This week, at an event hosted by Innovate UK, I met Sir Stephen Timms following his speech.
It was encouraging to hear that reform of Personal Independence Payment is under active consideration, and that a steering group of 12 disabled people has been appointed to inform that work. Lived experience must sit at the centre of policy reform.
I also handed over a detailed case study outlining serious concerns about the administration of employment support.
But this is not about one individual situation.
It is about a recurring pattern.
What We Are Hearing From Our Employment Community
Through Blind Ambition’s employment network, we engage with more than 200 blind or partially sighted people of working age via our WhatsApp community.
Over the past year, the same issues are surfacing repeatedly:
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Extended renewal timelines
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Awards reduced despite no change in circumstances
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Divergent interpretations between case managers
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Financial exposure during assessment periods
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Limited clarity for self-employed or start-up applicants
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Heightened stress caused by uncertainty around essential support
These are not isolated administrative frustrations.
They represent a systemic fragility that directly affects employment continuity.
For blind or partially sighted professionals, support workers are not a discretionary extra. They are operational infrastructure — enabling communication, documentation, travel, and compliance.
When that infrastructure becomes unpredictable, business risk increases immediately.
Independent Oversight Confirms the Concerns
In February 2026, the National Audit Office published its review of the Access to Work scheme.
The report documented:
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Average processing times far exceeding target benchmarks
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Tens of thousands of applications awaiting decision
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Increased reconsideration activity
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Evidence of hardship and employment instability linked to delays
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Structural budget pressures affecting delivery
The findings make clear that the challenge is not anecdotal. It is operational.
Where processing stretches far beyond intended service levels, uncertainty becomes embedded in the system. When renewal outcomes vary without transparent rationale, confidence diminishes.
Employment support must be reliable to be effective.
The Reality for Disabled Entrepreneurs
As a blind entrepreneur running both a commercial accessibility consultancy and a social enterprise recruitment platform focused on reducing the 75% unemployment rate among visually impaired people, I understand the commercial implications first-hand.
When support:
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Is delayed,
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Is reduced without clear justification,
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Or is interpreted differently at renewal,
the impact is not abstract.
It affects:
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Contract delivery
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Staffing decisions
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Cash flow
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Growth planning
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Mental resilience
Entrepreneurial risk is inherent in business. Administrative unpredictability should not be.
Why This Matters for Inclusive Employment
Employment policy often focuses on entry into work.
But sustainability matters just as much.
Blind and partially sighted people do not lack ambition, capability or commercial drive. What undermines participation is instability in the systems designed to enable work.
For inclusive recruitment to function effectively:
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Employers need confidence that adjustments will be funded consistently
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Entrepreneurs need predictability to scale
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Disabled professionals need clarity to plan careers
When renewal decisions become uncertain, it affects more than an individual claimant. It influences employer perception and risk appetite.
A fragile system discourages participation.
A stable system encourages growth.
The Opportunity for Reform
It was genuinely positive to hear that lived experience is being embedded into disability benefit reform discussions.
That principle must extend across employment support mechanisms.
Reform should prioritise:
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Clearer renewal frameworks
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Transparent decision criteria
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Improved processing timelines
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Consistency across case managers
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Appropriate recognition of portfolio and self-employed working models
Employment enablement must be commercially realistic.
If disabled entrepreneurs are to contribute fully to the UK economy, systems must operate with predictability and coherence.
A Call for Structural Stability
Employment support should function as a foundation, not a variable.
Where systems generate uncertainty, the risk transfers directly to disabled workers and business owners.
Stability restores confidence.
Consistency restores trust.
Timeliness restores economic participation.
At Blind Ambition Recruitment, we will continue to highlight patterns emerging from our community, because employment inclusion depends not only on opportunity — but on infrastructure that works.
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“Disabled professionals don’t need special treatment — we need reliable systems. When employment support becomes unpredictable, opportunity narrows. Stability is what unlocks growth.”
— Seema Flower
Managing Director, Blind Ambition
