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 minister for disabled people has admitted to complete ignorance about the model that lies at the heart of his government’s programme of disability benefit reforms. Justin Tomlinson was asked what his thoughts were about the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of … 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 →
Disabled activists have welcomed the decision of doctors to vote strongly against relaxing their union’s position on physician-assisted suicide. The British Medical Association (BMA) voted by 63 per cent to 37 per cent this week at its annual representative meeting … Continue reading →
Only about seven in 10 disabled people who were previously claiming disability living allowance (DLA) are being found eligible for the government’s new disability benefit, official figures have revealed. The Department for Work and Pensions … Continue reading →
Disabled activists are calling on the UN to take action after elections to the 18-strong committee that oversees the implementation of its disability rights convention left it with just a single female member alongside 17 men. The committee on the … Continue reading →
A police force has launched an internal review of its treatment of disabled people, after it was forced to refer two separate incidents involving young autistic men to the police watchdog. One case referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission … Continue reading →
Ministers are delaying the release of nine secret reviews into the deaths of benefit claimants, even though civil servants apparently prepared them for release three weeks ago under freedom of information laws. A response to a request to release redacted … Continue reading →
Most mental health service-users are still deeply divided about identifying with the social model of disability, but still favour moving away from the medicalised attitude of professionals and towards a more “social” approach, according to a new report. The user-led … Continue reading →
Providing support from their peers is an effective way of boosting disabled people’s job prospects, and should be used far more in government work programmes, according to two new studies. The research from Disability Rights UK (DR UK) and … Continue reading →
Union delegates say the government’s decision to reverse planned cuts to its new disability benefit could be a turning-point in the fightback against its repeated attacks on disabled people. The TUC Disabled Workers Conference in London voted in favour of … Continue reading →
A disabled parent has accused his local authority of discriminating against him by refusing to take his access needs into account when deciding which primary school his son can attend in September. Youcef Bey-Zekkoub believes the school admissions process … Continue reading →
A traumatised child abuse victim has branded the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) “shameful” for trying to force him to attend a benefits reassessment, when he is waiting to give evidence at an institutional abuse trial. David* has severe … Continue reading →
The computer system used for new personal independence payment (PIP) claims has crashed twice in a week, just days after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) insisted it was “working as it should”. On both occasions, last Wednesday (11 … Continue reading →
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) appears to have exposed hundreds of disabled people to the activities of a fraudster and convicted paedophile who posed as a lawyer to steal the money they were owed from discrimination claims. The Claims Management … Continue reading →
Ministers have refused to say if they implemented 10 measures – recommended by their own civil servants – that would have made it less likely that “vulnerable” benefit claimants would lose their lives. The 10 recommendations were taken from some … Continue reading →
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has finally admitted that it could be partly responsible for the deaths of some benefit claimants. The admission came – quietly – after its release of heavily-redacted versions of 49 secret “peer reviews” … Continue reading →
By John Pring Disability News Service Saturday 14th May 2016 After 21 months of smokescreens, excuses, obstruction and secrecy, work and pensions ministers have finally been forced to publish some of the conclusions reached by their own civil servants about … Continue reading →
Two disabled peers have criticised ministers for refusing to collect figures that would demonstrate the impact of a key element of new benefit rules that will see tens of thousands of people losing their Motability vehicles. The Liberal Democrat peer … Continue reading →
More than 1,000 venues and an estimated 10,000 people took part in the second annual Disabled Access Day, according to a new report. The figures show that last month’s event, which saw eight countries taking part, attracted 10 times the … Continue reading →