Blind and hard of hearing, Charlotte Easton was refused an application for disability benefits on the grounds that she was able to attend an interview.
Charlotte Easton, blind and hard of hearing, was refused welfare benefits because she managed to get to an interview at the UK's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in London with the help of her mother, indicates The Guardian.
The 40-year-old Englishwoman lives in Hertfordshire with her brother, who looks after her. She has Pfeiffer syndrome, a rare congenital disease that affects her skull, and hydrocephalus, a neurological condition.
Due to her state of health, Charlotte Easton applied for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) paid to British people suffering from a disability who find it difficult to continue working.
At the request of the DWP, the Englishwoman was therefore summoned for an assessment at the Department's premises in Archway, north London, approximately 35 kilometers from her home.
“I can’t live like this anymore”
But once they arrived, the administration asked Charlotte Easton how she had managed to get to them. The Englishwoman then explained that her mother had accompanied her by train, then guided her to their premises, ensuring “that no one jostled (her).
Stunned, DWP employees immediately agreed that Charlotte Easton was not ultimately eligible for ESA benefit. If she was able to make it to an appointment, she was also able to work, they concluded.
“It frustrates me,” Charlotte Easton told the Guardian. Despite her mother's decision to appeal the decision, Charlotte Easton's case has not been re-evaluated.
“I can't live like this anymore. Although my daily life would be more pleasant with this money, my life would be simpler without the stress of trying to get it,” she said.
Charlotte Easton is not, however, autonomous, indicates The Guardian. The woman is visited regularly by a caregiver who takes her for a walk once a week. “She's given me enough confidence that I don't cling to her – I just hold my arm against her as we walk. I now use my cane, which I never had dared to do before,” she told the British newspaper.
This is not the first time that Charlotte Easton has come up against the British social system. Following a telephone interview to assess her situation and benefit from a personal autonomy allowance (PIP), the Englishwoman was sent a letter from the service.
However, being blind, she had to ask her mother to read the contents of the letter to her. Charlotte Easton has since contacted the DWP to have letters addressed to her written in braille or sent to her email, which she can access using a screen reader.
Charlotte Easton is unfortunately not the only one in this situation. According to a survey carried out by the British association Sense among 1,001 people with disabilities in the United Kingdom, 43% of them were contacted several times by the DWP in a format that did not meet their needs, even though they had previously informed the service of their disability.
A faulty system?
Several charities and disability rights advocates have criticized Britain's welfare system, saying vulnerable claimants have been pushed into insecurity after being unfairly denied benefits.
In 2020, controversy arose after Errol Graham, a man suffering from serious mental illness, died of starvation, eight months after his disability benefits were removed.
“Our research has revealed serious flaws in the welfare system, for which disabled people pay the price,” said Richard Kramer, chief executive of Sense.
“It is unacceptable that people with complex disabilities feel humiliated and frightened, and that their condition deteriorates because of the assessment of their social benefits,” he continued.
The work capacity assessment, which Charlotte Easton underwent, to determine the beneficiaries of ESA social assistance, should be reformed in 2025, indicates The Guardian.
“Millions of people rely on our social care system every year and it is essential that it is accessible to all who need it. That is why we will work closely with people with disabilities to reform the current system to to provide them with the support they need,” said a DWP spokesperson.
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