http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/news.php News from About Access - the latest news concerning disability issues, policies and disabled access. en-us http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/images/logo.jpg 144 27 http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=315 Disabled people are still facing a “bleak picture” in their struggle to secure the support they need in the workplace, according to a new report from the equality watchdog. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report, A Perfect Partnership, says awareness of disability rights is still low, and disclosing an impairment to an employer is seen as “a high risk strategy” by many disabled workers. Disabled people have told the EHRC of “bullying and harassment and not fitting the image”, while others said that “reasonable adjustments are sometimes resented by managers and colleagues”. The EHRC says in the report that evidence suggests “a bleak picture of individuals often isolated and struggling to assert their rights and to access support, many of whom suffer for a number of years”. The report says that closing the “employment gap” between disabled and non-disabled workers – the difference between the proportion of disabled and non-disabled people in work – can improve performance across an organisation. Only half of disabled adults are in work, compared with four-fifths of non-disabled adults, and the report warns that the gap could widen as a result of public sector job cuts. Among the solutions suggested by disabled people were more supportive managers, flexible working, and support and understanding from colleagues, but “virtually no-one had been offered these things”. Employers told the EHRC that disabled people often only disclosed their impairments “when something goes wrong in the workplace and then it was often too late for a quick solution to be found”. And most employers recognised that line managers played a crucial role in resolving problems but were often left “isolated and left to sort out adjustments”. Among the report’s recommendations, it calls for employers to be more proactive in anticipating support, for example by seeking information from all new job starters, even from those who are not disabled, and for improved training and guidance for managers. The report also recommends that flexible working is offered to all disabled workers and job applicants, and that the Access to Work scheme is extended – as recommended by last year’s review of employment support by Liz Sayce. And it says that employers must make clear that there is “zero tolerance of hostility and harassment” in the workplace. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=314 Some wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) are potentially unsafe for passengers or drivers travelling in their wheelchairs, and should never have been allowed on the roads, claim campaigners. The campaigning user-led charity Disabled Motoring UK (DM UK) spoke out as it joined Constables Mobility – a leading conversion company – to launch a campaign calling for stricter testing of WAVs. The No Compromises! campaign calls on the government to make it illegal for any WAV model to be allowed on the road without first undergoing strict “sled” testing. It is also urging disabled customers to ask for a certificate of sled testing before they buy a WAV, and is calling on the Motability car scheme to stop leasing WAVs that are not “sled tested”. Helen Dolphin, DM UK’s director of policy and campaigns, said: “I want Motability to take note and realise that this is something that should be done. “They should stop accepting cars onto their scheme unless they have had all the proper checks.” A sled test involves strapping a crash-test dummy into a wheelchair within the car, which is put through head-on collisions to check that the belts and their fixtures are strong enough to withstand an accident and keep the wheelchair-user secure. DM UK and Constables say the extra test is vital because of the significant and complex changes made to cars when they are converted to become wheelchair-accessible. Figures on accidents involving WAVs are not collected so it is impossible to say how many wheelchair-users may have been injured or even killed because of problems with the conversions of their vehicles. But Dolphin said: “It is amazing that vehicles are being sold that may not be safe for the drivers and their disabled passengers, and we feel strongly that this must stop. “Until a car has had that kind of test, there is no guarantee that it will hold or restrain a wheelchair-user if they have had an accident.” She added: “I don’t want to drive anybody out of business but at the end of the day the most important thing here is disabled people’s safety.” A Motability spokeswoman said that standards for all their conversions were governed by European Union law and backed by industry bodies such as the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Association (WAVCA). She said: “All WAVs supplied to Motability customers are compliant with EU and UK regulations, in place at the time of the vehicle registration, as well as adopting any additional standards agreed and required by WAVCA.” But when asked how many Motability vehicles had not been sled tested, and whether Motability would take any action to ensure all vehicles were sled tested, she refused to comment. Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat local transport minister, said he welcomed DM UK’s “commitment to ensuring wheelchair-users travel in safety” and shared that objective. He added: “All vehicles need to meet a range of safety rules to enable them to operate on the road. This ensures that good levels of protection are offered to the driver and passengers.” But he said: “We have seen no convincing evidence to show that the approval system for converted vehicles needs changing, or that road safety is being compromised as a result of vehicles being modified post-registration. However, we will continue to monitor this closely with industry.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=313 A cheerleader, an athlete and an artist are among the first disabled people chosen to take part in this summer’s Paralympic torch relay. LOCOG, London 2012’s organising committee, this week announced the names of more than 300 people – both disabled and non-disabled – who have been chosen to carry the Paralympic torch from Stoke Mandeville to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford in August. Although LOCOG has not yet been able to say how many of those chosen are disabled people, among those picked so far are: Rick Rodgers, from Orpington, south-east London, a former competitive cheerleader and physical theatre performer who, after becoming disabled in 2008, returned to the sport of competitive cheerleading as part of a unique stunt duo, and also performs with the disability circus arts group Cirque Nova. Charlotte Cox, from Cambridge, who won four titles in the International Athletic Association for Persons with Down Syndrome championships in Mexico in 2010. Disabled artist Susan Williams, from Lambeth, south London, who has championed other disabled artists in her work with Arts Council England. Doctor Jane Atkinson, from Newcastle, who featured in the BBC reality series Beyond Boundaries, and wanted to take part in the relay because the success of Britain’s Paralympians was “a great source of pride for our nation”. Patricia Marjoram, who is 81 years old, from Little Ellingham, Norfolk, and edits the national magazine of the Society for Disabled Artists, runs a local art group and organises an annual art holiday for disabled people. Gareth Burton, from Coleraine, Northern Ireland, who has campaigned to improve the accessibility of public facilities, and wanted to take part in the relay to show that “just because I’m in a wheelchair I can do things that others enjoy”. And Guy Harris, from Crampmoor, Hampshire, who set up DisabledGear.com, a website which allows disabled people to buy and sell second-hand equipment. In all, 580 disabled and non-disabled “torchbearers” will carry the flame in teams of five, with each team covering about half a mile. Three London 2012 sponsors – Sainsbury’s, Lloyds TSB and BT – have each chosen about 140 people to take part in the relay from thousands of public nominations, with the other 150 or so to be selected by the International Paralympic Committee, LOCOG, the British Paralympic Association and other London 2012 sponsors. The aim was to find teams and individuals from across the UK who have demonstrated Paralympic values. Lord [Sebastian] Coe, LOCOG’s chair, said: “Whether they have been together for years or have been brought together around a common story, they have all demonstrated how they are living the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality.” Sainsbury’s was criticised last month for using a panel of four non-disabled employees to pick its torch-bearers, a decision described by a leading disabled activist as “patronising” and “disrespectful”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=312 The skeleton of Joseph Merrick is kept in a glass exhibition case by Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL), more than 100 years after he died. One disabled campaigner has called for him to be finally given the burial he deserves, only days after there were new calls for a permanent memorial to Merrick in his home town of Leicester. Jeanette Sitton, the disabled founder of The Friends of Joseph Carey Merrick, said she believed Merrick’s body should be laid to rest, and added: “He is still on display for all the medical students to gawp at.” Last December, there were similar calls for the skeleton of Charles Byrne, an Irish man who died in 1783 and was seven feet seven inches tall, to be removed from the Royal College of Surgeons’ (RCS) Hunterian museum in London, and given the burial at sea he had reportedly wanted. Merrick spent his final years at the London Hospital, but after his funeral his body was handed to the hospital under the Anatomy Act, and was not reclaimed for burial by his family or friends. It is believed that his organs and “remaining soft tissue” were buried in an unknown location, while his bones were eventually passed to QMUL following the university’s merger with London Hospital Medical College in 1995. A QMUL spokeswoman said they understood from a book, The True Story of The Elephant Man, that Merrick was “expecting to be preserved after his death”, while she said the university “regularly consults” with his descendants over the care of his remains. The skeleton is now kept in the Doniach Gallery, a teaching section of the pathology collection at QMUL’s Whitechapel campus, and is displayed alongside other medical “specimens”. The QMUL spokeswoman said the gallery was “not accessible to the general public” and was open only to “supervised medical students and medical professionals by appointment only”, with each request considered by the curator. She said: “The skeleton is displayed in a glass cabinet to allow medical students to view and understand the physical deformities resulting from Joseph Merrick’s condition. Those viewing the skeleton are also expected to consider Merrick’s feelings on his condition.” She said the skeleton was “considered valuable for medical research”, the same reason given by the RCS for continuing to display the skeleton of Charles Byrne. Merrick’s story was popularised by the Oscar-nominated film The Elephant Man, released more than 30 years ago. This week, the mayor of Leicester – the city where Merrick was born and brought up – called for a new informative memorial, as part of a “Story of Leicester” project that aims to raise awareness of the city’s rich history. The mayor, Peter Soulsby, said that Merrick “deserves to be remembered”, and added: “The story of Joseph Merrick is an important part of the history of Leicester and his story addresses important issues about society’s changing attitudes to disability.” There is already a blue plaque, which has now been placed on the wall of a Leicester college, on the site of a workhouse where Merrick lived for four years, and which pays tribute to “a true model of bravery and dignity”. Sitton said she would also like to see a more significant, permanent memorial to someone who demonstrated such “dignity and courage” and was “a great iconic person for people with disabilities”. Merrick, who died in 1890, aged 27, had a condition that caused extensive growths on his face and body. In his short autobiography, he describes running away from home two or three times following the death of his beloved mother – who was also disabled – and the remarriage of his father. He left school at 11 or 12 but found it increasingly difficult to secure paid work as he became more disabled. He wrote: “Being unable to get employment my father got me a pedlar’s license to hawk the town, but being deformed, people would not come to the door to buy my wares. “In consequence of my ill luck my life was again made a misery to me, so that I again ran away and went hawking on my own account, but my deformity had grown to such an extent, so that I could not move about the town without having a crowd of people gather around me.” He eventually spent four years in a workhouse, before contacting a Leicester entrepreneur to suggest that he be exhibited to the public. He was nicknamed The Elephant Man and was reportedly well paid, touring in the Midlands and being exhibited in a shop in London. After being robbed and abandoned while on a tour of Europe, he found his way back to London, where he was taken in by surgeon Frederick Treves and allowed to stay at the London Hospital (now the Royal London Hospital) until his death. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=311 A disabled woman was tackled to the floor by a security guard after she complained about not being allowed to return her new mobile phone, only minutes after signing the contract. The woman, who has cerebral palsy and scoliosis, but has asked not to be identified, was held by the security guard on the floor of the Orange store in the south of England. After signing the 24-month, £52-a-month contract, she had told store staff on Tuesday morning that she couldn’t switch the Galaxy phone on, and asked for the instruction manual. When she was told manuals were only available on the internet, she became distressed and said the phone would not be suitable for her because she had no internet connection. The member of staff offered to go through the phone’s functions with her, but she said that – because of her impairment – she needed a manual to refer to if she forgot how the phone worked. She asked the store to cancel and return her contract – which she said was her legal right – but the member of staff refused to hand it over or let her speak to an Orange manager on the phone. He then called the shopping centre’s security guard when the woman – who is less than five feet tall – became increasingly distressed and tried to retrieve the contract herself from behind the counter. She said she told the store staff that she was “mentally distressed” and “couldn’t understand why no-one was listening to me”. Even though she warned the security guard that she had a physical impairment, he grabbed her and dragged her from behind the counter, where she was kneeling on the floor. After a brief tussle, he held her on the floor, forcing her arm up behind her back, even though she told him it was hurting. She said she also found it difficult to breathe because her hat was partly over her face. She was left bruised, bleeding, severely distressed and with her legs in spasm. The store called the police, who escorted her as she was wheeled on a stretcher through the shopping centre to a waiting ambulance, and then driven to hospital. She said she was briefly arrested and then de-arrested by a police officer. She said: “I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I just feel completely traumatised and unsafe. “Here I am doing my shopping and I have never been arrested. I have been on all these [disability rights] demos and I have never been arrested.” Julie Newman, acting chair of the UK Disabled People’s Council, who had spoken on the phone to the woman when she was in the store, said there had been a “blatant disregard for taking what a disabled person is saying seriously”. She said: “They knew there was another person who was aware of the situation and it didn’t stop them. I am quite shocked about that, but I am not completely surprised because this is not a new experience for disabled people.” Newman said she wondered how many such incidents were going unreported by disabled people who lacked support in their dealings with the service industry. She added: “It was a complete mis-selling, and more importantly a mishandling of the situation.” A police spokeswoman said: “We have no record of her being arrested – we were called by the shop to attend and then assisted in putting her in an ambulance where she was taken to the [hospital].” Orange has so far refused to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=310 One of Britain’s leading Paralympians has led fierce criticism of the Sun newspaper for running front-page headlines that mocked the speech difficulty of the new England football manager, Roy Hodgson. Reaction to the story – and particularly the headline, “Bwing on the Euwos! (We’ll see you in Ukwaine against Fwance)” – drew widespread criticism from disabled activists, footballers and fans, with several pointing out that Hodgson speaks five languages, while the Sun “struggles to write in one”. The Press Complaints Commission has so far received more than 1,000 complaints about the article from members of the public, although Hodgson has said he does not want to lodge a complaint himself. One of those who reacted on Twitter was David Clarke, who is set to captain Britain’s blind football team at this summer’s Paralympic Games in London, and wrote: “The Sun yet again reaches an all-time low in headlines! God help us when you report the Paralympics!” He told Disability News Service: “It was appalling. I felt it was wholly inappropriate, but I was completely unsurprised given its source. “If that is the best they can come up with on the appointment of a new England manager, god help us when we start to see people with some serious disabilities in the summer.” Stephen Brookes, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network and the retiring chair of the National Union of Journalists’ disabled members council, said the Sun’s front page showed why “disabled people feel that the press are targeting them”. He added: “What a disgraceful way to report a key story. If anyone can find an excuse I would like to see what it is.” The Sun has refused to comment on its treatment of the Hodgson story. I CAN, the children’s communication charity, said the coverage was “disappointing”. Virginia Beardshaw, I CAN’s chief executive, said Hodgson was “a great role model for all young people with communication difficulties”. She said: “We know that children with communication difficulties are often at risk of bullying. Therefore it is disappointing to see that Roy Hodgson’s speech has been singled out in the mainstream media for entertainment value.” The Sun front page appeared only hours after Rupert Murdoch – who heads the Sun’s parent company – was described in a Commons culture, media and sport committee report as “not a fit person” to be running a major international company. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=309 Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) – including Inclusion London, the UK Disabled People’s Council and the Disability Hate Crime Network (DHCN) – told Disability News Service (DNS) last November that they wanted to give evidence to the inquiry, set up in the wake of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. But although the inquiry has accepted their subsequent written statement, it appears to have ruled out any chance of disabled people giving evidence in person. Inclusion London, and the other DPOs and activists who signed up to its witness statement, say there is strong evidence that disabled people are facing an increase in targeted hostility and hate crime as a result of stories that have been published in newspapers such as the Daily Mail, particularly on the subject of disability benefits. They believe that headlines such as “Disabled Benefit? Just fill in a form” and “75% on sick are skiving” are leading to the “demonization” of disabled people, while “fair and accurate reporting, particularly in relation to disability benefit fraud, has gone out the window”. But despite a joint written submission being accepted and published on the Leveson website, an inquiry spokesman told DNS that it was now too late to take evidence in person on the issue because the inquiry had moved on from discussing the relationship between the press and the public. He said the inquiry team was “content” with the evidence it had been sent in written form, and added: “They are happy to work off written evidence and submissions and they think they have got enough of them. “The inquiry is content that it will cover issues around the way the media has treated people with disabilities.” He said the inquiry intended to publish “further submissions relating to disability issues shortly”. Tracey Lazard, chief executive of Inclusion London, said they and other organisations and individuals would be writing to the inquiry to “strongly urge them to specifically address the issue of the portrayal of disabled people in the media” and to ask to be able to give oral evidence to the inquiry. She said: “This issue is extremely important to disabled people and the impact of current grossly inaccurate reporting is directly linked to rising incidents of disability hate crime and hostility which in turn is causing disabled people to live in fear and anxiety.” Stephen Brookes, a DHCN coordinator and the retiring joint chair of the National Union of Journalists’ disabled members council, said: “I am deeply dismayed that a real opportunity has been missed by Leveson and those submitting to its work in making the press as a whole take responsibility for creating an environment which is not just hostile to, but actually has created criminal hate towards, disabled people and other minority groups. “It is of little surprise that disabled people and their organisations are at odds with the media in all its guises.