The Green Paper Discussion (the document link is here too!)

I think the biggest issue is something raised in the other thread, whereby people NOW have 4 pts in something but may be downgraded at assessment to remove their eligibility. I understand they want to improve things at the DWP but most of us have been through the assessment system and we know that it's not always done with fairness in mind.

I have 4 points on 2 categories and none on most of the others but I feel a bit guilty about it at the moment because I don't see how that makes me more eligible than someone who has 2 points on everything. And I had to fight for one of those 2 points because of discrimination - being treated as not needing help because I wasn't intellectually impaired. I swear they should come watch me in the kitchen, when I freak out because the water has bubbles and I can't stand how they look lol.

As I said on the other thread, my big plus takes from this is no vouchers, no mean testing, and no change to mobility on PIP. The BBC think that the PIP changes are the ones that MPs are most likely to challenge as there is no moral incentive to cutting PIP, it has nothing to do with employment rates and it actually supports a lot of us who are in work. So if you don't have 4 points at the moment, don't lose hope. It;s not over yet.

Additionally I want to see them adjust the criteria to include more invisible disabilities. There is so much both on the form and in assessment that is focused on whether you can physically walk across a room, and many of us who go through the appeal and tribunal process (and end up with trauma from it) have that struggle because of how the process is viewed.

Many people interpret "serious disability" in stereotypical ways, and a lot of people have serious disabilities but they are not visible.

I am already resolving that the next time the DWP want to assess me, which hopefully won't be for a while yet, I am going to write out every tiny detail of every single process I have to through to get up, get dressed, get safely to work, work all day, and get back again. Because the assumption is that, because I am in work and capable of doing my job, my disability isn't affecting me much. If I didn't have a supportive work team, I would be a lot more inept - but I still come home most nights and have to crash. My executive function is literally terrible but until the DWP understand that's not an excuse or a behavioural construct or any of those things, and include it in assessment criteria, a lot of ND people are going to remain shut out of support systems :/

I don't want to comment on any of the UC or ESA changes as I don't claim them and don't understand the details of the changes well enough. I've read the PIP parts of the green paper and will come back to it when my brain is less frazzled and I can think to answer their questions…

I did notice most of the green paper questions were centred around UC and ESA and not really around PIP. The only other take I got from it was a future discussion/intention to alter the PIP assessment process, with the hope of improving it - and also the DWP's safeguarding processes.

I can give them some advice right now as to how to improve assessments for people. Read. The. Evidence. Before. Assessing. Someone. And. Then. Use. It. To. Make. A. Decision.