The current Labour government campaign states that if a person is disabled or chronically ill, they can make use of "pathways" back into work to avoid being "written off". 

This rhetoric encourages the misconception that disabled people are simply workshy or lazy, and also infers that any disabled person who doesn't pursue work is bound to be "written off". 

We are already seeing an increase in disabled people being targeted for claiming PIP and an increase in negative discourse around the disabled, with words such as "parasites" and "scroungers" being used to dehumanise disabled individuals and build negative sentiment towards us.

I run a small publishing company called Written Off Publishing. We adopted this name because we are tired of our talented artists being treated as less-than simply because we don't fit into expected societal norms. It is astonishing that this phrase is being used on official government literature.

We urge the Labour government to:

• Remove this campaign flyer immediately
• Issue an apology to all disabled people for the inference that those of us who are unable to work are deserving of being "written off"
• Clarify what measures are in place to help disabled and chronically ill people who are not in work to live a full and rich life, without being "written off"
• Clarify why they are not putting the responsibility of support for disabled people on employers, but the disabled people themselves
• Outline what sensible measures they are putting in place - or intend to put in place - within workplace law. This includes explaining what these "pathways" are, and how they benefit all disabled people who want to work

We do not expect to be treated this way for something that is not our fault. We are humans. We are deserving of respect, dignity and understanding. Please support us in our endeavours to be recognised as such.