YOUVIEW 2014 SERIES

But we’re seeking people’s feedback, to remember those who have died and to reimagine welfare justice.”Ĭlick here to visit the Deaths by Welfare website. The timeline, which is being published today in draft form before being launched officially later this year, is part of the Deaths by Welfare project headed by Dr China Mills and supported by Healing Justice Ldn (CORR), which works with marginalised and oppressed communities.ĭr Mills has led the work on the timeline alongside John Pring, editor of Disability News Service, with key input from disabled activist Rick Burgess, disabled activist and author Ellen Clifford, welfare rights expert and researcher Nick Dilworth, and disabled artist-activist Dolly Sen.ĭr Mills, Senior Lecturer in Public Health, said: “We may never know the names of all of those who have died – the lives lived and lost. We continually improve our services and have new teams to focus on our most vulnerable customers.”

It said: “These are tragic, complex cases and our sincere condolences remain with the families. The DWP insists it is committed to being “compassionate and responsive”. Get all the latest news sent to your inbox. Two years after her death, the DWP’s Independent Case Examiner found the department had failed five times to follow its safeguarding rules.ĭisabled activist Ellen Clifford said the the Deaths by Welfare Timeline was “an enormously important piece of work” Jodey Whiting, 42, took her life in February 2017, after being told by the DWP she had been found fit for work.ĭWP’s assessors had noted the severity of her mental health condition, and the risk posed if she was found fit for work. In January 2014, coroner Mary Hassell linked his death to the WCA, warning of “a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken”.

YOUVIEW 2014 SERIES

To read more content from our week-long series on Disabled Britain click here. He had been claiming incapacity benefit since 2000, due to depression, social anxiety and agoraphobia. “Sadly, Colin was not an isolated case,” he said at the time.ĭad Michael O’Sullivan, 60, of North London, took his life in September 2013, again after being found fit for work and ineligible for ESA. In April 2012, Colin Traynor, 29, died following a seizure, after months of growing anxiety about his finances and being wrongly found fit for work.įive months later, Labour’s Michael Meacher became one of the first MPs to speak in parliament about the controversial medical assessments. To demand the Government consult with disabled people before making any decision that affects their lives.To spotlight something which affects 14 million people in the UK… and ultimately us all.To create greater empathy for those living with disability.To reveal the richness of disabled lives.To amplify the voices of disabled people.The Timeline represents an important step in the continuing battle for justice for the victims of welfare reform.” “The culture of dehumanisation and hostility fostered within the DWP to justify the government’s conscious cruelty has meant a complete lack of accountability or remorse. We will probably never know the true number. At the most extreme end this has meant the loss of life. She said: “Welfare reform has destroyed lives and caused avoidable harm on such a scale that the United Nations made a finding of grave and systematic violations of disabled people’s rights. To read more on The Mirror's week-long series click hereĭisabled activist Ellen Clifford, author of The War on Disabled People, who provided key input into the Timeline, said it was “an enormously important piece of work”. Throughout this week, we aim to change your mind about how you view disabled people.Īfter all, there are 14 million of us, and we aren’t all the same, it’s time the public stopped listening to lazy stereotypes and viewed disabled people in all our wide-ranging splendor. The articles have been conceived by disabled people, written by disabled people, and photographs - where possible - taken by disabled people. By Rachel Charlton-Dailey, guest editor and founder of The Unwrittenĭisabled Britain: Doing It For Ourselves, is a week-long series across the Daily Mirror's print and digital platforms, showcasing the lives of disabled people and the issues important to us.

Youview 2014