Guide Dogs
Richard Leaman, Guide Dogs Chief Executive, says: "The Chancellor has said that we are "all in this together" but, taken together, these legislative proposals would suggest otherwise. Blind and partially sighted people want to play a full part in society but many of them need support to do so. These welfare reforms, combined with the cuts in local authority funding, are likely to leave many of them without the financial or social support that they need and, quite frankly, deserve. This does not look like one big society to me."
Read more on the Guide Dogs website
Sense
Sue Brown, Head of Public Policy at Sense, the national deafblind charity, says: "Sense is deeply concerned the Government's decision to get rid of the automatic entitlement to DLA mobility component for deafblind people will leave many out in the cold and the needless bureaucracy will create confusion and cost the tax payer more. The Government's short sighted focus on disabled people with solely higher needs means preventative support will be slashed. This financially irrational approach is not sustainable and will cut many deafblind people off from participating in society."
Read more on Sense's website.
Action for Blind People
Stephen Remington, Chief Executive, Action for Blind People says: "DLA is a financial lifeline for many blind and partially sighted people, contributing to the extra cost of living with sight loss. Replacing it with a Personal Independence Payment could mean up to 12,000 visually impaired people losing this vital benefit - sacrificed to help the government save £1 billion. The government must engage with visually impaired people and understand their needs when planning welfare reform."