Senior figures in Nepal’s Paralympic movement have denied “detestable” claims about the death of a disabled member of their delegation to London 2012. Surendra Bahadur Basnyat, president of the National Paralympic Committee Nepal (NPC Nepal), and Pashupati Parajuli, its general secretary, […]
Anger over judge’s ‘appalling’ Winterbourne View hate crime failure
A judge has been criticised for his “appalling” failure to treat the “degrading, cruel and inhuman” abuse of people with learning difficulties at a hospital as a disability hate crime. There was widespread anger among people with learning difficulties and other […]
Labour to ask MPs and National Audit Office to probe Atos contract allegations
Labour will this week ask MPs – and the National Audit Office (NAO) – to investigate allegations that Atos, the government’s “fitness for work” contractor, used misleading claims to win two lucrative disability assessment contracts. Anne McGuire, Labour’s shadow minister for […]
Paralympian calls for action over ‘shocking’ access in city centre car parks
A Paralympian who won three gold medals at London 2012 has called for action after a new survey revealed “shocking” access failures in city centre car parks across England, Wales and Scotland. The campaigning user-led charity Disabled Motoring UK (DM UK) […]
Shock and concern after EHRC’s disabled commissioner is shown the door
The decision not to reappoint the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s only disabled commissioner has raised fresh concerns over the government’s plans for the watchdog. Mike Smith was not even interviewed for the chance to be reappointed to the board of […]
Government adviser raises ‘serious concerns’ over Access to Work figures
The author of a major report for the government on employment support has told a minister of her “serious concerns” about the rapid fall in the number of disabled people funded by the Access to Work (AtW) scheme. Liz Sayce published […]
Disabled activist stages hunger strike outside Atos offices
A disabled man has this week staged a public hunger strike in protest at the failings of the government’s “fitness for work” contractor Atos Healthcare. Christos Palmer, a former IT technician, has been at the centre of a five-day vigil outside […]
Disabled models aim to show fashion magazines that diversity sells
Four disabled models will be taking to the catwalk this week in a bid to persuade some of the country’s top women’s magazines that they should be featuring on their front covers. The four women will be part of a 20-strong […]
New figures suggest limited impact of Harrington changes
New government figures appear to show that “improvements” to the controversial “fitness for work” test are having limited impact on how many disabled people are able to hold on to their out-of-work disability benefits. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) […]
Self-advocacy pioneer calls for a People First for England
A leading figure in the self-advocacy movement has called for a national user-led organisation that would represent people with learning difficulties right across England for the first time. Gary Bourlet, who founded Britain’s first People First organisation in London in 1984, […]