Deaf access fail at the Department for Work and Pensions
Posted by Ian Noon on August 10, 2012
Imagine someone telling a wheelchair user that the disabled toilets are just up the stairs. You’d think it bonkers. Well, the Department with overall responsibility on disability policy seem to be on well on their way to pulling a similar trick with deaf people.
There’s been lots of discussions about how the process for claiming the new Personal Independence Payments benefit will work in practice. In a nutshell, you have to make a pre-claim before you’re given a personalised form for your proper claim.
And how do you get a pre-claim form? Easy, you give the benefits team a call and they will do a short interview over the phone. And if you have problems using the phone? No worries, you’ll get a paper form to complete. And how do you get a paper form? You give the benefits team a call.
Frankly, it’s more than just a little disconcerting that the people looking after benefits for disabled people haven’t quite twigged that not every disabled person can use a telephone or have a textphone. So much for the new digital age and for the Government leading by example when it comes to access for disabled people… Am told that Department officials are working on trying to get an online form set up for the new PIP benefit… but it may not be ready in time when the new benefit launches in April next year.
They’d better get a move on. It’s not only just bonkers and ludicrous, but discriminatory.
Zoe said
Tax credits were the same – not sure if they changed this. They would not let me speak to get a deaf man the form – they would not post the form to his home address and said he had to go into the office himeself and physically pick up the form. I explained he has no voice and is BSL only and asked how they would communicate with him and they made no allowances. He had to take a family member in and felt like a child. Hopefully this has now changed.
Tina said
Frankly, I expect this of them. And why does it take so long for them to create an online form? I can do that in a few minutes. Hopeless jobsworths!