Sophie: Hi I’m Sophie-Marie Odum Lifestyle Magazine’s Editor.
Sam: And I’m Samantha Renke broadcaster and disability rights campaigner and a huge welcome to The Motability Lifestyle Pod. In this podcast, we invite our friends from the disability community into the studio for a conversation about how we can all live our best life, particularly when navigating a disabling world.
Sophie: Before we get started on this next episode, just a reminder that if you’re listening to us in your car, you can also watch the full episode on YouTube, complete with captions and British Sign Language. Also, make sure to click Subscribe or Follow wherever you’re listening so that you’re the first to know when each new episode lands. In today’s episode, we’re joined by Lucy Webster, who is a journalist, writer and disability advocate. Her book, The View from Down Here, is a memoir of ableism, sexism and disabled womanhood. Love Lucy and love her book, definitely worth a listen! Hi Sam!
Sam: Bonjour! Should we do that every- A different language. Bonjour. And then I was gonna do ¿Cómo estás? but that’s two different-
Sophie: Two different languages. Yeah. And I’d think you’d run out after a while. How many languages do you know?
Sam: Well technically on paper I do- I’ve got a German and French degree, but I mean- I mean, it doesn’t say a lot.
Sophie: How are you?
Sam: I’m very well. How are you?
Sophie: Good thank you. We had Motability’s Big Event. Really busy stand, Lifestyle had a stand there where visitors could come and have their pictures taken.
Sam: So hang on, run that through me, so people could just come along and have their faces Superimposed onto the front of the magazine.
Sophie: Yeah. So usually we do the magazine so we’ve got a photographer there. They take a picture on a colorama backdrop and the it’s superimposed into a magazine. But this year.
Sam: Oh, okay!
Sophie: We went a bit different. We did a podcast episode sleeve,and it was bright pink because that is our-
Sam: That is our colour theme. Can you not tell? Does something give it away? That’s our colour.
Sophie: So yeah. So we had lots of visitors to the stand, to come and have their picture taken. We also had like a listening booth corner where you could listen to the podcast or watch the podcast because it’s available as both. And we had lots of feedback Sam. People just had so much positive feedback to say about the magazine, about the podcast.
Sam: Did they?!
Sophie: Yes. Oh, we even had one visitor, I wasn’t there, but, because I was only there the Friday. But on the Saturday, a lovely lady came to visit to say that she’d listen to one episode and then literally binged the rest of the episodes.
Sam: Wow. That is commitment.
Sophie: Yes, a shoutout to her.
Sam: Yeah, I love that. That’s amazing. And is that every year then? Can I come back next year?
Sophie: So The Big Event happens every year at the NEC but they also have One Big Days, which are regional events. You can check the website for more information. And then there’s The Big Event in Edinburgh.
Sam: And NEC’s Birmingham isn’t it? I’m rubbish at geography. But that’s amazing I’ll definitely come next year.
Sophie: And have your picture taken.
Sam: I should because, you know, I bought a secondhand WAV vehicle. Just for a little bit of a run around. Because, unfortunately, moving to the countryside, it’s also meant that none of the local taxi firms can accommodate my power wheelchair. So I have, until I get my Motability official Motability car, which is hopefully in the not too distant future for the time I’ve bought a- I call her Gretta. She’s a granny. She’s quite old but she’s a beautiful little WAV car. So at least I’ve kind of, you know, got now that freedom of just being able to be dropped off in my power chair at my local train station and then just get on my merry way.
Sophie: Makes a difference doesn’t it?
Sam: Yeah, it makes a difference. And I think- I think that’s something I took for granted living in London, you know, all the taxis had to be accessible.
Sophie: Right, onto reasons to be cheerful. So our first reasons to be cheerful. It is July which means it is Disability Pride Month. And I’d like to think everyone knows about it. But for those who don’t, it takes place every July, and it’s a- It just aims to celebrate and amplify the disabled community. So Sam, what’s your plans?
Sam: Do you know, what I don’t know. I need to do something, don’t I? I need to get my bottom into gear and do something because it’s one of those celebrations where I only heard about it about four years ago, if I’m completely honest. And I’ve never really gone anywhere or done anything. So maybe this is going to be the year that I, you know, I partake.