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=308 Disabled bloggers have posted their views about topics as diverse as sex, special education, assistive technology and the barriers facing disabled farmers, as part of the seventh annual Blogging Against Disablism Day (BADD). The annual event, which took place on 1 May, was the idea of the anonymous disabled activist who has been blogging at Diary of a Goldfish since 2005. BADD allows disabled and non-disabled people across the world to blog about their “experiences, observations and thoughts about disability discrimination” and “raise awareness of inequality, promote equality and celebrate the progress we’ve made”. This year’s BADD saw more than a hundred blogs, with subjects ranging from a global perspective on the impact of disablism on disabled people across the planet, to fire safety for deaf people, attitudes to self-harm, the importance of role models and how to fight disablism. Others described the impact that discrimination has had on their lives, how they had learned to live with a chronic health condition or with chronic pain, or provided anecdotes that celebrated positive attitudes to disability. Ruth Madison blogged about the non-existent divide between disabled and non-disabled people, while Indigo Jo Blogs called for versions of websites for mobile phones to be made accessible, and Laura Woodhouse blogged about disablist language. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=307 Tributes have been paid across the disability movement to Lord [Jack] Ashley, the UK’s first deaf MP and a hugely committed campaigner for disability rights for more than 40 years, who died on Friday (20 April). Many spoke of his fearsome campaigning skills, his commitment to the rights of disabled people, and his personal charm, while he was once described by Labour’s Gordon Brown as “a shining beacon for honour and decency”. Others highlighted his vital contribution to breaking down the barriers to disabled people’s participation in public life. Jack Ashley lost his hearing in 1967, soon after being elected as a Labour MP, and would have resigned but was urged to stay on by the Labour prime minister, Harold Wilson. Ashley learned to lip-read, and rebuilt what had been a promising political career – with the support of his wife, Pauline – working as a profoundly deaf MP for 25 years, before partially regaining his hearing through a cochlear implant after he had retired as an MP and been made a Labour peer. Jack Ashley was prominent in a string of high-profile campaigns on behalf of disabled people over four decades, both as an MP and later as a member of the Lords. One of the most successful was his parliamentary and public work to fight for compensation for people born with impairments caused by their mothers taking the drug thalidomide while pregnant in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Guy Tweedy, a thalidomide survivor and a leading disabled activist himself, said: “He was a great inspiration for disabled people and for thalidomide victims in the UK. He was one of my heroes. “Jack Ashley has a special place in our hearts because he brought it to the attention of the nation. He put pressure on the government and on Distillers [the company which marketed the drug thalidomide in the UK]. His contribution was massive.” Tweedy points to a parliamentary debate in November 1972, which opened with Ashley describing Distillers’ efforts to avoid paying decent levels of compensation for 10 years as “a shocking example of man's inhumanity to man, not to mention this firm’s inhumanity to the children”. The MP went on to describe the company’s behaviour as “a grave national scandal, a display of moral irresponsibility which has seldom if ever been surpassed”. As a result of working on Alf Morris’s ground-breaking chronically sick and disabled persons bill, Ashley had set up the all-party parliamentary disability group (APPDG) in 1969, which he continued to chair until 2009, then becoming its president. He was the first MP to raise the issue of domestic violence in parliament, and campaigned for subtitling of television programmes, and for winter fuel payments for disabled people under 60 with high support needs. He also played a leading role in pushing for disability discrimination legislation, introducing his own private members’ bill in 1983, paving the way more than 10 years later for the first Disability Discrimination Act. More recently, he twice introduced another private members’ bill in the House of Lords, this time to try to guarantee disabled people a legal right to independent living. The bill won support in the Lords, but failed in the Commons because of government opposition. Liz Sayce, chief executive of Disability Rights UK, which provides administrative support for the APPDG, and supported the independent living bill, said Lord Ashley had “transformed politics and placed disabled people’s right to choice and control at the very heart of the political debate”. Lord Ashley’s fellow disabled peer, Baroness [Jane] Campbell, said she was “deeply saddened” to learn of his death and would “miss him very much”. She worked with him for more than 25 years on numerous disability rights campaigns, and took over from him as co-chair of the APPDG in 2009. She said: “He always understood what we were trying to achieve and did everything in his power to push our agenda hard in parliament. “He was the most effective MP – and then Lord – I have ever met. I suspect this was due to his combination of personal experience of disability, political astuteness and wonderfully persuasive manner. “He inspired me to take my knowledge and experience into the belly of the beast to fight alongside him and supported me every step of the way.” She and Labour MP Anne McGuire, her APPDG co-chair, said later in a statement: “By speaking out powerfully against discrimination and neglect and campaigning for an equal society, Jack changed the lives of many disabled people and enabled them to lead fulfilling lives. “Thanks to his efforts, human rights and non-discrimination legislation and measures to end disability poverty were introduced, whilst he raised a greater awareness of disability equality across the whole spectrum of government policy. “As a deaf parliamentarian he paved the way for disabled people to become leaders and spokespersons in our democracy. He demonstrated that it is often a matter of attitude to break down barriers to political participation.” Disabled activist Nick Danagher first met Ashley when he was visiting one of the first “integrated” schools – at which Danagher was a pupil – and said he made a “huge impression” on him and remained a “massive influence”. He said: “We were used to having the great and the good visiting the unit but he would talk to people on an equal basis, telling us that our school was really important because of its modern approach.” In later years, Danagher met Ashley several times as a disabled activist and found him “really charming and a really good communicator”. “He could talk to disabled people with great credibility but he also got listened to by ministers. He was a great orator and sometimes great orators will appear very insincere, but you believed that he really truly believed what he was saying.” He added: “He was on the inside of the establishment but still very much one of us. I think he was part of the movement. He brought that sort of statesmanlike authority to our messages about the need for legal rights, and not just for people to be nice to us.” The disabled Labour MP Dame Anne Begg said it was the example of Jack Ashley that convinced her that she could become an MP herself. Ashley, she said, was “a trailblazer” who had convinced the Commons authorities that he needed things done differently and that “there was not just one way of doing things”. “I thought that if he and David Blunkett could do it, I could do it.” She said that Ashley “would not take no for an answer”, but was also “a lovely, lovely man”, and someone who managed to build a cross-party consensus on the need for disability rights legislation. She said it was his personal experience of disability that gave him the “edge” over other MPs who campaigned on disability rights, such as Alf Morris and Tom Clarke. Lord Ashley was also vice-president of the National Deaf Children’s Society. The charity’s chief executive Susan Daniels said he was “a passionate advocate for deaf and disabled people” and an “inspirational figure”, and had left behind a “truly great legacy”. 25 April 2012 http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=306 Four young people have spent four days travelling more than 800 miles around Wales on public transport, to raise awareness of the barriers they and other disabled people face. The “All Aboard” Transport Challenge was part of the 40th birthday celebrations of Disability Wales, the leading disabled people’s organisation in Wales. Although there were few major problems, the event had been sponsored by the transport company Arriva, so its staff were aware in advance of the route. But the four travellers were still able to highlight a number of areas where access could be improved. The four young people, all members of Pembrokeshire Young Voices for Choices, started their four-day challenge in Haverfordwest on Tuesday 17 April, and visited towns such as Shrewsbury, Wrexham, Bangor, Aberystwyth and Carmarthen, before returning to Haverfordwest. There was also an unscheduled trip between Carmarthen and Swansea, which again passed off without major problems. One of the four, Sian Jones, a wheelchair-user from Goodwick, said the four days had gone better than expected, with helpful staff, but she said she had hoped for “more of a challenge”. Among problems she encountered, she twice experienced train staff addressing her personal assistant (PA) rather than talking to her directly, while there was often luggage blocking the wheelchair spaces on both trains and buses, train toilets were not big enough for both her and her PA, and bus timetables were hard to read and understand. Jones stressed that the comparatively problem-free four days did not mean there were no improvements needed to access on public transport. She said: “I have thought [on previous occasions] that I was going to be stuck on the train because they had forgotten about me. They have forgotten to book me in and forgotten to put the ramp out for me to get off.” Rhian Davies, chief executive of Disability Wales, said: “Overall, it was a positive experience but they have previously had difficult experiences travelling on public transport, or have even avoided using it altogether.” She added: “We ended with a celebratory event at Haverfordwest and a representative from Arriva Trains Wales was there taking notes. “There has been quite a big investment in the infrastructure and train and station improvements but he recognised that there was still work to be done on staff attitudes and staff training. “It was good that they had a good experience because it shows that it can be done and doesn’t take a huge amount of effort to get it right. “If it can be done for these four then it should be done for any disabled person travelling any time anywhere by public transport.” Disability Wales will now meet with Arriva Trains Wales to discuss issues that arose from the event, and also hopes to meet with Carl Sargeant, the Welsh government minister for local government and communities, and members of the National Assembly’s new cross-party group on disability. As another part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, Disability Wales is producing The Story at 40, a film funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund that will record the experiences of Welsh disabled people who were born in 1972. 25 April 2012 http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=305 A disability charity is calling on the banking industry to do more to make its services accessible to blind and partially-sighted people. RNIB issued the call as it published a new guide offering advice to the financial industry on how to improve services for almost two million people living with sight loss in the UK. RNIB research from 2009 found less than a third of blind and partially-sighted people could manage their finances independently, while nine in ten told a survey last year that they found it difficult or impossible to use a cash machine on their own. The new guide, The Banking Experience, also says that more than a third of blind and partially-sighted people still do not receive their bank statements in their preferred format. Lesley-Anne Alexander, RNIB’s chief executive, said: “Being able to manage your money is an essential component to leading an independent life. “It is shocking that the majority of blind and partially-sighted people aren’t able to independently use ATMs [cash machines], and that a significant number still do not receive financial information in accessible formats. “We hope this new guide will help banks to better meet the needs of their blind and partially-sighted customers.” The new guide – due to be launched next week in the City of London – points out that clearer signage, better support from staff, and improved online services would also benefit older people and disabled people with other impairments. It offers advice on areas such as customer service and disability awareness training; physical access within bank branches; the accessibility of over-the-counter services; online and telephone banking; and access to information. The guide also calls for more banks to introduce talking cash machines, an issue RNIB has been campaigning on since last September. One of the blind and partially-sighted people RNIB talked to for the guide said: “I’m desperate for ATMs [cash machines] to be made more accessible to blind and partially-sighted people. “It would make such a difference to be able to draw out money in this way without having to reply on my fiancé and would enable me to feel so much more independent.” The guide has been endorsed by the British Bankers’ Association and Martin Lewis, founder of the website MoneySavingExpert.com. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=304 Leading price comparison websites are ignoring their legal obligations to make their sites accessible to disabled people, according to a new report. The disability charity AbilityNet, which analysed the accessibility of five sites for its report, said disabled people should be a significant market for any retail website, because they “often have less cash and less opportunity to shop around the physical high street”. The charity tested the accessibility of Compare the Market, Go Compare, mySupermarket, Kelkoo and Confused.com. Not one of the five achieved the three-star rating that indicates a basic level of accessibility for disabled people. It found four of them – with one star each – were potentially breaching the Equality Act, while Kelkoo – the only site to gain two stars – only satisfied some legal accessibility requirements. One blind user of screen-reading software who tested the mySupermarket site said they would rather “starve” than use it to buy groceries. Robin Christopherson, AbilityNet’s head of digital inclusion, said: “Like everyone else in these hard times, the country’s 12 million disabled people want to get the best deal when they’re shopping, whether that’s for insurance, groceries or anything else. “But these cash-strapped shoppers are losing out due to badly-designed web pages that prevent them from shopping around and accessing the online bargains they need to make ends meet.” He added: “It is just as illegal to bar disabled visitors from accessing your goods and services online as it would be to keep them out of your shop in the ‘real world’.” A Compare the Market spokeswoman said: “We are always looking at ways to improve what we do and we have taken AbilityNet’s report very seriously. “We are reviewing the report and looking at their findings and after that process has concluded we will see what changes we can make.” Chris Simpson, chief marketing officer for Kelkoo, said his company would “look carefully at the findings of this research and, where possible, review our practices to improve this experience for disabled people”. He said: “We are certainly open to further talks with AbilityNet to understand more about the study and how we can improve our score going forward.” A Gocompare.com spokeswoman said: “We’re keen that Gocompare.com should be easily accessible to as many users as possible. “We welcome this report and will be looking carefully at the findings to see where improvements can be made.” No-one from Confused.com was able to comment, and mySupermarket did not reply to requests for a response to the report. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=303 Sports governing bodies must do much more to encourage disabled people to play sport regularly, according to the cabinet minister responsible for the London 2012 Paralympics. Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, told a conference organised by the government that he wanted to “call time on piecemeal, tokenistic nods to inclusion” by sports organisations. The 2012 Disability Sports Summit, at Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium, was the first such event focused on boosting disabled people’s participation in sport, and was attended by scores of senior figures from sports governing bodies and disability organisations. Hunt said the Paralympic Games would be one of the biggest opportunities to create a permanent “legacy” from London 2012, and he wanted to see more disabled people “pick up a sporting habit for life”, with Britain setting a “global benchmark for inclusion” in sport. He said the participation rate of disabled people was currently “far too low”, with only one in six disabled adults playing sport every week. Hunt, a former shadow minister for disabled people, said he had insisted that all schools taking part in the new School Games provided opportunities for competitive sport for disabled children. He said the School Games was showing that through “quite simple adjustments”, disabled and non-disabled children could compete on a “totally equal basis”, creating opportunities for disabled children and transforming the attitudes of non-disabled children. He also called for a “stronger sense of common purpose” among those involved in grassroots disability sport, in order to bring in more corporate investment. And he suggested that the increasing personalisation of care and support provided a “big opportunity” to increase participation by encouraging disabled people to use part of their personal budgets to fund regular sporting activity and so improve their “health and well-being”. Chris Holmes, winner of nine Paralympic swimming gold medals before his retirement and now director of Paralympic integration for the 2012 organising committee LOCOG, said he hoped the efforts made to integrate the Olympics and Paralympics for the first time would send “ripples out not just across sport but across education, employment and society”. He said he hoped the Paralympics would cause a “lightning storm” across the country, “to spark thousands of hearts and minds” among sports administrators, governing bodies and disabled people. Jennie Price, chief executive of Sport England, who also spoke at the summit, said disability sport was now a “major priority” for her organisation, with the focus on participation in non-elite level sport for disabled adults. Sport England is to invest £8 million from its Places People Play programme to address barriers to disabled people’s sporting participation. Price said that only 11 of 46 sports governing bodies had set targets for including disabled people, while participation rates were just over half those of non-disabled people. Several leading disabled figures warned Hunt and Price at the summit that much more needed to be done by the sports sector. Julie Newman, acting chair of the UK Disabled People’s Council (UKDPC), said one of the biggest barriers to inclusion was the frequent “prejudice” shown by sports governing bodies. She told Disability News Service later that more disabled people must be represented on governing bodies, while sports organisations needed to do more to engage with disabled people, for example through disability equality training and diversity strategies led and created by disabled people. Mike Brace, a member of LOCOG’s diversity board and a trustee of the Disability Sports Development Trust, warned Hunt that many disabled children were not receiving their compulsory two hours a week of physical education. Saghir Alam, patron of Include Me Too, which works with black and minority ethnic (BME) and other marginalised disabled children, warned of the challenge of including children from these communities in grassroots sport when so many disabled people’s organisations were closing down or struggling with funding. And Jaspal Dhani, UKDPC’s chief executive and a wheelchair basketball player for 30 years, called for action to address the very low participation rates of BME communities in disability sport. