It is 12 years since Natasha Baker first announced to her parents – while watching television coverage of the Sydney Paralympics – that she wanted to be a Paralympian. Now, only a year after winning two gold medals in dressage at […]
London 2012: Paralympian will put Atos sponsorship under the spotlight
A gold medal-winning Paralympian is to take part in a protest over the decision to allow the much-criticised company responsible for assessing disabled people’s “fitness for work” to sponsor the London 2012 Paralympics. Tara Flood, now a leading disabled activist competed […]
London 2012: Grimes proves there’s a place for women in ‘murderball’
She is a strong, talented disabled woman competing at the highest level in an overwhelmingly male-dominated sport. When it comes to role models at the London 2012 Paralympics, Kylie Grimes will take some beating. Grimes is the sole female member of […]
London 2012: Practice makes nearly perfect for Heathrow on busiest day
Months of planning and investment in access improvements appear to have paid off for Heathrow Airport as it welcomed more than 2, 000 athletes and officials on its busiest arrivals day for the London 2012 Paralympics. Airport bosses said about 430 […]
Lib Dem activists ready again to expose coalition divisions on welfare reform
The impact of the government’s unpopular welfare reforms on disabled people is set to play a major part in next month’s Liberal Democrat party conference, thanks to the efforts of disabled party activists. A motion due to be debated on the […]
Government could face court action over ILF closure
The government looks set to face legal action from disabled people over its decision to scrap the Independent Living Fund (ILF). The case would be the latest in a series of high-profile judicial reviews of decisions by government departments and other […]
Activist joins former Labour minister in backing call for national audit
A leading disabled activist has joined a former Labour minister in backing calls for a national audit to discover how many people with learning difficulties have been abandoned in institutions far from their original homes. Disability News Service (DNS) called for […]
Watchdog backs DNS call for national audit of ‘out-of-area’ placements
The care watchdog has backed calls for a national audit to find out how many people with learning difficulties have been abandoned in institutions far from their original homes. The call for an audit was made by Disability News Service (DNS) […]
London 2012: Half of torch relay participants will not be disabled people, says LOCOG
Only about half of those taking part in this month’s Paralympic torch relay will be disabled people, organisers have confirmed. An initial analysis of participants whose stories were included on the London 2012 website – carried out by Disability News Service […]
London 2012: Royal Mail thinks again on Paralympic stamps
Royal Mail has agreed to produce individual stamps to mark every gold medal won by British athletes during the London 2012 Paralympics, following pressure from leading Paralympians and campaigners. It had faced criticism last week when it emerged that it was […]