Welfare reform - threats and promises

In her new regular campaigning slot, Ruth Patrick takes a critical look at the current welfare reform bill

Good news and welfare reform are not phrases that generally sit comfortably together but one recent amendment to the bill currently before parliament gives one section of our community reason to celebrate. Following sustained campaigning by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and others, from 2011 those with severe visual impairments will be able to claim the higher mobility rate of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). While it’s anticipated that this will benefit about 20,000 people, it’s unclear just who will be covered by this entitlement.

The general thrust of the welfare reform bill continues to concern many in the disability movement and beyond. The bill, which is currently before the House of Lords and looks set to become law shortly, continues the Government’s tired emphasis on work as the best form of welfare. There is the additional threat of sanctions for those benefit claimants who refuse to engage in programmes to support them into work.

Thus, for disabled people conditions are attached to the receipt of the new Employment Support Allowance (ESA). Claimants are initially divided into two groups – those thought capable of work and those whose impairments are judged so severe as to prevent them from engaging in paid employment. The first group are placed in an “employment group” and are expected to participate in “work-related activity” or risk seeing their benefits cut. The latter group are not subject to any sanctions and are awarded a higher level “support” rate of ESA. An immediate danger with this division of disability benefit claimants is that false divisions are created and those in the “support” group are incorrectly written-off as incapable due to their more severe impairments. What is more, these divisions are based on a medical model of disability where the impairment is all, neglecting the importance and impact of disabling barriers in society.

This bill affects all welfare claimants. The philosophy behind the reforms appears to be quite simple: paid work is the best (if not only) way for an adult to contribute to society. This seems particularly ironic in the current economic climate, where unemployment continues to soar.

Fortunately, the bill has aroused protest and dissent from within the disability community. Most recently, a lobby of parliament was held and a week later members of the Disabled People’s Direct Action Network protested at No.10 Downing Street in opposition to the reform package.

The success of the RNIB with DLA shows that campaigning and protest can have affect. The message must be to “carry on campaigning” and to continue to highlight the real inadequacies and fundamental issues with the current welfare reform proposals. Most importantly, we must continue to demand (loudly) that the voice of the real experts on disability – disabled people themselves – is heard. Only then will Government policies reflect the needs and aspirations of disabled people.