Ian Noon: Who at DWP thought it was OK to propose that deaf people could only make a claim by telephone?

A minor little campaign victory achieved at NDCS the other week: the Department for Work andPensions (DWP) accepted that deaf people should not be forced to use the phone to make a claim for the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefit.

Usually, I do a little jig and get the Bucks Fizz out when a campaign victory has been achieved. But this was a very small, unsettling one and which left an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

How come? Because the only real concession is that deaf people have been given a postal address that they can write to to ask for a paper form instead.

And why is it an unsettling one? Because it was such a small issue that should absolutely never have been an issue at all. And because it's revealed some rather interesting things about how the Department for Work and Pensions, which has responsibility for disability issues across Whitehall, seem to approach issues around access for disabled people.

For example, who at DWP thought it was OK to propose that the only way that a deaf person could make a claim was via a telephone?

If an online system is being created, why not wait until this is developed before rolling out the new benefit so that more people can access?

And, the worse one of all for me, who on earth thought it was acceptable to suggest that if a deaf person couldn't use the phone, it didn't matter too much because they could ask a family member to call DWP for them?

Something has gone very horribly wrong when the Minister and officials responsible for disability have to be hectored at some length and for some time to take a tiny step to improve access.

Officials were seemingly operating in ignorance of the Equality Act 2010 and its central tenets to remove discrimination and promote access for disabled people. Throughout the whole exchange with DWP, it was abundantly clear that the needs and the convenience of their 'system' was far more important than the physical access needs of disabled people.

And this is before we've got to the raft of spending and welfare cuts that are going to impact on disabled people (and which the Government refuses to assess the impact of - another legal requirement). This was a small issue. But it said big things about the Government's wider attitude towards disabled people.

I despair. It makes me angry and depressed. But equally it makes me more determined to keep challenging the Government. And I hope others do too.

P.S. If you're not sure what this new PIP benefit is all about, both the National Deaf Children's Society and Action on Hearing Loss have recently produced some information resources on PIP for deaf young people, parents and deaf adults.

Ian Noon has been profoundly deaf since birth, giving him an interesting perspective "on what needs to change for deaf children and young people in the UK. It also means I have very questionable taste in music." When he's not stealing the biscuits in the office, he runs, does yoga and plans his next backpacking holiday. He works for a deaf charity but his views expressed on his blog and here, are his own. Follow him on Twitter as @IanNoon

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