August 25th 2016 More than 1,000 Deaf and disabled people and their allies have backed Jeremy Corbyn’s bid to be re-elected as Labour leader, after signing a letter recognising his years of support for key disability rights campaigns. The … Continue reading →
August 25th 2016 Paralympians heading to Rio next week have lost their Motability vehicles after being reassessed as part of the government’s programme of benefit cuts and reforms, a member of the ParalympicsGB team has revealed. Some Paralympians have spoken … Continue reading →
18th August 2016 Problems with the flawed computer system used to deal with claims for the government’s new disability benefit have left hundreds of callers stuck in lengthy telephone queues. The system used for new personal independence payment (PIP) claims … Continue reading →
18th August 2016 Nearly a third of employees who have lost their jobs in an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) compulsory redundancy programme are disabled people, union officials have revealed. Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) … Continue reading →
August18th 2016 Public transport providers and local authorities are using loopholes in legislation to avoid their legal obligations to ensure that buses are accessible to disabled people, campaigners fear. They believe that transport companies are using three different loopholes … Continue reading →
11th August 2016 Disabled activists are to hold a week of action to coincide with the start of the Rio 2016 Paralympics, in a bid to highlight the impact of austerity-driven cuts on disability rights. Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) … Continue reading →
4th August 2016 John Pring A physiotherapist took just 35 minutes to carry out a face-to-face assessment that led to a man with complex mental health problems being found “fit for work”, a decision that appears to have triggered his … Continue reading →
4th August 2016 John Pring Disability News Service A disability benefits assessor with extreme right-wing sympathies has been suspended by the government contractor Capita after she posted disablist, racist comments about social security claimants on her Facebook page. The posts … Continue reading →
The Department of Health has been heavily criticised for downgrading the seniority of the minister in charge of adult social care. The last four ministers responsible for social care – Labour’s Phil Hope, Liberal Democrats Paul Burstow and Norman Lamb, … Continue reading →
Disabled campaigners have given mixed reviews to a new version of the government’s Disability Confident employment scheme, with one saying he was “genuinely shocked” by how weak it was. Disability Confident – which has urged employers to “see the ability, … Continue reading →
A disabled solicitor has accused his governing body of forcing him to abandon disabled clients without legal representation, after it withdrew permission for his new law centre to take on legal aid cases. The Law Society of Scotland (LSS), the … Continue reading →
Campaigners are calling for people to boycott workfare users this week after a long court battle to get those taking part in using cheap workfare named and shamed to be released . See the list below and say ‘NO’ to … Continue reading →
Disabled people’s organisations and grassroots groups are set to call on disabled people across England to provide the evidence they need to prepare a “hard-hitting” report on the government’s failure to implement the UN disability convention. The Reclaiming Our Futures … Continue reading →
One of the two prospective candidates to challenge UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has been accused over his record on people with disabilities. Owen Smith, who is the UK Member of Parliament for Pontypridd, was the Shadow Work and … Continue reading →
The right of the PLP are faced with an impossible conundrum. On the one hand, many of them believe that only through being tougher than the Tories on welfare, or being seen to want to drastically reduce immigration, can they … Continue reading →
Campaigners have warned disabled people considering a move to Scotland in the wake of the European Union (EU) referendum vote that there are considerable barriers standing in their way. The warnings came after Disability News Service reported last week that … Continue reading →
A disabled-led network set up by the minister for disabled people in 2012 to offer the government advice on the implementation of its disability policies has cut the areas it focuses on to just one “strategic theme”. Esther McVey, then … Continue reading →
The new work and pensions secretary scrapped the disability and employment white paper prepared by his predecessor Iain Duncan Smith because he “didn’t like the look” of it, a Tory MP has told a parliamentary meeting. The new work … Continue reading →
UN experts have expressed serious concerns about the impact of government austerity on the rights of disabled people and other disadvantaged groups. In a scathing report, the UN committee on economic, social and cultural rights said it was “seriously concerned” … Continue reading →
Hundreds or even thousands of disabled people are so alarmed by the idea of Britain leaving the European Union (EU) that they are considering moving to Scotland, information from disabled activists suggests. One disabled campaigner has told Disability News Service … Continue reading →