Overview

By the end of 2018 over £28bn of benefit will be cut as a result of the government's policies on social security, housing, employment, and healthcare, specifically aimed at the disabled community. In the age of austerity, it’s disabled people who are hardest hit, affecting over 3.7 million people. This is in addition to a situation in which half of those in poverty are either disabled or living with a disabled person. In Crippled, leading commentator Frances Ryan tells the story of those most affected by this devastating regime. This includes the tetraplegic living in a first floor flat forced to crawl down flights of stairs because the council doesn’t provide accessible housing; the young girl forced to sleep in her wheelchair and admitted to hospital with malnutrition; or the Londoner with schizophrenia found ‘fit for work’, found dead at home three months later. Through these personal stories the book shows the scale of the crisis, while also showing how the disabled community is fighting back. It is a passionate demand for the recognition of disability rights and a call for an end to austerity policies that disproportionately affect those most in need.

Full Product Details

9781786637888

Table of Contents

Reviews

Frances Ryan reminds us what real investigative journalism looks like - except that this is a book, compelling in the case it makes. Vulnerable, disabled people are treated with conscious cruelty by politicians who have closed their eyes to the despair they have caused. We know that the welfare state has been almost wrecked, but Frances Ryan's impeccable research shows, in detail, what this means in the daily lives of those with disabilities. Keep this book on your shelves, refer it often, and use the ammunition in its pages to bring back compassion and dignity for all our citizens.' --Ken Loach, director of I, Daniel Blake This devastating depiction of the impact of austerity on disabled people should shake our political system to its foundations. Frances Ryan forensically exposes the scandalous politics that have left so many disabled people cold, hungry, living in poverty and pain and often suicidal. It's a cry from the heart but more importantly it's a determine demand for change. -- John McDonnell

Author Information

Dr. Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist, writing both the weekly ‘Hardworking Britain’ and ‘In Plain View’ column (highlighting issues facing disabled people). Her work also appears in publications such as New Statesman and the Independent. She guests on television and radio, including BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and The World Tonight, BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show and BBC Radio 5Live Breakfast, BBC Sunday Politics, and Sky News.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available