National News
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Friday, 11 May 2012 15:04
Disabled artist ‘in shock’ over treatment by London 2012
A disabled artist who has spent five years training young disabled people to perform in the Paralympics opening ceremony has spoken of the “disgraceful” way he has been treated by organisers of the London 2012 games.
Jean-Marie Akkerman founded Cirque Nova five years ago, with…
Friday, 11 May 2012 15:03
University defends display of disabled icon’s skeleton in glass case
A London university has defended its decision to continue to display the bones of one of the nineteenth century’s most iconic disabled figures in a private museum.
The skeleton of Joseph Merrick is kept in a glass exhibition case by Queen Mary, University of London…
Friday, 11 May 2012 15:02
Anger as council plans to push disabled people into residential care
A cost-cutting local authority is set to force more disabled people into residential care, rather than paying for them to receive support in their own homes.
Disabled activists have reacted furiously to the proposals by Worcestershire County Council, which are now subject to a three-month…
Friday, 11 May 2012 15:02
Queen’s speech: Government ‘fails to understand’ need for care funding reform
Campaigners have questioned the government’s commitment to supporting disabled adults, after it failed to offer any sign that reform of the funding of adult social care was imminent.
The coalition announced in this week’s Queen’s speech, which marks the beginning of the new parliamentary session,…
Friday, 11 May 2012 15:01
Queen’s speech: Campaigners await details of coalition’s ‘inclusion bias’ plans
The government is to push ahead with special educational needs (SEN) reform, but has yet to say if it will follow through on threats to reduce disabled children’s rights to be educated in mainstream schools.
The coalition announced in this week’s Queen’s speech – which…
Friday, 11 May 2012 15:00
Disabled shopper’s Orange nightmare
A disabled woman was tackled to the floor by a security guard after she complained about not being allowed to return her new mobile phone, only minutes after signing the contract.
The woman, who has cerebral palsy and scoliosis, but has asked not to be…
Friday, 11 May 2012 14:59
Government’s advisers call for cash help for DLA losers
The government’s own benefits advice body has called for financial compensation to help those disabled people set to lose out from the government’s reforms and cuts to spending on disability living allowance (DLA).
The social security advisory committee (SSAC) said the Department for Work and…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:38
Paralympic Games opening ceremony: Directors pledge to showcase inclusion
One of the two disabled artistic directors of this summer’s Paralympic Games opening ceremony has spoken of the need to produce an “exquisite” demonstration of the talents of disabled artists and performers.
Jenny Sealey, artistic director of the disabled-led theatre company Graeae, was speaking at…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:38
Paralympic Games opening ceremony: Enlightenment, circus spectacle and a fly-past
The first tantalising details of what promises to be a stunning Paralympic Games opening ceremony have been revealed by its two disabled artistic directors.
Jenny Sealey and Bradley Hemmings announced that the theme of the ceremony – to be held in the Olympic Stadium in…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:37
Tens of thousands lose their ESA as welfare reforms begin to bite
Tens of thousands of disabled people have lost all of their out-of-work disability benefits this week, thanks to new rules brought in by the government through its controversial Welfare Reform Act.
The act introduced a new one-year time limit on claiming the contributory form of…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:36
Paralympian fears Sun damage at London 2012, after ‘appalling’ headline
One of Britain’s leading Paralympians has led fierce criticism of the Sun newspaper for running front-page headlines that mocked the speech difficulty of the new England football manager, Roy Hodgson.
Reaction to the story – and particularly the headline, “Bwing on the Euwos! (We’ll see…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:36
UN convention is ‘breathing life’ into international fight for rights
The UN disability convention is breathing new life into grassroots disabled people’s organisations across the world, leading Commonwealth figures have heard.
They were at a meeting in central London held to mark the fourth anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:36
Sex, farmers and mobile phones mean success for seventh blogging day
Disabled bloggers have posted their views about topics as diverse as sex, special education, assistive technology and the barriers facing disabled farmers, as part of the seventh annual Blogging Against Disablism Day (BADD).
The annual event, which took place on 1 May, was the idea…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:35
Leveson inquiry ‘has sidelined disability’
Disabled activists who want to give evidence about newspapers that have stirred up hostility towards claimants of disability benefits appear to have been sidelined by the Leveson inquiry into press standards.
Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) – including Inclusion London, the UK Disabled People’s Council and…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:35
DWP stays silent on DLA cuts advice from councils
The government has refused to say what advice it has received from local councils and the Department of Health (DH) about the wider impact of its sweeping cuts to spending on disability living allowance (DLA).
