MS: enough: make welfare make sense

This report suggests that we change the criteria for disability benefit assessments, tackle negative stereotypes, and work with disability organisations in order to address negative assumptions about people with MS. The MS society believes that these difficulties are compounded by wider societal attitudes, which appear to be acting as an additional barrier to people with MS getting the help they need. As many as 86% of respondents felt that the general public unfairly judge people who claim disability benefits, while a fifth (20%) experience harassment specifically because they claim benefits. A quarter (25%) even said that they don’t even claim all of their benefits due to the associated stigma. Living with a chronic, disabling and degenerative condition such as MS is difficult. It is also expensive. There are often substantial costs, including accessible transport, specialist equipment, medication and help with household activities; a neurological condition like MS can cost, on average, an additional £200 a week.