"Aids or appliances that a
person uses to support their physical mobility may include walking sticks,
crutches and prostheses."
[This is what the DWP says about 'aids' in general:]
"The aid must be necessary to help the
Claimant perform an activity. Everyone uses aids to some extent. For
example, many people use dosette boxes as they are useful to manage a pill
regimen, but this does not necessarily mean they are improving or
repairing a functional impairment by using it. You must consider:
- Affordability
- Availability
- Practicality, based on their
disability and domestic circumstances.
Decision Makers] should distinguish
between:
- an aid or appliance that a claimant
must use or could reasonably be expected to use in order to help
overcome the claimant’s functional loss; and
- an aid or appliance that a claimant
may be using or wish to use because it makes it easier to carry out
the activity but is not
- reasonably required to overcome a
functional loss
Descriptor awards for using an aid or
appliance should only be given in the former case. An aid or appliance is
not reasonably required in the latter.
Where a claimant chooses not to use an aid or appliance that he or she
could reasonably be expected to use and would enable them to carry out the
activity without assistance, they should be assessed as needing an aid or
appliance rather than a higher level of support."