Dr. Claudia Malacrida, University of Lethbridge, Canada

Narrative interviews – 43 Canadian, 39 British women Narrative offers a means of refashioning knowledge, challenging dominant ideologies Critical discourse analysis of income support policy Unpacks hidden assumptions

Policies analyzed:  AISH in Canada – disability-specific income support  Incapacity Benefit, Income Support and Disability living allowance in UK – commonly-accessed Fragmentation is rampant – multiple services Delivery of services offered separately Benefits overlap, contradict each other ‘Moving target’ – different offices, changes, new criteria

Laura’s story If I find I can’t continue, I don’t know what will happen. I haven’t got a pension. I would have to go on benefits, but I’d have to be out of work twenty-eight weeks before I can go on to benefits. And I can’t afford it, so it looks like I’m going to have to go back to work, which I don’t want to, ‘cause I am so stressed at the moment… I was out of work last year for seven months, because of having two new knees. ‘Cause I couldn’t work, he couldn’t claim anything. It was a very stressful, hard time, and obviously I had to go back to work. Financially, we can’t take that again.

Kelly’s story [My neighbour] then went out in his wheelchair and got me the application, because he knew I couldn’t go anywheres. He brought it home, we filled it out – me and him – which in the long run took longer. And then my doctor told me that, “If you were to come to me and tell me all this,” she said, “we could’ve got you on it the first year, not waiting five years later.” Because I filled it out wrong, it took another year to get on AISH.

Important difference – centralized service in UK – provides links to other levels of government, service providers Too many programmes – fragmentation! Very complex system of entitlements For example….

The Severe Disability Premium Single rate If you are single, you may get the lower rate premium if you live alone, no one gets Carer's Allowance for looking after you and you get the middle or highest care component of Disability Living Allowance. Couples (higher rate) If you have a partner, you may get the higher rate premium if no one else lives with you, no one gets Carer's Allowance for looking after you and either: - you both get the middle or highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance; or - you get the middle or highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance and your partner gets Attendance Allowance Couples (lower rate) If you have a partner, you may get the lower rate premium if no one else lives with you and either: - you both get the middle or highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance, and Carer's Allowance is paid for only one of you; or - you get the middle or highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance and your partner gets Attendance Allowance, and Carer's Allowance is paid for only one of you; or - you get the middle or highest rate of Disability Living Allowance care component and your partner is registered blind, and no one gets Carer's Allowance for looking after you

Too complex Does not account for layered, complicated lives Does not account for actual disabilities In short, policy is written for able, educated, unencumbered citizen As such, it is disabling

Unlike UK, no central site ‘services’ are actually info for professionals AISH does seem to offer comprehensive services (simpler than UK), but… Low pay-out and limited availability paint a different picture Failure to disclose other programmes available Failure to disclose conflicts between programmes Contentious, adversarial tone Example…

As an AISH client, you must report the following as soon as they occur: - any change in your medical condition; - any change in your situation that permits you to begin work, training or rehabilitation; - any change in your assets or your cohabiting partner’s assets; - any change in your marital status or a cohabiting partner’s marital status; - any change in the number of your dependent children; - any change in your address, phone number or other contact information; - a move to or from an institution or other facility such as a hospital including one involving a cohabiting partner or dependent child; - a permanent move outside Alberta, and; - any extended stay outside Alberta When do I report income? AISH, in consultation with the client, decides the most appropriate reporting period (monthly, quarterly or annually) based on certain criteria. Clients may ask to report income more frequently, however they cannot report less frequently than decided with AISH.

No actual info on the website “To apply for AISH, you should contact the AISH office in your local community. To locate the nearest AISH office, contact the Service Alberta Operator toll- free at or refer to the tip sheet outlining Office Locations, or the Seniors and Community Supports website These sources, however, are dead ends

Obviously difficult to understand one’s entitlements Not designed as service, but actually withholding, dishonest Requires investigative skills, resources AISH recipients often have learning disabilities, mental health problems, lifelong sever physical disabilities

Major differences in contexts Citizens Advice Bureaus – 450 voluntary offices, 5.5million cases Nothing comparable in Canada AISH workers are the only resource AISH workers overworked, adversarial

Narrative interviews enrich our understanding Women’s lives complex, challenging Policy not written for such people Policy instead directed to ideal, able-bodied, independent citizen Thus, policy itself is a barrier and a burden