How the proposed cuts to disability benefits will impact the Paralympics

In recent news we have heard that there is a great deal of concern over how the proposed cuts to disability benefits may impact on the Paralympics and many people are voicing concerns over how this will affect the wider disabled community as well. What do these cuts really mean and will they impact on your life or that of your family?

The Proposal

At present, many disabled people qualify for the non means-tested benefit Disability Living Allowance, which is intended to cover the higher living costs of people with disabilities. The payment is between £20 and £131.50 per weeks and helps people to purchase specialist equipment, transportation and care.

The government is planning on replacing Disability Living Allowance with a new scheme called Personal Independence Payments as of 2013. This new scheme is aimed at providing additional payments to only those who are affected most by their disability and, according to the governments impact assessment, approximately 500,000 people will no longer be entitled to extra payments and will not qualify for the Personal Independence Payment.

The Article

A recent article published in the Guardian outlined concerns raised by Lady Tanni Grey-Thompson, a celebrated Paralympian and spearhead of Sport England, regarding these proposed disability benefit cuts and how they will affect disabled access to sports. She outlines that receipt of Disability Living Allowance has been vital to her ability to train, participate and compete in sport and goes on to say that these changes will impact the future of Paralympian sport.

One of the key legacy intentions of the Games is to widen the current access to sports for disabled people and Grey-Thompson believes that this reform will undermine this aim and make it more difficult for the disabled to take part in activities. She believes that, in the long-term, inability to access these types of services will have an impact on the NHS by increasing social care costs.

Grey-Thompson is joined by a number of other Paralympians in her concern over the long-term social impact of these reforms and the article goes on to outline that many disabled people do not take enough exercise as it is and these changes will only make that worse.

What This Means

With 500,000 people no longer qualifying for the benefit and tens of thousands who will receive a cut to the amount they receive, it is likely that the impact of this reform will be widespread and will affect disabled people and their families all over the country.

Without the additional payment available to help overcome challenges such as lack of specialist equipment, difficulty accessing many facilities and transportation costs, many people will now no longer be able to participate in sports and activities.

More concerning though is the fact that many people rely on these payments to live and are not in the position to use them for sport and leisure. It is important that anyone in receipt of Disability Living Allowance be as up to date as possible on these planned changes and the possible implications they will have on you and your family.

This guest post was written on behalf of Quest88.com by health and fitness blogger Francesca. To share your thoughts on this article you can Tweet her @franki_blogs.