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Disability News Service

the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues

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Errol Graham: Family demand criminal probe into former DWP ministers

30th January 2020

The family of a man who starved to death after his out-of-work benefits were wrongly stopped have backed calls for a criminal investigation into former ministers and senior civil servants they believe are responsible for his and other deaths. Last week, Disability […]

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Errol Graham: Anger over minister’s ‘heartless’ response

30th January 2020

The minister for disabled people has refused to apologise for his “heartless” response to the deaths of two disabled people that have been closely linked to the failings of his own department. Justin Tomlinson was asked in the House of Commons on […]

Support for ‘amazing’ campaigner whose vital legal case could help thousands

30th January 2020

Disabled campaigners travelled from across the country this week to show support for a fellow activist as she took on justice ministers in the high court over the ruinous costs disabled people can face when they take disability discrimination cases. If she […]

Many councils unlawfully restrict right to live independently, research suggests

30th January 2020

Many local authorities are unlawfully restricting disabled people’s ability to choose to live independently in their own homes, and are forcing them instead towards residential care, research by a disabled campaigner suggests. Fleur Perry (pictured) spent more than six months seeking and […]

Lib Dems admit: ‘Our policy is to legalise assisted suicide’

30th January 2020

The Liberal Democrats have been accused of an “appalling attack on disabled people” after they admitted that their party policy is to call for assisted suicide to be legalised. The party issued a press release at the weekend welcoming what it said […]

DWP lied about independence of new deaths panel

30th January 2020

The government lied when it said that a new panel set up to examine deaths linked to the actions of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) would be “independent”, it has been forced to admit. The proposal was first announced quietly […]

News round-up: Universal credit, disabled lawyers, Paralympics… and BBC’s red button

30th January 2020

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has suffered the latest in a long line of legal defeats over its social security cuts and reforms, after a court ruled that disabled people faced discrimination when they were moved onto universal credit (UC). […]

The death of Errol Graham: Man starved to death after DWP wrongly stopped his benefits

23rd January 2020

A disabled man starved to death after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wrongly stopped his out-of-work benefits, leaving him without any income. Errol Graham weighed just four-and-a-half stone when his body was found by bailiffs who had knocked down his […]

The death of Errol Graham: Latest tragedy is linked to 10 years of DWP deaths

23rd January 2020

A disabled man who starved to death after his benefits were wrongly stopped is the latest in a long line of fatalities that can be linked to failings and deliberate policy decisions by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This series […]

The death of Errol Graham: Activists left ‘enraged’ and ‘sickened’ by latest DWP death

23rd January 2020

Disabled activists have been left sickened, shocked and enraged after hearing how a disabled man starved to death when the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wrongly removed his out-of-work benefits for missing an assessment. One campaigner said the level of cruelty […]

Schools are failing legal duties on accessibility plans, says report

23rd January 2020

Secondary schools across England are breaching their legal duty to publish plans showing how they will improve access for disabled pupils, according to new research published today (Thursday). The research, carried out on behalf of The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE), says […]

Judge’s PIP comments suggest thousands have had claims wrongly stopped

23rd January 2020

Thousands of disabled people could have had their benefit claims stopped unlawfully, campaigners believe, after a judge found that letters sent out by government contractors were failing to stress the serious consequences of failing to attend a face-to-face assessment. Upper tribunal judge […]

Ministers secretly launch panel to probe links between DWP and claimant deaths

23rd January 2020

Ministers have secretly launched a new panel that will examine deaths linked to serious failings by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), apparently without informing MPs and peers. Its launch only emerged when DWP admitted that the circumstances surrounding the death […]

Confusion over government’s policy on election access support

23rd January 2020

Government policy on supporting disabled candidates to stand for elected office is in chaos after the Cabinet Office suggested it could offer funding to those standing to be police and crime commissioners (PCC), but not potential local councillors. One Deaf Labour candidate […]

News round-up: Prescription forms, Brexit, disability arts, hate crime… and ferries

23rd January 2020

The Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS Business Services Authority are finally about to publish new versions of a form that will allow disabled people claiming universal credit to show their pharmacist if they are entitled to free prescriptions. […]

Disabled students accuse leading university of institutional failings on discrimination

16th January 2020

A world-renowned university is facing claims of “institutional failings”, after an investigation by its own disabled students into allegations of disability discrimination. The Disabled Students’ Network (DSN) of University College London (UCL) is set to publish a report next week which accuses […]

Expert links DWP ‘fitness to work’ decision to death of Jodey Whiting

16th January 2020

The sudden decision by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to remove a disabled woman’s benefits probably had a substantial impact on her mental health immediately before she took her own life, a leading consultant psychiatrist has concluded. A report by […]

Anger after new business charges £100 to record benefit assessments

16th January 2020

A new business that charges benefit claimants £100 to record their disability assessments has been accused of exploiting disabled people’s fears about social security reforms. Disability News Service (DNS) was contacted this week by the Liverpool-based business, which says it provides “professional” […]

Scope accused of ‘exploitation’ after seeking disabled writer to work for free

16th January 2020

A disability charity has been accused of “exploitative” and “disgraceful” behaviour after asking disabled journalists to write an article for its website without payment. The charity Scope sent out a message on social media this week seeking a “disability blogger” who could […]

Johnson ignores working-age care… again, and suggests further delays to reform

16th January 2020

The prime minister has again ignored the needs of working-age disabled people when asked about his plans for social care funding reform, and has suggested that those reforms may take as long as five years to implement. Boris Johnson (pictured) was asked […]

Archive shows how Labour’s five would-be leaders have highlighted rights

16th January 2020

The five candidates to be the next leader of the Labour party have raised issues such as accessible transport, the closure of the Independent Living Fund and the deaths of benefit claimants over the last 10 years, a new analysis has shown. […]

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