But what I’ve really loved over the years, is learning a bit more about the history. And did you know that we’ve got a disability pride flag?
Sophie: Yes.
Sam: It’s actually really evolved. And this is what I love about our community. Is that the original flag, there was two flags. One flag, if you read the creation of it, it’s very medical model like overcoming, you know, overcoming your tragic life kind of thing. And then the one that was, you know, more favourable, shall we say, is very much like let’s amplify the voices of our community. But what is really beautiful, is that even though that flag was created by, you know, our community, it has evolved even more because some people found the contrast and the zigzag pattern to not be as accessible. So it’s even evolved. And I think this is what’s beautiful and I- And when I talk to our allies I tell them that, you know, don’t worry about getting it- Getting it wrong. Don’t worry about being the perfect ally or knowing exactly what to say to disabled people. Because even us as a community, we’re evolving, we’re making mistakes and we go, “Hang on, not too keen on that. Let’s- Let’s have a discussion.” And I think that’s what it needs. That’s what needs to happen. I think that’s what Disability Pride Month is all about. Is just celebrating how far we’ve come and how far we’re still going as a collective.
Sophie: Yes, I love that. At the moment, I don’t think there is a theme but there usually is a theme each year.
Sam: Is there? I know there is for History Month. There’s always a theme for History Month. That’s easier, but I think you’re right. So we need to- We need to investigate.
Sophie: Onto our next one. You’re an Apple iPhone user, aren’t you Sam?
Sam: Yes, I’ve subscribed to the hype. I am a clone. I am a sheep. Yes I am.
Sophie: So, Apple has added new accessibility features to its devices which will help users with physical disabilities, better control and interact with their iPad or iPhone. This includes eye-tracking, music haptics which allows users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music on their devices via vibrations.
Sam: Love it.
Sophie: And vocal shortcuts, which allow users to assign actions to custom utterances, not just phrases. So I think that that’s a move in the right direction.
Sam: Yeah.I mean, you can say whatever you want about big corporations but Apple have always really been forward-thinking when it comes to inclusive technology. I mean, that wonderful advert-commercial that they did, I am the greatest. That was so powerful. So I mean, hats off to them. They definitely understand the strength of the Purple Pound.
Sophie: So should we get into today’s guest?
Sam: I think we should!
Sophie: So today we welcome to the podcast Lucy Webster. Lucy is a writer, political journalist, disability advocate and author of The View From Down Here, which looks at the struggles, the joys and the unseen realities of being a disabled woman. From navigating the worlds of education and work, dating and friendship, to managing care, contemplating motherhood and learning to accept your body. We are so grateful to have her here on the podcast. Welcome, Lucy. Welcome.
-LUCY INTERVIEW-
Sophie: Welcome to the pod, Lucy! Good to have you here.
Lucy: Thank you for having me.
Sam: Hi Luce! Well me and Luce go way back. We’re good- We’re good friends. I actually went to your book launch, and vice versa. You came to my book launch. We’ve got a cracking photo of you and I at my book launch. We should maybe, like, put that as a still next to it. I’ve got a very, very comical picture of us. If we can bring up in the video. Yeah, can we- I don’t know how we do that in the edit. But anyway, welcome. It’s so nice to see you. Have you missed me now I’ve moved out of London? Or not really.
Lucy: Yeah it’s not the same.
Sam: Bit more conviction there Lucy thank you very much.
Sophie: So to kick off with Lucy from one journalist to another, how did you get to work with the BBC and Guardian? Because that is pretty major!
Lucy: The Guardian was a sequence of unbelievable events. When I was 19 I won this student media award. In classic Lucy fashion, I sort of won it by accident.
Sam: You “won it by accident.”
Lucy: I sort of applied on a whim and promptly forgot about it. And then got an email several months later saying, “Come to the awards in London.” I was at uni at the time. I don’t think I’ve ever been more surprised in my life. And then I won! So I got work experience there and then from there I sort of ended up freelancing for them. And then the BBC, when I graduated, I got some work experience at the BBC. Actually through a contact from The Guardian. And then I was there when they opened their scheme for disabled journalists. So an Editor there helped me apply and I got a place.
