AN AMPUTEE has slammed the Government's changes to disability benefits, saying "one size does not fit all".
Kiera Roche, from Lingfield, had her right leg amputated above the knee following a motorbike accident which claimed her friend's life in 2001.
When she found there was not a lot of information available to help her, she set up charity LimbPower to help fellow amputees.
Now, worried about the effect changes to the benefits system will have on the people her charity supports, she has spoken out.
The latest of the Coalition's welfare reforms will see Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants having to instead apply for a new benefit, Personal Independence Payments.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith says the current "ridiculous" system where people are given benefit for life with no further checks must end.
But Miss Roche has hit back, saying that "one size does not fit all".
"I think a lot of people are scared and worried to go back into work," she told the Mirror.
"But I think more thought needs to be given to people who do not fit into the main criteria.
"The whole idea is to have a benefits system that is fair for everyone.
"My fear is that some people will slip through the gaps because they might not fit into certain categories.
"It is a highly emotive subject and I always encourage those who may not get the same amount to contact their MP."
Miss Roche met with East Surrey MP Sam Gyimah at the end of March and told the Mirror that she always encouraged those who were not getting the right treatment to contact their MP.
She said: "At the end of the day an MP has the voting power that ordinary people don't have.
"If you want something to change then they are the best person to speak to.
"I am a firm believer that if you ask the right questions to the right person then you are likely to get the right answer."
The 42-year-old was in a bike crash in June 2001 when she lived in Paris and her friend, who was giving her a lift home, lost control of her bike on some oil.
She said: "I don't really remember much of the accident, but I know we were accelerating away from traffic lights and there had been an accident at the same spot earlier in the day and we slid on some oil.
"My friend came off the bike and died that day – and I had to have an 11-hour operation."
