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This person in mind works for shelter too as it’s too rural for them to come here - I cannot get to swansea for an appointment (their suggestion). There’s no community centre or anything like that anymore as they’ve been closed. When we did have them I did approach but the cost was far more than the room I’ve found.
I made the suggestion of them paying as much as they would for the other rooms as I cannot manage the full amount and I’d top up (as a compromise) but they’ve refused that. They are insisting there’s not an access issue (as they can manage the acccess but they’re not physically disabled) and I’m being “deliberately difficult”. They do not have my condition and I cannot risk falling and ending up in hospital (which was what happened last time before condition deteriorated this much).
In terms of complaint I was thinking more of contacting Mind Cymru and asking them about it? I don’t have any time left for complaints. My health is declining rapidly and need this sorted before I end up in hospital and trapped there.
To clarify: I’ve not been doing nothing with regards to the issues/finding somewhere else. It’s taken this long to tenancy worker to see me and I’ve been trying for months but she’s been off ill and then away for Christmas and is only part time.
Hoping this makes sense!
You could contact Mind Cymru and they may offer an alternative but if they’re making
reasonable attempts to accommodate you, they’re not
obliged to find a solution or provide compensation. They’ve already said you’re not entitled to their service.
If you were entitled, they can’t try to charge you to use a free service. It is discriminatory to not provide a service because it’s cheaper than providing an alternative, but they could argue that they’re not the ones charging.
“Service providers must make 'reasonable adjustments' to allow a disabled person to use their services. If they don't do this, they must be able to show that their failure to do so is reasonable..”
If you were entitled to use the service, What you’re experiencing could be indirect discrimination.
“To prove that indirect discrimination is happening or has happened:
- there must be a policy which an organisation is applying equally to everyone (or to everyone in a group that includes you)
- the policy must disadvantage people with your protected characteristic when compared with people without it
- you must be able to show that it has disadvantaged you personally or that it will disadvantage you
- the organisation cannot show that there is a good reason for applying the policy despite the level of disadvantage to people with your protected characteristic”
In summary, it may be discrimatory but it’ll take time and effort to prove it and you’ll probably not gain anything from it. On the basis you’re not eligible for their service anyway, I don’t think it’s worth pursuing.
