Gabbie S

I'm disabled, unable to work & in receipt of the legacy benefits - Income Related Employment Support Allowance (Support Group), including disability & severe disability premium & also Personal Independence Payment (PIP). I haven't had any interactions with a DWP work coach since 2013 when 6 months after spinal surgery, I was placed in the work related activity group, even though I had no idea if I was going have full restoration of neurological function (which can take up to 2 years to ascertain: SPOILER ALERT - I never did). As I was expected to take a job , I chose to become a term time First Aid trainer in my local hospital. It was insecure work as we were classed as temporary staff, we worked a permanent school timetable rota, year in, year out. My work coach at the time was brilliant - he knew I wasn't well & severely burned out due to having to cope with work & disability - for which no adjustments were made as, apart from a walking stick I looked ok on the outside. At the time, I hadn't applied for Disability Living Allowance as it was back then prior to the introduction of PIP, as I thought I wasn't "disabled enough" despite symptoms badly affecting my day to day activities of daily living. He encouraged my to apply for ESA Support Group & DLA, which, after winning 2 tribunals, I was awarded in full for both which enabled me to resign from my job due to ill health. I've never had any help & support from the DWP itself in terms of reasonable adaptations, as I no longer have to actively seek work. To be honest, my condition is so unrecognised, they probably wouldn't know where to start with me, so if I were able to work, I would choose to work from home where all my aids & adaptations are, which I do on a very limited self employed basis sometimes, because frankly, there's nothing worse than an able-bodied person with no lived experience of disability deciding what's best for you or what you might need. This is why it is essential that the DWP should employ work coaches with lived experience of disability themselves as they have some insight to some extent. Nothing about us, without us!