'What should I do on the day?'

• If you think it might help, ask a friend or family member to come with you for emotional support. They might also be able to help by reminding you of things you have forgotten. If you do ask a friend, show them the box ‘For friends and relatives’ below.It explains what they can do to help.

• Make sure you arrive in plenty of time.

• Don't dress up or make a big effort with your appearance. It is important that the panel see you as you are on a normal day. Otherwise, they might get the impression that you don't need help, even if you do.

• The panel may be running late and so you might have to wait. If you have made any notes of what you want to say, use this time to go over them. Try to keep calm (see page x). There will be water available.

• Many people find they get very emotional at the hearing. It doesn't matter if you get upset. It won't make any difference to your chances. Remember - you can ask for a break to compose yourself.

• Be aware that it is possible that you will be watched from the moment you arrive. For example, if you have said you have trouble getting in and out of chairs they will watch you as you sit down, or how you move around. If you are having a good day, and your condition is normally worse, make sure you tell them.

• If the person who helps you a lot has come with you to give evidence they may be asked to wait outside until the panel are ready to speak to them. You need to be prepared to go in alone to start with. This will not happen if they have just come with you to give you emotional support.

• If you had asked for any help with communication or translation and it is not available, you should insist on having the hearing another day.

• If you don't understand a question, ask them to repeat it or put it another way.

• Don't worry about using the 'right' language or ‘buzz words’. It is much better to use your own words. If you think they haven't understood something you have said, say it again in a different way.

• If you sent them any evidence before the hearing, check that they received it.

• If somebody has helped you on the day (perhaps by physically helping you to get up and dressed, or by encouraging you to get yourself ready and keeping you calm) - be sure to tell the panel. Even if you didn't get any help as such, but needed to get a taxi because of your problems walking or going to places you don't know - tell them. They will often ask you about how you got there or if you had any problems this morning, but if they don't ask try to make sure you bring it up.

• Don't make light of your condition. It's tempting to gloss over the difficulties you have, particularly if you find them embarrassing, but you will only harm your case if you do. Be as frank about your condition as you can be, and explain the help you really need rather than how you manage. Remember, it doesn't matter what the panel think of you - they would be wrong to judge you badly because of your disability, and you are never going to see them again!

• Try to make sure you don’t exaggerate the problems that you have either. If you do this, the panel might not believe you when you are not exaggerating.

• Try to answer every question as broadly as you can. If you just give short answers, the panel won’t be able to get a better understanding of your situation. So, try to give longer answers and be willing to explain things. For example, if they ask if you need help to get washed in the morning, don’t just say yes or no.-Tell them if you do, and if you need help with anything else in the morning. If you don't need help because you don't usually have a wash in the morning, explain why you don’t.

• If you find you haven't said everything you want to say because they haven't asked the right question - tell them anyway. It is important that you say everything. A clever tactic is to make notes about what you want to tell them and tick them off as you say them. Make sure that they are all ticked off before you leave. If you have taken somebody with you for moral support - this is a very useful thing for them to do.

• If your condition goes up and down and you need different amounts of help on different days, you will need to make this clear. It is best if you can say roughly how often you need help with each thing, rather than saying 'sometimes'. For example, 'My condition is bad for three weeks out of every four. At these times my joints are very painful and I cannot walk very far or stand'. If you have kept a diary of your needs you should be able to use that to work out how often you need help with different tasks.

September 2008