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A coroner has demanded that the government takes action to prevent future deaths of disability benefit claimants, after concluding in a “ground-breaking” inquest verdict that a disabled man killed himself as a direct result of being found “fit for work”. It […]
Disabled activists have greeted the election of Jeremy Corbyn as the Labour party’s new leader with huge optimism, and as an opportunity to fight back against government austerity. Many campaigners recognised his past commitment to disability rights, and his record of […]
The United Nations is carrying out an unprecedented inquiry into “systematic and grave violations” of disabled people’s human rights by the UK government, Disability News Service (DNS) can finally confirm. DNS revealed last August that the UK appeared to have become […]
Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith appears set to scrap the “fitness for work” test championed by successive Labour, coalition and Conservative governments, but there are fears that its replacement could prove even more damaging to disabled people. Duncan Smith […]
The long-delayed release of government figures on the deaths of benefit claimants has added fuel to years of concerns about the impact of aggressive welfare reform on sick and disabled people. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) released two sets […]
Gaping holes have been exposed in the government’s Independent Living Fund (ILF) promises, after a local authority slashed a disabled woman’s support by 48 hours a week when the fund closed. Daisy* had been receiving 49 hours a week of ILF […]
New evidence proves that the controversial outsourcing contractor Atos should be stripped of all of its disability benefit assessment contracts, say disabled campaigners. Fresh concerns about the behaviour of Atos and its assessors emerged after Disability News Service (DNS) revealed last […]
One of the leading disabled supporters of legalising assisted suicide has encouraged opponents by appearing to admit that there are crucial flaws in the legislation that will be debated by MPs next month. Comments by Dr Tom Shakespeare (pictured) this week […]
A disabled woman has lost the car she relied on to attend vital hospital appointments after the government decided she no longer needed higher level mobility support without bothering to carry out a face-to-face assessment of her needs. Jo Jones (pictured), […]
The aftermath of the closure of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) has descended further into confusion after several local authorities disputed the government’s funding claims. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has repeatedly insisted that it told every local […]