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have they broken Equality Act 2010
murphy10
Member Posts: 9 Listener
Hi
I applied for C- ESA and was awarded this after 32 years employment.
It was agreed by DWP alternative format Team in Birkinhead that all communication would be in email format. This is due to my disabilities, learning, physical amd mental health disabilities.
I use dragon software which is voice recognition software which allows me to voice type.
Due to chronic pain each day.
I was sent my award letter, 1 page.
I requested a copy of DWP Doctors home assessment be typed for me as i cannot read his report, it is illegible.
DWP state
I applied for C- ESA and was awarded this after 32 years employment.
It was agreed by DWP alternative format Team in Birkinhead that all communication would be in email format. This is due to my disabilities, learning, physical amd mental health disabilities.
I use dragon software which is voice recognition software which allows me to voice type.
Due to chronic pain each day.
I was sent my award letter, 1 page.
I requested a copy of DWP Doctors home assessment be typed for me as i cannot read his report, it is illegible.
DWP state
ALTERNATIVE FORMAT
E-Mail : 15 August 2018 @ 13:00 Dear Mr We refer to your above E-Mail, and note all you say. For completeness we note that the PDF of “Med-Reports” sent to you on comprised 40 pages of forms / report; completed by hand by Dr. J Hussain. Enquiries have been made on your behalf and note that Dr. J. Hussain made a domiciliary visit to your home on 25th June 2018, following your specific request. As is the standard DWP/ CHDA practice, he completed the report in hand writing as he did not have access to his computer at your home. We note that you have been placed in the support group following that examination. We regret that on this occasion we cannot be of any further assistance. Regards Department of Work and Pensions Alternative Formats Team Birkenhead Service Centre My Question is this have they broken Equality Act 2010, any advice appreciated and if anyone knows of a solicitor who would take on the case please let me know, Kind Regards J | |||||||||||
Replies
Just to clarify, you would like a typed copy of your Home Assessment and they say they cannot offer that?
Senior online community officer
Thanks in advance
J
Also here is their own guidance on accessible communications.
Senior online community officer
If the report really does comprise 40 pages, then it would obviously take quite a long time to transcribe and type. I doubt DWP employ anyone who does that type of work so they would probably have to pay an outside agency to do it, similar to the people the Courts use to provide transcripts of hearings. I have no direct knowledge of the cost of such a service but I suspect it would be expensive. On balance, it may well be that providing a transcript of a 40 page report is not reasonable in these circumstances, particularly as you don't appear to need to appeal for example.
What do you want the transcript for? Do you need a transcript of all 40 pages or could you ask them to transcribe specific parts of the report, for example the points awarded for each descriptor or the prognosis? That might be a compromise which both you and DWP are able to accept.
Might it be that like you, they cannot read the Dr's hand writing?
Have you asked some one else, to try and read the report, on your behalf?
You could contact the Equalities Commision for their advice, that would send a warning shot to DWP.