Sam: I think that’s where we kind of met. It was when you were in your role at the BBC. I’m pretty sure that’s how- Was that- I think you interviewed me once. I swear. I’m not making that up. Does that ring a bell or have I completely made that up. I just I feel like that’s how I know you. At the beginning of kind of my journey, when I first moved into the world of media, I was doing quite a lot for the BBC, doing a lot for the charity Scope, doing a lot of interviews and I’m pretty sure that’s where that’s where- Yeah. Anyway, we digress. We digress. What? Me? Digressing on an interview, that really doesn’t sound-
Lucy: It’s all a long time ago.
Sam: Although you are much, much younger than I am, Lucy. And are you- You speak quite openly, and a lot of people can relate to this, particularly if you’re in the freelance field, I suppose is, you know, there’s not a lot of security. There can still be a lot of prejudice, a lot of ableism going on. How do you navigate that kind of, you know, telling the world who you are but also understanding that that might come with some prejudice. Do you- Are you an advocate for disclosing your disability when you apply for jobs or is that something that you’ve worked on over the years?
Lucy: I suppose I’m quite lucky now like I write and talk about disability for a living. So it’s sort of to my advantage that I am a disabled person. So it never really worries me now because the sort of jobs I’m like going for, they’re looking for a disabled person or they ought to be. So, yeah. I didn’t really worry about it. Also I never really- Because of the extent of my disability, it was never really possible to not disclose it really early on. Like if you talk to me on the phone you know I’m disabled. So I’ve always been quite up front and sort of bolshie about it.
Sam: I’ll tell you Lucy is someone, she hooks everyone up, but, like, she’s- She’s the most connected lady I know. Lucy hooked me up with my therapist, so I’ve inherited a therapist for a few years. Basically nicked it off Lucy there. You know, because I- I respect- I respect you so much, I’m like, “Yeah.” And then also, our mutual friend who comes and specialises in accessible massages. Again one of Lucy’s- I believe that was your- One of your, well, a friend. Who else have you got for me to-
Sophie: Sam it’s not about you. But as you’re so well connected Lucy, it would be good to hear what advice you’ve got for upcoming journalists. Because, thinking back to when I was first starting out, it would have been good if I could hear from someone who worked at BBC and Guardian how to get my foot in the door. So yeah. What advice do you have?
Lucy: Yeah. I think like- Okay. I get asked this a lot. Two things I think. One is that everyone’s got a phone and a laptop so start doing journalism like don’t wait to be invited by a publication just like start a newsletter, start an Instagram page. I’m old enough that I started with a blog, you know. Like just do it and prove you can do it even if like the only person reading it is your Mum. And the second thing which I think is really important if you’re also disabled is like ask for stuff. Ask for opportunities, ask to like go for a coffee with a journalist who you admire or ask an editor like what they would be looking for in a pitch and like just make connections everywhere you can and like I always say, “I know it’s really scary to like write an email to an editor when you’re quite young.” But like actually most people are nice and like they’re either going to say no because they don’t have time or they’re going to help you.
Sam: Yeah. Exactly. Just be bolshie, just be cheeky. The worst they could say is no. Or the worst they could do is maybe not get back to you and then there’s nothing- There’s nothing lost. That’s exactly how I got my first writing gig at Possibility Magazine. I didn’t have much going on in my life. I love the magazine. I had a subscription to it. I sent- I just said to the editor, “Hey, I’ve written this, would you like to publish it?” And then I was with them for eight years. You know, you have nothing- You really have nothing to lose apart from maybe a bit of your ego gets- Gets bruised, but like Lucy said, yeah, people are nice. People are genuinely nice and want to help if they can help you.
Lucy: And like take opportunities, like my first thing that I got published was at Prospect Magazine. I was only 17. And it was because I was there on work experience and they didn’t have anything for me to do that day. So I wrote a piece on my blog while I’m there instead of twiddling my thumbs. And then the editor sat next to me and he said, “Send it to me.” And before I knew it, it was up on the Prospect website. So it’s just about sort of going for it.
