- Conference
- 2021 National Disabled Members' Conference
- Date
- 8 July 2021
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that Deaf workers rely on Access to Work to pay for BSL interpreters so that they can do their jobs and live independent lives. However during the pandemic the Access to Work system wasn’t as flexible or responsive as it needed to be in the changed circumstances. Long standing issues with the system were also more obvious.
Deaf workers were faced with an inflexible paper-based system which saw ‘wet’ signatures required from mangers and interpreters. Some Deaf members had to go back and forth to the post office to send invoices off for signing and then send them back to the Department for Work and Pensions – in the middle of lockdown. Although Access to Work say they will allow electronic signatures on request, it is not the default and people have to fight for it.
Access to Work caps the annual amount a work can claim and this disproportionately impacts Deaf workers.
Personal Independence Payments (PIP) also continue to be an issue for Deaf members who are often unfairly turned down for support that can help them to retain their job. This is also the case for other disabled members including those with fluctuating conditions like MS which the PIP system fails to understand.
Conference notes that social security is a devolved matter in Scotland and that the Scottish government is introducing a replacement for PIP called Adult Disability Payment from 2022. Although the system will take time to assess, UNISON Scotland responded positively to the consultation before it was agreed. We welcomed the commitment to bringing the service back into the public sector and making it a more tailored service that is responsive to individual disabled people’s needs.
Conference therefore calls on the National Disabled Members Commiittee to:
1. Lobby the Department of Work and Pensions for the option of a fully electronic Access to Work application and claim process
2. Campaign against the cap on Access to Work
3. Work with UNSION Scotland to closely watch the roll out of the Scottish Disability Payment scheme to see if there are lessons to be learned for the rest of the UK