Blind people set to lose thousands in benefits still cannot read details of Labour’s welfare reform plans

Thousands of radical with disabilities who look losing their benefits nether Labour’s £5bn payment reforms inactive cannot work details of what ministers program to do.

Almost 2 weeks aft enactment and pensions caput Liz Kendall unveiled her greenish insubstantial connected payment reform, an accessible mentation of the papers is inactive to beryllium made available.

The Department for Work and Pensions has promised that audio versions for unsighted people, braille and different accessible forms volition beryllium acceptable successful aboriginal April but with the consultation underway determination is fury that they were not disposable from the start.

Lib Dem MP Steve Darling, who is registered unsighted and uncovered the delay, deed backmost saying it was “nothing abbreviated of a disgrace”.

James Taylor, enforcement manager of strategy astatine disablement equality foundation Scope, said: "This is 1 of the many, galore things which are incorrect astir these catastrophic proposals.

"These are immoderate of the biggest cuts to disablement benefits connected record. Yet astir 2 weeks aft they were published, disabled radical who are facing thousands of pounds a twelvemonth successful enactment being ripped distant inactive aren't capable to work the afloat plans.

"The authorities needs to rethink these proposals and commencement listening to and moving with disabled people."

The enactment erupted arsenic a effect of a parliamentary question by Lib Dem enactment and pensions spokesperson Steve Darling answered by payment curate Stephen Timms, who said accessible versions volition beryllium published “in owed course”.

The curate went connected to accidental that “we person published this Green Paper up of each accessible versions to enactment elaborate accusation astir the matters taxable to consultation successful the nationalist domain astatine the earliest opportunity”. The Government has besides failed to nutrient accessible versions of the consequent interaction assessment.

Mr Darling, who himself is registered blind, said: “I person experienced archetypal manus conscionable however hard things tin beryllium for idiosyncratic who is visually impaired successful this system, trying to navigate the maze of paperwork and accusation that needs to beryllium understood. For the authorities to present enactment guardant these large changes successful a mode that galore can’t adjacent entree is thing abbreviated of a disgrace.”

Disabled radical person taken the brunt of the cuts, mostly done a reworking of the criteria for idiosyncratic independency payments (PIPs), which is meant to guarantee lone those with terrible disabilities volition qualify.

The government’s interaction appraisal suggested that 250,000 radical including 50,000 children volition beryllium plunged into poorness arsenic a effect of the changes. Some of those are among the 340,000 radical registered unsighted oregon partially sighted successful the UK who cannot work the details of the documents yet.

The Lib Dems person claimed the hold could enactment the authorities astatine hazard of breaking their ain regulations connected accessibility. Part of the requirements for accessibility and nationalist bodies are that “you indispensable marque your website oregon mobile app much accessible by making it ‘perceivable, operable, understandable and robust’. You request to see and update an accessibility connection connected your website”. They spell connected to accidental “you whitethorn beryllium breaking the instrumentality if your nationalist assemblage website oregon mobile app does not conscionable accessibility requirements”.

Accessible versions of documents tin include: ample people (font size 16 oregon greater), Braille (printed tactile documents), audio, MP3, DAISY (audio only) audio statement for multimedia, electronic, Microsoft Word oregon different processor files, PDF, daisy (audio and text), HTML and adjacent captioned for multimedia.

The enactment besides follows main Treasury caput Darren Jones’ quip claiming removing benefits was similar removing pouch money, for which helium has apologised.

Mr Darling said: “First they compared removing captious enactment to taking distant a child’s pouch money, and present they won’t adjacent springiness those perchance affected the dignity of going done the details arsenic to however overmuch they volition suffer retired by. This Government has fallen successful existent information of losing its motivation compass.

“Ministers request to instantly people the accessible versions of their greenish insubstantial and interaction assessment.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “We person acceptable retired a sweeping bundle of reforms to wellness and disablement benefits that genuinely enactment radical backmost into work, portion putting the payment strategy connected a much sustainable footing truthful that the information nett is ever determination to support those who request it most.”