NO - Jan Morrison, principal policy officer, Barnardo's
Families bringing up a disabled child are far more likely to be living in poverty due to the financial constraints involved and so most find it hard to meet the cost of essential housing adaptations, which can run to thousands of pounds. Currently, the means test formula is unfair in that it does not take mortgage repayments into account, it does not accurately calculate the additional costs of bringing up a disabled child, and it penalises those parents who are in work.
NO - Ruth Owen, chief
executive, Whizz-Kidz Independence is one of the biggest issues for disabled people and having a home that is fully accessible is essential. For families applying for a grant, is it really fair to have to go through such an intrusive, stressful and often time-consuming process that does not fully consider their individual families' outgoings? Even where families do have a high income they face considerable expenses, such as the cost of specialised equipment, so means testing cannot give an accurate picture of the financial constraints.
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