store assistant to public service worker all have a blind-spot where blindness is concerned.  
The next round of tax assessments has a deadline for the end of the month...M contacted the DWP by phone to find out which form was needed. Okay, she now knew the form, but how to get one? Reply from the DWP 'we no longer publish print copies'. But you can get it from such n such website. M can no longer use a computer. Reply from the DWP go to an internet café or try your local library. The mind boggles at the stupidity of the DWP representative! Tax is vexing, it is also private data that no-one wants to have broadcast publicly.
Hence I've been on-line, downloaded and printed what she needed. One copy of the instructions and a loose copy of the form. Another friend does the form filling. 
I can't help it...am seething at the institutionalised ignorance in everyday life.

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