“They don’t understand what it’s like to be disabled.” As Labour prepares sweeping benefit changes, visually impaired people say ministers need disability awareness training – otherwise they’re being judged by people who have no clue what life with a disability really means.

Ministers need disability awareness training. That’s the word from blind people facing swingeing benefit cuts because Rachel Reeves can’t put a decent Budget together.

The government is pushing through the most significant changes to the benefit system in a generation — but those most affected say ministers are utterly unqualified to make the decisions.

Blind and visually impaired people across the UK are speaking out, warning that Labour’s proposed disability benefit cuts will push many into poverty, and demanding ministers — including Keir Starmer — undergo disability awareness training.

“They don’t understand what it’s like to be disabled,” said one blind woman, speaking to The Big Issue. “They need to learn, because their ignorance is hurting people like me.”

Under the plans, eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will be tightened, threatening the financial stability of hundreds of thousands of people.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claims these changes will “unlock work” for disabled people. But those actually living with disabilities tell a very different story.

The government has opened a consultation into the proposals, but many disabled people say they’ve heard it all before — and that the real decisions are being made without them at the table.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has warned the planned £4.8bn cuts could be devastating.

RNIB’s Vivienne Francis said: “Life with sight loss costs more, and this will push people into hardship while they wait for the promised help into employment.”

That promise, critics say, is false.

The current scoring system for PIP is vague, confusing, and deeply stressful for many. Even those not yet impacted by the changes say they live in constant fear of reassessment.

It is clear that these reforms are being made by people who do not — and perhaps cannot — understand what it means to live with a disability in Britain today.

If ministers are serious about building a welfare system that “works for disabled people”, the first step is obvious: listen to them.

And as those affected demand, maybe it’s time our political leaders learned a few things before rewriting the rules of other people’s lives.

Act now:

Disabled people and their allies can respond to the government’s consultation on these proposals until 11.59pm (BST) on June 30.

Don’t let ministers rewrite your life without hearing your voice. Have your say here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper

Caveat: the consultation has been criticised for its omissions. Read this, from Benefits and Work.