Last month, £150 cost of living payments began trickling into the bank accounts of people who receive disability benefits. These subsidies are conspicuously lower than those made to pensioners or people on the lowest incomes. It is not clear why disabled people like me deserve less help than other disadvantaged groups, especially as we will feel the effects of this crisis particularly acutely.

The squeeze on incomes is being fuelled by soaring energy prices, and disabled people incur much higher costs than most. Those with the most complex conditions have to keep life-sustaining equipment (such as ventilators and hoists) permanently on; switching them off to save money is not an option. In the event of a power cut, disabled people can register for prioritisation when supplies are reconnected — and in some cases for emergency generators — but this service is not well publicised.

This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Lucy Webster