Sam: What has been some of the biggest barriers you found in the industry?
Lucy: How long have you got?
Sam: I know, okay, maybe like the top- The top barriers that you- You repeatedly experience.
Lucy: Yeah starting out I think definitely like physical access was a problem. When you’re trying to work for like a small magazines, especially sort of, what 12 years ago, they were all sort of in little offices above shops. They physically were not accessible. That’s become less of a problem as I’ve moved up the food chain a bit. The bigger publications have new, accessible offices. But then like, yeah, let’s call it what is, there’s a little bit of ableism everywhere and that ableism is also in journalism. I’ve been really lucky to be championed by people who like believed that we need more disabled journalists. But not everyone believes that. So you’re always sort of having to really prove yourself especially when you’re twenty-two and working for the BBC and it’s, to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing.
Sam: Don’t think anyone had any idea what we were doing at twenty two to be honest.
Lucy: I was just there having a lovely time but like it was really hard to be that young, a woman and disabled at the biggest institution you can think of, like it was hard. And now I think, you know, I’m lucky I worked for the editor. I don’t feel that I get that much of a, “We don’t want to work with a disabled person now.” Because I’ve sort of proved that I can do what I do and do it well. But because I cover disability issues, the problem that I have now is convincing editors that stories are important. And they’re not niche and that, like, there is an audience for this stuff and it matters and we should be covering a hell of a lot more than we are. And I have that argument sort of everyday as part of my job.
Sam: And I think that, you know, during the pandemic that was, like, that was so highlighted. There was so many issues that needed to be written and spoken about for our community. And they just paled into insignificance. But you’ve come a long way since then. And I know, Sophie’s dying to ask you about your book.
Sophie: Yes!
Sam: Let’s face it, that’s what we want to hear about is your book.
Sophie: So Lucy, you’ve previously said for so long, “I looked for something that represented me and so many others. And for so long it didn’t exist. So I wrote it. And now it’s out in the world.” So how does it feel to know that you’re influencing and inspiring the next generation of disabled women and girls, and hopefully making their experiences easier or better? And do you think society still got a long way to go in terms of change?
Lucy: Oh my God, such a long way The ableism is ableisming at the moment. The book sort of- I should probably what the book is about. So the book is a memoir but I would say, “Don’t worry I haven’t given you my life story.” Because no one wants that. It really specifically looks at how ableism and sexism sort of combine and it’s just intentioned to effect lives that disabled women can lead. So I chose sort of some main themes from like body image and body acceptance to work to dating to motherhood to friendship. And also physical access to places. And to have two separate voices. It’s good disabled women from a lot of women spaces. But also it’s good enough from a lot of disability spaces. So that sort of came about by looking around me and thinking, “The ableism I’m experiencing has this sort of sexist undertone that we’re not talking about or thinking about but it’s really important to acknowledge.” And I’ve had so many messages from disabled women saying, “Oh my God! You’ve finally said all this stuff that’s been in my head for 25 years.” Or you know, “I thought it was only me that felt this was happening!” Or, “I’ve never read anything that actually reflects how people treat me.” So I’ve done a lot of crying at getting those messages but they’re lovely and it showed how needed that book was.
Sam: And that’s why I like the intersectional approach that you’ve taken with your book. You know, you talk about sexuality. You talk about being a woman with a disability. And like you said, you really talk about those maybe taboo subjects that we aren’t speaking about. I think it’s really important that we, you know, kind of highlight how far we’ve come as a community in a sense of, you know, when we talk about allyship and when we talk about, you know, kind of there’s no place for ignorance anymore because there’s so much content out there from disabled and neurodivergent, you know, creators that, you know, if you want to be a good ally, just get on the internet, Google and you’re able to find- I mean, look at the dolls behind us- You know, Barbie. Barbie’s rocking her wheels, you know what I mean? And there’s no excuse anymore, but what- Who else have you felt, you know, inspired by in terms other books or other content?
