The Financial Cost Of Having A Disability
Living with a disability is physically and mentally demanding, but it can also impose an economic burden, leading to a lower standard of living and even financial hardship.
Scope Priced Out Report
Scope, an organisation dedicated to raising disability issues and ensuring that disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else, recently issued a disturbing report. Entitled ‘Priced out: ending the financial penalty of disability by 2020’, this document revealed that disabled people pay what amounts to a financial penalty of £550 per month on their everyday living costs.
This figure is what people with disabilities pay to achieve a similar standard of living to non-disabled people, even though the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Disabled People states that financial well-being is a human right.
These costs may consist of one-off expenses such as the price of specialist equipment or having a living space adapted to cope with the demands of limited mobility. But they can also be ongoing, as many disabled people may require medication, special diets and mobility vehicles. They might also have to bear higher energy costs and insurance premiums.
Government Action
When such additional living costs are coupled with the fact that disabled people are more likely to be unemployed or working in low-paid jobs, there is clearly cause for concern. The Scope report points out that disabled people are twice as likely to be in debt and have fewer savings than non-disabled people.
To assist with such costs, successive governments have introduced and modified various welfare benefits over the years. The latest of these, which is being phased in right now, is the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which was introduced in 2013 to replace the Disability Living Allowance, and which is non-means-tested and non-contributory.
The current government have plans to further lower the cap on benefits that was recently introduced, but Scope have asked that PIP be excluded from these restrictions.
Further Information
For further information regarding the help that is available, Scope is an excellent source. Gov.UK outlines the financial help that is available for persons with disabilities, and Disability Rights UK also offer a wealth of free information on their website.
