Help Abi Scoot to Freedom!

Hi I'm Abi, a 36 year old disabled artist. I make cool sculptures, films and write books. However, three weeks ago my mobility scooter's motor melted and the vehicle is no longer usable. The motor was not covered by warranty because the shop who sold it to me has gone bust, so I just need a new one.

Without access to my scooter, I can not reliably get to my studio or to work-related appointments. I'm in a lot of pain while I wait for a replacement.

Because scooters keep breaking, my goal is to get my next scooter via the Motability Scheme, which will service, repair and replace scooters quickly when something goes wrong. However, this will cost me an extra £1500 every year on top of my existing medical bills and access expenses. This year, my PIP (Personal Independence Payment), is unfortunately already accounted for in a series of private medical appointments to cover a rare medical condition that the NHS have expressly told me they cannot treat, as well as the ongoing cost of paying for a wheelchair-accessible studio to work in. On average, it costs disabled people 67% more to meet their basic needs per month. That's £1010 extra just to exist.

I'm fundraising for the first unexpected year of scooter costs, as well as the cost of renting a replacement scooter during the slooow process while Motability approves my claim and the scooter is ordered. This will take up to 12 weeks, depending on scooter availab

Breakdown on costs:

Mobility scooter, year 1: £1560

Mobility scooter rental while I wait: 620

Cost of investigative repair for existing scooter that led to it being a write-off: 320

Total: 2500

FAQs

Why do you need a scooter when you're so young and hot?

Thank you for asking! The two main conditions that impact my walking are Psoriatic Arthritis and Ehlers Danlos syndrome. Walking causes tremendous amounts of pain, and I injure my joints and tendons easily, which takes a long time to repair.

When I am in a lot of pain I also experience periodic partial paralysis, caused by pain-induced sleep deprivation. It SUCKS. A mobility scooter helps to reduce the amount of pain I experience, which reduces the paralysis episodes. It allows me to manage my movement safely.

Don't you have any money to pay for this from your art job?

Thank you for asking! Unfortunately this situation lands at the end of a funding cycle and there's no cash left. Also, on average, disabled artists earn 1/3 of what abled artists earn.

Why don't you get a better job?

Thank you for asking! I have a fluctuating medical condition that makes me very unemployable for regular work positions, unless they don't mind me lying on the floor for half of the year while my chemo medication makes me useless, or when a joint swells up like a melon for weeks on end or my uterus decides to kill me. Before I was a freelancer, I was on the dole. But I love my job and think I'm good at it. I like paying taxes. I like making art, writing and teaching. If you want to hire me to make some art, write something cool, or teach art or creative writing, hit me up!

Won't PIP cover the cost of your mobility device?

Thank you for asking! Please see above. My PIP is all spent on essential medical treatment which the NHS don't cover, along with the cost of an accessible workplace.

Won't Access to Work cover a scooter cost?

Thank you for asking! Last time I applied for a scooter on Access to Work, they took 7 months to even reply. The wait has now gone up to 9 months. Also: did you know Access to Work will only cover 5/7ths of the cost of a mobility aid, because you might also use it on the weekend for non-work activities?

Why not ask the NHS for a electric wheelchair?

Thank you for for asking! Let me tell you a long fun bonus story. 8 years ago man called Ting from Cambridge Wheelchair Services assessed me for a wheelchair. At the time he was completing his MA dissertation on some kind of wheelchair engineering, and wanted to use me as a case study. He made all kinds of promises about a super cool badass wheelchair he could give me that had appropriate hand controls for my very painful hands. Ngl, I kinda got the impression that he was the kind of guy who bragged about all the lovely disabled people he helped every day to boost his Tinder profile.

Anyway, after the assessment, he went AWOL and I didn't hear from him for a long long time. I called and emailed and he never answered.

8 months later, by chance, another family member ran into him for their own wheelchair assessment and was like "heyyy so, where's Abi's wheelchair?" And it turns out he had not asked his supervisor for permission to make the promises he had made to me, and was told not to deliver them. However, rather than address this with so that I could find another way to support my access needs, he took it upon himself to very slowly steal me parts of other wheelchairs, in dribs and drabs, every time another person's wheelchair was returned for repair or replacement. This was actually a little annoying because I'd rather have known what was happening so I could decide whether to find another way to access a mobility aid.

ANYWAY, a very long and uncommunicative time later, he presented me with a beautiful Frankenchair. The magic touch-sensitive joystick thing that he had promised all along (and completed an MA dissertation about) was missing a crucial cover, so it was basically an exposed wire that you put your finger on, which cut my finger and really hurt. He never sent me the cover, despite my badgering. Then I moved to a different borough and wheelchair services said that they would not be responsible for another borough's weird frankenchair but that they also couldn't reassess me because I clearly already had a wheelchair. I contacted the company that made the wheelchair hand control and they said there was a parts shortage. I made a weird frankenchair hand cover but honestly it just caused more pain. Then there was a global pandemic and the company disappeared. I gave up. RIP frankenchair.

Also: a mobility scooter is just a much better and more convenient position for my body, hands, and mobility needs. The NHS don't provide mobility aids that meet my needs. If I'm honest I guess I just wanted to complain about Ting for a moment. If you ever see him on Tinder, tell him he made confusing choices.

Imagine if you didn't have to rely on GoFundMe to do your job! How can I support your art?

Thank you for asking. You can buy either of my two books: Slugs : A Manifesto , or Sanatorium . You can also buy art and merch from my website .

How are you doing with all the news about the welfare cuts?

Thank you for asking. I am having a horrible time. Did you know that when the government decides to scapegoat a marginalised group for their economic downturn, the public tend to be crueller to that group of people? I'm getting horrible things shouted at me on a weekly basis while trying to commute to work. Imagine if PIP covered the cost of therapy to navigate all of this.

Thank you for reading my GoFundMe page.

I hope you had a delightful time. I love the mutual aid network so much and am looking forward to donating to all your own fundraisers the next time I get a well-funded commission.

xoxo

Abi Palmer