Lucy: I have to give a shout out to my friend Rebekah who wrote ‘Sitting Pretty’. Which is the book that I, like, shove in people’s faces when they’ve read mine and say, “What else can I read?!” And I go, “Rebekah!” I love her. I love her writing. I love her story. I’m such a Rebekah fangirl! And honestly, one of the best things that ever happened to me that she wrote the cover quote for my book. Which, again, was me sobbing alone in my front room. So read ‘Sitting Pretty’. Follow her on Instagram, she’s amazing, I’m obsessed.
Sam: I think she was one of the first disability centric books that I had actually read. I think that was where we all kind of got that first, like, “Oh my goodness! People write about this!”
You know, like that- That book was like the Bible, wasn’t it really? I remember- I remember it doing its rounds.
Lucy: She writes so beautifully and captures it so well and that was a real benchmark for what I wanted to do with my book. I’m not sure that I reached Rebekah’s height but I tried.
Sophie: Lucy, you’ve kind of spoken about this already, but, in terms of, you know, realising or just talking about how much of an ableist society we live in but was it a real cathartic process when you were writing the book and what did you learn about yourself?
Lucy: Everyone says this, no. I loved writing the book because I love writing and in an ideal world where I didn’t have to meet anybody all I would do is write about disability and not worry about whether it was being read. I think by the time that I wrote the book, I did a lot of therapy because I don’t think I could of written the bookhaving not done that therapy. Some of it was really hard to me with it because there were days where I really had to make myself put those words on the page. Some of it was great to write about and get out all my frustrations but it was very intense. Such as when writing that final chapter. And that was especially hard because I hadn’t come to any conclusion myself with that.
Sam: I’ve- I’ve definitely, as a friend, I’ve definitely seen you come out of your shell a lot since writing the book. You know, like I found- I feel like you- I know you’re saying that maybe it wasn’t as cathartic as you thought, but I’ve seen a positive shift in you. You’re a bit like, “Well it’s out there now! So I might as well just be more authentic and the hell- The hell with it, you know!” I feel like you’ve got a little bit of- A bit more spicy. Spicy- Spiciness to you. Since putting the book out. That’s my personal opinion as a friend.
Lucy: So as you know I wrote an intensely personal memoir. And then two months before it came out, I decided to come out. I guess it was like a mad time in my life but sort of those two things together obviously dramatically changed my life. In all good ways. It’s hard to say what was the book and what was ‘coming out’ but all of it together was great. And a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. But I think I’m finally getting off the rollercoaster.
Sam: I think you’re in a good place as well. Oh, I’m getting all emotional now.
Sophie: I was going to ask about the feedback to the book, but I think you’ve kind of answered that when you said that you received such positive feedback and that left you in tears.
Sam: You and I, we talk a lot about PAs, I know that we both reached out to one another when we’re looking to hire PAs and I know that you you’ve got several PAs, I’ve met all of them. They’re all amazing people. But you actually mention in your book, you know, the question, like, what do you need? And having that as a tool and that powerful- Being able to ask for help and reach out to people and say, you know, like, for an ally to go, “Well, what do you need? What can I help you with?” What advice would you give to anyone? Because I love talking about PAs. I don’t think we talk about them openly enough. What advice would you give to anyone who’s maybe starting with a new PA, looking for a new PA, like pitfalls? Or, you know, how do you get your needs met? How do you ensure that, you know, those boundaries are in place because it can be so intimidating having someone, essentially a stranger enter your space and has to do some really, you know, personal interactions with you, like from the word go. Like that’s- That’s not normal behaviour for everyone. Is it really?
Lucy: And this is why I say like it’s really hard and we should give ourselves a bit of a break because like you say it’s not normal. It’s not- You don’t make a friend one day and then they move in the next day. It’s a pretty unique thing. It’s hard. Sometimes it’s great and I think we should acknowledge both and as I’ve got older, I’ve had 24-hour care since I was 18. Like when I was 18, I absolutely didn’t know how to manage it and it went wrong quite a lot. I didn’t enforce boundaries and I- Because I was basically a child whereas now it’s, you know, been improving for a while. I still get it wrong so that’s fun and it’s always deeply stressful and when the care is bad I, like, can’t cope with life but then, you know, you do find the right people eventually and right now I’ve got a full team and they’re great. And like, I don’t even have to think about it. And like some of them are my best friends which I know I’m not supposed to say but they’re in my house 24/7 and it would be weird if we weren’t friends, wouldn’t it? So we’re really good friends, we have a lot fun. You know, they’re the best allies you could want because they actually see all of it. And they know and they don’t just see my edited highlights. And it’s a brilliant relationship and like some of my ex-PAs are like my family now and we- We have so much fun. But also not, sometimes life is hard but at least it’s hard together.