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=302 Tackling the bureaucratic barriers faced by disabled people, a list of the top disability-friendly employers, and recruiting more disabled teachers, are just some of the suggestions for how the government can improve disabled people’s lives. The ideas were among <a href="http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/odi-projects/fulfilling-potential.php" target="_blank">more than 500 responses to Fulfilling Potential</a>, a discussion document issued by the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) in December, which will feed into the new cross-government disability strategy that is due to be published in late spring. ODI says it wants the strategy to “tackle barriers to realising aspirations and individual control, as well as change attitudes and behaviour towards disabled people”. And it says it will build on the Labour government’s work, including the <a href="http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPo"licyAndGuidance/DH_4101751" target="_blank">Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People report</a>, the <a href="http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/odi-projects/independent-living-strategy.php" target="_blank">Independent Living Strategy</a>, and <a href="http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/roadmap-to-disability-equality/index.php" target="_blank">Roadmap 2025</a>, as well as the UK government’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Nearly half of the responses to the discussion document came from individual disabled people. Among the suggestions in the “realising aspirations” category were for ODI to have its own “red tape challenge”, asking disabled people to identify wasteful and bureaucratic barriers; to spend more of the special educational needs budget on supporting disabled children in mainstream education; and to fund a list of the top disability-friendly employers, similar to the annual league table of gay-friendly workplaces produced by the charity Stonewall. Among comments in the “individual control” section were calls for stronger advocacy programmes and support for disabled people’s user-led organisations; a warning that some support services were being restricted to disabled people with “critical” needs; and calls for a focus on barriers to buildings, transport and information to ensure people enjoy choice and control of their support. In the changing attitudes and awareness category, suggestions included a call for more disabled teachers, healthcare professionals and local councillors; a greater focus on implementing and enforcing the Equality Act; and fresh claims that Department for Work and Pensions press releases on benefit fraud have increased disability hate crime. Maria Miller, the Conservative minister for disabled people, told an event held to discuss the feedback last week: “I want to make clear that from the very top of government we are absolutely committed to achieving a step change in supporting disabled people to fulfil their potential in every area of life.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=301 Two new high-profile campaigns are set to highlight the barriers that disabled people face when trying to use public transport. The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/A2BForAll">A2BForAll campaign</a>, which has been backed by several leading disabled people’s organisations, published research this week showing that more than half of disabled users have felt discriminated against when trying to access public transport. More than half of the 200 disabled people questioned said they had been forced to find other ways to travel because of the treatment they received on public transport. The campaign, headed by Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson, wants the government to appoint a regulator – funded by the transport industry – to improve staff training, and keep a central register of complaints that would play a key part in awarding public transport franchises. The campaign has grown out of legal action being taken by 16 disabled people in Darlington <a href="http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/index.php/2011/08/disabled-women-set-for-court-fight-with-bus-company/" target="blank">against the bus company Arriva North East</a> (ANE). Gordon Pybus, chair of Darlington Association on Disability, which has supported them in their legal action and backs the campaign, said accessible public transport was vital with the government reforming the benefits system and calling for more disabled people to find work, particularly with many likely to lose their Motability vehicles because of disability living allowance reform. He said: “To allow us to do that, we must have a transport infrastructure that is really accessible for all disabled people.” The Liberal Democrat transport minister Norman Baker said: “While a regulator might look superficially attractive, it could cause duplication with work already being done by Passenger Focus [the rail watchdog] and Bus Users UK [the bus passengers’ organisation], and it will almost certainly add to costs.” A2BForAll is also being backed by user-led charities Transport For All, Trafford Centre for Independent Living, and Derbyshire Coalition for Inclusive Living, and is funded by legal firm Unity Law. They hope to secure more than 100,000 signatures on <a href="http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/27905" target="_blank">a petition backing the demands</a>, so the issue can be debated by MPs. Channel 4 News has also launched its own campaign, to investigate the state of accessible public transport in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Channel 4 News wants its <a href="http://www.facebook.com/nogobritain" target"_blank">No Go Britain campaign</a> to build up a comprehensive picture by asking disabled viewers for their experiences. Alison Walsh, Channel 4’s disability advisor, said: “The stories that the Channel 4 News team reveal, and the picture they build across the country, should form the basis for serious discussion about how we can improve the system for disabled users.” Baroness Grey-Thompson told Channel 4 News that she had been forced to crawl off a train earlier this year because there were no staff on the platform to receive her late-night train. She said: “I think as a disabled person travelling, you always have an element of fear or just feeling very uncomfortable, of panic, of wondering whether you’re going to get off.” She said she wanted to see many more disabled people using public transport, but “unless there are some massive changes – not only to the equipment but to staff training – we’re not going to get more disabled people using public transport”. Baker said his department was “working hard to ensure that all transport staff have the appropriate disability awareness training”, and has supported a disability awareness training module for the bus industry. About two-thirds of bus drivers have now had awareness training, he said. He added: “We recommend that transport operators involve disabled people themselves in developing the training, and that both front line and management staff are trained and their skills regularly updated.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=300 The MP leading a review of Labour’s special educational needs (SEN) policy has suggested it will recommend a far more inclusive approach than the coalition government’s anti-inclusion stance. Sharon Hodgson, the shadow minister for children and families, was taking evidence from campaigners at an event organised by the Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE). Tara Flood, ALLFIE’s director, said the Labour party was now in a “fantastic” position to “do something innovative, to do something creative and brave” on inclusion, but must first realise that the “current system isn’t working”. She said: “This is the chance when the current government are so determined in terms of inclusion to turn the clock back 30 years. Those of us who succeed do that despite the current system.” Nicholas Russell, co-chair of Labour’s disabled members group, said the review needed to address the bullying of disabled pupils. He said: “If you deal with bullying in schools then hopefully you will have a lot less disability hate crime.” He also called for the review to recommend that more disabled people become school governors, and are given the support they need to do that. Simone Aspis, ALLFIE’s policy and campaigns coordinator, told Hodgson that disabled people must have “complete human and civil rights to access mainstream education”, while there must be a focus on the barriers that need to be removed to enable disabled people to learn. Hodgson, whose son is disabled, said she believed that including disabled children in mainstream schools would help other children grow up without prejudice, which was “why we really have to fight for this”. She said she disagreed with David Cameron’s view that there was a “bias towards inclusion” in the education system. And she suggested that her review would recommend mandatory SEN training for all student teachers, with schools also forced to use one of their five annual “inset” training days to improve their teachers’ SEN knowledge. Sarifa Patel, ALLFIE’s co-chair, told Hodgson that disability history should be taught in schools, while teachers should be taught about the social model of disability during their training. She also pointed out that parents of disabled children from black and minority ethnic communities faced the additional barrier of institutional racism in the education system. Miro Griffiths, a disability equality consultant, said schools must understand how disabled young people can be supported into employment through schemes such as Access to Work. Lucy Bartley, whose husband Jonathan challenged David Cameron in front of TV cameras during the 2010 election campaign on the Conservative leader’s pledge to “end the bias towards the inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream schools”, said the resistance they had faced in trying to ensure their disabled son Samuel attended a mainstream school had been “all about attitudes”. She said his eventual inclusion had changed the culture of the school, and added: “Enabling our children to be within mainstream provision changes that provision.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=299 A decision by Heathrow Airport to trial a new wheelchair repair service in time for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics has been welcomed by young disabled campaigners. The move was mentioned last week by BAA, which runs Heathrow, at a meeting of the all- party parliamentary group for young disabled people. Two years ago, research by the Trailblazers group of young disabled campaigners found that the fear of damage to electric wheelchairs – which can cost up to £16,000 – while being loaded and unloaded from flights was a major source of anxiety for young disabled people. The Heathrow trial is set to run from July to September, spanning both the Olympics and Paralympics, and will see a specialist technician stationed at the airport to fix faults on the spot. About 80 per cent of London 2012 visitors – including many Paralympic athletes – are expected to pass through Heathrow. Trailblazer Jagdeep Sehmbi, from Birmingham, said: “This is great news for disabled flyers. A couple of years ago, I arrived back into Heathrow after a holiday to find my wheelchair broken and bent out of shape. “I’m dependent on my wheelchair for independence day to day, so I’m stranded when it is out of action. “I really feel for disabled people from other countries who experience the same thing, when they have paid hundreds or even thousands of pounds to come here and enjoy their holidays. “Knowing there will be an expert at the airport should the worst happen means that people can relax and enjoy their breaks.” A Heathrow spokeswoman said: “Heathrow faces a huge challenge during London 2012 as we will see large numbers of passengers with reduced mobility arriving and departing during the Paralympic Games. “To ensure the facilities we already have available are suitable we will be putting in place additional measures which include ramp-lifting devices [to allow baggage handlers to move wheelchairs up and down], toilets, lightweight aisle chairs, changing places and a wheelchair repair service. Final details of the wheelchair repair service are still being finalised.” The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, which runs Trailblazers, said it hoped the wheelchair repair trial would be successful and that London 2012 “might bring us the legacy of a permanent wheelchair repair service at our busiest airport”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=298 London’s mayor could be breaching his Equality Act duties by refusing to trial an accessible version of his cycle hire scheme, it has been claimed. Boris Johnson launched his <a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx" target="_blank">high-profile cycle scheme</a> – which is sponsored by Barclays – in 2010, allowing anyone to hire a bike from one of hundreds of “docking” points across the city. The scheme – which is not accessible to many disabled people – has so far been used more than 10 million times, with nearly 140,000 cycles being hired every week. But despite the scheme’s apparent success, the mayor has refused to pilot a scheme that would allow disabled Londoners and tourists to increase their enjoyment of the city’s royal parks by hiring one of a small number of accessible hand-cycles. The idea was suggested by <a href="http://www.proudlockassociates.com/" target="_blank">disabled access consultant Tracey Proudlock</a>, a wheelchair-user who lives in north London, who wrote to Johnson about her idea in January 2011, and has suggested Hyde Park as the venue for a pilot. She thought it would be an ideal scheme to trial in the lead-up to the London 2012 Paralympics. She said: “If you invested some money in having some decent bikes than I think it would be a big success. “It’s about just getting a little bit fitter and getting out and having a good time.” Johnson passed Proudlock’s idea to his deputy, Richard Barnes, who met with Proudlock last year but has now told her the mayor’s office was “not able to progress this particular idea”. She suggested that the mayor’s refusal to set up an accessible trial of the scheme could be a breach of his public sector equality duty under the Equality Act. Among the problems the mayor’s team blame for turning down the idea include the difficulty of finding space for the docking stations for the hand-cycles, problems with designing a bike “to suit all disabilities”, and ensuring the bikes were evenly spread across all the hire stations, as well as the cost of the project. But Proudlock said all of these problems could be easily solved, particularly as there were many existing suppliers of hand-cycles, and the pilot scheme could be restricted to just one of London’s spacious royal parks, such as Hyde Park. The mayor’s office has so far been unable to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=297 A disabled peer has spearheaded the latest defeat of the government over its plans to reform the legal aid system and cut £350 million from its budget. Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson told peers that plans to force people to use a telephone helpline as the first point of contact when seeking help with cases of debt, discrimination, community care and special educational needs would create serious problems for many disabled people. Her amendment to the legal aid, sentencing and punishment of offenders bill would ensure that those eligible for legal aid advice would be able to access it in the forms most suited to their needs, such as a face-to-face meeting. She said some disabled people might “struggle to explain complex problems over the phone”, while “people with language or speech difficulties may be deterred from seeking advice”. The government proposal would have saved less than £2 million a year. The crossbench peer said that a “telephone-only legal aid service” might suit many people, but “those with language difficulties, learning difficulties or mental health problems may be disadvantaged”. Lord Wigley, the Plaid Cymru peer, said the government’s proposals would “in effect disfranchise individuals with learning difficulties or disabilities that impair their ability to communicate efficiently from being able to access advice” and would “put up shocking barriers to equal access to justice”. The Liberal Democrat justice minister Lord McNally said that “face-to-face advice” would still be an option in those “exceptional circumstances” when suitable adaptations could not be made to the service. But he said a telephone service would be easier to access and of a higher standard than face-to-face contact, although he did make a concession by agreeing that those seeking help with community care cases would not need to use the “telephone gateway”, because of the complexity of that area of the law. Despite the concession, Baroness Grey-Thompson’s amendment was passed by 234 votes to 206. The government wants to cut about £350 million a year from the £2 billion legal aid budget for England and Wales by 2014-15, but has now suffered a string of defeats over the bill in the Lords. Last week, it was heavily defeated over plans to remove legal aid for complex benefits appeals. But coalition MPs are likely to attempt to reverse the defeats when the legislation returns to the Commons, as they did with amendments to the welfare reform bill. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=296 The body that runs the House of Commons has pledged to improve access for disabled visitors to parliament. The new <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/house-of-commons-commission/single-equality-scheme/" target="_blank">House of Commons Diversity and Inclusion Scheme</a>, developed in line with Labour’s Equality Act, sets out a strategy for the next three years. Key areas of the scheme will see equality issues “embedded” in the mainstream work of the Commons, improved access to Commons facilities, and better support for disabled staff and employees from other groups “protected” by the act, such as those from black and minority ethnic communities. The scheme promises that inclusion of disabled people will be “integral to the way we operate”, with a “major focus” on training staff who deal most frequently with Commons visitors, and new “tailored” tours for specific groups, such as those with mobility impairments. Among key access issues authorities will examine is the lack of space in some Commons committee rooms. In November, a disabled activist <a href="http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/index.php/2011/11/commons-faces-legal-threat-after-debate-access-anger/" target="_blank">threatened to take legal action against the House of Commons</a> after he and other wheelchair-users were refused entry to a debate on accessible transport. Under the new equality scheme, the Commons authorities will also consider providing pagers for MPs with hearing impairments, so they can be alerted to the division bell that warns them they need to vote. And they will examine whether they can relocate the Commons shop, which is inaccessible for wheelchair-users, and try to improve the response to requests for reasonable adjustments. The scheme also says the Commons will consider targeting young disabled people – particularly wheelchair-users – for potential internships, allowing more flexible working options, and improving information for disabled people about parliamentary facilities, particularly on the parliament website. The new scheme also pledges to increase the number of disabled people and other protected groups employed in the Commons. At present, about five per cent of the workforce are disabled people. John Bercow MP, the Commons speaker, said: “It’s vital that we do all we can to become a more equitable society and the new diversity and inclusion scheme will help us to do our part in the House of Commons.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=295 The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics are a “massive opportunity” to improve permanently the accessibility of the capital, according to Britain’s greatest Paralympian. Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson said she believed the standard of accessibility during the Olympics and Paralympics would be high. But she said the key for her and other disabled campaigners would be to push for those standards to be maintained after the games had finished. She told Disability News Service (DNS), at an event held to celebrate London 2012’s focus on diversity and inclusion: “People will expect quite a high level of accessibility. It is whether we can deliver those same things afterwards.” She pointed to plans such as the widespread use of portable ramps on the tube network, which should make public transport more accessible during the games. Baroness Grey-Thompson, a member of the 2012 organising committee LOCOG’s diversity board, said it would be vital to “keep up that level of pressure” afterwards, and added: “It is a massive opportunity for me to say, ‘you did it at games-time, so why can’t you do it now?’” She also said that those involved in organising the games, who have placed a heavy emphasis on diversity, would take that ethos with them when they moved on to their next jobs. She said: “It is not going to change the world, but I think it is going to improve it a lot.” Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat equalities minister, told DNS at the same event that diversity and inclusion had “run like a thread” through the planning for London 2012 “from day one”, and that the games would set the benchmark for accessibility and inclusivity for future Olympic and Paralympic Games. She said she believed London would be ready for the huge influx of disabled people expected to visit the city during the Paralympics. Responding to concerns about whether enough had been done to improve the accessibility of London’s hotels, shops, and other services, she said that businesses that were not accessible would “lose out” during the games. She added: “No city in the world is [accessible] in every pavement or entrance. Those that have made themselves accessible will benefit.” Richard Barnes, London’s deputy mayor, who chairs the London 2012 Equality and Diversity Forum, had told the event they would be “the most accessible games ever”, while organisers of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio were already learning from London’s approach to accessibility. He said £3.5 million had been spent by the mayor on improving access along the South Bank of the Thames between Westminster and Tower Bridge, which included relaying uneven cobblestones around Southwark. LOCOG said hundreds of millions of pounds had been spent by Transport for London on improving access to the tube network ahead of the games, including new lifts and trains, platform humps, wide aisle gates, tactile paving, and audio and visual displays, providing a “lasting legacy for all Londoners”. Barnes also pointed to the <a href="http://www.inclusivelondon.com/DefaultIL.aspx" target="_blank">Inclusive London website</a>, which provides access information about hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions in the capital. The website <a href="http://www.bhfederation.org.uk/federation-news/item/1434-2012-hotel-shortage-risks-global-damage-to-london%E2%80%99s-reputation.html" target="_blank">faced criticism last November</a> when an investigation found that, although it listed the access features of more than 1,500 hotels, only 12 per cent had been fully audited, while 61 per cent had no access information at all. Leading disabled activists warned then that time was running out to make the necessary access improvements to provide enough accessible hotel accommodation in time for the Paralympics. Disabled activists angry at the failure to put the city’s accessibility at the heart of London 2012 have set up their own website, <a href="http://www.inclusive-london.com/" target="_blank">Inclusive London?