Most people in Wales cannot financially afford to get cancer because of the increased living costs, a cancer charity has said. Macmillan Cancer Support estimates the disease costs people diagnosed in Wales about £760 a month. The average family would be left with a shortfall of about £270 per month, the charity has estimated. The […]
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Radio station aims to give voice to disabled people
An internet radio station produced by and for people with disabilities is celebrating 10 years of broadcasting. Able Radio started life as an in-house production in Cwmbran, Torfaen in 2006. Two years later it was broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week. General manager Rob Symons says it aims to give a voice […]
Language, love and research feature in 11th Blogging Against Disablism Day
By Raya Al Jadir Disabled people have taken part in the 11th annual Blogging Against Disablism Day, sharing their “experiences, observations and thoughts about disability discrimination”. Across 18 different areas, ranging from education to art and science, some bloggers shared their own stories of prejudice, while others analysed society’s disablist attitudes. Holly Matthes, a Liberal […]
Channel 4 defends decision on mental health panel make-up
Channel 4 has been criticised for hosting a panel discussion on how the media treats mental health, without inviting anyone with mental health difficulties onto the panel. The event on 17 May will mark Mental Health Awareness Week, and includes a discussion on “mental health portrayal on mainstream television and beyond”. The discussion will be […]
New ‘hub’ means pioneering university will join world leaders in disability law
The University of Leeds is set to become a world leader in disability law, after setting up a ground-breaking new “hub” of some of the UK’s leading legal scholars. The Disability Law Hub boasts expertise across equality, social care, mental health, mental capacity and international disability rights law, as well as in the relationship between […]
Government’s failure to ring-fence ILF funding ‘is leading to postcode lottery’
The government’s failure to ring-fence the funding it is handing to local authorities following the closure of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) is leading to a “postcode lottery” of support for former ILF-recipients, according to new user-led research. Information secured by Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP) through freedom of information requests to Greater […]
Agreement on new EU public sector website access is ‘crucial milestone’
An agreement on new European Union (EU) rules on the accessibility of public sector websites is a “crucial milestone” on the journey towards an inclusive digital society, say disabled campaigners. This week’s agreement between MEPs, the European Commission and the EU Council should mean that the rules will be introduced through domestic legislation across the […]
Campaigners call on minister to reject rail access funding delay
Campaigners have called on the transport secretary to ignore recommendations from the head of Network Rail that would delay tens of millions of pounds of investment in making rail stations more accessible. The seven organisations, headed by the user-led charity Transport for All, are furious that Sir Peter Hendy, the chair of Network Rail, has […]
Scottish police assessing possible investigation into IDS and Grayling
Scottish police are assessing whether to launch a criminal investigation into the failure of two government ministers to address a coroner’s concerns about the safety of the “fitness for work” test, a failure which may have caused “countless deaths”. Disabled activist John McArdle, co-founder of the user-led campaign network Black Triangle, lodged a complaint with […]
‘Appallingly bad’ software may cause lost PIP letters, says whistleblower
Vital letters that tell disabled people they have to transfer to the government’s new disability benefit are being lost in the system, leading to them losing financial support for months on end, according to a whistleblower. Rebecca*, who has asked to remain anonymous, works for Serco, the company paid by the Department for Work and […]
