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The much-criticised government contractor Atos Healthcare is openly blaming a shortage of doctors willing to work for the company for causing lengthy delays in assessing disabled people for their “fitness for work”. The recruitment crisis is now so severe that staff […]
The government’s first official figures on its new disability benefit appear to confirm anecdotal evidence about lengthy delays with claims, and how strictly the new eligibility criteria are being applied. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) report says that only […]
Disabled campaigners are calling on a city council to give them a wider choice of public transport, after a five-year delay in deciding whether to license a more accessible type of black cab. Coventry city council has been accused of breaching […]
Two Conservative ministers have refused to consider exempting disabled people from the “bedroom tax”, despite new research that suggests many are facing eviction from their homes. Lord Freud, the welfare reform minister, and Kris Hopkins, the housing minister, were giving evidence […]
Millions of disabled people have been thrown into poverty and social exclusion by the European Union’s attempts to recover from the economic crisis, according to Europe’s leading disabled people’s organisation. The European Disability Forum (EDF) spoke out as it launched its […]
Some of the myths around disability and dating have been punctured by a new report from a group of young disabled campaigners. Members of the Trailblazers network set out to provide a balanced, honest account of what it is like to […]
A leading entertainment group has admitted discriminating against a disabled theatre-goer by forcing him to buy a ticket for the personal assistant (PA) he needed to accompany him to a concert. Doug Paulley and seven other residents of the care home […]
Plans to set up a new user-led organisation for people with learning difficulties in England have been described by an existing national group as “divisive” and “damaging” to the self-advocacy movement. Disabled activists Gary Bourlet and Kaliya Franklin told last month […]
The government has finally bowed to demands from MPs and campaigners to introduce the first national system that will allow disabled and older people to appeal against being turned down for council-funded care and support. The Liberal Democrat care and support […]
A fund set up to help disabled people with the extra costs they face in gaining elected office will be extended by another year, so that it covers the general election in 2015. The Government Equalities Office (GEO) also revealed that […]