</a>, which allows disabled visitors to see “how inclusive and accessible London really is”. “Spasticus”, the anonymous disabled activist leading Inclusive London?, said last year that the mayor and LOCOG were “in complete denial about the city’s accessibility compared to other major cities worldwide”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=294 Channel 4 has announced the disabled presenters and reporters who will be the faces of its coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics. The line-up includes former Paralympians and established broadcasters, as well as new disabled talent selected through a nationwide search. Channel 4, the official UK broadcaster for this year’s Paralympics, has promised that half of its presenters and reporters will be disabled people. It has pledged more than 150 hours of coverage on Channel 4 and More 4, for what will be the biggest broadcasting event in its 30-year history. The broadcaster announced its line-up as London 2012 organisers marked the latest milestone in the count-down to the Paralympics: six months before the opening ceremony on 29 August. Peak-time live TV coverage of the games will be fronted by Ade Adepitan, the former Paralympian and experienced presenter, alongside the non-disabled sports presenter Clare Balding. The disabled Australian comedian Adam Hills – who co-hosted live coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies for the Australian broadcaster ABC during the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 – will host the evening peak-time highlights show. Other former Paralympians to feature will include athlete Danny Crates and swimmer Giles Long. But Channel 4’s coverage will also include seven disabled presenters and reporters who were selected through a talent search launched in September 2010. Irish broadcast journalist Daráine Mulvihill and former Royal Marine and wheelchair athlete Arthur Williams will both work as presenters, while former Paralympic swimmer Rachael Latham, sports reporter and wheelchair basketball player Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, former carpenter Martin Dougan, researcher Liam Holt and sports journalist Alex Brooker will all feature as reporters. Non-disabled presenters and reporters will include veteran Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow, who will present coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies, and former Olympic athletes Jonathan Edwards and Iwan Thomas. Jay Hunt, chief creative officer at Channel 4, said the line-up of presenters and reporters was “a mix of broadcasting heavyweights and new faces”. He said the coverage would include “in-depth analysis and intelligent, frank and thought-provoking insight from people who are equipped to bring these incredible but little understood sports to a broad mainstream audience”. He said: “We will be on air before the sport of the day begins and until the last flag has been rolled up and put away with all the action, expert comment and analysis and specially commissioned breakfast and tea-time shows. “This is a 400 per cent increase on the coverage the Paralympics has ever received in this country and will make it impossible to ignore.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=293 The organisers of London 2012 have unveiled the new Paralympic torch, as they marked the latest milestone in the count-down to the games. The three-sided torch – made from an aluminium alloy – has the same design as the golden Olympic torch, but has been given a silver mirrored finish so that its colour will adapt to its surroundings. Because part of the torch relay will take place at night – the Olympic relay will only take place during the day – the lit Paralympic torch should also shine brightly and stand out in the darkness. The <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympic-torch-relay" target="_blank">three sides of the torch</a> echo the three identical but differently-coloured shapes that make up the Paralympic symbol. The torch was revealed as the 2012 organising committee, LOCOG, marked six months to the opening ceremony of the games on 29 August. LOCOG also confirmed that the Paralympics will be declared open by the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh. They will also perform the same roles at the Olympics opening ceremony on 27 July. It will be the first time the Queen has opened a Paralympic games, although she opened the Montreal Olympics in 1976. The Paralympics torch relay will take a unique form, with separate flames lit in London (24 August), Belfast (25 August), Edinburgh (26 August) and Cardiff (27 August), before the four are brought together at a ceremony on 28 August at Stoke Mandeville, the “spiritual home” of the Paralympic movement. This flame will then be carried by teams of volunteers on a 24-hour relay to the Olympic Stadium in east London for the opening ceremony. LOCOG also announced the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympic-torch-relay" target="_blank">33 communities across the UK that will host Paralympic “flame celebrations”</a> over the August bank holiday weekend. Other communities will be encouraged to play a part by lighting their own lanterns. Sir Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), said: “I think it is brilliant that the actual Paralympic flame, that will be used to light the cauldron in the opening ceremony on 29 August, will be created at Stoke Mandeville, a place steeped in Paralympic history. “The games are coming home in six months’ time and it is only right that we celebrate the significance of Stoke Mandeville, the Paralympic movement’s birthplace.” The torch will be carried by teams nominated by the public – and then selected by the relay’s sponsors, Sainsbury’s, BT and Lloyds TSB – as well as those nominated by the IPC, the British Paralympic Association, and the three sponsors. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=292 The government appears to have backed away from introducing new laws that could have forced users of mobility scooters and powered wheelchair to take out insurance, undergo training and take proficiency tests. Two years ago, the previous government launched a consultation on possible reforms aimed at modernising the law on mobility vehicles. The consultation document pointed to a “growing concern” about safety – particularly with scooters – although it said evidence suggested a “very low” number of injuries. Responding to the subsequent consultation – which ended in May 2010 – Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport minister, said he would be meeting with “interested parties” to review the evidence on insurance, training, and the possibility of mandatory eye tests for users of class three scooters – those that travel at up to eight mph. He said: “I am conscious of the crucial role such vehicles play in some people’s lives and that will be an important factor in deciding what further actions, if any, to take.” Helen Dolphin, director of policy and campaigns for Disabled Motoring UK, said: “Our policy is that insurance should be compulsory because of the kind of problems people get into when they do not have insurance, such as injuring other people.” But she said it would not be easy to introduce compulsory insurance, as there would probably also need to be some kind of driving test and licensing system for scooter-users. She added: “We are very much in favour of training. People need to take responsibility for themselves and should seek training if they feel they need it.” Dolphin said Disabled Motoring UK would continue to call on the government to introduce compulsory insurance. Baker also said he had decided to make no changes to maximum permitted speeds or the current minimum age of 14 for using a class three vehicle. But he did announce that the government would replace the outdated term “invalid carriage” in legislation. And following recommendations by the transport select committee, Baker said the Department for Transport was now working with the industry to develop a kite-marking scheme that would let disabled people know in advance if they would be able to use their scooters on buses and trains. Dolphin said she would be in favour of a kite-marking scheme if it helped cut the large number of scooter-users who are unfairly refused entry onto public transport. Baker also announced the publication of new guidance for users of mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs on the road. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=291 The European Union (EU) must act to halt the “blatant discrimination” that prevents disabled people working, studying or travelling in other countries, according to a major new report by Europe’s leading disabled people’s organisation. <a href="http://cms.horus.be/files/99909/MediaArchive/library/Freedom%20Guide.pdf" target="_blank">The Freedom Guide, or Paving the Way Towards Free Movement for Persons with Disabilities</a>, is a key part of the European Disability Forum’s (EDF) new campaign to remove the barriers to free movement faced by disabled people in the EU. Although EU treaties guarantee freedom of movement of people, goods and services from one member state to another, disabled people still face an “alarmingly high” number of barriers which mean exercising those rights is “almost impossible”, says the report. These include barriers to studying, looking for a job, travelling, buying mainstream goods and services or accessing information. The report highlights the importance of introducing “portability” of disability benefits and personal assistance if freedom of movement is to become a reality for disabled people. And it says that a new European Accessibility Act, which the European Commission plans to introduce later this year, must be “ambitious and legally binding”. It also calls for a new European Mobility Card, which would allow disabled people the same concessions as disabled people in other EU countries – such as reduced-price theatre tickets or reduced fares – when they are travelling through or living in those countries. The report includes contributions from many of the continent’s leading disabled activists, including John Evans, co-founder of the National Centre for Independent Living and now an EDF board member and an advisory board member of the European Network on Independent Living. He says in the report: “Disabled people remain invisible compared to their non-disabled compatriots who have the freedom to move around Europe to work, study or travel and to access social security systems if necessary in whatever country of their choosing whenever they want.” He says it is “blatant discrimination” that he is denied the opportunity to accept a job in another country purely because he would not be allowed to take his personal assistance package of support with him, which he believes contravenes the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Evans also points to disabled people forced to live in institutions as one of the most “extreme barriers” to freedom of movement across the EU. Erik Olsen, an EDF executive committee member and a board member of the European Network of (ex-) Users and Survivors in Psychiatry, says in the report that the institutionalisation of disabled people was “in total contradiction with fundamental rights”. He says: “One of the most extreme examples of barriers is that some persons with mental health issues are tied to a bed in an institution where they might live temporarily or permanently. “Such degrading and violent measures can go on for hours. De-institutionalisation is an absolute precondition for freedom of movement.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=290 A ruling by the court of appeal has left disabled air passengers with no protection from discrimination during their flight, the equality watchdog has warned. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the court’s ruling, which dismissed discrimination cases against two airlines, had “narrowed the rights” of disabled air passengers. The three judges ruled that international rules on air travel – the Montreal Convention – should take precedence during flights over UK law and a European regulation on accessibility and discrimination. The ruling means that disabled people will not be able to claim compensation from an airline if they face discrimination during a flight. The EHRC had funded the appeals of two disabled men, Tony Hook and Christopher Stott. Stott had booked a return flight with Thomas Cook to the Greek island of Zante for himself and his wife – his carer – in September 2008 from East Midlands Airport. They had been promised adjacent seats, but on the return flight were not allowed to sit next to each other, which made it difficult for Stott’s wife to attend to his personal care needs. At trial, a judge had ruled that Thomas Cook breached Stott’s rights under the European regulation, but rejected his damages claim because of the Montreal Convention. In Hook’s case, British Airways failed to make the seating arrangements the airline had promised him and his family for flights to and from Paphos in Greece in July and August 2008, which made it difficult for his care needs to be met. Hook and his family found the flights so distressing that they pledged never to fly again. BA had successfully applied at an earlier hearing to have Hook’s damages claim struck out, again because of the Montreal Convention. In dismissing the two appeals, Lord Justice Maurice Kay concluded that, although there had been “real injuries to their feelings”, this had taken place under the Montreal Convention and not the European regulations, so their compensation claims for “injury to feelings” could not succeed. EHRC had argued that the Montreal Convention – which covers injury, death and loss of baggage – was “irrelevant” to the rights of disabled travellers because it does not deal with discrimination. EHRC is now considering taking the two cases to the Supreme Court. Andy Wright, managing director of <a href="http://www.accessibletravel.co.uk/" target="_blank">Accessible Travel and Leisure</a>, said he was “not surprised” by the treatment the two men and their families had received. He said the EU regulation had helped protect disabled people as they passed through the airport and boarded and disembarked from aircraft, but airlines were “a law unto themselves” once the plane was airborne and were “not answerable, in my opinion, to any governing body who has the power to prosecute or uphold human rights issues”. He said airlines can “avoid showing any form of human decency” by blaming decisions on health and safety legislation or the Montreal Convention. Even the involvement of EHRC has had no real impact because “they are not taken seriously by the airlines as they have no real power or authority”, he added. John Wadham, EHRC’s legal group director, said: “The decision renders the regulation regarding air travel for disabled passengers toothless. “It offers no protection for disabled travellers who are discriminated against while flying. It also means that disabled passengers cannot get compensation even after an airline has been found to be discriminatory by the courts.” A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We are currently considering the judgement from the court of appeal in the matter of Stott versus Thomas Cook and Hook versus British Airways. “This is a complex legal area and we are carefully considering the implications of the ruling and how best to address the issues that it raises.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=289 The only London 2012 venue built solely for the Paralympics has been completed, just as organisers marked 200 days to go until the games begin. The 10,500-capacity <a href="http://www.london2012.com/eton-manor" target="_blank">Eton Manor</a>, at the northern end of the Olympic Park, will host wheelchair tennis on its distinctive blue courts. During the Olympics and Paralympics, Eton Manor will also provide temporary training facilities for three aquatic sports, through three Olympic-size swimming pools, a synchronised swimming pool and a water polo pool. Eton Manor has been built on the site of an old sports club, and after the Paralympics – but probably not until 2014 – it will become a new tennis and hockey centre run by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, with four indoor and six outdoor tennis courts, and five-a-side football pitches. The new centre will be a regional centre of excellence for wheelchair tennis in London and the south-east, and is likely to feature a programme to identify the next generation of talented disabled tennis players. Peter Norfolk, Britain’s world number one ranked wheelchair tennis player in the “quad” category, told Disability News Service that he hoped to be playing at the test event at Eton Manor in May to try out the new facilities. He said: “I am hoping that the Eton Manor facilities are going to have a lasting legacy and we will have future wheelchair tennis tournaments there, like Sydney does with its Olympic centre.” Having won both singles and doubles titles at last month’s Australian Open, despite returning from a long injury lay-off, Norfolk said 2012 was “looking good”, although Paralympics qualification was not until the end of May. The British Paralympic Association (BPA) marked the 200-days-to-go milestone on 11 February by announcing that every retired athlete who has represented Britain at the Paralympics would be given two free tickets to this year’s games. Margaret Maughan, the first Briton to win a gold medal at the first Paralympics in 1960, said: “I am very proud to be a Paralympian and I hope that in London I will join many other supporters in cheering on the British team.” Tim Hollingsworth, BPA’s chief executive, said: “These athletes represented our nation and this offer goes some way towards celebrating their contribution to the history of the British Paralympic team. “The BPA was only formed in 1989, meaning that our formal records don’t go back to the beginning of the Paralympic movement. So we are looking forward to making contact with all British Paralympians through this offer and welcoming them to London.” Any retired Paralympians interested in the offer should visit the <a href="http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/cps_hate_crime_report_2011.pdf" target="_blank">BPA’s Paralympians’ Club website and register as a member</a>, or call the BPA on 020 7842 5789. <a href="http://www.efds.co.uk/" target="_blank">The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS)</a> also celebrated the 200-day milestone and said it hoped to use the run-up to London 2012 to boost disabled people’s participation in sport and physical activity, with only seven per cent of disabled people currently taking part in regular activity. Sarah Marl, EFDS’s marketing and communications manager, said: “Over the next 200 days, we will continue to promote the importance of equality in sport and ensure we not only make the 2012 Paralympics a success for Britain, but create a sustainable legacy for everyone.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=288 New figures show the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is making good progress in prosecuting disability hate crimes successfully, say disabled activists. Last year (2010-11), the number of successful convictions for disability hate crime-related offences rose from 483 to 579 across England and Wales. The proportion of prosecutions that led to a successful disability hate crime conviction also increased, from 75.7 per cent in 2009-10 to 79.8 per cent in 2010-11. The figures are contained in the CPS’s new <a href="http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/cps_hate_crime_report_2011.pdf" target="_blank">Hate Crime and Crimes against Older People Report 2010-11</a>. Stephen Brookes, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, said he was encouraged by the new figures, although he said they also showed there was “still a long way to go” in tackling disability hate crime. But he said the CPS should be applauded for “taking the community with them”, by working with disabled people and disabled people’s organisations. He said the figures showed that disabled people were becoming more confident in reporting such crimes to the police, although hate crime was far more common than the figures suggested because many were still not being reported. He said: “The more confidence we get in that reporting process, the more closely those figures will start to reflect the reality. We have got to get more people reporting them.” In his local area, a new reporting centre has caused reports to rise from just four hate crimes investigated by police in the year to July 2011 across Blackpool and parts of Lancashire to 24 cases reported just in Blackpool in the last six months, 11 of which are being investigated by police. But the CPS report also shows that the number of cases referred to CPS by the police for a decision on whether there should be a charge fell by more than four per cent to 690. Brookes said this was probably because police forces were working more closely with CPS to ensure they only referred cases with a genuine chance of a successful conviction, a result of the “multi-agency approach” that he and other campaigners have been calling for. The report shows that nearly a quarter of disability hate crime defendants were women, a far higher proportion than for racist and religiously-aggravated (16.6 per cent) and homophobic (12.6 per cent) hate crime prosecutions. More than two-fifths of disability hate crimes were for “offences against the person”, such as assault, while nearly a third were for offences of dishonesty, such as robbery, theft and fraud, a significantly higher proportion than with other hate crimes. In all, the CPS prosecuted 15,284 hate crimes, up from 13,921 in 2009-10. Last year, Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, said the CPS was “still in the foothills when it comes to disability hate crime and supporting victims and witnesses with disabilities”. This week he said: “The CPS has an important part to play in tackling hate crime in our society, and I am encouraged by these statistics that we are on a firm footing to continue that fight. “There is a lot more that needs to be done, within society as a whole, particularly in the area of crimes against the disabled community as I have already acknowledged.” A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said police forces recognised that “building confidence, particularly for reporting disability-related hate crime, remains a significant challenge”. He said ACPO was looking into why the number of cases passed to the CPS fell in 2010-11, but he added: “The number of disability-related hate crime cases referred by police to the CPS has increased by 147 per cent in the past four years, which does reflect increasing trust in people coming forward to report such crimes. “While the number of cases referred to prosecutors has fallen slightly in the past year, the service remains committed to tackling this and other forms of hate crime and improving our service to victims.