It is a known fact that blind and VI people have great difficulty in finding work due to employers reluctance to employ them and the limited number of jobs they are able to do. A 12 month cap on the receipt of Contribution Based Employment Support Allowance (ESA) means that many disabled people's benefits will be cut after a year despite the disadvantages they have over fully sighted job seekers.
The"savings" suggest that the elegibilty for DLA may become more difficult to achieve, meaning many will lose out on the support in care and mobility that is essential to an acceptable standard of living.
With local authorities reduction in spending budgets it is unclear where the cuts will be made and there are worries that support and training budgets for the most vulnerable, resulting in finacial difficulties and loss of living standards, independence and dignity for those with sight loss.
Amongst other annoucement include the removal of the mobility componant of people on DLA in residential care, caps on housing benefit will have a huge impact on living standards and local government grants for transport will be reduced by a third, which could effect many visually impaired people who have no other means to get around.
The full effect of the Spending Review is yet to be seen but there is no doubt that many disabled people will be disavantaged, especially those of working age but with the greatest need, many of whom have lost their vision and have contributed tax and national insurance in the expectation that the state would support them if things went wrong and they found themselves unable to work.
"At RNIB we were optimistic when Iain Duncan Smith outlined his vision to help people into work and make work pay, so it is shocking that in reality it is disabled people of working age who will be worst hit."
Quote from Steve Winyard, RNIB Head of Policy and Campaigns
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