A disabled mum who was born with a defect which meant she only grew to 3ft 8ins tall has been told she will lose her specially adapted car – after having her benefits axed.
Denise Haddon struggles to walk and needs a Motability car with the controls built into the steering wheel, to drive to work and hospital appointments.
The 50-year-old, who has worked since she was 16, was born with bilateral femoral focal dysplasia which drastically stunted her growth.
The condition also means she suffers almost constant pain in her hips, legs, ankles and feet, which leaves her unable to walk more than a few metres.
The cost of the car, which is worth around £18,000, has been covered by her disability allowance and more recently Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
But just before Christmas she was told the payments were being stopped because she was no longer eligible for a disabled car.
She now has less than a week to fund a disabled car or face losing her job as an Inclusion Manager in child protection at a primary school because she needs to drive to work.
Denise, who lives with husband Dean, 51, a Rolls Royce worker, and their children, son Sam, 19, and 17-year-old daughter Amy, in Sinfin, Derby, yesterday blasted the decision.
She said: “When I first saw the letter telling me the funding had been cut, I cried my eyes out.
“I was told I no longer qualified for the payments for the Motability car because in their view I could walk more than 20 metres.
“Most days I can only walk a few metres because of the pain. I need the car to keep my job.
“The whole process of the assessment has been inhumane and degrading and the answers I gave have been grossly misinterpreted.
“I was treated like a number not a person and the process seems to be just a way to save money regardless of the effect it has on the person being assessed.
“I’ve been trying to get them to listen to the evidence from my GP and other medical experts about my condition and why I need a car to do my job.
“It’s been a miserable Christmas for me and my family waiting to hear back from them and all I’ve got to look forward to in the new year is losing my car and independence.
“I’ve worked all my adult life but now, following my PIP assessment, I’m being told I will lose my Motability car; the one thing that gives me the independence to get to and from my job and travel to meetings.
“The PIP is supposed to improve people’s independence yet it will have the complete opposite effect for me.
“In order to keep my job I need a specially adapted car. This will cost around £18,000 which I will really struggle to find.
“We only have one car, which is this one because my husband walks to work, so it is a horrible position to be in.”
Mrs Haddon‘s PIP payment will be axed on January 6 and Motability have given her three weeks to fund the car her herself or will be forced to take it back.
The Work and Pensions Secretary introduced PIP as part of a raft of cuts to the welfare budget.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) yesterday defended the decision to axe Mrs Haddon‘s benefits.
A DWP spokesperson said: “We are working closely with Motability who are providing support to people leaving the scheme following reassessment.
“The majority of people will be eligible for a one-off payment of £2,000, which will help ensure their mobility needs continue to be met.
“DLA was in need of reform; it is an outdated benefit introduced over 20 years ago. PIP is a fairer benefit which ensures support goes to those who need it most.”
