Government need to listen before they make the struggle even harder

My name is Danny Eggar, I am twenty three years old and live in Cardiff. In 2004 I was diagnosed with an eye condition called Lebers hereditary optic neuropathy; this affects the optic nerve in both eyes which means my central vision is damaged and I rely on peripheral vision only.

From 2006 to 2008 I attended the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, where I studied Sport and Rec Level 2, Remedial Therapy, and Sports Massage Level 3. During my stay at the college, I met a lot of interesting people with different eye conditions, some even had the same eye condition as me. Meeting these people made it easier to come to terms with having sight loss, and we could relate to each other. I gained a lot more confidence, and found myself accepting the fact that I was now visually impaired.

Since leaving college in 2008, I have found it difficult to find employment. I was employed by RNIB Cymru on a Future Job Fund (FJF) scheme, from January to July 2010. Apart from voluntary work, this was my only employment opportunity. During my time at RNIB Cymru, I worked alongside the Insight Radio team as a trainee researcher. My duties included; administrative work, preparing radio shows for presenters, carrying out interviews, and organising events for the station.

I have claimed Disability Living Allowance (DLA) since I lost my sight in 2004, and it has been a major help to me. Recently, I was moved on to the higher rate of DLA. It helps me a lot as I use my DLA for public transport, help towards living such as rent, Council Tax and other bills. My concern, if the proposed welfare reforms are brought in, is that if I was still unemployed and taken off DLA, I would struggle to afford to live independently as I would not be able to run my flat on my own. I would also find it hard to use the train service as it would cost too much money.

I think the Hardest Hit campaign is vital, as it is demonstrating to the Government the concerns that people have about the loss of Disability Living Allowance. It would not only affect me, but thousands of other people in theUK, struggling to find employment and to live as independently as possible. If these cuts were made, it would mean a backward step for each individual currently on DLA.

I would urge everyone to support the marches and rallies happening across the UK on 22 October; as it is important we get as many people as possible to voice their concerns to the Government, and show how their everyday lives would be affected by the changes that may take place.

I hope the Hardest Hit campaign has an affect on the Government’s decision, as they need to understand how important the benefit DLA is to me and thousands of people around theUK.