The government is refusing to say how many disabled people are having their benefits “capped” under its new welfare regime, even though it has the figures needed to make the calculations, Disability News Service (DNS) can reveal. The Department for Work […]
Atos fails to find a PIP assessment centre in north London
The company being paid nearly £200 million to test people for the government’s new disability benefit has failed to provide a single assessment centre within the area covering hundreds of thousands of disabled people living in north London. Atos Healthcare has […]
Activist dropped by disability charity over offensive tweets
A disability charity has had to scrap plans to sponsor a disabled activist to attend the Labour party conference, after it was alerted to a string of offensive messages he sent other disabled campaigners on the social networking website Twitter. Leonard […]
DWP dismisses talk of ‘fitness for work Catch-22’
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has denied the existence of a “Catch-22” situation that could affect thousands of disabled people unfairly found “fit for work” following an assessment by its contractors Atos Healthcare. From next month, those found ineligible […]
Reclaiming Our Futures: Manifesto launch signals fight back on rights
Disabled activists are gearing up for a campaign of direct action to back up the launch of a manifesto they hope will show the government that disabled people are not “victims” and “passive recipients of benefits”. More than 100 disabled people […]
Reclaiming Our Futures: Protesters deliver stark warning to DWP
Disabled protesters have taken key messages to four different government departments, before converging on the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver a stark warning to Iain Duncan Smith. The protests were part of Reclaiming Our Futures, a week of action […]
Reclaiming Our Futures: Despair at Scope’s ‘10 years of platitudes’
A protest outside the offices of a major disability charity has increased the pressure to close all of its special schools and residential homes. The protest outside Scope’s north London offices was part of the Reclaiming Our Futures week of campaigning […]
Reclaiming Our Futures: Activists target BBC over welfare reform ‘bias’
Disabled activists have targeted the BBC to protest at its “biased” coverage of the impact of the government’s welfare cuts and reforms on disabled people. Campaigners from Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), Black Triangle and the Mental Health Resistance Network, working […]
Reclaiming Our Futures: Movement needs ‘recognisable voice’
Disabled people need a new national organisation that can provide a “recognisable voice” to challenge the government’s attacks on their rights according to a veteran disabled activist. Anne Rae, chair of Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People, said that the campaigners […]
Reclaiming Our Futures: Social model ‘still has crucial role’
Abandoning the “social model of disability” would mean “abandoning the struggle for a fairer and juster society”, according to a prominent disabled academic. Professor Colin Barnes one of the most significant figures in the development of the social model, told campaigners […]