Perhaps foremost amongst the issues relating to disability currently being debated are proposed cuts to various disability services and benefits. Several services are due to be affected. The bar at which people are eligible for various forms of support, including day centre support and help in the home, will be raised; people assessed as having moderate needs, for example, may no longer be eligible for day care support. The cuts in local services come as local authorities in turn have seen their budgets slashed by up to 25% (Guardian, 2013).

Meanwhile, benefits are also being shaken up, a move that opponents say will result in hundreds of thousands of vulnerable claimants losing out. The Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is due to be phased out, with 560,000 claimants being reassessed by October 2015 (The Independent, 2012). Employment Support Allowance (ESA), a benefit that supports people who cannot work due to disability as well as providing personalised assistance to help people work, will be limited in certain circumstances. The Independent Living Fund (ILF), set up to provide extra carer help for severely disabled people, so helping them to live independently in their own homes, is another fund that faces the axe.

There are several other issues that affect the extent to which disabled people are able to interact in everyday life. Amongst them are participation in the work environment and discrimination concerns. It is illegal to discriminate against disabled workers or to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace for them. Acas and Citizens Advice provide advice and support for disabled people experiencing discrimination, while mental health charity Mind can provide information for people suffering from mental health issues.

Accessing support is a key concern for many disabled people and their carers, as well as healthcare providers. Personalised care in the home is often the preferred system and can greatly improve the quality of life of disabled people. Initiatives such as the Homecare Innovation Challenge aim to gather and implement new ideas to bring about better home care services and have been welcomed by disabled people and their carers. Social services and organisations such as Carers Direct can provide information on various forms of care, including homecare and residential care.

References

Guardian, 2013. Disabled people’s lives will be ruined by sweeping cuts to services. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/09/disabled-people-cuts-cumulative-impact

The Independent, 2012. More than 300,000 disabled people to have benefits cut says Esther McVey. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/more-than-300000-disabled-people-to-have-benefits-cut-says-esther-mcvey-8413498.html