DWP loses disability discrimination case

A registered blind woman has successfully sued the DWP for disability discrimination and has been awarded £2,500. Her benefit, income support, had been withdrawn following an anonymous complaint against her to the department. The DWP failed to send her documents in accessible forms when she appealed.

Under the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) it requires service providers to make “reasonable adjustments” to their services so as to provide as close a service as possible to that provided to other members of the public.

County Court District Judge Mort said: “Members of the public other than the claimant would get letters and would be able to read those letters and act on them and decide whether or not they needed advice”.

The DWP was found to have failed to comply with its own code of practice and caused the claimant inconvenience, effort, discomfort, anxiety and loss of dignity.

Sheffield Law Centre supported the woman in bringing this case and they argue: It is astonishing that the government department responsible for introducing the DDA should fail so comprehensively to apply the DDA. Providing access to people with disabilities takes many different forms and this case shows that government departments cannot ignore people’s rights and hinder access to justice”.