Aspire has submitted a response to the Government’s paper on Disability Living Allowance Reform. The proposed reforms would replace the Disability Living Allowance with a new Personal Independence Payment.

Aspire welcomes that the new benefit will continue to remain non means-tested and focussed on helping people to meet the additional costs arising from their impairment or health condition. However, Aspire is concerned that the Personal Independence Payment could take into account the successful use of aids and adaptations, which may include someone’s ability to get about in a wheelchair.

Aspire’s Chief Executive Brian Carlin said, "Before the use of aids and adaptations is taken into consideration when allocating the reformed benefit, there needs to be significant improvement towards creating accessible environments and better provision of aids and adaptations. Whilst provision remains inadequate, moving to a system where successful use of wheelchairs is taken into account when awarding entitlements would be fundamentally wrong."

Aspire is also disappointed with the potential removal of the mobility component of DLA to people who live in care homes. This will affect many people with spinal cord injury who live in care homes, often against their will.

Our Housing Manager Belinda Milrod said, "The lack of wheelchair accessible housing in the UK means that people often have no place to live after sustaining a spinal cord injury and are discharged to care homes. To be forced to live in a care home because of the lack of suitable housing is bad enough. To then be denied support that ensures the freedom to find a new home, maintain family links and social ties would be a further blow to disabled people around the country."

Read Aspire’s full response here.