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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics

HISTORICAL FACTS: Disabled people need help to stay in work - Caught on Camera

Woman in office
‘One of the most effective mechanisms for helping to keep disabled people in work is silently being cut by the government,’ says Sara L Uckelman. Photograph: Getty/iStockphoto

Your article (Liz Kendall says getting people into work is best way to cut benefits bill, 6 March) quotes the work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, as saying: “I think the only way that you get the welfare bill on a more sustainable footing is to get people into work.” What is not acknowledged in this statement is that getting people into work means nothing without there also being support to help keep them in work.

One of the most effective mechanisms for helping to keep disabled people in work is silently being cut by the government. As a disabled academic, for the last three years I have had a support worker, funded through the Access to Work scheme. This support has been integral to not just my remaining employed but flourishing. My previous grant was due to run out in January 2025 and I submitted my renewal application a few months prior, expecting the renewal to run as smoothly as it had the previous time.

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