Disability Grant Cuts Impact Severely Visually Impaired Psychologist

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Dani Verity, a visually impaired clinical psychologist, has had her Access to Work disability support grant reduced by over a third after the Department for Work and Pensions ruled her support worker was performing tasks she should handle independently. This case highlights broader issues with the Access to Work scheme, including significant application backlogs and limited oversight, prompting government plans to hire additional staff and invest billions in improving disability employment support.

Dani Verity, a 38-year-old clinical psychologist at Salford Royal Hospital who has severe vision impairment, has faced significant reductions to her disability support grant. Verity, who lost much of her sight at age ten due to illness, initially received funding for a support worker to assist in her clinical duties. However, last year her grant was cut from covering 37.5 hours a week to just 24 hours, following a decision by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that her support worker had been carrying out tasks Verity should be managing independently.

Verity described her support worker as essential, saying the aide acts as “my eyes” and enables her to access information that would otherwise be inaccessible due to the limited visibility of her computer screen.

A DWP official acknowledged concerns over some recipients, particularly the self-employed, hiring friends or family members as job aides with large sums of grant money. The official noted that nearly 39 percent of the highest grants—valued at over £30,000 annually—are allocated to self-employed individuals, compared with 28 percent three years ago. Because the department lacks a regulatory framework for evaluating the effectiveness of such aides, oversight remains limited.

The Access to Work scheme, established during John Major’s administration, aims to support people with severe physical disabilities, mental illness, or learning difficulties by funding workplace assistance. However, it does not explicitly cover certain conditions, such as autism and ADHD. Applications citing “Other” conditions, a category often used for these diagnoses, have tripled over six years to more than 15,000 claims, while claims related to physical disabilities have decreased by over 1,000 during the same period.

The program has faced criticism due to significant backlogs in application processing. In response, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden announced in May plans to hire 480 additional staff to address these delays by the end of September 2027. Despite this, Work and Pensions Minister Sir Stephen Timms revealed last month that applicants still face average waits exceeding four months for decisions.

A DWP insider stated that the department had previously refrained from increasing staffing levels to clear the backlog, acknowledging the system's shortcomings. Gareth Lyon, health head at the think tank Policy Exchange, pointed out that recipients are becoming increasingly adept at navigating the scheme. Meanwhile, the Access to Work Collective highlighted ongoing failures, stating the program “is a lifeline when it works well, but the scheme is failing the majority of people through delays, poor communication and a lack of accountability.”

The DWP emphasized its commitment to improving support, citing a £3.5 billion investment in tailored employment services for disabled individuals and collaboration with employers to help disabled people remain in the workforce.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.