IW Blind among 500-strong Lobby of Parliament

Blind people from the Isle of Wight were among those taking part in the biggest ever lobby of Parliament by visually- impaired people from across the UK this week. Island MP Andrew Turner met the eleven Islanders to hear of their support for a campaign for blind people to be able to claim the same level of mobility benefits as physically disabled people, such as wheelchair users.

The campaign, led by organisations including the Royal National Institute of the Blind, is calling for people with serious sight loss to be eligible to claim the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, a benefit for disabled people that helps with extra transport costs.

Worth £43.45 per week, campaigners say that the higher rate of the benefit should be available to blind people who, despite experiencing major barriers to getting out and about, are only eligible to claim the lower rate of just £16.50 per week.

Mr Turner said,

“I have listened to local blind people today talking about the huge difference that this extra money would make to them in terms of being able to get out and about by taxi, to meet friends and family, go shopping and enjoy leisure time.
“I have already asked Ministers to justify this discrimination, and I will examine carefully what they say.
“It would of course have been nice for me yesterday to promise my unqualified support on the spot, but I guess the reason the Government allows a lower mobility component to blind people than to some other disabled groups is based on assessment of the costs of achieving a certain level of mobility. I need to examine the Government’s position to see whether it holds water.”

Steve Winyard, RNIB’s Head of Campaigns, said:

“It’s not surprising that blind people, who can’t drive and often find public transport impossible to navigate, feel cheated by not being allowed to claim the same level of benefit as other disabled people. Many have become virtual prisoners in their own homes because the low level of benefit they receive doesn’t cover the cost of taxis.”

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Background: The campaign has been organized by RNIB. Together with the National Federation of the Blind, National League of the Blind and Disabled, Action for Blind People, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the National Association of Local Societies for Visually Impaired People (NALSVI), they are calling for an amendment to Section 73(3) of the 1992 Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act such that people who are under 65 and have serious sight loss are able to claim the higher rate mobility component of DLA. RNIB’s ‘Taken for a Ride’ report estimates the cost of giving blind people access to the extra mobility money would be just £61 million per year, or less than 0.05 per cent of the Government’s social security budget.