Disability News Service

Channel 4 and BBC have attempted to justify plans to broadcast two separate fly-on-the-wall documentary series based in jobcentres, both of which could enable ministers to continue their campaign to undermine critical reporting on their “toxic” universal credit benefit system. Only last […]

Social services, police and other agencies could probably have saved the life of a disabled man who was exploited by “friends”, if they had worked together and shared information about his ordeal, says a leading disabled campaigner. In the months leading up […]

International human rights experts are to meet grassroots campaigners and activists next month to discuss how disabled people have been treated by police during peaceful protests. A team from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will discuss the treatment […]

Disabled people’s organisations have repeated their calls for political parties to promise to introduce a legal right to independent living if they win power at next month’s general election. The calls came after Labour yesterday (Wednesday) announced a real-terms increase of £26 […]

Disabled children in London are more likely to receive an inclusive education than those being educated anywhere else in England, according to a new report. The report, by the education consultancy MIME, found that the London borough of Westminster was delivering an […]

Measures introduced this week to address the scandalous treatment of autistic people and people with learning difficulties in mental health hospitals are strikingly similar to failed government measures announced seven years ago. Health and social secretary Matt Hancock announced five measures this […]

A government plan to strengthen its discredited Disability Confident employment scheme, and force leading employers to report on how many disabled people they employ, has had to be scrapped just days after it was announced. Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey, who […]

The government has been accused of discriminating against disabled people standing at next month’s general election – and breaching the UN disability convention – by refusing to fund any of their disability-related campaign spending. The refusal of the Government Equalities Office (GEO) […]

Disabled activists who took direct action against a national newspaper – after it published untruthful Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) adverts praising its much-criticised universal credit benefit system – say a watchdog’s ruling has vindicated their activism. The Advertising Standards Authority […]

The head of a UK leisure industry body – a government disability adviser – has been forced to explain why his organisation wrote to the prime minister but failed to ask for action to address disabled people’s barriers to physical activity. Ukactive […]

Disabled people will effectively work for free for the last 57 days of this year because of the huge gap between their earnings and those of non-disabled employees, new TUC research has shown. Disabled activists this week backed the TUC call to […]

Five grassroots groups of disabled people have asked psychiatrists to explain why they have not spoken out publicly about a scheme that allows work coaches to refer universal credit (UC) claimants for mental health treatment. Mental Health Resistance Network, Disabled People Against […]

The equality watchdog is considering taking action to tackle discrimination in the way decisions are made in the social security system, it revealed this morning. Although the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has not provided any further details, it released a […]

The inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire has detailed how disabled residents were failed repeatedly by both London Fire Brigade and the organisation that managed the building on behalf of a local authority. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the […]

Major changes to the way disabled students are assessed for their support risk turning the system into a replica of the government’s much-criticised personal independence payment (PIP) assessment regime, student leaders have warned. The changes will mean the closure in December of […]

The Crown Prosecution Service has joined a leading disabled campaigner in raising concerns about a huge fall in the number of disability hate crime cases passed by police forces to prosecutors. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) annual hate crime report for 2018-19 […]

Disabled activists have spoken of their shock and alarm after 18 police and crime commissioners (PCCs) signed a letter calling for a change in the law on assisted suicide. The 18 politicians, who have all been elected to oversee how crime is […]

A cabinet minister has admitted there is “no consensus” on how to solve the adult social care funding crisis, even though the prime minister announced he had a “clear plan” for doing so when he took office in October. Robert Jenrick, the […]

The Metropolitan police has apologised to its own disabled advisers for failing to consult them about how to treat disabled people taking part in this month’s Extinction Rebellion protests in London. The force had been asked by its Disability Independent Advisory Group […]

Disabled campaigners have delivered a mixed and wary response to a new government campaign that calls on the public to be “more mindful” of disabled passengers when they use public transport. The Department for Transport (DfT) campaign, It’s Everyone’s Journey, was launched […]