Connie's Story

I have bipolar disorder and PTSD.  I have worked, served my country as a territorial soldier for many years, and done voluntary and community work, but now I am too ill to do paid work, although I do what voluntary work I can when I can.

I am dependent on benefits and I am very scared about the reforms.  I have read the revised criteria for ESA that the government says that it will bring in, and believe that I will not get ESA.  Yet when I have the inevitable breakdown, cuts already implemented in mental health services mean that there will be no hospital bed for me.

The cutbacks to housing benefit and council tax benefit mean that I would find it very difficult to survive on jobseekers allowance, especially as I am unlikely to find work and would be hit by further cuts to my housing benefit after a year.

Initially, I could make up the difference using my DLA, but I am afraid that mentally ill people will be targetted in the proposed cutbacks to DLA as we have invisible impairments.

When I became a soldier, it was to defend this country from threats from other countries, but now the threat to our survival comes from within, not from one political party, but from all three main parties.  I stood shoulder to shoulder with other soldiers in defence of my country and now I will stand shoulder to shoulder with other disabled people in defence of our community. 

It will not be an easy fight.  Already people I know who are not disabled tell me not to worry about it but to wait and see what will happen.  By then it will be too late: the reforms will have been enacted into law.  We must fight now, spreading the word far and wide about what is really happening to us.

Katie's Story

I am 24 years old. As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a librarian. I began life with a hereditary disabling condition I never knew I had, which was left undiagnosed for more than 20 years.

Keith and Margaret's Story

My Husband Keith, is 64 years old, and had worked since he was 15 years old. He has suffered with mental health problems for over 20 years, but had managed to work despite this until he suffered a very bad Break Down 5 years ago. At that time he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, and I cared for him through a very difficult 6 months, while also caring for my Mum who had Cancer and who died 5 years ago next week. We did not claim Benefits during this period as he was salaried and his salary continued throughout that period. His company agreed that he could return to work part time at first, and gradually increasing to full time. Again, we did not claim benefits, and subsidised his loss of earnings with our savings.