Crippled audiobook cover - Austerity and the Demonization of Disabled People

Crippled

Austerity and the Demonization of Disabled People

Frances Ryan

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Society & Culture

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Crippled
The Austerity Agenda+
Poverty and Financial Ruin+
Employment and Sanctions+
Loss of Independence+
The Housing Crisis+
Vulnerable Demographics+
Society's Humanity+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
How did the UK government primarily justify the severe cuts to disability benefits under the austerity program?
  • A. By claiming that disabled people were 'scroungers' exploiting a system rife with widespread fraud.
  • B. By arguing that private charities were better equipped to handle disability care than the state.
  • C. By stating that advancements in medical technology had significantly reduced the need for financial aid.
  • D. By proving that the 2008 financial crash was directly caused by overspending on the welfare state.
Question 2 of 8
According to the charity Scope, what financial reality contradicts the government's narrative that disabled people are taking advantage of the welfare system?
  • A. Disabled people actually pay higher income tax rates than non-disabled citizens.
  • B. Disabled people face a significantly higher average cost of living, needing around £570 more each month.
  • C. The vast majority of disabled people refuse to accept any state benefits out of pride.
  • D. Disabled people receive heavily subsidized utility bills that offset any benefit cuts.
Question 3 of 8
What was a major consequence of the government's 'fit-for-work' tests?
  • A. A massive surge in highly paid employment opportunities for disabled workers.
  • B. A successful reduction in workplace discrimination and bullying.
  • C. Huge numbers of disabled people were erroneously declared able to work, with 70 percent of appeals overturning the initial decision.
  • D. Employers were given massive tax breaks for hiring people who passed the tests.
Question 4 of 8
How have cuts to adult social care affected younger disabled people who require daily support?
  • A. They have been provided with state-of-the-art smart homes to reduce the need for human carers.
  • B. They have been forced to rely exclusively on untrained volunteers from local charities.
  • C. They are frequently relocated to out-of-town medical hospitals for indefinite stays.
  • D. They are increasingly being forced to move into elderly care homes because they cannot get enough support at home.
Question 5 of 8
Why does the shift toward private rental housing disproportionately harm disabled people in the UK?
  • A. Private landlords are legally required to charge disabled tenants higher security deposits.
  • B. Private rentals grant fewer rights and rarely allow for necessary accessibility modifications to be made.
  • C. Private housing is generally located in rural areas far from hospitals and care centers.
  • D. Local authorities ban disabled people from signing private rental contracts.
Question 6 of 8
What specific challenge do disabled women facing domestic violence frequently encounter in the UK?
  • A. They are legally prohibited from leaving their spouses without a doctor's consent.
  • B. A glaring lack of accessible refuges, with only one in ten being equipped for physically disabled women.
  • C. Government policies automatically place them in elderly care homes if they report abuse.
  • D. They are required to pay a premium fee to access standard domestic violence shelters.
Question 7 of 8
How has the austerity program impacted disabled children in the education system?
  • A. They are up to six times more likely to be excluded from school due to a lack of specialist support staff.
  • B. They are legally mandated to attend private schools at their parents' expense.
  • C. They are universally provided with one-on-one state-funded tutors to keep them out of mainstream schools.
  • D. They are exempt from standard educational requirements and encouraged to enter the workforce early.
Question 8 of 8
What does the author conclude about the government's decision to cut billions from social welfare?
  • A. It was an unavoidable economic necessity to prevent the UK from going bankrupt.
  • B. It was a temporary measure that has already been fully reversed by the Universal Credit system.
  • C. It was a deliberate ideological choice, as evidenced by the fact that the Treasury simultaneously implemented massive tax cuts.
  • D. It was a policy demanded by the United Nations to standardize global welfare systems.

Crippled — Full Chapter Overview

Crippled Summary & Overview

Crippled (2019) examines the treatment of disabled people in Britain’s “age of austerity,” which began in 2010 during David Cameron’s time as prime minister. Journalist Frances Ryan combines devastating case studies with grim statistics as she explains the effects the government’s policies and cuts have had on the people most in need of support.

Who Should Listen to Crippled?

  • Equality-minded people interested in disability rights
  • Concerned citizens interested in government policy
  • Political campaigners

About the Author: Frances Ryan

Dr. Frances Ryan, a journalist, broadcaster, and campaigner, is well known for her work on disability. She has a weekly column in the Guardian and was highly commended in the category Specialist Journalist of the Year at the National Press Awards in 2019. In 2018, she was named one of the United Kingdom’s most influential disabled people by disability charity the Shaw Trust.

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