Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) is an organisation based in the United Kingdom for disabled people and allies to campaign against the impact of government spending cuts on the lives of disabled people. DPAC was formed in October 2010 and promotes full human rights and equality for all disabled people. DPAC operates from the Social model of disability. [1] [2]
A 'Disabled People Protest' demonstration took place outside the Conservative Party annual conference on 3 October 2010 in Birmingham, England. This was the first mass protest against the impact of austerity cuts on disabled people. It was led by disabled people, speaking out on their own behalf for themselves. Using this march as a catalyst, leading activists founded the organisation. [3] [4]
DPAC is a non-hierarchical organisation which grew organically from a small group of people who came together to plan an anti-cuts march in Birmingham. The current steering group was elected at the 2011 conference. [5]
There are 26 local DPAC groups, each one of which works within the DPAC constitution [6] but are generally autonomous and their members make decisions for those groups. [7]
DPAC currently[ when? ] has a formal membership of 1,500, with 2,500 members of the Facebook page and 4,500 followers on Twitter. Online activism played a key role in the development of the group. DPAC developed an approach to social media that enabled greater numbers of people to take part. [8]
DPAC is closely affiliated with its sister organisation Black Triangle in Scotland. [9]
DPAC operate from the Social model of disability which sees disability as being created by the structures of society not the medical differences in a person's body. [10] DPAC supports full citizenship for all disabled people and opposes all cutbacks and austerity measures which are currently[ when? ] adversely affecting disabled people nine times harder than non-disabled people. [11]
DPAC oppose all austerity measures which are currently[ when? ] heavily impacting disabled people in the UK.[ citation needed ] These include the closure of the Independent Living Fund, Personal Independence Payment (replacing Disability Living Allowance), Employment and Support Allowance, the Children and Families Bill 2013 and the 'Bedroom tax'.
In a 2013 article in The Guardian , Ellen Clifford, of DPAC, explained the tactics used by the anti-cuts group. She said: "No one who cares about social justice can work with a government that is intent on dismantling the welfare state, so disabled activists are having to find other means to try to stop what is happening. Legal challenges to reforms are one part of that... But legal challenges aren't an answer in themselves, and, as a form of campaigning, need to be run alongside other forms of awareness-raising, lobbying, protests and direct action." [12]
DPAC have carried out a number of civil disobedience actions. Actions have included a blockade of Regent Street in London, January 2012, with UK Uncut, [13] [14] a blockade of Trafalgar Square in April 2012, [15] [16] and a street blockade as part of a national Trade Union march in October 2012. [17] [18]
In August 2013, DPAC members took part in a 'Reclaim the Power' anti-fracking protest camp at Balcombe, West Sussex to engage with training in non-violent Direct action, and emphasised the needs of disabled people for clean, affordable and sustainable energy. [19] [20]
On 24 June 2015, activists angered by the ending of The Independent Living Fund for disabled people were prevented from accessing The House of Commons Chamber during PMQs. [21] [22] Members of Manchester DPAC chained their wheelchairs together to block the VIP entrance to the Conservative Party Conference in October 2015. [23] [24] In September 2016, DPAC protesters closed down Westminster Bridge for several hours to bring attention to deaths arising from government welfare 'reforms'. [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] In July 2017, the Lobby of Parliament was occupied and the main entrance to the Commons Chamber blocked, accompanied by chants of "No Justice...No Peace". [32] [33] [34]
In 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2017 DPAC held a 'Week of Action' to highlight the impact of austerity and cuts on disabled peoples lives. From Monday 27 August 2012 DPAC hosted a week of 'The Atos Games' which focused on highlighting the hypocrisy of the sponsorship of the Paralympic games by Atos – the same company that carries out the controversial Work Capability Assessments. [35] [36] Events included a spoof 'paralympic award ceremony', and the delivery of a coffin to Atos offices. On 30 August 2012, campaigners staging a "die in" in Cardiff brought traffic to a standstill. [37] On the closing day of the event, a demonstration outside Atos head offices moved to the offices of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) where protestors chained themselves to the main entrance. [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]
Reclaiming our Futures was a week of action held from 29 August to 4 September 2013 [43] to protest against the targeting of disabled people by austerity measures, and to celebrate the value, pride and self-determination of disabled people. The event features an on-line day of action launch, coinciding with the Torch Relay protest organised by Transport for All to highlight lack of accessibility on the new crossrail trainline currently being constructed. [44] Friday 30 August saw local protests across the UK. 'The Social Model in the 21st century' conference saw key note speeches by Debbie Jolly of DPAC, Professor Colin Barnes [45] and Ann Rae of the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS). The week included a direct action outside the BBC to highlight biased representation of disabled people and promotion of 'scrounger rhetoric' and culminated on a march on parliament during which the UK Disabled Peoples Manifesto was launched. [46]
The 2016 Week Of Action was held to coincide with the Paralympic Games in London in September. Events included a pop-up guerilla art installation at Tate Modern, London, and the closing of Westminster Bridge by activists.[ citation needed ]
The 2017 Week of Action, in August, included support for RMT action to keep guards on trains, a protest outside ATOS HQ, and the blocking of the main entrance to The House of Commons Chamber.[ citation needed ]
In 2019, DPAC activists in Manchester and Sheffield started a campaign to have PIP assessments audio recorded, in response to reports of assessment companies recording inaccurate information during assessments and producing flawed decisions. [47] [48] Because the Department for Work and Pensions only allowed audio recording of assessments via CD and audio cassette, [49] the campaign raised funds to purchase the necessary audio recording equipment so that it could be loaned out for free to people facing PIP assessments. Activists stressed that while the initiative aimed to ensure greater accountability and fairness in the current process, the ultimate aim of the campaign remained to scrap work capability and PIP assessments altogether. The campaign was supported by Labour MPs including Dan Carden and Emma Hardy. [50] [51]
In 2020, The DWP committed to a new approach to "provide consistency for claimants across audio recording of work capability assessments and personal independence payment assessments". [52] On 30 September 2020, the DWP Secretary told the Work and Pensions Committee that assessors had begun audio recording assessments. [53]
The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Games as organised by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK's biggest public service department it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. It is the second largest governmental department in terms of employees, and the second largest in terms of expenditure.