Concerns about the knock-on effects of the cuts, particularly on…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:34
Self-advocacy pioneers still struggling for survival despite 21-year track record
A pioneering self-advocacy organisation this week celebrated the publication of a booklet that charts its 21-year history.
Central England People First (CEPF) – originally known as Northants People First – was set up in 1990, and has always been run and controlled by people with…
Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:34
Exhibition pictures a world of sporting inspiration and inclusion
A new exhibition of photographs is showcasing the power of sport to inspire both disabled and non-disabled children, and highlighting the achievements of a key London 2012 international programme.
The exhibition in London shows how the International Inspiration “sports legacy” programme has used inclusive sport,…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:05
Disabled people sidelined as Sainsbury’s picks Paralympic torchbearers
Concerns have been raised about how members of the public are being chosen to take part in the Paralympic torch relay – a major event in the lead-up to this summer’s London 2012 games.
LOCOG, London 2012’s organising committee, is preparing to announce the nominees…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:05
Access to Work figures plunge again
New figures show the number of disabled people granted funds to make their workplaces more accessible has fallen sharply again.
The number of “new customers helped” through the Access to Work (AtW) scheme has been falling steadily since the general election in 2010, apart from…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:04
Letter calls for movement to rally behind Remploy workers
A leading disabled people’s organisation (DPO) has called on the disability movement to rally behind Remploy workers and fight the government’s planned closures of at least 36 factories, and the loss of more than 1,500 disabled people’s jobs.
Inclusion London is calling on other DPOs,…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:04
Disabled minority ethnic communities ‘face disaster’
Black and minority ethnic (BME) disabled people face a “disaster”, with deteriorating health, increased poverty, and lower life expectancy, if nothing is done to deal with their unmet needs, according to a leading disabled activist.
The warning comes as a new report warns that BME…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:04
Grayling silent on further fall in ‘fit for work’ figures
New figures show the proportion of disabled people found eligible for unconditional support under the much-criticised “fitness for work” regime is continuing to rise.
The figures suggest that improvements to the work capability assessment (WCA) – which tests eligibility for employment and support allowance (ESA),…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:03
Miller defends firms queuing up to deliver PIP assessments
The minister for disabled people has defended plans that will see huge private sector companies fighting over contracts to carry out the new medical assessments that will determine disabled people’s eligibility for vital benefits.
Maria Miller was speaking at a meeting of the all-party parliamentary…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:03
DWP questioned over DLA analysis failings
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been unable to produce any evidence to show that it has analysed the knock-on effects of its huge cuts to spending on disability living allowance (DLA).
Last week, a Disability Rights UK (DR UK) report, Impact Assessing…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:02
Billy seeks a path to redemption after his 20-year prison hell
A thalidomide survivor has been released from prison in the Philippines after serving nearly 20 years, thanks to a campaign led by a disabled activist and fellow survivor.
Billy Burton spoke this week to Disability News Service (DNS) of his daily struggle to survive in…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:02
Transport challenge sets standard for transport companies
Four young people have spent four days travelling more than 800 miles around Wales on public transport, to raise awareness of the barriers they and other disabled people face.
The “All Aboard” Transport Challenge was part of the 40th birthday celebrations of Disability Wales, the…
Friday, 27 April 2012 15:01
Jack Ashley: Tributes paid to ‘trailblazing’ MP and peer
Tributes have been paid across the disability movement to Lord [Jack] Ashley, the UK’s first deaf MP and a hugely committed campaigner for disability rights for more than 40 years, who died on Friday (20 April).
Many spoke of his fearsome campaigning skills, his commitment…
Monday, 23 April 2012 09:18
True impact of DLA cuts ‘could wipe out planned savings’
The knock-on effects of the government’s huge cuts to spending on disability living allowance (DLA) could wipe out every penny of the savings it is hoping for, according to a new report.
The Disability Rights UK (DR UK) report, Impact Assessing the Abolition of Working…
Monday, 23 April 2012 09:18
Sports bosses must improve on inclusion, says minister
Sports governing bodies must do much more to encourage disabled people to play sport regularly, according to the cabinet minister responsible for the London 2012 Paralympics.
Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, told a conference organised by the…
Monday, 23 April 2012 09:17
Cuts protest brings traffic chaos to central London
Disabled activists have again brought traffic chaos to central London by chaining their wheelchairs across busy pedestrian crossings in protest at government cuts and welfare reforms.
The focus of the two-hour protest in Trafalgar Square was on the demand for the government to scrap its…