Employment Support Allowance (ESA) is a vital source of income for people who have limited capability for work because of illness and disability, and offers vital financial support for people who might be helped into work but need extra time and support.
In 2008, ESA replaced Incapacity Benefit and Income Support for new claimants, with the 1.6 million people claiming Incapacity Benefit then migrated over to ESA over several years. The assessment to assess eligibility for ESA is called the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and fails to properly assess the barriers that blind and partially sighted people face in obtaining employment.
RNIB is campaigning for improvements to the WCA, to ensure that blind and partially sighted people are treated fairly and receive the appropriate levels of support - both financial and, where appropriate, for finding work.