Originally Posted by machel:
i have epileptic seizures (daily) i don't always know when they will occur, but i have been declared fit for work (although i am appealing so any help would be much appreciated), i have a full time carer and when assessed for dla was told that i was "a substantial danger to myself and others" i also have depression and anxiety
My sympathies machel, I had a brother who had epilepsy and I know the sheer misery it is to live with. He mostly had petit mal and you got to know one was on the way when he started wringing his hands. To this day I cannot bear to see anyone wringing their hands. Tragically he drowned in the bath when he had a seizure. I thought long and hard about mentioning that because I didn't want to frighten you but as you have a full time carer I am sure you are well aware of the dangers. He was just 24. But it still goes on today and I am incensed about that.
My post to Pirate contains a lot of advice that my daughter and I have picked up along the way. It is vital to arm yourself with as much help as possible. The Benefits & Work website was so helpful, I paid the small fee to join so that we could see the in-depth reports and they were worth the money, but it is free to access the rest of the site including the forums, full of helpful advice.
What Cologne said about the access applies to every Atos interview in the country. Difficult access, uncomfortable chairs, no parking, everything done to make your life difficult. And Pengy no way is it paranoid to record telephone calls when dealing Atos. They will lie, there is no other way to put it. We were very naive in my daughter's first interview, we learned fast.
Oh and Pirate my daughter also wrote to her MP who was very helpful and this also made Atos realise that we were marshalling the big guns.
Having said all of the above, if you get your support and prepare your case well the actual people who conducted the interview were understanding and prepared to listen. Atos' job is to make you go away or sign onto JSA. Once you get past them you stand a pretty good chance at tribunal, as you will see from the forums on Benefits & Work.
My daughter is busy helping as many people as possible, which is, in its turn, helping her to recover.
Good luck everyone, and I am sure lots of help will be available on this forum, including me, if you need any more advice.