Wales

Disability Living Allowance - access denied

Summary: Join our campaign to get financial support for mobility for blind and partially sighted people.

• About Disability Living Allowance
• Write to your local MP
• Write a letter to the local press
• Tell us your story

---

Poverty is a reality for many blind and partially sighted people in Wales. For many people it is a struggle to afford basic necessities, like getting out and about to do shopping, or visiting the doctor.

Because of this awful situation, we are lobbying the Westminster parliament to increase the amount of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) received by people who are blind and partially sighted.

Hundreds of people turned out for our lobby on 15 October 2008, travelling from Wales and all around the UK. See photos and details from the lobby.

About Disability Living Allowance

DLA helps disabled people who have difficulties getting out and about safely and independently. However, despite being blind and facing some of the biggest barriers to independent mobility, people with severe sight loss are only able to claim the lower rate mobility component. We are angry because this is unfair and blind people should be able to claim the higher rate.

The lower rate of the mobility component of the DLA is £17.75. This simply isn't enough for people with severe sight loss to get out and about independently. The higher rate (£46.75) would mean people would do more of the things that others take for granted.

RNIB Cymru, local clubs and societies, and over a hundred services users from across Wales will be in Parliament on Wednesday 15 October 2008, joining other blind and partially sighted people from across the UK. There will be a march and an opportunity to meet with your local MP.

The current DLA rules must change.

The ways you can help make this happen are:

• Write to your local MP
• Write a letter to the local press
• Tell us your story.

Write to your local MP

Please write to your MP to ask them to support you by signing the new Early Day Motion and by writing to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to raise their concerns. You can use our draft letter below; letters from you are far more powerful than letters from RNIB. Don’t forget to amend the draft letter to show your experiences.

Check which MPs have signed the Early Day Motion. If your MP has not signed the motion, please write to them.

• Download the letter to your MP
• Find out who my MP is: writetothem.com

Write a letter to the local press

Your local newspaper will publish letters to the editor. If you have a view on the way the government has denied blind people the benefits they deserve, please write to your local press.

Tell us your story

If you have your own story to tell, then you can help with the campaign. We would like to hear your stories so we can help the press across Wales highlight the problems with the current rules for DLA.

Email your story to policy@rnib.org.uk

Other campaigns

Content author: policy@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 13/11/2008 12:00