Warwick students condemn government’s disability benefit cuts
Disabled students at Warwick have condemned the government’s proposed cuts to disability benefits, with some describing them as “abhorrent” and “inhumane”.
The backlash comes amid a raft of welfare reforms recently announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as part of her Spring Statement on 26 March.
These include a tightening of qualification rules for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a universal benefit meant to cover the extra costs associated with long-term health conditions and disabilities.
The changes to PIP are accompanied by cuts to Universal Credit (UC) incapacity benefits, with support for new claimants being reduced by roughly half. The Government is also seeking to prevent those aged under 22 from accessing them.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has estimated that 3.2 million families will lose an average of £1,720 annually under the reforms.
The DWP has also stated the proposed cuts will likely push 250,000 more people into relative poverty and 150,000 into absolute poverty.
However, 3.8 million families are expected to gain an average of £420 a year, primarily due to a planned increase in the UC basic rate.
One second-year student described [the benefit cuts] as a ‘huge barrier to higher education’, arguing it would be difficult for disabled students to get degrees without sufficient financial support
The reforms follow a sharp rise in spending on disability and health-related benefits, which is projected to reach £100 billion by the end of this parliament.
Against this backdrop, Reeves has argued that “the welfare system is not working today”.
In an interview with Sky News, she suggested that the government’s reforms would reduce the number of young people not in education, employment, and training (NEET), adding they would “[give more] people the chance to fulfil [their true] potential”.
However, some disabled students at Warwick have disputed this, arguing the cuts will make it more difficult for them to fully participate in public life.
One second-year student described them as a “huge barrier to higher education”, arguing it would be difficult for disabled students to get degrees without sufficient financial support.
This was echoed by Warwick Disability Liberation, a left-wing disability rights group, who argued the reforms risked pushing disabled students “out of university” by aggravating financial pressures.
Many other students highlighted the high costs associated with being disabled, suggesting the benefit cuts would worsen these.
Abi, the incoming president of Warwick Enable, a society representing disabled and chronically ill students, noted that PIP helped disabled students access specialised diets, adaptive clothing, and other accessibility needs.
Living with ADHD incurs additional costs, through the Disability Price Tag, budgeting issues, and the cost of the additional time needed to manage the condition
Isaac, Vice President and Campaigns Officer, Warwick ADHD Society
In the absence of this support, many could find it difficult to live independent lives.
Isaac, the Vice President and Campaigns Officer for Warwick ADHD Society, added: “Living with ADHD incurs additional costs, through the Disability Price Tag, budgeting issues, and the cost of the additional time needed to manage the condition.”
They noted that, by cutting benefits, the government was “taking away a potential lifeline” from disabled students.
The cost-of-living challenges likely to be created by the welfare reforms won’t just impact disabled people, but their loved ones too.
One third-year English Literature student stated that, because their brother claims disability benefits and faces the prospect of cuts, the government’s proposals had resulted in their family facing immense “uncertainty”.
Another student with disabled relatives mentioned that many of their friends and family members were set to lose access to benefits they need to meet their daily living expenses.
They added: “I’m not going to allow them to die in squalor, so I would be required to step up to support them at a significant out-of-pocket cost.
“This state of affairs would significantly reduce my quality of life and has the potential to severely impact my grades.”
The SU’s incumbent Disabled Students’ Officers (DSOs), Nye Steele and Mads Wainman, suggested statements made by government officials were ‘ableist’, adding they would likely provoke increased hate crime towards disabled people
Beyond the direct impact of the cuts themselves, some disabled students argued the rhetoric the government was using when discussing disability benefits perpetuated stigma.
The SU’s incumbent Disabled Students’ Officers (DSOs), Nye Steele and Mads Wainman, suggested statements made by government officials were “ableist”, adding they would likely provoke increased hate crime towards disabled people.
Similarly, Sydnee Leaver, Autism at Warwick’s Campaigns and Events Officer, argued that much of the discourse surrounding disability benefits portrayed the disabled as a “burden”.
They subsequently noted: “The narrative being pushed about the cost of welfare is not only ableist, but also not the entire truth of the economic state of this country.
“There are many other avenues of income we could be exploring instead of attacking one of the most vulnerable groups in our society.”
With many disabled students at Warwick staunchly opposing the benefit cuts, some are taking action against them.
The biggest thing you can do right now is educate yourself. Educate yourself on the actuality of being disabled in the world, as well as the additional costs of it
Sydnee Leaver, Campaigns and Events Officer, Autism at Warwick
The SU’s incoming DSOs, Ruby Deakin and Harriet Paget, pledged to lobby against the “discriminatory cuts” and “support all students” affected by them.
They committed to providing assurances to students at risk of financial hardship, working to ensure that Warwick “is set up to accommodate for these changes”.
More broadly, all of Warwick’s disability-related societies plan to advocate against the cuts and support disabled students through protests, petitions, and a range of other initiatives.
They have also encouraged non-disabled students to take action.
Leaver suggested: “The biggest thing you can do right now is educate yourself. Educate yourself on the actuality of being disabled in the world, as well as the additional costs of it.
“Reach out to your local politicians to voice your disgust at the welfare reforms being proposed and call out ableist rhetoric you hear around the topic.”
If you are struggling with any of the issues mentioned in this article, please check out these resources:
Warwick Wellbeing Services (024 7657 5570)
SU Disabled Students’ Officers (disabledstudents@warwicksu.com)
Disability-oriented societies:
Autism at Warwick (@autismatwarwick)
Warwick ADHD Society (@warwickadhdsoc)
Warwick Disability Liberation (warwick.disability.liberation)
Warwick Enable (@warwickenable)
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