This website is a timeline.
A timeline is a list of things that have happened.We want the timeline to help make change and stop harm.We could not make the whole timeline Easy Read. The timeline is too long.We have made this Easy Read page about what the timeline says.But reading this page might make you feel sad and angry.You do not have to read the page if you do not want to.Please only read it with someone you trust and who can support you.
What does the timeline show?
The timeline shows how the welfare system harms people.The welfare system means benefits that the government should give disabled people.Benefits are money that the government gives to disabled people. Like PIP, ESA, or Universal Credit.The government should make sure disabled people are safe and have enough money to live on.But the timeline shows that the government has treated disabled people badly.
How has the government treated disabled people badly?
1. The government says dangerous things
The government has said dangerous things about people who need benefits.For example, the government has said that people who need benefits are just lazy.This makes other people treat disabled people badly.
2. The government does not give people enough money to live on
The benefits the government gives disabled people are not enough to live on.Lots of disabled people do not have enough money to eat or heat their homes
3. The government makes it too hard to get benefits
Over time, the government has made different rules about who can get benefits.The new rules have made it harder for disabled people to get benefits.The government stopped some people’s benefits unfairly.The government said they were well enough to work.But they were not well enough to work.When their benefits stopped, people did not have enough money to live on.Many people died when their benefits were stopped.We want to remember all the people who died.We want the government to make sure it will never happen again.
What else does the timeline show?
The timeline also shows how disabled people and families fight for justice.The timeline was made with disabled people. It is a way to fight for change.