* The Department for Work and Pensions has caused outrage after telling senior civil servants that it was "business as usual", despite the court of appeal ruling that its "fitness for work" test discriminated against many disabled people.
* The number of disabled people eligible for a Motability vehicle solely on the grounds of a physical impairment could be set to plunge to just one-third of its current level within four years, government figures suggest.
* A disabled woman has been left in a coma, apparently as a direct result of the government's welfare reforms, MPs heard this week.
* The number of occasions on which disabled people were prevented from using step-free tube stations in London because of staff shortages has more than quadrupled since 2009, a Freedom of Information Act request has revealed.
* People applying for the government's new disability benefit are facing delays of more than six months, according to a disabled Labour MP.
* The government should draw up a strategy to ensure advice and legal support are available for disabled people and others who get into difficulty in their daily lives, according to an inquiry headed by a disabled peer.
* The UK's high streets are frequently off-limits to young disabled people because of staff attitudes, broken equipment, blocked shopping aisles, out-of-date information and inaccessible entrances, according to a new report.
Sounds about right for us around here!
ReplyDeleteIt feels like it couldn't be worse. The coalition government has failed despicably. They should never be forgiven for the unacceptable suffering inflicted on the people of their own country.
ReplyDeleteThis government is constantly trying to ruin our lives, by trying to force us into slave labour or homelessness.
ReplyDeleteHi, I have a question related to your experience with disablity and can't find your contact info on the site. Please email me at mtrucillo(at)recallcenter(dot)com when you see this. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe repeated use of the phrase "business as usual" is very odd in that memo. I would be inclined to translate it as: "We know what we are doing disadvantages those groups, but nobody so far has found a way of stopping us". Their point - that they can delay and improvement/change until the tribunal is fair enough, but using that phrase in the way they do makes it seem like code for "don't give a shit".
ReplyDeleteIt also troubles me that mental health, autism and LD are lumped together like this. Sure, their are common problems - but how many people with LD HAVE a psychiatrist? Or even a GP who has much of a clue? My daughter has been disabled from birth, she isn't going to get better, and the level of interest from the medical profession ain't great. Any half wit could see that a Work Capability Assessment is more than a bit pointless, but the ATOS system is something else, isn't it?
They (the government) still think they are better than us and are still trying to make us believe they are better than us, but we never will believe they are better than us, because they are not better than us, we are better than them.
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