DYSPRAXIA is a lifelong medical condition which affects an individual’s ability to co-ordinate.

It can affect speech, and abilities such as writing, typing, riding a bike – abilities which many people take for granted, along with skills needed for education, work and employment.

Those definitions of the condition come from the Dyspraxia Foundation, a small charity set up 30 years ago.

Now there’s another organisation campaigning for action to tackle the problems faced by dyspraxics, the Dyspraxic Equality Network (DENT). The two organisations are not in competition – they work together.

The network was formed, says its leading activist, Lindsey Hall, due to “adult dyspraxics being completely and utterly fed up with the injustices and inequality we’ve encountered for decades and wanting to do something about it.”

One of the problems centres on lack of diagnosis of the condition, said Lindsey.

“There’s probably more undiagnosed adult dyspraxics than diagnosed,” she said. “Dyspraxic testing in childhood is a pretty recent thing, so many people aged 30-plus never had a diagnosis as a child.

“Most adult dyspraxics have to pay for a diagnosis, which costs between £350 and £850.”

She says lack of diagnosis is a problem in higher education, and in employment. Disability legislation gives disabled people a range of rights, including putting a duty on employers to “make reasonable adjustments” at work to enable the employee to do his or her job.

“Without a diagnosis dyspraxics in higher education are unable to apply for Disabled Students Allowance. Dyspraxics are able to apply for Access to Work, but the employer has to agree that you’re disabled,” said Lindsey.

“Also, it’ll be difficult to ask for reasonable adjustments or highlight disability discrimination without a diagnosis. Legally, you can do this, but without an official diagnosis it’ll be difficult.

“Questions that dyspraxics were asking 20 years ago are still being asked now; nothing much has changed in 20 years.”

The campaign’s aims include: free and prompt diagnosis for all dyspraxics in the UK, eligibility for a Disabled Person’s Railcard, the same rights at work as other disabled people, and an end to bullying and discrimination in the workplace, education and society which Lindsey says they suffer.

Lindsey wants the struggle taken to Parliament.

“I’m in the process of contacting MPs and Lords to raise awareness of this issue, and trying to set up an all-party parliamentary group in Westminster on dyspraxia. There currently isn’t one. The Dyspraxia Foundation is helping with setting this up.”

The campaign is also bringing dyspraxics together to act collectively.

“Adult dyspraxics socials have been held in Manchester once a month for years,” said Lindsey. “I’m organising adult dyspraxic socials in Coventry in March, Birmingham in April and a one-off one in Belfast, where I’m originally from, in May. It’s my intention to hold a regular West Midlands dyspraxic social, generally in Birmingham.”

The campaign has won backing from the Disability Equality Network, and general union GMB is to submit a Freedom of Information request to establish which NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups will diagnose adult dyspraxics.

The Dyspraxia Foundation is trying to set up an all-party parliamentary group in Westminster, backed by Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck MP, who Lindsey says is the first ever diagnosed dyspraxic MP.

Contact Lindsey Hall, e-mail [email protected]