Blind man repeatedly had his benefits stopped because DWP failed to send his letters in braille

Rob Powell had to turn to payday loans to survive after blundering pen-pushers continually sent hIm letters he couldn't read

Robert Powell, a 46-year-old small business adviser from Dagenham, Essex, has been blind since shortly after his birth - following a brain haemorrhage that damaged his optic nerve.

He has worked most of his life, but in September 2011 he was made redundant by a charity and applied for disability benefits. "I wrote on the form that I am totally blind and have been since birth," he says. "I told the Department for Work and Pensions I've got no sight at all."

Despite this, instead of sending him letters in Braille, the DWP ­communicated with him by an ordinary letter on numerous occasions. When he didn't reply, his housing benefit and ­Employment Support Allowance were repeatedly delayed.

"I had no money to eat," says Rob, a Gamesmaker at London 2012, forced to turn to payday loans to survive.

He was eventually told by the DWP that he could have Braille letters, but that there was a four-week delay in translation. "So, by the time you get your letter, you've already missed the ­appointment," Rob says. "It's like a nightmare. Your benefits are then stopped for four weeks until another appointment comes through."

New DWP figures have revealed the use of punitive sanctions has rocketed under the Coalition ­Government. In the year to September 2013, 897,690 people were sanctioned.

For missing an ­appointment, the ­punishment can be as harsh as one month without benefits, three months or even up to three years.

On Monday night, Panorama showed footage of a wall chart in a Grantham jobcentre which explicitly set out the cash savings to the DWP through ­sanctions, ranging from £227.20 for a four-week sanction to £3,728 for a ­sanction lasting one year. The DWP called it "an isolated incident".

The same day, the Policy Exchange, David Cameron's favourite think-tank, joined an outcry of Anglican bishops in speaking out on sanctions, benefit delays and the link to foodbanks. The think-tank's research found up to 68,000 people are wrongly having ­benefits stopped every year.

Meanwhile, letters I receive tell stories of DWP and Atos incompetence - lost letters, clashing appointments - as well as a complete failure of humanity. People have been sanctioned for attending funerals or missing ­appointments due to ill health, which people on sickness benefits often do.

Last night, the DWP said that Robert had never formally been sanctioned by them. But they agreed that he might have had delays in his benefits being paid if he hadn't replied to letters.

Rob said: "I received formal letters that said my benefits had been suspended because I hadn't supplied medical ­certificates or attended Atos appointments. If that isn't a sanction it certainly felt like one."

Either way, blind people not receiving their benefits for weeks because they have failed to reply to letters sent to them in the wrong format, is a new low.

In fact, Robert's story is seen so frequently by the RNIB that the charity has decided to take his case - and four others - to court. Lawyers are also ­examining another 50 potential cases.

"RNIB is being contacted weekly by people who did not get Braille or audio information from DWP for example," the charity says. "Other blind and partially sighted people tell us that it takes four weeks or more for DWP to provide an alternative format."

In 2011 to 2012, having received only printed letters, Rob only realised that his benefits hadn't been paid when his direct debits started bouncing - and his bank informed him by Braille.

As bank charges mounted, his cupboards emptied. "I asked a friend if they would guarantee me a loan at the loan shop," he says. "The rate was 49%. I borrowed £180 and paid back over £500." The costs mounted to the point where he is still unable to get any credit.

"I would never even know they had written to me," Rob says. "You just feel the letters on your doormat. Anything important comes in Braille - gas bill, water bill, Virgin Media, I've even had a default letter from the bank in Braille.

"It was before I met my fiancee, and I had to pay someone to read my non-Braille mail. I don't like to use a neighbour or friend to read personal stuff, and it seemed more of a priority to pay someone to clean the kitchen and make sure it's hygienic. I can't see for myself how clean it is."

When he eventually got a form through in Braille, "it wasn't even possible to fill the Braille form in using a Braille printer," he says.

"I still don't understand why they couldn't communicate with me by email. I have an app on my phone that reads emails to me, but the DWP said it wasn't possible for security reasons.

A spokesman for Atos said: "Alternative formats, including Braille, and help with filling in the ESA50 questionnaire, are available from a Jobcentre Plus. Our customer services team are aware that this is where people can go for help."

The DWP added: "We send visually impaired customers correspondence in alternative formats, including large print and Braille, when asked to do so. It is possible they may receive a generic letter in standard format as well."

Now, Rob is working in a local ­government job. But he still receives Disability Living Allowance, an in and out-of-work benefit to help disabled people. His last letter from the DWP was in January - again sent in a format he couldn't read. "Yes, we've got to get more disabled people working," he says. "But instead the DWP is actually putting more barriers in their way."