The pressure on Trevor Phillips to resign as head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has intensified, with another commissioner standing down over concerns about his leadership. Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights charity Stonewall, is the […]
Government ignores pleas to halt deportation of disabled asylum-seeker
A disabled asylum-seeker has been deported to Afghanistan, despite desperate last-minute pleas from disability rights campaigners. The charity RADAR wrote to Alan Johnson, the home secretary, calling for Abbas Sharifi’s deportation to be postponed. And members of the Disabled Asylum Seekers […]
Angry campaigners attack RCN for change of stance on assisted suicide
Disabled activists have attacked the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) for weakening its policy on assisted suicide, despite only receiving backing for the move from about 0.15 per cent of its members. The RCN has changed its position from opposition to […]
Sainsbury’s starts fining bay abusers across the UK
Sainsbury’s has become the second of the big four supermarket chains to introduce widespread fines for shoppers who abuse accessible parking spaces. The retail giant has set up a squad of uniformed enforcers on motorbikes who will patrol about 400 of […]
Exclusion ruling sends ‘clear signal’ to schools
A high court ruling has confirmed that schools must make reasonable adjustments for pupils with behavioural problems that are caused by their impairments. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) welcomed the ruling which it said sent a “clear signal” to […]
Awards focus on unlocking disabled people’s talents
The campaigning disability charity RADAR is looking for people and organisations that are promoting equality despite the recession, as it seeks nominations for its prestigious People of the Year Awards. This year’s awards feature new categories focusing on the drive for […]
Government’s mental health vision ‘will need resources’
Campaigners have welcomed the government’s new mental health “vision” for the next ten years, but say it would need to be accompanied by sufficient funding and strong political leadership. The Department of Health (DH) said the launch of its New Horizons […]
Disabled people ‘not hit hardest’ by recession, says TUC
The recession has not hit disabled people’s job prospects harder than those of non-disabled people according to a report by the TUC. In its recession report for July, focusing on disabled people, the TUC says the early evidence suggests their relative […]
Young campaigners to probe university access
Young campaigners are to investigate problems with access and support faced by disabled students at universities across the UK. More than 100 members of the Trailblazers network of volunteers, all aged between 16 and 30 and most of whom are disabled, […]
Mental health trust ‘put patients at risk’
Patients at a London mental health trust have been put at risk because of failures by the trust’s leadership, according to a report by the care and health services inspectorate. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) says West London Mental Health NHS […]