the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues
The government has refused to apologise for the “appallingly unnecessary” impact of austerity spending cuts, after researchers linked post-2010 reductions in spending on social care and health to more than 57,000 deaths in just four years. The findings of the government-funded research […]
Disabled people have called on MPs and peers to focus their efforts on pushing for a right to live independently, and not a right to die, as the House of Lords prepares to debate a “dangerous” and “incoherent” bill that would legalise […]
Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) have launched a fresh bid to hold the government to account over its implementation of the UN disability convention, four years after their previous efforts helped lead to ministers being accused of causing a “human catastrophe”. A partnership […]
The high street retailer Timpson is facing allegations from disabled campaigners that many of its stores are inaccessible to disabled people. The concerns focus both on its high street stores and on the small “pods” – factory-built kiosks – it has increasingly […]
Disabled people’s organisations and allies have joined together to issue a series of demands to the government that they believe would help to end employment discrimination against disabled people. The new Disability Employment Charter makes demands of the government in nine key […]
The high court has this week heard the latest stage in a long-running battle to secure justice for thousands of disabled benefit claimants who lost out financially after being forced onto universal credit. The hearing, due to end today (Thursday), concerns policies […]
The pandemic has seen a “deliberate marginalisation” of disabled people by a UK government that has shown them “active contempt”, a leading disabled artist-activist has told a festival. Jess Thom told the disabled-led Neurostages arts festival in Glasgow that many of disabled […]
The government failed to invite a single representative of a disabled people’s organisation (DPO) to last month’s crucial health and social care reform “summit” meeting, an omission that has been branded “disgraceful” and “unacceptable” by campaigners. One disabled campaigner said the failure […]
The government and the NHS both failed to pay enough attention to the risks faced by the social care sector at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a report by MPs has concluded. But the joint report by the Commons science and […]
New Home Office figures that show a steep rise in recorded disability hate crime during the pandemic have sparked alarm among disabled campaigners, as well as fresh concerns over the contrasting performances of different police forces. The figures show an increase of […]
The families of disabled benefit claimants whose deaths have been closely linked to the actions of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have met for the first time after visiting a ground-breaking digital exhibition. The Museum of Austerity uses the families’ […]
Proposals by a user-led commission for sweeping reform of the social security system – including a new “extra costs” benefit for disabled people – have secured overwhelming support in a consultation exercise. More than 1,100 people responded to a draft plan drawn […]
The collapse of a law firm that had hundreds of active disability discrimination cases has caused confusion, concern and anger among some of its disabled former clients. Fry Law, and its founder, Chris Fry, were responsible for taking a string of ground-breaking […]
Disabled people are being urged to take part in a government consultation so they can draw attention to the growing staffing crisis in social care. The consultation on the impact of Brexit and the ending of freedom of movement on staffing in […]
The new minister for disabled people has said it is a “big priority” for her to address the legacy of distress and distrust created by a decade of deaths of benefit claimants that have been linked to the actions of her new […]
A disabled man has described how he is turning his fridge off for 90 minutes at a time to try to save on his electricity bill, as he prepares for his universal credit to be cut by £20 a week this month. […]
The possibility of merging personal independence payment (PIP) with universal credit is “on the table” as part of a fresh wave of social security reforms, work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey has admitted. In response to a question from Disability News Service […]
Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey has strongly signalled that her department will launch a new bid to try to push more disabled people with high support needs into work. Coffey, speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative party conference in […]
The mother of a disabled woman who took her own life after her benefits were wrongly stopped is to seek permission to appeal against a court’s ruling that there should not be a second inquest into her daughter’s death. Joy Dove said […]
The new minister for disabled people has refused to comment on figures that show how spending on Access to Work (AtW) plummeted during the pandemic, despite ministers plugging the programme during this week’s Conservative party conference. Chloe Smith highlighted the scheme at […]
The newly-appointed care minister has admitted that she was completely unaware of disabled people’s criticism of the prime minister’s controversial social care reforms. Gillian Keegan, appointed to the role only last month, told Disability News Service (DNS) this week that she had […]