Alcoholics, people with hayfever and those with tendencies to steal or set fires will not be able to claim protection from disability discrimination under the Equality Act, according to new government guidance. The draft guidance, published this week by the Office […]
News Archive
Government spending cut raises threat of repossessions
Tens of thousands of disabled people will be at risk of having their homes repossessed because the government is cutting spending on a mortgage interest support scheme, according to a national housing body. The chancellor, George Osborne, announced in his emergency […]
Channel 4’s 2012 launch: Paralympics to be ‘biggest event’ in C4 history
Channel 4 says it wants to make its wall-to-wall coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics the “biggest event” in its history. The broadcaster is promising a multi-million pound marketing campaign in the lead-up to London 2012 – again the biggest in […]
Channel 4’s 2012 launch: Nationwide search for disabled talent
Channel 4 has pledged that at least half of the presenters it uses for its blanket coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics will be disabled people. It made the promise as it announced initial details of a £500, 000 programme to […]
Benefits advisers call in new work test rules for consultation
The government’s benefits advice body is to investigate changes to the controversial work capability test which campaigners believe will make it even harder for disabled people to claim access to the support they need. The social security advisory committee (SSAC) decided […]
Solar Centre abuse scandal: Health trust was ‘named and famed’
The health trust at the centre of allegations of abuse of disabled service-users was given an “excellent” rating by the healthcare regulator three years running, even though the watchdog knew about the allegations. An investigation by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber […]
Solar Centre abuse scandal: Trust took two years to hand over report
The health trust at the centre of allegations of ill-treatment and neglect of people with learning difficulties at a day centre has taken nearly two years to pass its report into the allegations to the healthcare watchdog. The report describes how […]
New firm hopes to create 50 jobs for people with autism
A new social enterprise is aiming to create 50 jobs for people with autism in Scotland, by providing skilled software-testing services to businesses. Specialisterne Scotland, which was launched by Scottish government minister John Swinney this week, is modelled on a Danish […]
Police probe deaths of disabled woman and mother
Police are investigating the deaths of a disabled woman and her mother, whose bodies appear to have been lying undiscovered in their home for several weeks. The bodies of Sam Wolf, 29, and her mother Stephania, 67, were finally discovered this […]
Minister warned chancellor of spending cuts equality duty
Home secretary Theresa May has warned the chancellor that the government’s planned spending cuts could cause it to breach its legal duty to promote disability equality. May wrote to George Osborne on 9 June in her role as women and equalities […]