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=287 Colourful public murals that show disabled people’s hopes and joys, as well as the continuing barriers they face in their lives, are being unveiled across the country. <a href="http://www.disabilitymurals.org.uk/" target="_blank">Murals have already been “opened” in public spaces</a> in Norwich, and Frome in Somerset, while another in Bristol is to be unveiled this month, with a fourth in London due this summer. The Big Lottery-funded project has been run by the UK Disabled People’s Council, working in partnership with the University of East Anglia. Disabled researchers have worked with local disabled people to discover their “aspirations, priorities, and anything that stands in the way of achieving them”. Participants put these thoughts into drawings, clay models or photographs, and then work with professional mural artist <a href="http://communitymurals.org.uk" target="_blank">Andrew Bolton</a> to turn their messages into public art which is installed in a prominent local site. In Frome, the project worked with people with learning difficulties, and in Norwich with former members of the armed services, parents, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender disabled people. The first mural was officially “opened” in Victoria Park, Frome, last July. It illustrates people’s hopes, such as becoming a bus driver, performing on stage and having a family, and problems such as a lack of accessible toilets, and the difficulty of finding a job because of the benefits trap and the lack of transport. The second mural, on the walls of a cafe in Chapelfield Gardens in the centre of Norwich, shows the participants’ enjoyment of life, the importance of support in living their lives, and the need to celebrate difference. But it also shows a darker side to their lives, such as the shortage of services, the challenges of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the lack of human rights in the mental health system. The Norwich mural was opened last October, the day before disabled people in the city took part in a rally in Chapelfield Gardens as part of the national <a href="http://thehardesthit.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Hardest Hit</a> protests against cuts to disability benefits and services. The murals are intended to be “attractive, catching the attention of passers-by, and to act as a form of billboard” to promote their messages, while aiming “to make a difference”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=286 The Office of Fair Trading (OfT) has taken action against a leading stairlift company following a study into “unfair business practices” across the mobility aids market. In the wake of last year’s report, OfT launched an investigation into Acorn Mobility Services – which trades as Acorn Stairlifts – for potential breaches of consumer protection laws. The Yorkshire-based company has now been forced to change some of the terms and conditions it used in its customer contracts, which OfT said were “potentially unfair”. The company has also agreed to “overhaul” its customer service procedures, including setting up a free helpline and improving staff training, and is working with its local trading standards department to improve the way it handles complaints. OfT is still investigating a second national mobility aids trader, this time over suspected unfair doorstep sales practices. OfT has also revoked the consumer credit licences of two business associates over concerns about how they sold mobility aids. Amarjit Gill, who traded as ABM Mobility, breached consumer protection legislation, including using aggressive sales techniques, despite warnings from trading standards, and repeatedly breached interim enforcement orders. Ranjit Dhami held a separate licence and had traded as A.B.M., Phoenix 1000, Eurostar, Star Enterprises and Phoenix Enterprises. She was judged unfit to hold a credit licence because of her association with Amarjit Gill’s business. David Fisher, an OfT director, said: “We warned traders that unless they stopped using aggressive sales techniques and unfair business practices to sell mobility aids they would face enforcement, and that is what we are doing.” But despite concerns raised in the study, OFT “provisionally” concluded last year that it was not necessary to refer the entire mobility aids market to the Competition Commission. It is now considering the results of a consultation on that conclusion, which ended in October 2011. Alan Norton, chief executive of <a href="http://www.assist-uk.org/" target="_blank">Assist UK</a>, which leads the national network of Disabled Living Centres – which provide free, impartial advice on independent living equipment – welcomed OfT’s latest actions, which he said would send a warning to other companies to “clean their act up”, but “should have been done a long time ago”. Norton said he believed OfT had enough evidence to refer the entire mobility aids market to the Competition Commission. He said: “We have got an industry here that has not been regulated in any way. Profit margins can be very high.” He said it was only after big retail giants such as Asda and B&Q entered the market that prices had started to become more “realistic”, but added: “There are some good companies out there that give really good after-sales service and can justify their prices. There are others that might not be able to do that.” Dave Belmont, Acorn Stairlifts’ company secretary, said he believed Acorn was now the only stairlift company to provide a free customer service number, while sales resulting from customer recommendations were 48 per cent higher last month than in January 2011. He said dealings with OfT had been “constructive” and the company was “delighted that the case was successfully closed last week”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=285 Disabled campaigners have welcomed the decision to reverse some of the cuts to station staff made last year by the body that runs London’s tube network. <a href="http://www.transportforall.org.uk/news/disabled-londoners-hard-hit-by-tube-staff-cuts" target="_blank">Transport for All (TfA)</a>, which represents London’s disabled and older transport users, has been campaigning for London Underground (LU) to replace 800 posts that were lost in cost-cutting a year ago. It has also been raising concerns about LU’s decision last year to reduce ticket office opening hours at most stations. TfA said its advocacy helpline had been receiving an “unprecedented” number of calls from older and disabled people who had arrived at a tube station to find it deserted or with no staff available to provide assistance. Although LU is only recruiting 300 new customer service assistants over the next six months, TfA said the move would reassure disabled people, although it “remains to be seen” whether this “will go far enough in safeguarding disabled and older Londoners’ ability to use the tube with confidence”. Many blind people rely on staff to guide them to platforms, while wheelchair-users often need assistance to board trains safely, and disabled people can also need advice on planning an accessible journey. But a London TravelWatch mystery shopping survey, published last month, found that ticket barriers were not being staffed consistently and were frequently deserted, and that London Underground was not honouring its commitment to ensure members of staff were clearly visible during all opening hours. Lianna Etkind, TfA’s campaigns and outreach co-ordinator, said: “When you’re standing on an empty platform late at night, knowing that a CCTV camera might record an attack is not much comfort. Automated help points and CCTV cameras can never replace trained, helpful members of staff.” Etkind added: “With less than a quarter of stations step-free to the platform and a measly ten stations step-free including onto the train, London Underground is inaccessible enough as it is. “Disabled and older Londoners should never have to rely on the goodwill of random strangers to get to the right platform or disembark safely from a train.” She said TfA would monitor the impact of the new staff, and urged older and disabled passengers to <a href="http://www.transportforall.org.uk/news/disabled-londoners-hard-hit-by-tube-staff-cuts" target="_blank">get in touch</a> if they came across unstaffed stations or a lack of LU staff available to assist them. An LU spokeswoman said the 300 new customer service assistants would only return station staff numbers to the level they were at in February 2011 after the cost-cutting, and followed a recruitment freeze that had lasted more than three years. She said LU’s own independent surveys showed staff were present in ticket halls in 98 per cent of visits, and were “visible and available to assist our customers, and score highly for politeness and helpfulness”. She added: “Instead of having staff stationed in under-used ticket offices, LU wants them out on the stations where customers need them – on platforms, in ticket halls and at gate lines where they can assist passengers.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=284 The rail industry still has more to do to improve access, despite increasing numbers of disabled people using railcards, according to a leading expert. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) this week marked the 30th anniversary of the <a href="http://www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk/" target="_blank">Disabled Persons Railcard</a> by releasing figures which showed journeys made using the card had trebled in the last 15 years. Despite the recession, journey numbers have continued to rise in recent years, from about 2.8 million in 2008-09 to 3.2 million in 2009-10 and 3.5 million last year. There are now 122,000 railcards in use by disabled people, an increase of more than 40,000 in just five years. The railcard offers passengers and their companions a third off most rail fares across Britain, with the average card-holder saving £80 a year. ATOC said the continuing rise in the number of journeys made was due to the success of the railcard, and “significant improvements in facilities and services on trains”, and also pointed to Stations Made Easy, an interactive web guide launched in 2009 that shows access facilities and layouts of all Britain’s 2,500 stations. Ann Bates, a disabled transport access consultant and former chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee’s rail working group, said access had improved but there were still a “huge number of stations that have got no access whatsoever”. She said one of the key reasons that more disabled people were able to use the rail network was the improvements paid for through the 10-year, £370 million Access for All fund launched by the Labour government in 2006. Bates sat on the committee that advised the government how to spend the Access for All funds. She said: “We spent the money very, very carefully. We put lifts in where they were really needed and spent a lot of money on things like automatic doors that help not just wheelchair-users but also elderly people.” They also ensured the funding was spread geographically, so it was not just spent on the busiest London stations. But she said the railcard had made a difference, particularly after ATOC relaxed its eligibility criteria. ATOC now hopes that the new web-based version of its Assisted Passenger Reservation System (APRS), which went live in November 2011, will make travelling easier for disabled passengers. The previous system relied on faxes being sent to alert station staff that a disabled person would need assistance, with passengers often having to spend up to half-an-hour explaining their access requirements on the booking line every time they wanted to make a rail journey. Last year, the rail consumer watchdog Passenger Focus found disabled rail passengers were still being left stranded on trains and platforms because of continuing failures with APRS. But ATOC believes the new web-based system makes booking “quicker and easier”. Some stations do still receive bookings by fax, but ATOC said that “most are now migrating to email”. An ATOC spokeswoman said that “ATOC and train companies absolutely recognise that improving facilities for disabled rail passengers is still a ‘work in progress’” but that there have been “significant improvements” in recent years “thanks to millions of pounds invested by the government and industry as a whole”. She said: “We know that the discounts offered with the railcard are a huge help to holders, but we also know that guaranteed assistance from trained staff is also a major reason for increased travel.” She added: “Britain has the oldest rail infrastructure in the world, but also has the highest level of investment in improving accessibility, with millions spent every year.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=283 A revolutionary new table could save the lives of wheelchair-users involved in train crashes. The table has been designed to absorb the impact of a wheelchair-user who hits it at high speed while travelling on a train, leaving them with only minor injuries. Wheelchair-using train passengers are usually secured only by their brakes, which stop them moving when the train is travelling at normal speeds, but they can become insecure or even airborne if there is a collision or sudden braking. Research by the Rail Safety and Standards Board has found that wheelchair-users are more likely to be severely injured in a train crash. But Dr Emmanuel Matsika, an engineer at the University of Bolton, has now designed a lightweight but highly durable fold-down table that can be placed in front of a wheelchair-user travelling on a train. If the wheelchair-user hits the table at speed, it absorbs the impact, leaving them with only minor injuries. The table has been repeatedly crash-tested, with “very positive” results. Matsika said: “Such is the design of the table, it doesn’t matter how big the person is, or how fast they are propelled, the table will absorb the force in a controlled manner. “On impact the internal structure of the table will concertina, thereby cushioning the impact.” His work has been supervised by “crashworthiness” expert Professor Clive Chirwa and materials expert Professor Peter Myler, at the university’s Bolton Automotive and Aerospace Research Group. Matsika now plans to patent his design and present his findings to regulatory bodies. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=282 An MP has called for new laws to protect the dignity of disabled people forced to undergo intrusive security checks at airports. The Labour MP Tom Blenkinsop said many disabled travellers, particularly stoma bag-users, had been left humiliated after experiences at airport security checkpoints in the UK and Europe. He spoke out as he introduced his new airport security (people with disabilities) bill, under the Commons ten-minute rule. Blenkinsop said that one constituent, who has had treatment for cancer and now uses urostomy and colostomy pouches, had faced “humiliation” at several European Union (EU) airports. She told him that security staff at Budapest airport had wanted to examine her underwear, “despite her attempts to explain that she had colostomy pouches”. He said: “She was required to attempt to explain that to them in public, in front of fellow holidaymakers in the security queue – an experience she described as ‘totally degrading’.” The same constituent was also poorly treated at an English airport, while a second disabled traveller, from Ballymena in Northern Ireland, faced a distressing public search at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport. His research has revealed similar cases at airports throughout the world. Blenkinsop said that, despite the need for security procedures, airport staff should still “act with compassion, humanity and common sense”, and not violate passengers’ “fundamental and inalienable right to be treated with dignity”. His bill would force the government to ensure that all UK airport security staff were “trained in preserving the dignity of stoma patients, while maintaining our security”. It would also oblige the Foreign Secretary to urge the European Commission to introduce regulations on such training throughout the EU, while the government would have to lobby the International Civil Aviation Organization on the introduction of compulsory training. Although the bill will receive a second reading on 30 March, ten-minute rule bills rarely become law. The Department for Transport was unable to comment on Blenkinsop’s bill. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=281 The world’s biggest disability and deaf arts festival has won a prestigious annual award, a £10,000 prize, and a huge vote of confidence from regional business leaders. DaDaFest 2012 has been named as the winner of this year’s Lever Prize, which will also see the festival benefit from a year-long collaboration with the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT). NWBLT, which judged the award, includes representatives of the region’s 30 largest companies and works to promote the north-west of England. Previous winners of the Lever Prize have included the Manchester International Festival, the Tate Liverpool modern art gallery, and Manchester’s National Football Museum. The prize money will be invested in this year’s DaDaFest, the 11th, which will take place mostly in arts venues across Liverpool, from 13 July to 2 September, and will be part of the Cultural Olympiad that is being planned around the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Ruth Gould, DaDa’s chief executive, said the chance to develop relationships with prominent businesses in the north-west was just as important as winning £10,000. She said these business relationships might lead to help with the cost of bringing international artists to take part in this year’s festival, or the creation of a permanent artwork that could be placed “somewhere prominent”. One of the reasons for setting up <a href="http://www.dadahello.com/dadafest" target="_blank">DaDaFest</a> was that disabled and Deaf artists were not securing mainstream opportunities because of “big misunderstandings” about their abilities, she said, so it was “delightful” that the award showed DaDaFest was now seen as “one of the key cultural drivers” in the region and its artists as part of the “mainstream”. She said it also showed that DaDa’s “commitment and passion to keep persevering and keep being political about our issues” had paid off. This year’s festival will include collaborations with leading artists from across the world, including at least 12 European countries. The theme will be Transactions – Fluid Bodies: Shifting Identities, looking at how disability affects our lives, including the “exchanges that occur between people and technology”, how our sense of identity is “bound up with” our bodies, and how those bodies “are not stable or unchanging through our lives”. One of the festival’s centrepieces will be Niet Normaal (Dutch for “not normal”), an adaptation of a successful <a href="http://www.nietnormaal.nl" target="_blank">Amsterdam exhibition</a> that asked the question: what is normal and who decides? The DaDaFest version will include new commissions and a programme of talks and films, which aim to celebrate difference in the year of the Olympics and Paralympics. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=280 A disability charity has begun legal action against a budget airline over its failure to make its website accessible to blind and partially-sighted customers. RNIB says bmibaby has failed to take action to ensure that customers who use screen-readers or cannot use a mouse can book flights on its website, despite being alerted to problems in 2010. RNIB is acting on behalf of two bmibaby customers who say they have been unable to book online since changes were made to the website in 2010. They claim the company is breaching the Equality Act by failing to make the site accessible to them, forcing them to use an expensive call centre instead. One of them, Alexandra, from Loughborough, said: “I didn’t want to use the call centre as costs can mount up and I wanted the freedom to compare flights and prices before making a decision. “I feel that it is robbing visually-impaired people of the freedom to choose how they make bookings. It makes me feel like the disabled community is not seen as a lucrative market and that we are clearly not valued as potential or returning customers.” The other customer, Iain, who chairs a Scottish charity, said he needs to be able to search for information and book flights to attend frequent meetings in England. He added: “It is very frustrating that the website remains inaccessible when these issues have been flagged up since 2010.” RNIB has provided bmibaby with expert advice, recommendations and an audit report, but claims the company is “still to make any significant progress”. The charity said it has now begun legal proceedings against bmibaby. Hugh Huddy, RNIB’s campaigns officer for inclusive society, said: “Blind and partially-sighted customers deserve to have access to the best online prices and flight information, just as any customer of bmibaby does. “Why should those with sight loss risk missing out on a web-only deal or be forced to ring a call centre simply because companies are failing to take accessibility standards seriously?” A bmibaby spokeswoman said: “We commissioned a report from RNIB and received the results of the audit in November 2011 in which they detailed what we needed to do on our website. “We are currently working through the proposals and investigating several solutions. Whilst we are going through this process we have a new local rate telephone number for blind and partially-sighted people to call to speak to our call centre to obtain our discounted website fares. “We have also added an accessibility page to bmibaby.com in order to keep customers up to date with our progress. “We have a project team in place to action the recommendations and we would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst these changes are being implemented.