Isaiah's story
Isaiah and his mum, the founder of Denied By Default
My son Isaiah is almost 3. He has achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism and a recognised disability under the Equality Act 2010. He needs help with eating, drinking, sleeping, moving and playing, and he uses specialist equipment for daily life such as a walker to enable him to take steps, a back brace to support his spine, and hearing aids to enable him to manage his mild hearing loss. Isaiah is under eight specialist medical teams and has averaged at least one medical appointment a week since birth, he has already had surgery for obstructive sleep apnoea and in December 2025 had urgent neurosurgery for severe spinal compression.
Despite all of this, he was refused DLA twice, at 9 months and at 15 months. None of his specialists were ever contacted, and DWP said that he had no additional care needs over and above a child of his age. When we provided additional evidence at the mandatory reconsideration stage, DWP said ‘all infants have high care needs’, treating his night-time airway risk and medical vulnerability as typical infant behaviour.
After Isaiah’s urgent neurosurgery, we were told there was a chance that Isaiah’s speech and mobility may never improve. Whilst preparing for our own tribunal, I began investigating how a child with this level of need could be assessed as having the same care needs as an average two-year-old. What I uncovered was a systemic failure, built up over decades of DLA assessment protocols.
In May 2026, I took Isaiah’s case to tribunal and he was awarded the highest rate of care. During our hearing, the judge said the medical evidence was so ‘overwhelming’ there was no need to ask me a single question and they gave me a near instant award. The same evidence the DWP refused twice. When I left the tribunal, the DWP representative said to me outside that she didn’t think her colleagues understood the medical evidence I’d provided. How could it be, I thought, that the very people whose jobs it was to make decisions in such cases could not understand the evidence put in front of them?
I started the Denied by Default campaign to force an inquiry into the current DLA system, which I think unfairly discriminates against children who need it the very most, particularly those who are under 5 and with rare and complex medical disorders like Isaiah. I have found damning evidence that shows that this system is neglected, and growing staler each year with less support for decision makers relying on guidance that is over 30 years old. I see myself as a capable and intelligent woman, and even I found the appeals process tiring, complicated and downright depressing. More needs to be done so that disabled children (and their parents) can be better heard, understood, and their claims are treated fairly.
Isaiah's mum, founder of Denied By Default