It is encouraging to see recognition that many disabled people experience the current assessment process as stressful, inconsistent and not always reflective of the realities of living with a long-term condition.
We welcome the review’s commitment to working alongside disabled people and organisations to develop a system that is fairer, more consistent and better able to recognise individual needs.
For people living with acquired brain injury (ABI), these findings are particularly significant.
Brain injury is often described as a hidden disability.
Many of the effects are not immediately visible, yet can have a profound impact on a person’s ability to manage everyday life.
Difficulties with memory, concentration, fatigue, communication, emotional regulation and planning can affect every aspect of daily living, while remaining largely unseen by others.
The effects of brain injury. can fluctuate dramatically.
Many people experience changing symptoms, where what is possible one day may be impossible the next. This non-linear journey can make it difficult for standardised assessments to capture the true impact of a person’s condition or the support they require.
We hope the next stage of the review will continue to recognise the complexity of conditions such as ABI and ensure that future assessments are able to reflect fluctuating needs, hidden disabilities and the value of specialist clinical evidence. A system that better understands these realities will help ensure people receive the support they need to live independently and participate fully in their communities.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be engaging with our members and their loved ones – the real experts in our community, whose lives are shaped by the realities of brain injury every day – to understand how they feel about the proposed changes and share their experiences, insights and recommendations more widely.
Headway London looks forward to engaging with the ongoing review and supporting reforms that create a more compassionate, accurate and person-centred approach to disability benefits.