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=279 The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is reviewing a barrister’s decision not to call for stricter sentences for three people who took part in a “degrading” hate crime attack on a disabled man. The man, who has learning difficulties, was taped to a lamppost in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, Greater Manchester, by three “friends” and covered with food, paint and nail varnish. One of the three wrote the word “terrorised” on his leg, while other drawings and words were scrawled on his body, including an obscene image on his back. By the time he was cut free by one of the trio, he was unconscious, apparently because of the amount of alcohol he had drunk, and fell heavily to the ground. He was taken to hospital by ambulance. Police believe a mob of at least a dozen people took part in the attack last August, with one taking pictures of him on a mobile phone, although only three people were arrested. Maggie Bowden, 38, of Whiteacre Road, Ashton; Rebecca Willis, 24, of Sheard Avenue, Ashton; and Anthony Connolly, 25, of Broadoak Road, Ashton, all pleaded guilty to assault, but escaped with suspended prison sentences after appearing at Manchester Crown Court. CPS had treated the “truly degrading attack” as a disability hate crime, but the prosecuting barrister failed to ask the judge to impose a stricter sentence under section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows for harsher sentences for hate crimes. Without a request for a sentencing “uplift”, the judge suspended the prison sentences imposed on the trio, as Bowden and Willis both have young children, while he said Connolly had played a less significant role in the attack. Each of them will also have to pay £300 compensation to the victim. A CPS spokeswoman said: “We did everything we should have done, apart from the very last thing, which was to ask the judge to consider the sentence uplift. We will be writing to the advocate formally to find out why this was not done.” Anne Novis, a leading disabled hate crime campaigner and a member of the Ministry of Justice’s hate crime advisory group, said: “Lack of appropriate sentencing gives the message that disabled people’s lives are worth less than others who experience hate crime. “Yet again we are let down by the very people who should be prosecuting our cases appropriately and using all the measures of law we have. Yet again the message goes out that hostility towards disabled people does not equal tough sentences, just leniency.” Beverley Smith, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, added: “The sentencing here gives out a strong message that, in some cases, disability hate crime is OK. It is not OK. “Light sentencing does nothing to increase public confidence in reporting [disability hate crime]; indeed it is very damaging. I strongly believe that a review of this sentence needs to be undertaken urgently.” But there have also been concerns raised about the role of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), which denied claims made in court that it twice refused to respond to calls from the public to help the man. They said the first call they received complained about noise and drunken behaviour and said a man had been tied to a lamppost, while they have been unable to trace a second – 999 – call. Assistant chief constable Garry Shewan said the force’s professional standards branch had launched an inquiry into how it responded, while GMP had also referred its handling of the crime to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Shewan said the incident was “thoroughly investigated as a disability hate crime”. He added: “This man was subjected to a vile and horrendous assault and although the people responsible have been brought to justice, we are very sorry he was subjected to such abuse and are looking into whether we could have acted sooner.” The case has again placed a spotlight on Greater Manchester Police’s record in dealing with serious disability-related incidents. In March 2011, the IPCC heavily criticised GMP for its “total failure” to treat the “years of torment” experienced by David Askew at the hands of local youths as disability hate crime. Askew, who had learning difficulties, collapsed and died from “natural causes” in March 2010 soon after police received reports that youths had again been harassing him outside his home in Hattersley, also in the borough of Tameside, on the edge of Manchester. Last November, the force was criticised by the IPCC for ignoring two phone calls expressing serious concerns about the health of a disabled man, Philip Dorsett, who was later found dead. There were also questions raised in 2010 about whether GMP failed to investigate a brutal and sustained attack by three teenagers on a young man with Asperger’s syndrome as a potential disability hate crime. The attack lasted three days. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=278 A disabled American actor has caused an internet sensation after using his acceptance speech at a televised US awards ceremony to offer support to the British victim of a disability hate crime attack. Peter Dinklage was accepting his Golden Globe for best supporting actor in a series – for his role in the fantasy epic Game of Thrones – when he told the audience that there was “a gentleman I’m thinking about in England, his name is Martin Henderson... Google him.” Henderson is also an actor with restricted growth, who was injured after being picked up and thrown onto his back outside a pub in Wincanton, Somerset, last October. Dinklage’s reference to Henderson led to film and TV fans across the world using the internet to discover details of the assault. The attack on Henderson took place less than a month after members of the England rugby team were pictured at a “dwarf-tossing” event in a New Zealand pub during the Rugby World Cup. Henderson believes media coverage of those England players could have influenced his attacker. Henderson had undergone surgery for a spinal condition in 2010 and has said the attack – outside the White Horse pub on 7 October – left him with serious back and leg injuries. Peter Burroughs, a director of Willow Management, the agency for short actors he founded with Life’s Too Short star Warwick Davis, said he and many of the actors they represent were “amazed” to hear that Dinklage had mentioned the attack at the Golden Globes. He said Dinklage’s decision to refer to Martin Henderson – who Burroughs has worked with in the past – had at least raised the profile of short actors across the world. But Burroughs said that none of the actors on their books had ever experienced anything like the attack on Henderson. He said: “It could make certain people think they don’t want to go out. They will feel vulnerable when they are out and that shouldn’t happen. “I am sure it wouldn’t happen anywhere else. I would hate people to think that is the norm, and it isn’t.” An Avon and Somerset police spokesman confirmed they were treating the attack on Henderson as a disability hate crime, and wanted to speak to anyone who may have been in the White Horse on 7 October. He said: “It follows an incident in which a small person was picked up by an unknown person in the bar and dropped. This caused an injury to his back.” Anyone with information about the assault can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=277 The government has failed to explain why its new youth sport strategy contains almost no references to disabled young people. The £1 billion, five-year Creating a Sporting Habit for Life strategy was launched this week by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt as part of efforts to ensure a “legacy” of mass participation in sport from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The document says about £450 million will be awarded to sports governing bodies for their “whole sport plans” – their four-year strategies – to ensure they are focused on ensuring a “sporting habit for life”, with about 60 per cent of this money aimed at young people from 14 to 25. It also includes £50 million plans for every secondary school in England to host a community sports club, with another £50 million to boost sports provision at further education colleges and universities. And there will be £10 million to allow school sports facilities to be opened up to wider public use. But – with the exception of a section on the new School Games, which were launched last October – the strategy mentions disabled young people just once, demanding an increased participation by disabled people as one of the outcomes required from sport governing bodies in return for their funding. A Department for Culture Media and Sport spokesman said there would be “disability elements” in the contracts drawn up by Sport England – which is delivering the strategy – with individual sport governing bodies such as the Football Association and Lawn Tennis Association. He said these governing bodies would receive £450 million and “will have to invest some of that into disability”. He said: “The details are still to be worked out on a sport-by-sport basis. They will be very much part of the contractual agreement with the national governing bodies. The devil is going to be in the detail. “Disability is very much a part of it. There will be stretching targets for sports to engage with disabled people and bring more disabled people into sport.” He stressed that Hunt was “absolutely crystal clear” that disability “needs to be at every level” of the School Games. But the spokesman was unable to explain why there was so little mention of disability in the strategy itself. A spokeswoman for the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS), the strategic lead for sport and physical activity for disabled people, declined to comment on the strategy’s failure to say more about disabled young people. But she said EFDS would “support Sport England by working with our partners to ensure disabled young people are engaged in every aspect of this strategy”. EFDS welcomed the strategy’s emphasis on encouraging all young people to take part in sport between the ages of 14 and 25, the new inclusive School Games, and the need for governing bodies to increase participation rates of disabled people in sport. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=276 Disabled people must play a part in efforts to cut the misuse and abuse of blue parking badges, according to leading activists. New measures to cut abuse of the disabled people’s blue badge parking scheme came into force on 1 January, with the introduction of an electronically-produced badge, which is harder to forge or copy than the previous handwritten, cardboard version. To pay for improvements to the scheme, the maximum fee that local authorities in England can charge for a badge has risen from £2 to £10, the first increase for 30 years. And a new central database – another measure campaigners have been demanding for years – will allow checks on the badges to be made from anywhere in the country. But disabled people’s details will only be added to the database – which is being run by a private company – as they are issued with one of the new badges over the next three years. The government hopes changes to the scheme will cut its running costs by up to £20 million a year. Another measure, to be introduced from April, will see councils forced to use more independent mobility assessments – instead of asking GPs to carry them out – of applicants who do not qualify automatically for a badge. Helen Dolphin, director of policy and campaigns for Disabled Motoring UK, welcomed the changes, which she said would make the scheme “fit for the 21st century”, and would make it easier for traffic wardens to detect forged badges, and genuine badges that were being misused. But she said: “This is only going to work if disabled people themselves start taking more responsibility for their own badges.” She said enforcement and awareness-raising of how the badges should be used were key to cutting abuse, while councils must ensure their parking attendants checked badges and took legal action against those guilty of fraud and misuse. Last August, Disabled Motoring UK released the results of a survey which showed that many local authorities were doing nothing to combat blue badge fraud and misuse. The survey found that, across the 79 local authorities in England and Wales that provided answers to a Freedom of Information Act request, the average annual number of prosecutions for fraud and misuse of blue badges was just 2.9 in 2009-10, and 4.5 in 2010-11. Most councils carried out no prosecutions at all. Dolphin added: “The charity’s policy is that the badge should be free. However, it has been £2 since the 1980s and if this increased charge means the badges are much more secure and disabled people can park more easily, it is a burden we are going to have to bear.” Mary Grace, chair of The Blue Badge Network, which represents blue badge-holders, also welcomed many of the improvements. But she said she was concerned about the introduction of the new mobility assessments. She said: “I think there will be a lot of people who should be getting the badge who will just be turned down flat. “We will be asking our members to let us have their thoughts as they go through the system over the next three years.” She agreed with Dolphin that badge-holders needed to take more responsibility for how their badges were used, and added: “Blue badge-holders ourselves can abuse the system.” Other improvements to the scheme mean disabled people in England and Scotland can now apply for and renew their badges online, using the <a href="http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/MotoringAndTransport/Bluebadgescheme/DG_181208" target="_blank">government’s Directgov website</a>, while those in Wales will be able to apply online from April. Badge-holders in England can also use a new national helpline number, 0844 463 0213, and will be able to report lost and stolen badges through the website from April. Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport minister, said he believed the new badge would be “as secure as a banknote”. He added: “Motorists who pretend to be disabled to get some free parking are frankly disgraceful. “They prevent real blue badge-holders from using parking bays designed for those genuinely in need and they cheat the vast majority of road-users who play fair when they park their cars.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=275 Two “driven and creative” disabled businessmen – who both run companies selling independent living aids – have been declared joint winners of a lucrative annual award. The Stelios Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs is run by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of easyJet, and his Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, and backed by the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability. But this year Sir Stelios was unable to separate the top two finalists, and instead of awarding a single prize of £50,000, instead awarded two winner’s prizes of £50,000. The winners, Rob Smith and Huw Thomas, both run their own companies, selling assisted living equipment. Smith runs <a href="http://www.activehands.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Active Hands Company</a>, which sells a range of gripping aids he designed himself, and which have proved popular for sports and leisure use, such as gripping gym equipment, snooker cues, and Nintendo Wii controllers. He has also sold his products to members of the ParalympicsGB wheelchair rugby and rowing teams. He said: “Active Hands are thrilled and honoured to be recognised with this award, which will enable us to further develop our business and products. “Ultimately we will now be able to assist even more disabled people all over the world, increasing their independence and helping them to take part in sporting, practical and leisure activities which they would otherwise have found impossible.” Thomas’s company, <a href="http://www.promove.uk.com/" target="_blank">Promove UK</a>, designs, produces and sells lightweight and portable slings, which are used to transfer disabled people when it is not possible for them to use a hoist. Thomas, like Smith, started producing the slings after designing one for his own use. He said: “With this fantastic prize I will be able to expand my business much quicker. “In running my business, I face challenges every day. When I am away from home I need wheelchair-accessible accommodation, which can limit my choices. When I travel on business I have to take a driver with me. And because I have limited use of my hands I find typing increasingly difficult and use voice recognition software. “But being disabled has its advantages, providing unique experiences and insights.” His customers include fire, ambulance and police services, schools and colleges, baggage handlers at airports, holiday organisations, and individual disabled people. The company has also supplied slings for aid operations in countries such as Haiti and India. Sir Stelios said: “I would like to congratulate Rob and Huw on running successful businesses and displaying the drive, creativity and determination to reach the top and really fly. “The £50,000 prize they have both received will ensure their businesses have an important boost for growth.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=274 Transport bosses say they believe design changes made to the successor to London’s Routemaster bus will make it more accessible for wheelchair-users. A prototype of the new “bus for London” – championed by the mayor, Boris Johnson – was seen in the capital for the first time last weekend, and was viewed by about 10,000 Londoners. Seven more of the buses will enter service for the first time in February to be trialled on the busy 38 route between Victoria station and Hackney in east London. But in February, campaigners for accessible transport criticised aspects of the design of the new bus, which they said failed to include enough space for wheelchair-users. Transport for London (TfL) admitted failing to consult with disabled people’s organisations on the bus’s design. The accessible transport charity Transport for All (TfA) said in February that the new bus’s wheelchair space was too small, and was “considerably smaller” than spaces on London’s existing buses. But following consultations with disability groups, TfL has now overseen changes to the bus, with some seats and hand poles repositioned to “provide more space for manoeuvring into and out of the wheelchair space”. Mike Weston, operations director for London Buses, said: “A number of wheelchair-users tested the space at the weekend when the bus was open to the public... and found it very easy to use. “The wheelchair space on the new bus is larger than is required by legislation and indeed larger than many of those on buses currently in service.” The old Routemasters were scrapped by the previous mayor, Ken Livingstone, largely because they were not accessible. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=273 The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has turned away disabled activists who wanted to deliver a campaigning Christmas card on behalf of 23,000 people who signed a petition calling for urgent changes to the welfare reform bill. Representatives from <a href="http://thehardesthit.