Government help with Retinitis Pigmentosa

philg1990

Hi everyone, I am a 31 year old male living in the UK and have suffered with retinitis pigmentosa my whole life, however the effects of it have only occurred occasionally throughout my lifetime, but now my driving licence is going to be taken away due to the condition and me failing my medical test. This is going to change my life as I will lose my car and my job and I have a family to provide for so am now incredibly worried about our future. Does anyone know of any help I can get from the government? Eg. Disability allowance as I don’t if the condition is classed as a disability? I want to welcome anyone but especially people in a similar situation as me.

philg1990

Thanks for getting back to me. Yes I saw about a PIP claim it is something I will definitely look into. Didn’t know if there was anywhere I could turn, im a bit lost at the minute.

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @philg1990  

I'd encourage you to look into PIP, as advised above. It can feel a bit overwhelming, but we're here to support you. You might like to start off by looking into the PIP descriptors (pipinfo.net), and seeing whether you can think of any examples for the activities that apply to you. 

If you feel you need some expert advice, you can use advicelocal.uk to see what professional support is available in your area. 

You can use a benefits calculator (Turn2Us) to see what else you may be able to claim. 

As biblioklept has said, there may be ways you could continue to do your job. You can read about reasonable adjustments on our website, which might be a good place to start.

Perhaps you could have a look at those resources, and let us know what you think? 

If you find it easier to speak over the phone, you can call our friendly helpline team on 0808 800 3333. 

janer1967

Hi there 

I have severe vision impairment 

Has your consultant completed the certificate of vision impairment and sent it to your local council 

You can then register as vision impaired and the local sensory team should be in touch and complete an assessment 

They can do all sorts to help you 

As for finances extra help can be through pip and other possible elements of uc if you are entitled 

Do a benefits calculator to see what you maybe entitled to 

philg1990

Thanks for the support guys, unfortunately my job involves driving so that will be a no go but I will definitely take on what you’ve all said and look at these options 

L_Volunteer

How are you feeling about things at the moment @philg1990? It has been a little while since you last posted. If you need any further support or have any other questions, please don't hesitate to let us know 

Tori_Scope

If you're looking to move careers, you could try accessing one of our employment services @philg1990