Retailers back UK’s first ‘accessible shopping day’
Major retailers have backed the launch of the UK’s first “accessible shopping day”, which will see businesses promise to introduce new measures to benefit their disabled customers. Purple Tuesday, to be held on 13 November, is being led by Purple, the social enterprise formerly known as Essex Coalition of Disabled People. It has secured backing
Disability charity’s appointment of Unum boss as new chair ‘is truly disgraceful’
A disability charity’s decision to choose as its new chair the head of a company closely linked with the government’s hated “fitness for work” test has been branded “a betrayal” of disabled people and “a truly disgraceful appointment”. United Response, which provides a range of support services to about 3,000 disabled people across England and
Global Disability Summit: DPAC’s protest festival highlights government hypocrisy
Disabled activists have held a “festival of resistance” outside an international disability rights event to highlight the “hypocrisy” of it being co-hosted by the UK government. Members of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and allies were outside the Here East centre on the Olympic Park in the east London borough of Newham, as hundreds of
Global Disability Summit: DPAC’s protest festival highlights government hypocrisy
Disabled activists have held a “festival of resistance” outside an international disability rights event to highlight the “hypocrisy” of it being co-hosted by the UK government. Members of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and allies were outside the Here East centre on the Olympic Park in the east London borough of Newham, as hundreds of
User-led alliance set to raise concerns for second time with Mental Health Act Review
User-led groups and service-users are set to raise grave concerns about the work of the team reviewing mental health laws on behalf of the government, including its refusal to take a “full human rights-based approach” to reform. An alliance of user-led organisations, mental health service-users and survivors, and their allies, are to write for a
MPs launch probe into enforcement of Equality Act
A committee of MPs has launched an inquiry into the difficulties faced by disabled people and other protected groups who need to enforce their rights under the Equality Act. The Commons women and equalities committee said it was concerned that the 2010 act “creates an unfair burden” on individuals who want to enforce their right
Disability Pride events ‘allow disabled people to celebrate who they are’
Organisers of some of the growing number of Disability Pride events being held across the country have explained why they are so important to disabled people. On Saturday 14 July, the second Disability Pride Brighton will take place, followed two months later, on 16 September, by a Disability Pride celebration in Norwich. They follow Disability
MPs win praise for online abuse proposals
MPs have won praise after calling on the government to ensure disabled people finally secure equality in the protection they are offered by hate crime laws. Members of the Commons petitions committee said in a new report that it was not right that it was a crime to incite hatred on the grounds of religion
Union backs claims of widespread discrimination by ‘hostile’ university
A “Disability Confident” university is facing claims that it forced a disabled member of staff to scour the campus for accessible rooms in which she could deliver her lectures. The University of Liverpool also told Dr Kay Inckle that it might be considered “reasonable” for her to go down stairs on her bottom in some
Union backs claims of widespread discrimination by ‘hostile’ university
A “Disability Confident” university is facing claims that it forced a disabled member of staff to scour the campus for accessible rooms in which she could deliver her lectures. The University of Liverpool also told Dr Kay Inckle that it might be considered “reasonable” for her to go down stairs on her bottom in some
DWP refuses to pay £125 to discover number of disabled people in full-time jobs
Ministers are refusing to commission work that would cost just £125 and would show how many disabled people are in full-time paid employment, and how that number has changed under successive Tory-led governments. Ministers, including the current work and pensions secretary Esther McVey, have repeatedly boasted of how their policies have led to an increase
Deaths and hospital admissions follow short-notice closure of Leonard Cheshire home
At least two disabled people have died while others have been admitted to hospital following the short-notice closure of a residential home by a disability charity. Leonard Cheshire faced allegations of “insensitive and abusive” behaviour in May over the way its executives told disabled residents that they were about to close their care home because
Train company faces calls to rip up scooter policy after latest ‘shameful’ episode
A rail company is facing calls to change its “reprehensible and unsupportable” attitude to disabled passengers, after one of its guards threatened to throw a woman off a train because she was using a mobility scooter. Sara Harvey was on the way to a wedding with her husband Liam and had boarded a Northern Rail