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/merry-christmas-from-the-hardest-hit/" target="_blank">The Hardest Hit</a> campaign had told the DWP they would be delivering the card – designed by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe – but when they arrived, civil servants told security staff not to accept it. The card features David Cameron as Scrooge – from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – kicking away Tiny Tim’s crutch, with the caption: “Kicking away the support.” Julie Newman, acting chair of the UK Disabled People’s Council, which jointly runs the Hardest Hit campaign with the Disability Benefits Consortium, said they had asked staff at the front desk of the DWP’s offices in Whitehall if the work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, or someone in his office, was available to accept the card. Instead, civil servants in Duncan Smith’s office told DWP security staff not to accept delivery of the card and to turn the campaigners away. Newman said: “I was completely taken aback. What the government’s representatives have done is they have snubbed 23,000 people who wished to express their concern to the government about their day-to-day lives.” Campaigners later successfully delivered the petition to Downing Street. A DWP spokesman said: “It is correct that the security staff phoned the secretary of state’s office about the petition. It was purely down to a misunderstanding, confusion between the two people who spoke. “It shouldn’t have happened, but I am not going to get into exact details of who said what. “Once it became apparent what had happened we got back in touch with the Disability Benefits Consortium and said sorry. “It was a misunderstanding. We are going to invite them back in [to deliver the card]. We are putting it right.” The delivery of the card and petition were designed to coincide with the report stage of the welfare reform bill in the House of Lords, which began the previous day (12 December). http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=272 A university has prevented one of its disabled students from using an accessible parking space that was allowing him to carry out vital work experience, and has now painted over the bay’s markings. Teesside University in Middlesborough tried to force music technology student David Birdsall to use a car-park more than 200 metres away instead, simply because it had an automatic barrier. Birdsall, who is in the first year of his course, started volunteering in October with Click, a student-run station which is managed by the university, which he knew would provide valuable work experience. But university staff complained when he tried to use the single accessible parking space outside the Click studios – one of about 12 spaces in all – even though he has a blue parking badge. They refused to provide him with a key to open the entrance barrier to the parking area, even after he successfully applied for a student’s parking permit they said he needed. Walking just a few metres causes Birdsall “excruciating” pain, because of his impairment, and he rarely manages even 50 metres. After being refused permission to park in the accessible space, he watched in disbelief as the university painted over the wheelchair logo and other markings, and replaced the space with an “ordinary” parking bay. Because he was not able to park outside the studio, he has been forced to resign from Click. Birdsall, who lives in Stockton, said: “This has shocked me, it really has. It is blatant discrimination. I have never in my life encountered such stupidity.” The university claims he shouldn’t have used the space directly outside the studios because of the manual barrier – which he was happy to operate himself – and that he should instead have used a student carpark more than 200 metres away, which has an automatic barrier. A university spokeswoman said: “What has happened in this staff carpark outside Click was there was an old disabled space that had been left. It would not be right to issue a pass into that carpark because it has a manual barrier.” She added later: “Teesside University takes equality very seriously. Mr Birdsall has raised an issue with us and we are working to resolve this.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=271 A committee of MPs and peers has suggested that parts of the government’s controversial welfare reform bill could breach disabled people’s human rights. The joint committee on human rights (JCHR) – whose members include the disabled peer Baroness [Jane] Campbell – said some of the most controversial measures in the bill could contravene the European Convention on Human Rights. These include cuts of 20 per cent to spending on disability living allowance (DLA), a housing benefit cap, a proposal to time-limit employment and support allowance (ESA), the replacement of DLA with a new personal independence payment (PIP), and the introduction of tough new sanctions for those on out-of-work benefits. The committee said there had been a “significant lack of clarity” from the government on how it would cut spending on working-age DLA by 20 per cent, while it had failed to provide “reasonable justification for the negative impact” of introducing PIP on disabled people’s right to independent living. The committee also called for the proposed new PIP assessment to use a more social model approach, taking greater account of the barriers faced by disabled people. And it said the government should trial the new assessment before it was widely introduced, mirroring a suggestion made by Baroness Campbell during a debate on the bill in the Lords last month. Although disabled people who receive DLA or PIP will be exempt from the housing benefit cap, the committee said it feared that many disabled people who do not receive DLA – particularly as eligibility for PIP will be tighter than it is for DLA – may be forced to move house, leaving behind their adaptations and support networks. The committee also warned that some disabled people found “fit for work” could face financial “sanctions” if they were not able to carry out compulsory work-related activity. Although the bill says people will have five working days to alert the authorities of their reason for not carrying out this activity, such a deadline “may be unrealistic for people who are unwell”, the report says, and this could lead to “destitution”. A DWP spokesman defended the changes to DLA, the proposal to time-limit ESA, the introduction of a housing benefit cap, and the plan to toughen sanctions. He said: “The changes to the welfare system will protect those who need the most help, with more support, whilst encouraging others to take responsibility for their own lives and the lives of their families. Something the JCHR supports [in its report].” He said the new PIP face-to-face assessment would “make sure people are getting the right levels of support”, and time-limiting ESA would bring it into line with other benefits, while those with lower savings would still receive income-based ESA. He said the housing benefit cap would “bring fairness back to the system so that hard-working families no longer have to subsidise people living in properties they themselves could not afford”, while the new sanctions regime would “make the consequences of failing to meet requirements clear and robust”. But when asked whether DWP believed these measures could breach disabled people’s human rights, he declined to comment further. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=270 Government proposals to remove funding from organisations that provide expert legal support for discrimination cases will have a “catastrophic” impact on disabled people, experts have warned. The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has quietly <a href="http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/equalities/government-equality/New-service-further-info/" target="_blank">published its response</a> to a consultation on plans for a new equality advisory and support service. In its response, GEO confirmed its plans to replace the helpline currently run by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) with a new national service providing information, advice and support to victims of discrimination, although it admitted that only “a minority” of those responding to the consultation had agreed with its plan. But it also announced that it would not replace millions of pounds in grants currently provided by the EHRC to legal organisations across the country, with “future central government funding for legal advice on discrimination cases” now to be provided “solely through legal aid”. Again, only a minority of respondents agreed with the decision. Disability Law Service (DLS), which is led by disabled people, said the proposals would mean a “drastic” cut in its funding. It receives £50,000 a year from the EHRC, which allows it to take on about 50 complex discrimination cases every year. That funding – about 10 per cent of its annual revenue – will end in March 2012, and will not now be replaced, which could mean DLS having to make a member of staff redundant. Although it will still be able to secure legal aid funding for discrimination cases, this only pays a fixed sum of £200 for most employment and consumer cases, many of which are complex and can take months of expert legal work to prepare. Wonta Ansah-Twum, DLS’s head of disability discrimination and employment, said: “We needed the funding from the EHRC grant to support the work we do. “It is going to have a devastating impact on our service-users. Disabled people are going to be marginalised. They will not have anywhere to turn if services like ours do not continue. It is appalling.” She also said that the government’s new helpline would simply be a “generalised” service that would lack the specialist knowledge to help disabled people with advice on discrimination. She said: “That is just unacceptable. They have failed to take into account the fact that discrimination cases are complex and need specialist caseworkers to deal with them. The government has completely ignored the concerns we raised.” DLS is already facing the threat of losing grant funding from London Councils, which represents London’s 33 local authorities. London Councils was forced by the high court earlier this year to reconsider plans to slash its grants programme, and is due to announce the results of this rethink next month. Ansah-Twum said: “If we do not get a replacement for the EHRC and London Councils funding, I don’t know how we will survive in a year’s time. It is putting the organisation at risk.” A GEO spokesman said: “The government has not been convinced by the consultation responses that discrimination cases uniquely merit central government funding in addition to that which is available through civil legal aid.” He added: “The government has come forward with a new service which will be cheaper to run than the EHRC helpline.” He said the government was “confident” that the new helpline would ensure that information, advice and support on discrimination would be “available to everybody in a fair and accessible way”. An EHRC spokeswoman said: “The GEO has made the decision to end our funding so any questions about future funding need to be put to the GEO.” She also declined to comment on the government’s proposal for a new helpline. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=269 A disabled peer has failed by just two votes to overturn plans that will see a steep cut in financial support for many families with disabled children. Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson told peers the measure in the welfare reform bill would halve the financial support currently provided through child tax credits to most families with disabled children. Those whose children do not currently qualify for the higher rate care component of disability living allowance – or who are not registered blind – will see these extra tax credits drop from about £54 to £27 a week. Most families with a disabled child will lose about £1,400 a year, affecting about 100,000 disabled children. The government claims it wants to align the financial support provided to disabled children with that offered to disabled adults when it introduces the new universal credit, its plan for simplifying the benefits system. Proposing an amendment to the bill that would have prevented the cut, Baroness Grey-Thompson said the government’s measure would “damage thousands of families who rely on this support for their disabled child”. She received widespread backing, including from fellow disabled peers Baroness [Jane] Campbell, the Liberal Democrat Baroness [Celia] Thomas, and Labour’s Baroness [Rosalie] Wilkins, who said: “Are we really becoming such a mean-spirited nation that we are willing to take away funding from less disabled children as the only means by which more severely disabled children can benefit?” Lord Freud, the Conservative welfare reform minister, said that, under universal credit, severely disabled adults would receive an extra £45 a week. He said: “We are trying to get money to the most severely disabled in our community. “There is a real decision here: maintaining the existing rates for children without doing that – without finding this money – would cost an extra £200 million a year. I simply do not have that money.” Baroness Grey-Thompson’s amendment was defeated by just two votes. Later in the week, the government was heavily defeated on another amendment to the bill, which overturned its plans to tighten the rules on unoccupied bedrooms for working-age tenants of social housing. The so-called “bedroom tax” would mean households losing an average of £14 a week in housing benefit if they had at least one unoccupied bedroom in their home. Research by the Housing Futures Network suggests that more than 70 per cent of the households affected would include someone with an impairment or significant health condition. The amendment – proposed by the crossbench peer Lord Best – limits penalties to households with at least two extra bedrooms and those with one extra bedroom who have been offered suitable alternative accommodation. The amendment was passed by 258 votes to 190, despite Lord Freud announcing an extra £30 million a year to help disabled people in “significantly adapted” housing, and foster carers, who would otherwise have been caught out by the new rules. But Lord Best’s amendment is likely to be overturned when the bill returns to the Commons in the New Year. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=268 New government proposals to “shake up” the scrutiny of adult social care have failed to mask growing concerns that the coalition is planning to postpone the long-awaited reform of care and support funding. Paul Burstow, the Liberal Democrat care services minister, this week announced “radical new ideas” for “shaking up the system” of identifying quality care and exposing poor services. But his announcement came in the same week that fresh reports warned of delays to funding reform, with the chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, Jeremy Hughes, suggesting that it could be 2025 before all of the necessary reforms were fully introduced. Burstow said he wanted to introduce a new online ratings system for services such as residential homes and home care providers. Each entry on the website would include information from official Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections but would also feature feedback from service-users and relatives, and any records of mistreatment or abuse by staff. Burstow also sketched out plans for members of the public to take part in informal inspections of care services carried out by local branches of HealthWatch, which will launch next October as the new independent “consumer champion” on social care and health. Burstow said the two ideas had come from service-users, and added: “Measures like publishing social care comparison sites and opening care services up to greater scrutiny will revolutionise the way people and their loved ones choose their social care. “It can’t be right that you can find out exactly what a hotel or restaurant is like, in just a short time searching the web, but people have so much trouble working out the standards of different care homes and home care providers – when that choice is so much more important.” Further details will be included in the government’s adult social care white paper this spring. Sue Bott, director of the National Centre for Independent Living, pointed out that the plans were not completely fresh, with current and former service-users already taking part in CQC inspections through the Experts by Experience programme. She said: “If these proposals are going to build on the good things that are happening already, like Experts by Experience, then of course we would be delighted, but we would have to see the detail of what is being proposed.” And she said CQC had previously published its own ratings system – with services awarded between zero and three stars – which “people did value”, before it was scrapped last year. Again, she welcomed the idea floated by Burstow but said it would be important to see the details of any proposals. She also joined other leading figures in raising new fears that care funding reform was set to be further delayed. Disability News Service has been raising concerns since the summer that next spring’s social care white paper will not include long-awaited reforms to care and support funding. Andrew Dilnot, who led the coalition’s commission on the funding of care and support, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this week that delaying the completion of funding reforms until 2025 would be “completely unacceptable”, while any delay beyond next Easter in the government publishing its plans would be “a betrayal of people’s trust”. Bott said: “The white paper is one thing, but legislation is what we really need. It is action we need now because people’s lives are being severely affected by what is happening, with some people experiencing cuts [to their support] of the order of 20 per cent.” She said disabled people, social care professionals and local authority staff had now been “consulted to death”, and added: “We are looking for a timetable for change and that is not what we are getting.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=267 Serious doubts have emerged about crucial statistics used by the minister for disabled people to justify the government’s sweeping disability living allowance (DLA) reforms. Maria Miller was appearing this week before MPs on the work and pensions committee as part of its inquiry into coalition plans to cut spending on working-age DLA by 20 per cent and replace the benefit with a new personal independence payment (PIP). In her evidence, Miller twice stated that DLA spending had grown by 38 per cent over the eight years to 2010-11, as a justification for the government’s cuts and reforms. But the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now admitted that this figure refers to total DLA spending, including payments to children and older people, even though only working-age DLA is being cut and reformed. The DWP told Disability News Service that the real growth in working-age DLA spending was only 28 per cent. But even this figure of 28 per cent is almost certainly too high, as it fails to exclude demographic factors – such as the general growth in the population – which the DWP has previously admitted is an important consideration in determining the true rise in DLA claimants. Miller suggested to the committee that demographic factors would remove a third from the figure of 38 per cent that she quoted. This could mean the growth in working-age DLA spending is as low as 18 or 19 per cent over eight years, rather than the 38 per cent quoted by Miller – but the DWP has been unable to produce the relevant figure. A DWP spokeswoman said the percentage increase for working age spending – taking into account demographic factors – “does not exist at the moment”. It is the second time the government has been caught using misleading DLA figures to justify its reforms. In August, the government claimed official statistics showed the number of DLA claimants had risen by 30 per cent over eight years, when the growth in the number of working-age DLA claimants – excluding demographic factors – was just 13 per cent. Dame Anne Begg, the disabled Labour MP who chairs the work and pensions committee, said Miller had been “evasive” throughout the entire evidence session. She said there were “concerns about the government’s use of statistics” and that Miller had failed to provide a “proper explanation of where this 38 per cent figure came from”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=266 Outraged campaigners say a new government-backed benefit fraud campaign could expose disabled people to hostility and violence in their own communities. The national campaign has been launched by the “crime-fighting” charity Crimestoppers and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and <a href="http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/media-centre/news-releases/2011/crimestoppers-launches-campaign-to-fight-benefit-fraud-9009899" target="_blank">centres on a poster featuring eight members of the public looking angry</a>, shocked and hostile, and even threatening violence at the idea of benefit fraud. The poster is headlined: “WelUNfare: Don’t Let Benefit Fraud Make You Mad,” and encourages people to phone a hotline anonymously if they suspect someone of fraud. Posters are being displayed on bus shelters, with online advertising on Facebook, as well as through other posters and leaflets, and adverts concentrated in Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. But activists say disabled people are already facing accusations from the government and in the media of being “scroungers” and “benefit frauds” and the campaign will put them at even greater risk of disability hate crime. Only last month, activists linked the conviction of a man who called his disabled neighbour a “benefit scrounger” during a hate campaign, to hostile stories and comments about alleged disability benefit fraud that have come from the media and the government. Crimestoppers has refused to withdraw the posters, or to say whether its campaign originated from the DWP. Anne Novis, a leading disabled campaigner on disability hate crime, said the poster suggests that hostility towards disabled people is acceptable. She said: “I am appalled that yet again disabled people are being targeted by this government, as so many people already are scared to do anything outside their homes, due to the hostility we face.” Stephen Brookes, a coordinator of the <a href="www.facebook.com/groups/disabilityhatecrimenetwork/" target="_blank">Disability Hate Crime Network</a>, said he was “saddened and appalled” by the “badly misguided” campaign and its potential for increasing hostility towards disabled people, and warned that it would lead to “false and mischievous” allegations being made. Katharine Quarmby, another coordinator of the network and author of <a href="www.amazon.co.uk/Scapegoat-Why-Failing-Disabled-People/dp/1846273218/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310053829&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>, a ground-breaking investigation into disability hate crime, said: “We have already seen emerging evidence that some disabled people are being both verbally abused and even physically assaulted because of the campaign by some newspapers and the government against ‘scroungers’. “A charity that seeks to reduce the fear of crime should not become involved or appear to be involved in whipping up hatred, fear and prejudice against disabled people – or indeed, against poor lone parents or any other scapegoat for this recession.” A DWP spokesman admitted the government had approved the campaign and poster, but said: “It is in no way designed to incite hate crime.” When Disability News Service suggested that the poster and campaign could expose disabled people to more hostility, he said: “I think that is just untrue. I do not think it will contribute to disability hate crime.” And when asked whether DWP was completely comfortable with the poster, he said: “We support the campaign to encourage people to report benefit fraudsters.” A Crimestoppers spokesman said the charity had received “almost 500 pieces of information” that it passed to DWP in the first week of its campaign, and that all information received was “evaluated closely before being sent to DWP, so any that appear to be malicious or without substance will simply be ignored”. He said: “The idea of the posters is to connect with society and feelings of anger against those who commit benefit fraud, not towards those who claim benefits lawfully. “Strong visuals are integral to our campaigns and the more eye-catching they are, the more impact they will have, which will hopefully result in more people contacting Crimestoppers to give information about crime.” He added: “While we sympathise with those that have not received this campaign as we would have liked them to, we cannot apologise for attempting to stop a crime that hits the pockets of the general public.