WheelieQueer

Hello. Happy first week of July. In this sunny edition of the WheelieQueer Disability Newsletter, we are talking about the mass closure of railway ticket offices across England and its effect on disabled passengers, how the digital system of universal credit breaches the rule of law, and give you all the information on our disability benefits consultations.

THIS MONTH'S UPDATES

On Disability Benefits News

Closure of railway ticket offices in England

In a recent announcement, Rail firms have announced their plan for a mass closure of England’s ticket offices in order to “modernise” the railway.

The move was pushed by the government in order to save costs, but it comes at the expense of railway workers and disabled customers, whose ability to travel independently will be directly affected by the change.

In an article by the guardian, five passengers describe their potential struggle with the change. “Increasingly, with age and arthritis, ticket machines and my smartphone are to difficult to use. […] Closing ticket offices is yet another example of ageism creeping into society […],” one passenger says. With another describing the potential effects on those who do not have mobile phones.

While a hearing-impaired customer expresses her worries as: “I am hearing impaired. If display boards are not working I have to ask staff for service information, I can’t hear loudspeaker announcements. I am a lipreader so without a staff member at the office I would be in real trouble. This has happened to me in the past and the fear of being on a wrong train going to a wrong place is very real.”

Disability Rights UK remarks on the change that“[it] is impossible for disabled people particularly those with sensory and mobility disabilities to find staff all over a station when seeking help, particularly at times of disruption. How will people who rely on assistance be able to use the station safely, and on time. Without clear and prompt assistance from people there to help us at stations disabled people will be disadvantaged and even deterred from travelling by rail.”

With a 5th of the population being disabled, two-thirds of rail passengers will be directly affected by the change. A blatant disregard for the legal duties under the Equality Act. - Disability Rights UK

Important Read:

Three-quarters of referrals to Russell Trust food banks are disabled

The Russell Trust, in new research, has revealed, that the past year saw the “highest ever level of need” the trust had faced, with it delivering more food parcels than “it has ever distributed in a single year”.

According to the study, 14% of all UK adults (an estimated 11.3 million people) faced food insecurity over the past financial year.

The trust’s research showed that “More than half of households experiencing food insecurity, and three quarters of people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network say that they or a member of their household are Disabled people”.

Further stating that “disability and ill-health can significantly increase a person’s likelihood of being food insecure and having to rely on food banks”.

According to the Trust there are currently four main benefit issues which affect food bank users due to the present social security system:

1. A lack of information about entitlements;

2. Difficulties claiming and sustaining benefits, particularly Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for people who are affected by a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability

3. Insufficient income from benefits when they are accessed

4. Further reductions to income from sanctions, caps and debt deductions.

Only with an essentials guarantee, chief executive of the Russell Trust, Emma Revie, says, it could be ensured “that the basic rate of universal credit is always enough for people to afford the essentials”.

“We need a social security system which provides protection and the dignity for people to cover their own essentials, […].”

You can find the Russell Trust report here and research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation here.

UK turning back on disabled asylum seekers

Human Rights Watch reports that “more than 50 asylum seekers, most of whom have disabilities, are being warehoused in a former care home in Essex […] without access to adequate support or services”.

The site was opened in November 2022, and most residents, who range between the ages of 20 and 74, have some form of physical or sensory disability, with a need for medical assistance, wheelchairs, crutches and help with daily activities direly needed.

“The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the UK ratified in 2009, requires governments to ensure equal access to basic services such as medical care, mental health services, and psychosocial support. This includes support for people with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies. Failure to do so is a form of discrimination.” - RAMA

But asylum seekers with disabilities are being overlooked by the UK government and are not receiving basic services, while “trapped in inaccessible temporary accommodation”.

“People with disabilities should be consulted and included throughout the refugee process, from seeking asylum to resettlement and integration, in line with the disability movement's motto, ‘Nothing without us’”. - Benafsha Yaqoobi

PIP News and Updates

Digital universal credit system breaches principles of law

Research by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has found that the “digital aspects of universal credit (UC) routinely lead to wrong amounts being awarded to claimants - often the most vulnerable [as well as] to breaches of rule-of-law principles”, Disability Rights UK reports.

The study has found that while there are some benefits to the digital nature of the system, it also leads “to people being left without money they are entitled to", leaving claimants who are not experts on the complex universal credit rules, confused, stressed and vulnerable people without money they would be entitled to.

CPAG comments: “We are particularly concerned that claimants who are entitled to additional elements, exemptions or exceptions from the standard rules in the legislation for their particular circumstances (for example claimants with health conditions or disabilities, carers and care leavers) are more likely to be affected by the issues raised in this research.”

You can read more about the Child Poverty Action Group catalogue of changes needed for the current digital system: here.

Upcoming Events/Workshops

Events

• 16. July 2023: Disability Awareness Day (“DAD”)

  Where: Walton Hall Gardens, Warrington

  More Info and how to get there

• 28. July 2023: Leeds Disability Pride 2023

  Where: The Tetley, Hunslet Road Leeds, LS10 1JQ

  More Info and Tickets

Workshops

• Disability Rights UK Webinar on Disability & Climate Change

  More Info & Registration

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