Dad 'left with no other choice' but to do thing that 'breaks his heart'

A dad who feels forced to send videos to “a faceless stranger” said it breaks his heart as he fights to make things easier for his disabled son. Andrew Moyes is trying to get a Blue Badge for his son who has several disabilities but his application has been refused three times.

Andrew’s son, who he asked to remain anonymous, was diagnosed with severe autism, global developmental delay, and hypermobility at the age of 3. Due to his disabilities, he can tire easily meaning he is sometimes unable to or refuses to walk and has to sometimes use a wheelchair.

The dad, who lives on the Wirral, said his son sometimes struggles with uncertainty such as struggling to find a parking space and is prone to “quite violent meltdowns.” These have sometimes been so severe Andrew’s been hurt or his son hurts himself.

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To help his situation, Andrew applied for a Blue Badge through Wirral Council thinking it would be straight-forward given his son’s diagnosis, EHCP, and attendance at a specialist school. However his application has been turned down, the reason reportedly being a “lack of evidence of psychological trauma.”

However Andrew has shared with the ECHO several images and videos that were sent as evidence to staff reviewing Blue Badge applications of different incidents demonstrating the physical harm caused to himself and his son who is clearly distressed. In one video taken after a recent incident while out in public, he said: “It breaks my heart to do this but this is the evidence you supposedly need.”

The video was taken after Andrew had to carry his son several hundred metres to their car. According to Wirral Council's website, those with hidden disabilities are eligible if it causes them "to severely struggle with journeys between a vehicle and their destination, or be a risk of serious harm to themselves or others."

The website also lists a number of behaviours which include experiencing serious harm or causing harm to others, refusing to walk, and experiencing very severe or overwhelming anxiety.

Andrew said the whole experience has had an impact on him, telling the ECHO: "Having to send deeply personal information to a faceless organisation has caused a massive amount of upset and distress. It's impacted my mental health. Having a child with additional needs is difficult enough. Even though I wouldn't change him for the world, it's challenging. I have just asked for a little bit of help."

He said: "Having to fight for something so basic to reduce the risk of harm to him and myself, having to fight for that, it's disgusting. I am sure there are families in similar situations.

"I am sure if he was confined to a wheelchair, this process would be a lot less difficult than it has been."

He felt he had been left with no other choice, adding: "To have to fight when the evidence is already there is heartbreaking."

In 2021, Wirral Council said it would review its Blue Badge scheme after BBC Shared Data Unit figures showed that while Wirral Council had approved 83% of all Blue Badge applications they have received since August 30 2019, they had only approved 22% of those from people with non-visible disabilities.

Yvonne Nolan, a councillor at the time, said: “It is clear from the figures that there is a big difference in the numbers of people with hidden disabilities being granted a Blue Badge in Wirral compared to other authorities and we need to understand why this might be. As such we will be undertaking a review of our processes and how they compare to other councils.

“I am committed to ensuring that we have an application and assessment process that is fair and accessible for everyone.”

In 2019, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that new eligibility criteria were to be introduced for hidden disabilities. As a result of the Wirral Council review of the blue badge service in 2021, a number of steps were taken to improve services.

This included engaging with other councils, working with charity Autism Together to provide staff training, new systems to get more specific evidence relating to blue badge criteria, a short renewal process, and the appointment of a dedicated blue badge and customer liaison officer to provide help and advice to customers who may need additional support making an application or wishing to appeal an award refusal decision.

A Wirral Council spokesperson said: "It's not appropriate to discuss the specifics of an individual case – particularly a case in which staff are still engaged with. The Blue Badge Scheme is a national scheme specifically to help people with disabilities, whether physical or hidden. Wirral Council is committed to supporting any applicants who meet the criteria set out in the Department for Transport guidance for issuing a Blue Badge.

"The applicant has to provide information and evidence about their medical conditions in relation to the Blue Badge criteria, which is reviewed by a fully qualified and experienced Occupational Therapist employed by the council.

"Decisions are made in line with DfT guidance to keep the process fair and consistent for all applicants and there is an appeals process in place for applicants who disagree with a decision."