Disabled campaigners say the European Union’s (EU) ratification of the UN disability convention will provide a huge boost to the lives of 80 million disabled people across its 27 member states. Two days before Christmas, the EU became the first regional […]
Conference will address ‘unacceptable’ housing conditions
Many disabled people in Scotland are living in “completely unacceptable” housing conditions, according to a new report. The report’s findings are set to be discussed at a “ground-breaking” conference on the housing problems faced by disabled people, to be held on […]
Controversial work test ‘is too strict’, say doctors
Health professionals who are using a controversial new test to assess disabled people for out-of-work disability benefits believe the threshold for claiming the payments has been raised too high, according to new government-funded research. Doctors and other healthcare professionals said the […]
Petition calls on government to think again on mobility component
Disability charities have launched a petition calling on the government to scrap plans to remove a vital benefit from disabled people in residential care. Members of the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) believe that removing the mobility component of disability living allowance […]
Evictions and homelessness ‘inevitable’ for disabled people
Evictions and increased levels of homelessness among disabled people are an “inevitable” result of the government’s housing benefit reforms, MPs have been told. In a report on the likely impact of the reforms, the Commons work and pensions committee – which […]
Access statements could be scrapped, suggests government
The government has said it could scrap the legal duty for builders to provide written access statements, sparking concerns among leading access experts. Access statements lay out how developers and designers have addressed access issues when working on new or refurbished […]
Charities set out plans to co-operate on services
Three leading national charities for blind and visually-impaired people are discussing how they could “combine forces” to improve the services they provide and offer a “more unified voice”. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Action for Blind People (ABP) […]
Autism strategy has ‘serious flaws’
The new national strategy for adults with autism is proving to be “seriously flawed” and “dreadfully disappointing”, according to autistic rights campaigners. The Autistic Rights Movement United Kingdom (ARM UK) spoke out as the government published new statutory guidance for local […]
Staff with mental health conditions still ‘a risk’, say employers
Two-fifths of employers still believe that staff with mental health conditions are a “significant risk” in the workplace, according to a new report. A survey of British businesses for the report found that the proportion of employers who believe it is […]
European project searches for the best in outdoor access
A new project aims to find some of the best examples of inclusively-designed outdoor public spaces across Europe. Five European specialists in inclusive design have secured European Commission funding – through the Leonardo programme – to research how public spaces can […]