Disability organisations have welcomed the second annual review of the government’s much-criticised “fitness for work” test, but have warned that progress on improving the assessment has been too slow. Professor Malcolm Harrington, who has carried out both independent reviews for the […]
Self-advocacy campaigner takes organisation’s fight for survival to high court
A disabled activist with one of the country’s leading self-advocacy organisations has spoken of her pride in taking her council to court over its decision to remove their funding. Gina Barrett and colleagues from People First Lambeth (PFL) were in the […]
DPOs set to submit evidence on media hostility to Leveson Inquiry
At least three disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) plan to submit evidence to a major inquiry to draw its attention to how some newspapers are stirring up hostility towards disabled people. The Leveson Inquiry was set up to examine the role of […]
DAN sends message to coalition: We are coming for you
The radical disabled people’s network DAN has warned the government to expect an imminent return to the kind of high-profile, non-violent, direct action protests last seen in the 1990s. The pledge was made at the launch of the second UK Disability […]
Hate crime linked to newspaper stories of fraud and ‘scroungers’
Disabled activists have linked the conviction of a man who called his disabled neighbour a “benefit scrounger” to hostile stories and comments that have come from the media and the government. Magistrates used disability hate crime laws to increase the sentence […]
Conference ‘excluded disabled people in poverty’
Organisers of a conference aimed at addressing disability poverty made it too difficult for disabled people experiencing poverty themselves to attend the event, it has been claimed. The conference was organised by three leading disability organisations, Disability Alliance (DA), RADAR and […]
Miller faces angry heckling at poverty conference
A government minister and executives from the company that carries out “fitness for work” tests on disabled people have faced angry criticism from campaigners at a national conference on disability poverty. Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people, once again faced […]
Fears over sickness absence report
A government-backed report is set to make it harder for disabled people to claim out-of-work disability benefits, while potentially delivering another lucrative assessment contract to the private sector. The authors of the report on “sickness absence” admit their proposals would “put […]
EHRC calls for government to close ‘legal loophole’ on home care
A legal loophole is depriving hundreds of thousands of older people who receive care in their own homes of protection under the Human Rights Act, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). A report published by the EHRC this […]
Housing strategy ignores urgent needs of disabled people
Campaigners have criticised the government for launching a new housing strategy without including any measures aimed at easing the shortage of accessible housing for disabled people. The prime minister, David Cameron, and the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, launched their Laying […]