Atos campaigners stage High Court vigil ahead of ruling

Two disabled people have taken the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to court to demand a judicial review into work capability assessments.

They argue that the tests, which are used to decide if people receiving employment support allowance are "fit for work," are particularly unfair on those with a mental illness.

Claimants are required to "self-report" on their ability to work, which Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and the Mental Health Resistance Network argue is impossible for people with learning difficulties.

And people with mental illnesses often have changing and hidden symptoms that assessors employed by privateer Atos are ignorant of and as such can't properly decide on a person's ability to work.

But the DWP only seeks further medical information in very rare circumstances.

Campaigners want the department to look at such evidence in every case involving someone with a mental illness.

Paula Peters, who suffers from both physical and mental disabilities, told the Morning Star: "There is a lot of ignorance around mental illness and most people, including Atos doctors, assume if they can't see your disability then you don't have one."

She said that the sheer number of successful appeals against Atos, which holds a multimillion-pound contract for the work, justifies fines.

DPAC's Andy Greene said the assessments are "designed to rob disabled people of the benefits they need to survive while the government shovels public finances into the pockets of private businesses like Atos, but disabled people will fight back - in the courts, in the streets, in Parliament, whatever it takes."

A DWP spokesman said it will "robustly defend our policies."