A deal to end the stalemate over who becomes first minister will be put in front of AMs from Labour and Plaid Cymru on Tuesday. The two parties will hold separate group meetings over the proposal, which could reinstall Carwyn Jones to the head of Welsh Government. Both sides said they made “good progress” over […]
News
Europe agrees rules on website accessibility
European Parliament reaches provisional agreement on accessibility of public sector bodies’ websites and mobile apps Many of us take the internet for granted – but if you have a disability, you soon discover that not every website is as accessible as it should be. More than 167 million EU citizens have a disability or age-related […]
Shaking, crying, panic – the trauma of a benefits assessment with PTSD
After a distressing experience she can’t even remember, Lucia’s PIP was cut. She suffered a relapse and, like dominos, more benefits were taken away Looking through the letter marked “Atos healthcare”, Lucia – who has severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety – can only remember fragments of the assessment for personal independence payments (PIP) […]
Disability charity publishes free easy read guide on EU Referendum 23rd June
The national disability charity, United Response, has published an easy read summary covering the forthcoming EU Referendum. The summary is the sixth special edition of Easy News, an award winning accessible magazine created by United Response to make news and current affairs easier to understand for the 1.5 million people with learning disabilities in the […]
Isaac takes EHRC chair, despite concerns over DWP ‘outsourcing’ work
The new chair of the equality watchdog has taken up his new post, despite question-marks over potential conflicts of interest arising from his legal firm’s work for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other government departments. David Isaac took up the post of chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) this […]
Apprenticeship taskforce welcomed, despite concerns over membership
Disabled campaigners are hoping a new government taskforce will lead to apprenticeships becoming more accessible to disabled people, despite concerns over who ministers will invite to take part. Three government departments announced this week that they have set up the short-term taskforce to help more people with learning difficulties access apprenticeships, as part of the […]
Pioneering £5 million DRILL programme sends out first call for funding bids
A pioneering programme backed by £5 million of lottery cash has issued a call for user-led teams across the UK to apply for funding to research new ways to remove the barriers to independent living faced by disabled people. The Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning (DRILL) programme is believed to be the world’s […]
It is ‘not value-for-money’ to collect vital PIP stats on 20-metre rule, says DWP
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 Baroness [Celia] Thomas and the crossbench peer Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson spoke out after a Lords […]
Wheelchair taxi rules will finally come into force… after 20 years
A report by peers on the impact of equality legislation on disabled people appears to have secured its first success, after the government agreed to bring into force taxi regulations – 20 years after they were first included in legislation. The regulations will mean that taxi-drivers can no longer refuse to accept wheelchair-users, and will […]
Crabb hints at lengthy delays to manifesto pledge on disability jobs gap
The new work and pensions secretary has suggested the government’s pledge to halve the disability employment gap will face lengthy delays, after he said he wanted to spend a “few years” testing how to achieve the target. Stephen Crabb, who was appointed after the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith in March, was giving evidence for […]