Atos SE is a French multinational information technology (IT) service and consulting company with headquarters in Bezons, France, and offices worldwide. It specialises in hi-tech transactional services, unified communications, cloud, big data and cybersecurity services. Atos operates worldwide under the brands Atos, Atos|Syntel, Atos Consulting, Atos Healthcare, Atos Worldgrid, Groupe Bull, Canopy, Maven Wave, and Unify.
Mark James Harper is a British politician who served in the Cabinet as Chief Whip of the House of Commons from 2015 to 2016 and as Secretary of State for Transport from 2022 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire from 2005 until his defeat in 2024.
Crippled: Austerity and the Demonization of Disabled People is a 2019 book by Frances Ryan about disability in the United Kingdom under the 2010s austerity programme. It explores the effects of welfare cuts, local council cuts, social care cuts, increased taxes for disabled people and means testing for remaining welfare provisions. Between research about the prevalence of each issue, Ryan interviews disabled people affected by the issue. She finds people who have died from having financial support withdrawn, people who cannot afford food, heating or prescriptions, and people unable to wash or get dressed due to removal of social care. Ryan researches into disabled people who live in inaccessible housing, who cannot afford visits to the hospital, who cannot leave violent partners for financial reasons and who rely on young children to look after them.
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a United Kingdom welfare payment for adults younger than the State Pension age who are having difficulty finding work because of their long-term medical condition or a disability. It is a basic income-replacement benefit paid in lieu of wages. It is currently being phased out and replaced with Universal Credit for claimants on low incomes, although the contribution-based element remains available.
UK Uncut was a network of United Kingdom-based protest groups established in October 2010 to protest against cuts to public services and tax avoidance in the UK. Various sources have described the group as left-wing in its political orientation.
The anti-austerity movement in the United Kingdom saw major demonstrations throughout the 2010s in response to Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government's austerity measures which saw significant reductions in local council budgets, increasing of university tuition fees and reduction of public spending on welfare, education, health and policing, among others. Anti-austerity protests became a prominent part of popular demonstrations across the 2010s, particularly the first half of the decade.
Personal Independence Payment is a welfare benefit in the United Kingdom that is intended to help working age adults with the extra costs of living with a health condition or a disability. It is available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland where Adult Disabled Payment (ADP) is claimed instead.
The Welfare Reform Act 2012 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which makes changes to the rules concerning a number of benefits offered within the British social security system. It was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 8 March 2012.
The People's Assembly Against Austerity is a political organisation based in the United Kingdom that was originally set up to end and reverse the country's government-instituted austerity programme.
George Rolph is a British activist for disability rights and for male survivors of domestic violence.
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is used by the British Government's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to decide whether and to what extent welfare benefit claimants are capable of doing work or work-related activities. The outcome of the assessment also determines whether claimants are entitled to "new style" Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and potentially additional elements of Universal Credit (UC).
Disability in the United Kingdom covers a wide range of conditions and experiences, deeply impacting the lives of millions of people. Defined by the Equality Act 2010 as a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, it encompasses various aspects of life, including demographics, legislation, healthcare, employment, and culture. Despite numerous advancements in policy and social attitudes, individuals with disabilities often encounter unique challenges and disparities.
Paul Litchfield CBE FRCP FFOM is a British physician who was Chief Medical Officer for BT Group plc from 2001 to 2018. He reviewed the Work Capability Assessment run by Atos for the Department for Work and Pensions in 2013 and 2014 and he is an advisor to the UK government on the relationship between mental ill-health, absence from work and the take up of out-of-work sickness benefits.
Criticism of the Work Capability Assessment, used by the Department for Work and Pensions in the United Kingdom, to assess and reassess claimants of Employment and Support Allowance or enhanced rate Universal Credit, has been wide-ranging, from the procedure itself, to the financial cost of using both Atos and Maximus to assess claimants. Other criticisms discuss the level of deaths, suicides and high overturn rates at tribunals that the WCA has caused.
The Disabled People's Direct Action Network (DAN) is a disability rights activist organisation in England and Wales that campaigned for civil rights with high-profile street demonstrations involving civil disobedience, rallies and protests.
Iain Duncan Smith served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2010 to 2016. A member and previous leader of the Conservative Party, Duncan Smith was appointed to the cabinet by Prime Minister David Cameron following the 2010 general election and the formation of the coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. He was reappointed after the Conservatives won a majority in the 2015 general election but resigned in March 2016 in opposition to disability benefit cuts.
Paul Darke CF is a British academic, artist, disability rights activist and whistleblower. Darke is an expert on disability in film and politics.
The Citizen Network Research, formerly the Centre for Welfare Reform is a Sheffield-based think tank which works globally on advancing citizenship for all. It was launched in 2009, changed its name in 2022, and has published a range of materials offering progressive innovations in welfare reform. It is not linked to any particular political party but is aligned with progressive politics in the UK and also works internationally. The Director and founder is Dr Simon Duffy.