Sam: Yeah. That’s life though isn’t it. I love how you speak about it. And I want to hear more from that community too because I think, you know, caregivers and PAs in general, you know they’re overworked, underpaid, you know, they’re not- They’re not cherished as they should be because they, you know, they bring so much- They bring so much to the lives of people of like myself and Lucy and we, you know, when you’ve got a good egg, you’ve got a good egg, you know, and it is fun. It can be really hard. It can be a challenging job. Well, I would say 90% of the time it’s- It’s amazing.
Lucy: People- My PAs, they always say sort of when they tell people what they do, “Oh couldn’t do that.” “You’re so good.” And they say, “Going on holiday for work?” Or, “Hang about in a flat having a laugh? For work.” Like why is this seen as a terrible job? When it isn’t.
Sophie: Lucy, what’s next for you? What’s on the horizon?
Lucy: What’s next? Oh God. I don’t know. I’m thinking about another book because I’m apparently quite mad. And I want to do it again. It won’t be a memoir. I think I know what it will be but let’s not get into it. Thinking about doing some more sort of speaking about ableism work, so just sort of working out how I want to do that. You know, still doing all my journalism. I did a piece in The Guardian and I’m doing a piece for The Telegraph next week so just some of the same stuff and then some new stuff. And also just like to have a bit more fun.
Sam: Remind everyone where to find you on social media. And also the name of your wonderful memoir.
Lucy: The memoir is ‘The View From Down Here’ you can get it in all good book shops and online. I’m on Twitter. I’m on Instagram. I have a newsletter which is also called ‘The View From Down Here’. Find me in The Guardian. Find me wherever you want to find me.
Sam: I’m sure they will. Lovely as always. Lucy, let’s catch up. You and I, on another day but thank you from the podcast.
Sophie: Yes, thank you very much, Lucy. So lovely to meet you. Thank you for your time.
Lucy: Thank you.
-CAR CHAT WITH MATT-
Sophie: So Lucy was great.
Sam: Lucy’s amazing. I do sometimes feel like people think I just get my friends to come on the show. Well, I kind of do and I kind of don’t. I just know a lot of people. I know a lot of people, but I love- I Love Lucy. She’s a little bit like my little sister. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way I feel quite- You know, I love her to bits. So I’m so glad that she- She is just smashing it really.
Sophie: Yeah. She is. It is nice to have a fellow journalist on here. So onto Car Chat With Matt. How are you Matt?
Matt: I’m good, thank you. How are you?
Sophie: Yeah, good thank you.
Matt: You well Sam?
Sam: (Sam had been doing a regal wave at Matt) I’m very well. I don’t know what this little wave is doing.
Matt: It’s a good wave.
Sam: I’m doing a bit of a Queen’s wave.
Matt: I was going to say, it’s quite regal.
Sam: The Queen’s wave.
Sophie: It is regal.
Matt: Felt quite royal. Yeah.
Sophie: It did. You need to do your official intro, don’t you?
Sam: Car- I mean like, I feel like my voice isn’t up for it today. Should I do more of a smooth, smooth Car Chat With Matt!
Matt: Oh I quite liked that.
Sophie: That was actually good today.
Matt: Remix. That was good.
Sam: Pushing myself out of my comfort zone. See, there we go.
Matt: Oh, I enjoyed that one.
Sophie: So what are we talking about today, Matt?
