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A young disabled mother killed herself after hearing she would have to attend a face-to-face interview at a benefits assessment centre, following repeated warnings that she could not cope with such a meeting, an inquest has heard. Philippa Day left an apparent […]
Evidence from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff to an inquest has revealed a series of failings in dealing with the disability benefit claim of a young disabled mother, in the months leading up to her apparent suicide. Assistant coroner Gordon […]
Disability News Service (DNS) has won a ground-breaking legal battle with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over the release of a secret government report into the death of a disabled benefit claimant. A DWP barrister told an inquest yesterday that […]
New official figures, set to be released early next month, should provide a clearer picture of why so many disabled people have died from COVID-19 during the pandemic. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has told Disability News Service that it expects […]
A disabled peer is calling on other disabled people seen as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) to coronavirus to “be proactive” and ask their GPs to vaccinate them and their personal assistants, following the publication of new government guidance. The advice from the […]
User-led grassroots groups have raised serious concerns about the government’s new mental health white paper, particularly its failure to offer the full human rights set out in the UN disability convention. The white paper, published yesterday (Wednesday), aims to deliver “major reform” […]
The high court has this week been asked to consider evidence of the “unbearable” and “catastrophic” impact of the government’s “fitness for work” system on people with experience of mental distress. The evidence was submitted to the high court in support of […]
Disabled people who lease their own flats in high-rise buildings have been left frightened for their lives, but also in fear of losing their homes, because of the government’s failure to address the growing post-Grenfell safety scandal. A new campaign group, co-founded […]
Disabled people have highlighted gaps in social security support, flaws in the shielding system and worries about access to vaccines, after they were asked to describe their concerns as England entered its third national coronavirus lockdown*. They raised scores of different issues, […]
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is claiming not to possess documents that show estimates for the eventual impact of universal credit on disabled people, despite telling both the statistics regulator and MPs that they exist. In the latest stage of […]
The minister for disabled people took part in just a handful of meetings with “external” organisations during each of the first four months of the pandemic, government figures have revealed. Analysis of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data shows that Justin […]
Disabled campaigners have called on a multinational retailer to urgently withdraw a “totally unacceptable” policy that bans disabled people who cannot wear face coverings from its stores. The American retail giant is now facing legal action from disabled people after introducing a […]
A government minister has allowed the transport industry its fourth temporary exemption from access laws, allowing it to continue to use inaccessible vehicles for rail replacement services for another nine months. The concession came in a letter from transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris to […]
Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) from across England have described the “horrendous” and “relentless” challenges they faced during the early months of the pandemic because of the failures of the UK government and local authorities. The DPOs told researchers of the lack of […]
Only three-fifths of council areas have a care setting that has been approved to receive hospital patients infected with COVID-19, despite ministers demanding every one of them should have at least one such setting by the end of October. The Department of […]
The mother of a disabled woman who killed herself after her benefits were wrongly stopped has asked the high court to order a second inquest into her death. Joy Dove wants to see the “heartless and cruel” actions of the Department for […]
MPs have called for an independent inquiry into why so many disabled people have died from coronavirus, and the role the UK government and other public bodies have played in causing those deaths. Members of the Commons women and equalities committee say […]
The minister for disabled people has misled a Commons committee for the second time about his engagement with disabled people during the pandemic. The actions of Justin Tomlinson emerged as the Commons women and equalities committee published its report into the impact […]
A disabled woman’s high court victory has highlighted how the current social care system has a disproportionately negative impact on disabled people with the highest support needs, say campaigners. The high court has ruled that Norfolk County Council breached the rights of the woman – known […]
Information used by disabled passengers to check if a rail station is accessible is frequently “wildly inaccurate”, and often leads them to book travel to and from stations they cannot access, according to new research. The research by disabled campaigner and access […]
The justice secretary has launched a call for evidence on how the criminal justice system is supporting offenders who are autistic or have learning difficulties. The call from Robert Buckland comes six months after the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found […]