Forgive me if this is a long one but it is necessary.
I am not a journalist but I am disabled and an activist fighting for disability rights In the UK.
I think it time to set the record straight and challenge the vile pervasive rhetoric that the public have been fed by the government for the last decade or more which has created ingrained hatred towards claimants, particularly disabled people.
Disabled people have been labelled work shy scroungers and demonised in the media long enough. 50% of Disabled people do work.
Nobody would choose to be either born with severe impairments or chronically sick or have their mental health impaired which incapacitates them daily. This is not the ‘bluesy life’s up and downs’ scenario but a constant daily battle just to get through a day without pain, get the right support to help you stay alive and live a independent life as much as possible within your community.
Most disabled people accept that to get state support from a social security system, you know that supposed ‘Safety Net’ everyone pays into in times of need. When life throws you a curveball that you have to try to overcome that may involve a ‘assessment of need’ through the state apparatus backed up with medical evidence to stake your entitlement to support.
Billions have been spent removing vital support from disabled people which incidentally has cut billions to disabled peoples income which is already cut to the bone, The DWP has had to pay millions too in misadministration via the courts when disabled people challenged decisions made by their contractors to deny entitlement to the support they should have received in the first place and complaints towards this department bad management rise year on year.
That was without the damming UN Report which condemned the UK government had gravely and systemically abused the rights of disabled people and that alone should have raised the alarm bells but it fell on deaf ears to everyone except those affected.
Then we had the Covid 19 pandemic (which is still ongoing) costing many disabled and elderly peoples their lives because of this governments incapacity to handle such a crisis and their failure to plan for such events plus Covid lasting effects all piled on the pressure on a system that was already at breaking point and the economy which went into freefall after Brexit and Liz Truss botched decisions and the DWP dropped the checks to UC to ensure people were actually entitled to financial support, crashed the UK economy into a recession where many also lost their jobs, and businesses closed daily . This led to untold fraudulent claims which ironically the said they would write off and are still chasing those claimants to hold them to account. I suspected at the time the fraud was announced it would be used to penalise the rise in claims due to long covid and sure enough that’s exactly what is happening.
Then add all cuts elsewhere in public services which compound the issues such as lack of GP appointments, social care, dental care, hospital outpatient appointments cancelled, led to many waiting on medical treatment and we have a sicker nation as a result.
Disabled people have to go through demeaning and humiliating strict functional assessments which includes form filling of 50+ pages and provide medical evidence to show that the impacts on their daily lives are worthy of what is the pittance of a low income that enables them to barely survive on the basics. Then add the cost of living crisis where everything a human being needs has risen to such high price it no longer meets that basic level of need for survival. That’s just for starters under Legacy benefits which are all being migrated to Universal Credit which is also afforded to those hard working families who are on a low income.
With government rhetoric of ‘getting more people into work’ breathing down the necks of many struggling families they have managed to conflate it to include Jobseekers who are able and fit enough to seek work and disabled people who can and are able to work also. The stark difference of some disabled people with impairments and access to work support to access the workplace. However chronically ill people, cannot always do this.
The Government then announced a series of reforms to Universal Credit making it more difficult to claim because of their own mistakes during covid claiming fraudulent claimants were taking the taxpayer for a ride which was a distortion of the truth as claimant fraud is and has remained 2-4% not that that’s acceptable it isn’t, fraud is serious criminal offence and should be stamped out, but cleverly distorting the truth of fraud is shameful attack because fraud also includes Dept Error which is higher so the claims of 9% justifies the removal of support to disabled people they have planned long term.
Then yesterday with much fanfare they announced further reforms to not only the work capability assessment but to the PIP assessment process criteria which will cut support for most disabled people to please the potential voters in a election run up where both main parties are battling to out do each other on who going to be tougher on benefits because we have a public who believed that the taxpayers are being mugged off by work shy scroungers with 50 inch flat screen tv’s and the mythical free car parked on the drive. This was also done on the day they debated the Assisted Dying bill which many disabled fear because the government claim they are non productive and called stock and useless eaters which are a burden on the taxpayer smacks of eugenics by stealth.
After releasing the consultation this is yet another demeaning attack on disabled people who are being asked should they be given vouchers AKA benefit card mentality instead of money if they are worthy enough to pass go, which can be exchanged at the ‘Crip Warehouse’ which is the disabled version of Brighthouse on the high street to access various Therapies and Equipment which isn’t always suitable for the needs of disabled people when other products are more suitable elsewhere most likely run by companies or NHS the government approved services contracted to deliver such things who will make a nice profit from misery or shove you into a care home to save money.
How is that not taking away independence, choice, self-determination for disabled people and another human rights abuses! It asks about Mobility equipment that will include the mythical free car that claimants use, the mobility component to pay for to the Motabilty Scheme Charity which provides vehicles or scooters to enable people to participate in society, most importantly to get to work, pay for assistance from a human being to get them ready for the day ahead such as cleaners, gardeners because they cannot do tasks others take for granted or someone to help them out of bed, feed and wash them.
Not only is this dangerous but if enacted will cause more deaths of those disabled people they so desperately want into work particularly to those with serious mental health conditions but those with chronic ill health too. The political opposition should not only speak out and quash fears many have that should they gain power they will do the same, but treat disabled people fairly, equally without fear of punishment because they happen to be unfortunate not to be able to work.
Being on social security is not a lifestyle choice trust me if you ever god forbid find yourself in need as I did after major surgery that went drastically wrong because of a underfunded, over burdened NHS. My saviour was a NHS Consultant who saved my life more than once. Yes life changes, Disabled people do adapt more often than not but people need to wake up and stop this continued assault and realise life could throw you a curveball and you will find yourself in a very different position terrorised by the state that promises to support you when you need it.
blueannoyed 