Matt: Today we are talking about insurance. It’s one we get a lot of questions about and it’s actually- Doesn’t sound like the most exciting topic in the world does it insurance? But, it’s one we get a lot of questions about. And it’s one that’s quite important in terms of being able to maximise the use of your car. So I’m just going to cover the kind of basics of what the Motability scheme allows you to do in terms of insurance. And I can direct you to some places to get some more information if this doesn’t answer all your questions. So first up, let’s get to the basics. If you get a car on the Motability scheme, you get three people on your insurance for free. So you can have- That will cover you for three people to drive your car. You can change them at any time as well, which is quite handy. So, if you are quite-
(Sam has her hand raised)
Do you have a question Sam?
Sam: I do.
Matt: Go on.
Sam: Very personal question. So, amazing! A snag that I’ve had, my new PA is a new driver and is quite young. Does that impact the insurance?
Matt: Very good question. So, you can have one driver who is under 21. So that’s good. And then the next thing that you have to consider, this depends on whether you’re driving a WAV or a- Or a car. You can, effectively, there are cars that are suitable for under twenty fives. So you can have- You can have under twenty fives on your- On your insurance to drive the car, but they can’t drive all the cars on the scheme. And that’s to do with the power and the insurance level of the car.
Sam: Got to really check that out beforehand.
Matt: It’s absolutely- Yeah you’ve- You’ve skipped to my next point here Sam. I like your thinking.
Sam: Sorry!
Matt: No no no, you’re thinking on the right lines. So yeah, that is one thing to consider is when you get your car, it’s not just whether, at the time you get it, that you can have an under twenty five driving it. It’s whether, say, you’ve got, I don’t know, a child or something or you might have an assistant who will be driving within the next year or so and you might want them to drive the car. It’s worth considering at that stage whether you think anyone under twenty five is going to be driving your car before the end of the term, so you have the car for three years. Is anyone else under twenty five going to be driving it? Now it is quite easy to see which cars are suitable for under twenty fives if you go on the Motability website and go to the Car Search, there is a filter so you can tick “Is this a-” Tick to show cars that are only suitable for under 25s so there is a reasonable selection as well.
Sam: Yeah. And do they include some WAV-
Matt: Yeah. So I would- Again I would double check this, but my understanding last time I looked is that that doesn’t apply to WAVs.
Sam: So it doesn’t apply to WAVs?
Matt: No. So under twenty fives-
Sam: There’s no age limit with WAVs?
Matt: Not that I’m aware of. Not for under twenty fives.
Sam: But I just like to- Just for the listeners and the viewers, Matt doesn’t know I’m going to ask him these questions. I just go improv, improv, improv. So thank you for- Thank you for answering.
Matt: That’s quite alright. That’s quite alright. And obviously, you know, if people do have any questions like this, there’s- There’s a lot of useful stuff on Motability’s website, they’ve got lots of insurance FAQs that you can look at but also you can phone Direct Line Motability. So Direct Line provide the insurance for Motability. So there is a dedicated line that you can call and ask them these sorts of questions as well if you’re not sure. So yeah. So that’s a good question. So once you’ve got your three drivers or you don’t have to have three obviously, you can add or remove them whenever you want. You can do that if you’re relatively competent with a computer, you can do that with your online account, which is the easiest and quickest way to do it. If you, you know, if you haven’t got the internet or don’t like computers or can’t use them, then you can call up and get it done that way. So that’s nice and easy to do. And what you can do is, there might be a situation where you want to add a temporary driver. So you might be staying somewhere.
Sam: One place, one day.
Matt: Absolutely. You might be staying with a friend for a week and want them to be able to drive the car for you. So, in that instance, what you can do is you can still only have three people on at a time, but you can temporarily deactivate one of your drivers, add a temporary driver for that time, and then once you, you know, once that’s finished and you want to re-add your previous driver, you can just reactivate them.
Sam: Clever, because someone might be unwell, a caregiver or a PA might be unwell. It’s like we’ve got the same brain. It’s like, I’m thinking of the questions and you’re just answering them for me.
Sophie: And it’s really simple to do on the online account.
Matt: Yes it is. It is really quite straightforward. Yeah. So that’s good. Who can drive the car is a common question we get, you know, can anyone drive the car? Effectively, what it comes down to is whether the car is being driven for the disabled person’s benefit. Now, that obviously feels quite open to interpretation, but that doesn’t mean, for example, that a disabled person has to be in the car If someone else is using it, because-
Sam: Shopping.
