DEAR LIZ KENDALL, MP AND THE U.K. LABOUR PARTY

The Department of Work and Pensions recently announced reform to the Welfare system with the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, or more specifically, the Universal Credit and PIP Reform Bill.

We are a number of people from the Dwarfism community who are gravely concerned by the proposed cuts and new scoring assessment to receive the care element of Personal Independence Payments.

Our community relies on this benefit to access care, support, and adaptations and to get out of the home in the first place.

In all areas of our lives, we have to prove our capability and competence to be allowed to participate in society, and this is often dependent on the acceptance of and understanding of non-disabled people.

People with all forms of Dwarfism face severe vulnerability encompassing all areas of our lives, from independent living, health, social and in the workplace.

Our disability impacts us in three ways* –

1. Functional limitations, including dexterity and mobility impairments.
2. Environmentally, our short stature means that everyday spaces and facilities are disabling due to a mismatch in height. This results in having to use alternative facilities, including assistive devices, and being more reliant on our own adapted vehicle. It also means that people with dwarfism are more likely to depend on assistance from others.
3. Socially, research shows that socio-cultural attitudes result in discrimination, including hate speech. This research also demonstrates that there is a hierarchy of impairments, with people with dwarfism receiving less abuse and understanding of being disabled when they use a mobility aid.

Sadly, the severity of our disability is not often recognised, let alone understood by the state, health and support or workplace organisations.

96% of the community has experienced being pointed at and stared at. 77% of people with dwarfism have experienced abuse when out in public, with 12% reporting having experienced physical assault.*

 

The high toll and impact of continuously advocating for our particular disability on our physical and mental health as we navigate society cannot be understated.

 

Our conditions mean that we need time for medical treatments and appointments; we work twice as hard due to our short statures – not just in the workplace and to gain wider societal acceptance – but to navigate living in a world designed for people over 5ft 3”.

We need help adapting our clothes, homes, and cars, and yes, our workplaces, to live our lives fully.

These accommodations and adaptations are not cheap or possible without significant support and structural investment from those around us.

To put this bluntly, Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assist people with Dwarfism in all aspects of life to maintain our inclusion in society and afford the dignities of life that non-disabled people take for granted.

CONCERN OVER THE PROPOSED 4-POINT REQUIREMENT AND THE PIP ASSOCIATION WITH WORK

This leads us to be particularly concerned with the proposed introduction of the 4-point requirement to qualify for the care element of this benefit, as well as the benefit being linked to work requirements.

We are also concerned that assessors or work coaches will not be sufficiently educated in the specific vulnerabilities faced by the Dwarfism community. We are very concerned that these new assessment measures and requirements will deter people with dwarfism from being able to access work and place further burden on having to ‘prove’ our disability, which we have had since birth.

As a result, we believe that the proposed cuts will go against the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People, which the UK has signed up to and is therefore at risk of violating. Specifically, these proposed cuts will impact our ability to participate in public life, access education, work, and healthcare, and live independently. The UK has ratified the CRPD, demonstrating its commitment to upholding the rights of disabled people. However, these cuts will impact that commitment.

In 2016, the U.K. government was found by the European Court of Human Rights to be ‘in grave and systemic failure of rights of disabled people in the U.K’, with no significant progress found to have been made in 2024.

We strongly ask that the government and the Labour Party halt these proposed reforms.

SIGNED,

• Steph Robson, BSc (Hons), MA
• Dr Erin Pritchard 
• Alice Lambert, BA (Hons)
• Donna Francis BSc (Hons)
• Frankie Parker 
• Mat Fraser
• Ella Houston
• Tony Sabey
• Beverley Sabey
• Joanne Howell
• Michelle Rose
• Professor Caroline Mitchell
• Melissa Toye
• Martin Toye
• Mia Toye
• Fran Zerva
• Kev Howard –  Artist
• Pat Newman

**  Add your name and support in the comments below or email steph@hellolittlelady.com ** 

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Further information and references

References

• *Pritchard, E. (2021) Dwarfism, Spatiality and Disabling Experiences. Abingdon: Routledge
• *Reference: No laughing matter: medical and social experiences of restricted growth by authors: T.Shakespeare, S.Thompson, Dr M. Wright in the Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 12(1), pp.19–31.

PROPOSED CUTS TO DISABILITY BENEFITS

• Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper
• Universal Credit and Personal Independence Bill
• Welfare bill will protect the most vulnerable and help households with an income boost

BENEFIT SUPPORT AND ADVICE

• Citizen’s Advice Bureau
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