Tomorrow (March 22), disabled and deaf people in Devon are coming together, as part of a national day of action, to say ‘enough is enough’ and have their voices heard in rejecting the government’s planned welfare cuts, set to negatively affect up to 1.2 million people.

Organised by Crips Against Cuts, a grassroots, disabled-led pressure group, a protest will be held in Exeter from 2pm to 4pm, to coincide with those in major cities throughout the UK.

The group will be meeting in Bedford square, and welcome anyone who would like to show solidarity to come along.

Seven in ten PIP claimants already live in families in poverty, in the poorest half of the income distribution.

Organisers say these cuts will be punitive and devastating for some of the UK’s most vulnerable disabled and deaf people.

Cutting welfare will punish those unable to work and fail to improve access to the workplace, instead plunging people into further poverty, exasperating a growing mental health crisis, and worsening inequality, inaccessibility and a lack of support for disabled people in this country.

Beth O’Brien, from Crips Against Cuts London says:

“This is nothing short of an assault on the dignity and rights of Disabled people in the UK.

“Human life has dignity regardless of work or productivity.

“Removing entitlements which helps pay for basic care and necessary support creates far bigger barriers to work and independent living.”

Charities have warned the new four-point rule will leave 700,000 people struggling to survive in poverty.

Without PIP, you cannot claim other disability benefits.

GPs lose their role assessing and signing people off work, instead referring them to a “back to work programme”.

One in four working age adults have some form of disability, and most of us will experience disability in our lifetime.