August 2012

Disabled activists target Atos at London 2012 Paralympics, including delivering a coffin to Atos’s headquarters to represent those who have died after being found “fit to work”.

What: Atos (contracted to carry out the WCA) is a major sponsor of the London 2012 Paralympics. Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) hold a week of protests titled The Atos Games, which includes delivering a coffin full of messages to Atos’s headquarters in central London, aiming to draw attention to the estimated 1,100 people who died within six months of being found “fit for work” by an Atos “healthcare professional”, over just an eight-month period. (The figure of 1,100 deaths is most closely linked to 2015 mortality statistics on ESA, IB and SDA (severe disablement allowance), see Table 2.5 of link below).

Why significant: Again, activists draw attention to the WCA, outsourcing and people’s deaths.