For UK, one NHS psychologist wey get severe visual impairment dey face serious career wahala as government scheme wey dey help am work dey cut. Dr Danielle Verity, clinical psychologist for Salford Royal Foundation Trust, talk say Access to Work scheme wey Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) dey run don reduce her support worker hours from 37.5 to 24 hours per week.
Access to Work na DWP programme wey dey provide support to pipo wey get disability to find work and maintain am. For Dr Verity case, her support worker dey act as her eyes for her clinical work, but now the cut dey put her patients and her own job for risk. She talk say: “My support worker na effectively my eyes. Having severe visual impairment mean say I dey use the very little vision wey I get, with assistive software, but using this means of adjustment alone mean say tasks go take much longer and e dey likely say I go miss important clinical information.”
The psychologist wey train reach doctorate level explain say her work na high-risk job wey require accuracy and speed. She talk say: “This na high-risk job. I no fit dey as fast or as accurate without human assistance. Technology alone no fit keep patients safe.” Dr Verity don try everything to resolve the matter, including formal appeal, union involvement, contacting her local MP, Health Secretary, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, ACAS, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, and Independent Case Examiner, but nothing work.
She talk say: “What employer go take on blind psychologist wey no fit get the support wey she need? I no fit progress and I no fit move jobs. I dey completely stuck. E feel like every door don close. I dey do everything correct, but no place remain to go. I dey now for risk for job wey I don always do well.” After getting some support from Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), wey highlight error for Access to Work calculations, she manage get back another four hours of support, but she still don reduce capacity for her clinic for patient safety.
Roisin Jacklin, policy lead for sight loss charity RNIB, talk say: “The scheme dey plague with significant delays, with some pipo dey wait over nine months for support wey dey put their job for risk. Support worker hours and rates don also cut when support don renewed, wey na major concern too for those wey dey work. Cuts to Access to Work no go deliver government aim to support disabled pipo enter work.”
Currently, the biggest single employment issue pipo dey go RNIB for help na difficulties with Access to Work. Since 2024, more and more pipo don dey report cuts to their support worker hours during renewals despite no get any changes to their work or health. Many of the charity own staff don also affect by cuts.
DWP spokesperson talk say: “No changes don make to Access to Work policy, and we go announce any future changes before dem implement am. Access to Work support thousands of sick or disabled pipo to start or stay for work, and support wey the scheme provide don nearly double for five years. But we understand say problems for the scheme wey we inherit dey fail employees and employers, na why we dey work with disabled pipo and their organisations to improve am.”
Government recently hold consultation regarding future of Access to Work, wey close last June. The scheme dey currently under review with next steps expected to announce soon. For statistics, only one for four blind or partially sighted pipo dey for employment for UK, wey make Dr Verity case even more critical as e dey represent pipo wey dey struggle to maintain professional careers despite disability.
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