{"id":50590,"date":"2024-06-11T11:29:03","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T10:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?p=50590"},"modified":"2024-06-24T12:16:04","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T11:16:04","slug":"myth-busting-disability-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/blog\/myth-busting-disability-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Busting three common myths about disability benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Close-up<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In recent months, we\u2019ve seen a lot of conversation about disability benefits in the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the main, these conversations have focussed on the negative aspects. For example, it\u2019s been suggested that the benefits bill is too high, or that it\u2019s currently too easy to claim disability benefits and \u201cplay the system\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, harmful media narratives like these lead to widespread myths that simply aren\u2019t true, or at best, are wildly exaggerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the run-up to the 2024 General Election, it\u2019s vital that we have a nuanced conversation about welfare and the role it plays in the lives of disabled people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let\u2019s explore some of the most common misconceptions about disability benefits, and bust some myths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth 1: \u201cA life on welfare is an easy life\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all heard the claim that being on benefits is a \u201clifestyle choice\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for many disabled people, benefits are simply a vital necessity \u2013 and they don\u2019t even cover the cost of the essentials disabled people need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before the cost of living crisis, disabled people were struggling to make ends meet. They were three times more likely to be behind with bills and unable to afford food than someone who was not disabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ongoing crisis has only exacerbated this, with seven in ten (70%) of people with complex disabilities unsure how they would cope last winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You might think that benefits like Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are supposed to cover living costs. That\u2019s the idea, but we know that life costs more if you\u2019re disabled, and benefits like PIP don\u2019t stretch far enough.”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You might think that benefits like Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are supposed to cover living costs. That\u2019s the idea, but we know that life costs more if you\u2019re disabled, and benefits like PIP don\u2019t stretch far enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take me for example. I\u2019m deafblind and autistic. I need to take taxis to travel about. I also use my PIP to pay for therapies that have helped with my mental health, which also means I\u2019ve been able to stay in work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disability benefits need to go further. That\u2019s why we\u2019re calling on the next UK government to review benefits levels to make sure disabled people can afford the essentials.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth 2: \u201cClaiming benefits is a piece of cake\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The idea that people claiming benefits do so because it\u2019s the \u201ceasy\u201d option simply isn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I claimed PIP, it was an incredibly stressful and inaccessible process. I had to complete a hugely long and detailed form going into all aspects of my daily life and how my disabilities impact me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I needed support from my wife to complete the paper form, which was inaccessible to me. I had to provide evidence to back everything up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This made it a long, laborious process, as well as emotionally draining. In many cases, claimants also have to undergo an assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And after all that, many claimants still don\u2019t get the decision they deserve. The DWP\u2019s own statistics show that 82% of PIP decisions are overturned at tribunal in favour of the claimant.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, the process of claiming benefits is far from the cakewalk many would have you believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sense\u2019s plan for change<\/a> calls for the benefits application process to be made more accessible, so that disabled people can manage their claims independently and get the decisions they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth 3: \u201cDisabled people don\u2019t want to work\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A lot of the rhetoric surrounding disability benefits recently has focussed on work as a solution for everyone. You\u2019ll often hear suggestions that people on benefits don\u2019t want to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Sense\u2019s polling found that over half of jobseekers with complex disabilities didn\u2019t feel they had the support or equipment to find work.”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many people who receive benefits do also work. Nearly 40%<\/a> of Universal Credit claimants are working, while benefits such as PIP and DLA are not linked to whether a person can work or not \u2013 they are based on how a person\u2019s condition affects them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

82% of people with complex disabilities are out of work. For many of them, employment simply isn\u2019t a realistic or appropriate goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for others, there is a strong desire to work, but they face barriers to finding or staying in employment. They need specialist support in place.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know this simply isn\u2019t the case currently. Sense\u2019s polling found that over half of jobseekers with complex disabilities didn\u2019t feel they had the support or equipment to find work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even when people with complex disabilities do find employment, they can face barriers to staying in work. We need to see more support for disabled jobseekers and employees. That\u2019s why we\u2019re calling on the next UK government to tackle barriers to employment<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Back a better future for disabled people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Become a champion for disabled people during the 2024 General Election. <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

\n Join us<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the run-up to the 2024 General Election, it\u2019s vital that we have a nuanced conversation about welfare and the role it plays in the lives of disabled people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":50598,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"display_author":[110],"class_list":["post-50590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","display_author-steven-morris"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50590"},{"taxonomy":"display_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/display_author?post=50590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}