We Stand with the Campaign for Disability Justice

This week, the Government cut the health element of Universal Credit (UC) for new claimants. For many disabled people and their families, including those we support across East London and Essex, this is not a distant political decision. It is a direct threat to their income, their independence, and their wellbeing.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE WCA:

Even before this week's cuts, the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) — the process used to determine who receives the health element of UC was widely criticised for being irrational, dehumanising, and deeply harmful. People have been assessed as "fit for work" based on form-ticking rather than genuine understanding of their conditions.

Here's what real people told the Campaign for Disability Justice:

"Because I was able to manage appointments, they said I was capable of doing an admin job."

"They didn't even bother asking me about the worst part of my conditions even though I'd detailed it — just ticked 'no problem'."

This isn't a bug in the system. For many people, it is the system.

THE CARTOON CAMPAIGN:

The Campaign for Disability Justice has launched a powerful series of cartoons to show the human reality behind this broken process. The first cartoon shows a disabled man, lying in bed, surrounded by medication and a walking aid, speaking to a robot Work Capability Assessor on the phone. Despite his medical notes sliding off the table, the robot ticks the boxes: "Can walk over 100 metres. Is physically active. Fit for work."

The cartoons are designed to be darkly funny but completely true to life.

WHY CFDN IS SHARING THIS:

At CFDN, we believe that every disabled person deserves to be genuinely seen, heard, and included. We have been supporting disabled people and their families for nearly 70 years and we know that the barriers they face are rarely about their disability itself. They are about systems, attitudes, and structures that were never designed with them in mind.

The WCA is one of those systems.

We are proud to support the Campaign for Disability Justice in raising awareness of this issue — and we urge everyone reading this to share the cartoon with their networks, their communities, and their local MPs.

HOW TO HELP:

👉 Read the Campaign for Disability Justice blog: https://www.campaignfordisabilityjustice.org.uk/the_human_consequences_of_box-ticking

👉 Share the cartoon on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X

👉 Write to your local MP about the impact of these cuts and the failings of the WCA

Together, we can make sure the human consequences of box-ticking can no longer be ignored.

Image alt text: Cartoon showing a white male lying in bed, on the phone to a Work Capability Assessor depicted as a robot. Around the man is medication, a dirty plate and glass, and a walking aid. He is looking out the window at people dog walking outside. The man says "You can see from my medical notes that any activity causes me pain. I can have good days. I managed to take the kids to the park last week, but then I was bedridden for days." The robot replies "Park? Sounds lovely. Is that the park half a mile away? Do you push them on the swings?" The robot ticks a form: 1. Can walk over 100 metres. 2. Is physically active. 3. Fit for work. The medical notes are seen slipping off the end of the table.