Disabled people get bolshy!
Transport for All
The streets and cyberspace are buzzing at...
The streets and cyberspace are buzzing at the moment with many disabled people protesting against cuts to benefits and services – brought on by the austerity measures of the Conservative led governement.
Much ire has been directed at MP for Disabled people Maria Miller and the cuts that are being planned for the Disability Living Allowance. With the mobility component of the DLA already being scrapped for disabled people who live in residential care – the Government is seeking to reform the entire benefit and replace it with a Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
The Government has indicated it wants to do away with ‘automatic entitlements’ and also ‘consider’ the aids and adaptations that people seeking the new benefit could use. This could mean a wheelchair user who is a paraplegic would be hauled into ‘regular robust assesments’ and also recieve less benefits due to the mobility aids she uses.
The disability rights blog – ‘one label, one voice’ has launched a petition against the consultation itself stating that:
“We, the undersigned, urge the Minister for Disabled People to recall the Public Consultation on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reform, and to cease work on reform of this benefit, due to serious flaws in the consultation paper. As such, the consultation questions are deeply skewed and any answers will be likely to support wholesale reform. This is both unfair and unwise, and will cause hardship for many disabled people“.
It goes on to state:
“Questions are also raised concerning the accuracy of the representation of supporting data. For example, the claim is made that DLA claims have risen by 30% in eight years – without accounting for population growth of 5% in this period, a pronounced demographic shift, and increased awareness of DLA“.
The petition can be found here:
Many other organisations are formulating responses to the proposed cuts and changes:
Neil Coyle of the Disability Alliance says:
“The combined effects of the Government agenda for DLA risks meaning disabled people are unable to participate, less likely to work and more likely to live in poverty. Disability Alliance also today began consulting on DLA to ensure a thorough investigation of the issues involved. Our research will be an in-depth analysis of DLA use, disabled people’s needs and potential risks in the Government plans.”
The Alliance is encouraging people to put forwrad their views on the proposed changes:
More information is available via their website:
http://www.disabilityalliance.org/dlatest.htm
Meanwhile other protest groups are also continuing to voice their concerns that disabled people are facing the brunt of the cuts being announced by local and national government.
Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC) was formed by a group of disabled people after the first mass protest against the austerity cuts and their impact on disabled people held on the 3rd October in Birmingham. It continues to organise and support a range of actions, protests and meetings around defending and extending the rights of disabled people.
http://disabledpeopleprotest.wordpress.com/about/
On its website it states
‘DPAC is about disabled people and their allies. DPAC is UK based but we know that disabled people in other countries are suffering from austerity cuts and a lack of fundamental rights. We welcome all to join us in fighting for justice and human rights for all disabled people’
Another site which has been co-ordinating actions and reporting on what disabled activists are up to is:
http://benefitclaimantsfightback.wordpress.com/about/
The website states: ‘This is just the beginning. We will not pay for their crisis’
