The government is set to launch a major reform of disability living allowance (DLA) – with tighter eligibility, a new medical test and reassessments for all claimants of working age.
The chancellor, George Osborne, announced in his emergency budget on Tuesday that the new medical test would be applied to “new and existing” DLA claimants from [...]
Disabled campaigners have reacted with anger and concern to the government’s plans to reform disability living allowance (DLA), and introduce a new medical test for claimants.
From 2013, all existing working-age claimants will be reassessed using the new test, which will also apply to all new DLA claimants, while the government also looks set to tighten [...]
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is appealing to disabled people to come forward with evidence of their own experiences of disability-related intimidation and violence.
The evidence call is part of the EHRC’s inquiry into what public bodies and transport providers are doing to eliminate disability-related harassment and its causes.
The EHRC is threatening to take [...]
Disabled activists have raised serious concerns about new genetic research which could lead to treatments or cures for autism.
Members of the autistic rights movement fear the research could lead to abortion clinics being seen as a “solution” to autism, as they say has happened with Down’s syndrome.
They spoke out after an international consortium of scientists [...]
The broadcasting watchdog has ignored the views of hundreds of visually-impaired people who took part in a consultation on audio-described television.
Disabled campaigners accused Ofcom of “a total cop-out”, after it decided not to recommend any of three possible options on future minimum levels of audio-described TV, but to leave the decision to the government.
Nearly all [...]
Robotics, internet video-calls and even virtual reality “avatars” are likely to play an increasing role in supporting disabled and older people to live independently, according to a senior government adviser.
Professor Brian Collins, chief scientific adviser to both the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, described a series of advances in [...]
Some of the country’s leading disabled creative, sporting, academic and campaigning talents have been recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours.
One of Britain’s most successful record-producers, Robin Millar, was awarded a CBE. Millar has been responsible for 150 gold, silver and platinum discs and 44 number ones, but is also a business mentor and public speaker [...]
The welfare system has made it “much easier” for disabled people to depend on benefits than on themselves, according to the new Conservative minister for welfare reform.
Speaking at a parliamentary reception on the financial independence of disabled people, Lord Freud said the current welfare system “holds back people who are capable of fulfilling work” and [...]
Disabled activists secured a face-to-face meeting with the new minister for disabled people, during a protest over the government’s welfare-to-work policies.
About 30 members of the Disabled People’s Direct Action Network (DAN) and allies chanted slogans and held placards calling for “real work for real pay” and “welfare not workfare” outside the Manchester offices of A4E, [...]
New research has found that more than three guide dogs every month in the UK are being attacked by other dogs.
The research, published in the magazine Veterinary Record, found that almost two-thirds of the attacks were made on dogs that were in a harness and working with their blind or visually-impaired owner or a trainer.
More [...]
As a carer you want more of a challenge than delivering proscriptive personal care within a set time limit with no opportunity to use your imagination or initiative.
As a disabled person you want more of a challenge to life than just existing each day with no excitement, challenges and goals.
Is there an answer to these [...]
The Independent Living Fund (ILF) has announced that it will not accept any further new applications for the rest of the year.
An ILF spokeswoman said the decision was not connected with government funding cuts, as it had received a three per cent increase in its budget for the current financial year.
The ILF – which is [...]
The government is hoping to introduce new laws to reform the funding of adult social care and support within two years, the Department of Health (DH) has confirmed.
The government had already said it would set up an independent commission to find a “sustainable” way to reform social care funding. But it has now made it [...]
Disabled campaigners have asked their local MPs to back calls for tough new laws that would prevent councils granting alcohol or entertainment licences to inaccessible venues.
The Central Beds Access Group (CBAG) wrote to its three local Bedfordshire Tory MPs – Nadine Dorries, Alistair Burt and Andrew Selous – after hearing of a new access law [...]
The new coalition government has released the first details about its timetable for “reassessing” hundreds of thousands of disabled people who claim “old-style” incapacity benefit (IB).
There were fears that the government would start to reassess large numbers of people on IB this October, despite repeated concerns about the inflexibility and unfairness of the work capability [...]
The equality watchdog has warned the government not to breach its international human rights obligations to disabled people when deciding how to cut public spending.
Mike Smith, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) disability committee, and an EHRC commissioner, spoke out on the first anniversary of Britain’s ratification of the UN Convention on [...]
A leading disabled people’s organisation is hoping that its annual awards will spread the message that spending money on disability equality is a good use of public resources in tough economic times.
Liz Sayce, chief executive of RADAR, was speaking at the launch of the charity’s 44th annual People of the Year awards.
Sayce said that investing [...]