DLA Consultation: The Internet Responds.

Yesterday, Where's the Benefit? posted Broken of Britain's response to the DLA reform consultation, and today I am going to try to read the government's consultation document itself.

Other disability blogs and websites have already done some great posts on this subject, and I wanted to draw attention to some of what is being said around the interwebz on the reform proposals.

Fighting Monsters writes From DLA to PIP - a consultation begins.

Arbitrary Constant writes DLA Reform Consultation: Great Expectations, Worst Apprehensions.

communitycare.co.uk write DLA claimants to miss out in benefits shake-up.

Disability Alliance write Government announces cuts to disabled people's support as "new test".

Left Foot Forward writes Supporting Disabled People Not Sustainable says Coalition.

Disabled People Against Cuts have a cartoon entitled Don't worry when we want your opinion we'll tell you what it is.

I don't know whether I'll be able to make my way through reading the consultation document myself without breaking things and / or having a complete meltdown, but if I do I will try to summarise it in a blog post when I have.

(cross-posted at Where's the Benefit?)

Round-Up Post

There are plenty of must-read articles and blog posts which I haven't had the time or the spoons to cover. All of the following are well worth a look.

• Scope are running a survey about the real costs of being disabled, which you can fill in here.
  
• "On the Shoulders of the Vulnerable", an article from Morning Star with information about ATOS and how ESA medicals are failing disabled people, especially those of us with mental health problems.
  
• A Guardian article, Housing Benefit Cuts: What's the Real Truth?
  
• Laurie Penny in the New Statesman writes Strictly Come Scrounging, Anyone?, about The X Factor vision of society [which] blames the poor for their predicament.
  
• Hopi Sen and Left Futures point out the contradiction in David Cameron criticising those claiming over £20,000 in housing benefits, compared to his own expenses claims for his second home.
  
• Crisis, a national charity for single homeless people, have created a comprehensive, myth-busting press release full of information on how the government are 'peddling myths' to sell the Housing Benefit cuts.
  
• Lenin's Tomb deconstructs a Daily Mail article decrying 75% of Incapacity Benefit claimants as 'fit to work'.
  
• The same article is looked at on This Is My Blog, who looks in depth at 'abandoned claims' and why they might really happen.
  
• Susannah posts a plea for help, describing how the removal of the Mobility Component of DLA from people in residential care will directly affect her brother.
  

(Cross-posted at Where's the Benefit?)

Video Follow-Up

I've had such amazing support since posting the video yesterday. I also wanted to let you know that it has been re-posted at various places.

Mind In Flux posted it on her blog about mental health and disability.

The Broken of Britain is collecting the stories of disabled people in the UK, and has linked to the video.

And it has also been posted on Pickled Politics blog.

I am touched and moved that so many people have contacted me, and commented, in such a supportive way. It was a very scary thing to do, but it also felt very important. Thank you everyone.