Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) have questioned the government’s willingness to listen to disabled people, following the first meeting of a new “alliance” set up to advise the government on disability issues. Leading disabled figures who attended a preliminary meeting of the […]
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Just three Remploy factories could be left when the dust settles
Plans to remove all government funding from Remploy’s sheltered factories could leave just three of them operating in the private sector or as social enterprises, with the loss of hundreds more jobs. Only four years ago, there were 83 factories spread […]
Anger as government adds disabled people to workfare scheme
Disabled people could now be forced to work indefinitely for their out-of-work benefits, as a result of new government rules introduced this week. Those who fail to co-operate with the periods of “work experience” arranged for them could have their benefits […]
Key London 2012 adviser describes ‘frustration’ with LOCOG access failures
A disabled consultant who played a key role in ensuring the accessibility of London 2012’s purpose-built venues has spoken of her frustration that the events themselves did not match some of those high access standards. Margaret Hickish began working as an […]
English Heritage reveals a time and a place for disability history
From churches designed for Deaf congregations to the first schools for blind children and one of the earliest disabled people’s organisations, a new website project charts the history of disabled people through the buildings they have used. Disability in Time and […]
UN’s international day sees awards, celebrations… and protests
Disabled people took part in protests, campaigns, awards, marches, conferences and celebrations as they found different ways to mark the UN’s international day of disabled people. Many of the events used 3 December to continue the series of protests against government […]
Disabled people ‘must take the initiative’ over access to sport
Disabled people need to take the initiative and demand more accessible local sports facilities, a conference has heard. Stewart Lucas chief executive of Interactive, which works to increase the number of disabled people taking part in sport and physical activity in […]
Leveson offers new hope in fight against hostile newspapers
Newspapers should be forced to apologise, print corrections, or even face heavy fines if they print misleading or offensive articles about disabled people and other minority groups, according to Lord Justice Leveson’s report into press standards. Leveson’s long-awaited report could give […]
DWP reports suggest Work Programme has failed disabled people
Major questions have been raised over the government’s plans to support disabled people into work, after two long-awaited reports showed only about 1, 000 claimants of disability benefits found work through the scheme in its first year. The first Department for […]
Paralympic village hanging death must remain a mystery, says coroner
A coroner has been unable to say for certain how a member of Nepal’s Paralympic delegation came to be found hanging from a tree in the middle of the London 2012 athletes’ village. Man Bahadur Lopchan, a leading disabled activist in […]