As I live with ME/CFS and Anxiety, the thought of possibly having to do a video assessment where I am required to be on display, sat upright in a well-lit room for over an hour really worried me. I couldn't find any DWP or HCP advice on whether I would be allowed to disable my camera or be in a darkened room without this affecting the assessment.
However, I have today received a response from the DWP to a FOI request (
www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/use_of_ca...vid#incoming-2547276) and they have confirmed the following:
"Claimants joining a video assessment have the option to disable their camera at any point
during the assessment, and they would then be informed that the assessment will continue
as a telephone assessment."
Obviously, in the first instance, you should request the Assessment Provider (Capita/IAS) to change the assessment type from Video to Telephone. For the most part, they will agree to this. However, if they do refuse for some reason, this response confirms you would be within your rights to disable or cover your camera.
