Dave joins crusade against disability cuts

THE terrible injuries Dave Barry suffered which cost him his right eye

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A MAN left partially sighted after being attacked by a gang says welfare cuts will push the disabled into poverty.

Dave Barry, from Failsworth, will join hundreds of other disabled people in Manchester tomorrow to protest against Government cuts to disability benefits and services.

The 49-year-old spoke of the devastating attack in July, 2007, when he was hit in the face with a bottle by a gang of youths and then punched and kicked after collapsing, bleeding, to the floor.

After losing his job and battling for years to fully recover from the physical and mental trauma, he now faces further struggles and is fighting to stop cuts to benefits for the disabled that he says are already inadequate.

Despite two operations and efforts from doctors, Dave was given the choice to either risk losing sight in his left eye or have his right eye removed.

He said: “The choice wasn’t really a choice, I had to have it done. It was such a massive life-changing decision for me at the time.

“The attack did change me, I lost my confidence and didn’t want to go out at all. I had so many sleepless nights over it.”

The protest in Albert Square from 2pm is Manchester’s leg of the Hardest Hit campaign, organised jointly by the Disability Benefits Consortium and the UK Disabled People’s Council, that is demanding that the disabled are not made worse off under welfare changes and that the assessment processes for benefits are improved.

Dave used to receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), but had this cut when he was re-assessed last August.

Now he’s dependent on £150 monthly Disability Living Allowance, which he uses for taxi journeys to and from appointments.

He said: “To be completely honest I’m teetering on the edge of poverty and the support is not there.

“I also use the money for adaptations for my computer, to help me use the computer and retrain.

“But with the lack of support to find a job, it really does feel like you’re out in the wilderness.”

After the attack Dave, who has a seven-year-old son, lost his job at a plastic company in Eccles.

His sight severely impaired, he would fall over, bump into things and struggled operating his machine as he adjusted to his disability.

He was given a written warning by his employers and realising he could no longer do his job, left the firm.

Since then he has worked as a volunteer for Action For The Blind and has dreams of becoming a full-time support worker for people in his position. However he says difficulties and a lack of support make it hard for the disabled to find work.

He said: “The Government needs to realise that people with disabilities are worth supporting, and that without financial help teamed with support in finding work, they’ll be pushed below the poverty line.”