Matt: Exactly. If you’re nipping to the shops to get something for them, well that, you know, quite a wide use case really. So yeah. So that’s the main thing. So, if you say don’t live with the people who are down as the drivers on your car. So if you were the disabled person and the drivers of the car don’t actually live at your address, Motability may want to- May want to add a tracker to the car just to check that how it’s being used and check that it is being used for your benefit. And the, you know, it’s not being abused or used outside of that use case, but they’d always talk to you about that before- Before that happens. Other than that, we’ve covered that you can only have one driver under twenty one. One thing to consider that gets asked a lot is can someone who isn’t on your insurance but has say a comprehensive, policy in place that allows them to drive other cars? Can they drive your car? And the answer is no, because it’s- It’s a special type of insurance. It’s a fleet insurance. So you can’t, effectively, unless you are named on your account as a driver no one can drive your car. So that’s quite important. If someone drives that car- Someone drives your Motability car on and thinks they’re driving on their own insurance, they’re not insured. So that- That’s quite important.
Sam: Yeah. Caught up with you there.
Matt: So if you want someone to drive your car, they absolutely have to be- On your account as an insured driver. Otherwise, it’s all quite straightforward, really. Obviously, you need to have a full driver’s license. That’s pretty obvious. If you have, for example, if you have any accidents, that kind of thing, you obviously have to declare those to the insurance if you get any points. So, for example, if you’ve been caught speeding or done anything, you know, had any other endorsements on your license, you do need to let them know straight away. Yeah. The other thing that’s worth mentioning is that you can have a driver on a provisional license. The person who’s in the car with them needs to have a full driver’s license and needs to be over twenty one. But you can have- You can drive a Motability car on a provisional license.
Sophie: Good to know.
Matt: But yeah, other than that, all quite straightforward. The other thing that’s worth mentioning is, I did mention that you can have three people right? On your insurance.
Sam: Can you have more?
Matt: In certain circumstances, yes. So if you were, say, in a care home, it might be that multiple carers would- Would need to drive your vehicle, for example, if you had a WAV or something like that in which case it might not actually be appropriate to only have three. So if the circumstances require it, you can ask about having an open policy, which means more than three people could drive your vehicle. And so there’s quite a few circumstances where that’s relevant. So if someone requires full time care or they’re in a nursing home or a care home, etc. So yeah, in those instances you can actually apply to have an open policy. Again, if you just speak to Direct Line and explain to them that, you know, having three drivers isn’t going to work, they’ll be able to advise you on whether or not that’s- That’s appropriate. And that kind of covers the basics really, I think. As I say, anything else, do phone Direct Line Motability because they can- They can advise you on any other questions you have. The website has lots of useful tips and information. And as I said, you can change any of your drivers on your Motability account if you go online. That covers it really.
Sophie: Amazing, thank you, Matt! Pleasure as always.
Sam: Is that it? Car Chat With Matt’s over?
Matt: I know.
Sam: What! Car chat With Matt.
Matt:I got an outro this time!
-OUTRO-
Sam: And that’s it for this episode of The Motability Lifestyle Pod. Thanks to our producer,
Charlotte Mason at Insanity Studios, Saffron Mirza and Abi Sandler and our Editorial Assistant,Lucie Rhodes at Wonderly.
Sophie: If you liked this episode, click Follow or Subscribe. Tell all your friends and please leave a review and rating if you’re listening or Like and Comment if you’re watching. If you want to tell us what you thought or if there’s something you’d like to hear, come and say hello on Instagram @Motability_Lifestyle_Mag and for some behind-the-scenes content, follow us on TikTok @MotLifestyleMag. You can also watch the full video on YouTube with captions and BSL.
You can find us on @MotabilityLifestylemagazine. Finally, if you want more information about the Motability scheme, go to Motability.co.uk or if you want to learn more about the Motability Foundation, visit motabilityfoundation.org.uk And that’s it. I’m Sophie-Marie Odum.
Sam: And I’m Samantha Renke.
Sophie: See you next time.
Sam: Tara!
