Left Behind By Austerity: My Struggle as a Disabled Person in a Failing System

As a disabled person relying on care funded by my local council, I have witnessed first-hand the devastating impacts of austerity. Budget cuts have stripped away my vital support, leaving me without the help I need for basic dignity and independence. While those making these harsh decisions seem indifferent to the human cost, I am living with the painful consequences daily. 

When the government slashed council budgets, I suddenly lost access to the wheelchair-adapted vehicle that was my lifeline. Now I'm virtually housebound, unable to leave home without exhaustive effort. Like countless others, I've been quietly sacrificed in the name of fiscal restraint. Respite services, which once gave me cherished days of community and friendship, have been taken away. Care hours have been cut in half, leaving me isolated and struggling alone for long periods. Therapies I relied on have been ruled "non-essential". But to me, they are everything. 

Like many severely disabled people, I've been denied vital surgery due to rationing of health services. The lack of adapted housing means I'm trapped in an unsafe, unsuitable home with no way out. My mental health is deteriorating under the strain. The human stories behind these cuts seem to matter little to those in charge. They boast of bureaucratic efficiencies, but the reality is of quality of life lost, potential wasted, and isolation imposed. 

I, and thousands like me, have become victims of an austerity machine that sees us as expendable. Our lives and dignity come with a price tag now deemed too high. We are a burden, rather than citizens deserving of security, purpose, and connection. With support stripped away, I now face a joyless, limited existence. Disability becomes something survived, not lived. My world has shrunk to four walls. I am made to feel a problem, rather than a person. 

Yes, budgets are limited. But they reflect the priorities of those distributing them. As disabled people lose our care, others enjoy tax breaks and fortunes. It is a choice, not an inevitability, to balance the books upon our backs. Those imposing austerity assure us we are “all in this together”. But how can that be true when the marginalized and vulnerable suffer most? This is not equality, but an abandonment of social responsibility.

 My life has value. My needs have validity. I implore those in power: to see beyond the statistics and savings. Look at the tragedies you create; the potential you choke. Take responsibility for protecting the most vulnerable - before it is too late. No one should have their dignity, hopes, and independence sacrificed in the name of fiscal policies. Value us. Support us. Because we will not quietly suffer as you take away the help we need to thrive.