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=265 The first major survey to explore the barriers that disabled people face to participating in British society has produced a detailed picture of their experiences across work, transport and education. <a href="http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/los/los_wave_one_200911.pdf" target="_blank">The Life Opportunities Survey</a> compares how disabled and non-disabled people participate in society, and also looks at issues such as living standards, housing, discrimination and crime. The report for the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) says that 26 per cent of adults in Britain have rights under the disability provisions of the Equality Act. More than twice as many adults with impairments (57 per cent) experienced barriers to employment as those without an impairment (26 per cent), while 75 per cent of adults with impairments experienced barriers to using transport, compared with 60 per cent of those without impairments. The survey found that 27 per cent of households with at least one person with an impairment reported finding making loan repayments a heavy burden, compared with 14 per cent of households without any people with impairments. Of those disabled people who reported discrimination in the previous 12 months, health staff were most frequently held responsible (29 per cent), followed by strangers in the street (26 per cent) and employers (25 per cent). Interim findings from the survey were published in December 2010, but the final results were published this week, and are based on more than 30,000 interviews with adults in 20,000 households, although residents of institutions such as nursing and care homes have been excluded. The ODI said the government would use the results to target policies and resources where they were most needed. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=264 Bosses from the country’s three leading cinema chains have been given a grilling by young disabled activists over their failure to make their screens more accessible. Leading executives from Cineworld, Odeon and Vue attended a parliamentary meeting as part of an ongoing inquiry into the issues affecting the lives and independence of young disabled people. The session of the all-party parliamentary group for young disabled people – which is chaired by the disabled MP Paul Maynard – followed the publication in August of The Big Picture, a report by the Trailblazers network of young disabled campaigners. All three cinema chains had refused to take part in Lights, Camera, Access, a film produced by Trailblazers to promote the report and campaign, which was shown during this week’s meeting. Members of <a href="http://www.mdctrailblazers.org/" target="_blank">Trailblazers</a> – which is run by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign – had earlier handed in a 1,000-name petition to Downing Street calling for cinema access to be improved. Trailblazer Vivek Gohil, a wheelchair-user, told the meeting that some screens at his local cinema only gave him the option of sitting at the front, which was “particularly unsuitable for disabled people who might have limited movement and may be unable to strain their necks”. He said: “Instead of being excited to go out with friends I am anxious to get a comfortable viewing position.” Gohil said such experiences were common among disabled people, and he appealed to the executives present to “raise the bar on accessibility and to commit to improving access”, although he accepted that “it does appear that things are heading in the right direction”. <a href="http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org/assets/0002/7771/Trailblazers_-_The_Big_Picture.pdf" target="_blank">The Big Picture</a>, which investigated 125 cinema venues across the UK, concluded that practice was improving, particularly at independent cinemas and the smaller chains, but many of the cinemas run by major chains were still providing a second-class service. Problems included uncomfortable viewing areas, inaccessible auditoria and refreshment areas, poor staff disability awareness, broken lifts, heavy doors and poor lighting, while it was sometimes impossible to enter the venue at all because there was no accessible entrance. One in three venues run by the major chains were found to offer poor or very poor views of the screen from their wheelchair-accessible spaces. But Phil Clapp, chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association, said the film and report had painted an unfair picture of access at cinemas. He told the meeting: “We believe that the picture painted in the report and the film is too negative, incomplete and, we would argue, unfair for a sector that works extremely hard to improve practice in this area.” He and the cinema executives answered a series of questions from Trailblazers on issues such as the provision of wheelchair spaces, accessible toilets, online booking and staff training. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=263 A transport minister has announced new funding of nearly £40 million to improve access to Britain’s railway stations. The funding is part of the 10-year Access for All programme launched in 2006 to provide accessible, step-free routes at 148 key stations, through lifts, ramps, raised humps on platforms and new accessible toilets. Most of the new funding – £37.5 million – is for “mid-tier” projects that need up to £1 million in government cash. There will be major access improvements affecting more than <a href="http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/access-for-all-mid-tier-funding" target="_blank">40 stations</a>, including London Paddington, St Austell, Stratford-upon-Avon, Swindon, and Ystrad Mynach in south Wales. Network Rail will receive £500,000 to add tactile edge paving at 27 stations, and £5 million for raised humps on 100 platforms, to reduce the gap for passengers boarding trains. Transport for All, the accessible transport charity, welcomed the new funding. A spokeswoman for the charity said: “Transport for All applauds this recognition of the importance of equal access to transport for older and disabled people. “The improvements will be transformative for disabled and older people living around the area, and their ability to get to work, to see friends and family, and to enjoy the freedom and independence to travel.” Transport for All has backed campaigns this year for access improvements at two of the London stations awarded funding, Crystal Palace and Hampstead Heath. Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport minister, said: “Despite the need to reduce the deficit, we are committed to improving access to stations across the country as this can make a huge difference to people’s lives. “In recognition of this, and of the large number of high quality bids we received for this funding, we are today announcing projects worth more than double the £17m budget we originally allocated to this programme.” Baker has also released £57 million from the existing Access for All budget two years earlier than planned – to be used from 2012 instead of 2014 – to allow Network Rail to “accelerate the delivery” of improvements at a further 27 stations. And he has increased funding from £5 million to £7 million a year for the next three years – starting in April 2012 – so train operating companies can carry out smaller-scale access improvements at the stations they manage, restoring this budget to its pre-spending review level. A Department for Transport spokesman later confirmed that this £2 million increase and the £37.5 million was “new money” that had not previously been announced by the government. The Access for All fund was launched with a £370 million government funding pot in 2006, to improve access at train stations across England, Wales and Scotland. Organisations such as councils and regional transport bodies can bid for cash but must match any funding they secure. The new funding was announced as RADAR published <a href="http://www.radar.org.uk/people-living-with-health-conditions-disability/doing-life-differently/doing-transport-differently/" target="_blank">Doing Transport Differently</a>, a new guide to accessible transport and how to plan journeys, written by and for disabled people. Liz Sayce, RADAR’s chief executive, said: “In the year of the 2012 games and beyond we want transport that is inclusive of everyone. “This will benefit disabled individuals, who will gain independence, and transport companies, who will gain customers, and society overall, as more disabled people become more independent.” The disabled Conservative MP Paul Maynard, a member of the transport select committee, said the guide was “innovative and important” and “provides practical advice and support so that disabled people can take advantage of public transport in the same way everyone else often takes for granted”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=262 A government-backed report is set to make it harder for disabled people to claim out-of-work disability benefits, while potentially delivering another lucrative assessment contract to the private sector. The authors of the report on “sickness absence” admit their proposals would “put more pressure on people to return to work”, but claim that in many cases this would “be in their own best interest, not just that of employers and taxpayers”. David Cameron, the prime minister, appeared to back the report’s conclusions in an interview this week in the Daily Mail in which he described sick pay as a “conveyor belt to a life on benefits”, and said the government needed to “end the something for nothing culture”. The health at work report was written by Dame Carol Black, the government’s national director for health and work and a former president of the Royal College of Physicians, and David Frost, former director general of the British Chambers of Commerce. They claim that 11 million employees a year take sick leave, with about 300,000 going on to claim employment and support allowance (ESA) – the new replacement for incapacity benefit – while sick pay costs employers £9 billion a year. The report says its recommendations would reduce the number of new ESA claims by half. It calls on the government to scrap the 13-week ESA “assessment phase” because of “wasteful delays” in the average 17 weeks it takes to complete the work capability assessment (WCA), which tests ESA eligibility. The report points out that just over half (53 per cent) of those assessed are eventually declared “fit for work”. Only those disabled people with enough evidence to show they would not need a face-to-face assessment would be allowed to claim ESA straight away, with the others having to claim jobseeker’s allowance until they had been assessed. The report also says that Jobcentre Plus should do more to “to prevent large numbers of people being inappropriately directed towards ESA”, and should ensure that the face-to-face assessment is carried out “as soon as possible”. The authors say these measures will help disabled people secure support sooner and help those who can work to find a job quicker, as well as saving the government £100 million a year, because of fewer people on ESA, lower administrative costs and increased tax revenue. Another key recommendation of the report is for employers or GPs to be able to refer those on long-term sickness absence from work – more than four weeks – to a new “independent assessment service”. The service would not replace the WCA, but could provide “useful evidence” to any subsequent assessment by Atos Healthcare, which is paid £100 million a year to carry out the tests for the government. Activists fear the government will also award the contract for the new assessment service to Atos. Tracey Lazard, chief executive of Inclusion London, said she was “dismayed” by the prospect of an “independent assessment service”. She said: “We have an expectation that it is going to be another WCA scenario and another money-making opportunity for the likes of Atos. “They seem to be trying to roll out the WCA model even though it is clear it is fundamentally flawed.” She said it was difficult to understand a measure that would create more bureaucracy when the government was constantly talking about efficiency savings. And she said it was “frankly bizarre at a time when the government is saying it wants to hand over the NHS to GPs because of their relationship with patients. So they trust GPs with the NHS, but not on this issue.” Dame Carol said in a statement: “If implemented, these recommendations will ensure many more people with health conditions are able to enjoy the benefit of work; far fewer will needlessly lose work and fall into long-term benefit dependency.” Lord Freud, the Conservative welfare reform minister, said the government was “committed to supporting more people with health conditions to work” but that sickness absence causes an annual £15 billion loss to the economy and “we cannot continue to foot this bill”. He said such “needless inactivity” damaged people’s aspirations, their health, and their families and communities. The government will publish a response to the review next year. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=261 A government minister and executives from the company that carries out “fitness for work” tests on disabled people have faced angry criticism from campaigners at a national conference on disability poverty. Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people, once again faced heckling from disabled people as she tried to justify the government’s cuts and reforms to disability benefits. The heckling came a month after she faced repeated, angry interruptions from activists at the mayor of London’s annual Disability Capital event. Miller faced particular anger from delegates to this week’s <a href="http://www.disabilityalliance.org/tacklingreport.htm" target="_blank">Tackling Disability Poverty</a> conference when she tried to justify the government’s sweeping welfare reforms by pointing to the need to tackle the number of people “defrauding” the system. Only seconds earlier, she had argued that there was nothing she could do to stop the media portraying disabled people as cheats and scroungers. Miller told the conference, organised by Disability Alliance, RADAR and the National Centre for Independent Living: “The need for reform is clear because all too often at the moment we cannot be absolutely sure that money is really getting through to those who need it most.” Linda Burnip, co-founder of Disabled People Against Cuts, told Miller that disabled people were “living in fear every day that they are going to lose their benefits and care funding, and worse, they are losing their benefits and their care funding”. Miller said much of this fear was “founded on perhaps a lack of information” and that the government was trying to ensure there was a “benefit system with the sort of integrity which will help disabled people get the support they need”. She added: “When I open the newspaper and I see yet another case of somebody defrauding the benefit system what I think is that that probably doesn’t help disabled people really feel confident... that it is a support system that has integrity around it.” Tracey Lazard, chief executive of Inclusion London, called on the Department for Work and Pensions to issue positive case studies to the media as part of a plan “to counter what are outrageous levels of inaccurate reporting” about disability benefits. Another disabled activist, who had been vocal in heckling Miller, pointed afterwards to the people he was supporting who were feeling suicidal because of the government’s welfare reforms. He said: “You have to hold people accountable for their actions. You can’t just gloss over the reality of what they are doing to people. It’s barbaric.” A senior executive for Atos Healthcare, the private sector company which carries out the much-criticised “fitness for work” tests for the government, shocked many of the conference delegates by suggesting that his company had vastly improved its performance. The company, and the healthcare professionals it employs, have faced fierce criticism from many disabled people who have been tested using the government’s work capability assessment (WCA). But Dr David Beswick, Atos’s medical director, claimed the company had recognised that it was “not looking after customers as well as we should” and needed to “focus better on their experience” and “make this a much more positive experience for them”. He said Atos had implemented recommendations from the first annual review of the WCA by Professor Malcolm Harrington, and had improved the operation of its call centre, while a customer survey found satisfaction levels with staff courtesy and professionalism had topped 90 per cent. But Sue Royston, from Citizens Advice, suggested the survey would have produced completely different results if claimants had been able to see the reports the Atos professionals had actually written. There were also new concerns raised at the conference about the government’s administration of its Access to Work (AtW) scheme. Robert Droy, from Southampton Centre for Independent Living, said his organisation had been “inundated with problems to do with Access to Work” over the last nine months. He said he spent 10 hours last week sorting out problems with just one disabled employee’s AtW payments. He said: “If I am getting to the end of my tether as a disabled person, how on earth are you going to convince a private company to actually take on disabled people?” Disability News Service has reported a string of concerns about the coalition government’s commitment to AtW, including alarming evidence of a slump in the number of “new customers” helped by the scheme. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=260 Organisers of a conference aimed at addressing disability poverty made it too difficult for disabled people experiencing poverty themselves to attend the event, it has been claimed. The conference was organised by three leading disability organisations, Disability Alliance (DA), RADAR and the National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL), and was held at the central London offices of the international law firm Taylor Wessing. But disabled activists criticised the failure to offer free places, or provide bursaries to cover the cost of travel to the conference, for disabled people on benefits, or to hold the conference in a more accessible part of London. They also pointed to the lack of blue badge parking spaces or an accessible tube station near the venue. A small group of activists had protested outside the venue about the government’s welfare reforms, and the presence at the conference of the minister for disabled people, Maria Miller, and executives from Atos Healthcare, which carries out “fitness for work” tests for the Department for Work and Pensions. But the activists were refused entry to the conference when they asked to be allowed to attend the event after their protest. Members of the three organisations had been charged £40 to attend the conference, while non-members paid £70 and “unwaged individuals” £10. Linda Burnip, co-founder of <a href="http://www.dpac.uk.net/" target="_blank">Disabled People Against Cuts</a>, who did attend the conference, said: “It’s a conference on disability poverty and the people excluded are disabled people on benefits, because they cannot afford the £10 to get in.” Anne Pridmore, chair of <a href="http://www.beingtheboss.co.uk/ target="_blank">Being the Boss</a>, which supports disabled people who employ personal assistants, also attended the conference. She travelled to London from Leicestershire with a colleague. They faced a total bill of £140 to attend, including transport costs, all of which they funded themselves. Pridmore said: “What we are saying is that this conference wasn’t aimed at the people who have the most to lose.” Neil Coyle, DA’s director of policy, said the event was “very accessible”, and there had been a need to charge delegates in order to cover the conference’s costs, which included hiring a British Sign Language interpreter, and paying for transport and overnight accommodation for one of the speakers. But he said he hoped Disability Rights UK, which will be formed next year through a merger between NCIL, DA and RADAR, would take a “more systematic approach” to such conferences. He also said he hoped Taylor Wessing would offer the venue free of charge again next year, despite the company’s concerns about repeat protests. He added: “We will be planning events like this for the new organisation and will take on board the comments we have had on this. “I think we have done a good job in limited circumstances to provide a debate that is so relevant to disabled people’s lives.” He said material from the conference – including Miller’s speech – was being placed on <a href="http://www.disabilityalliance.org/tacklingreport.htm" target="_blank">DA’s website</a>. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=259 Disabled activists have linked the conviction of a man who called his disabled neighbour a “benefit scrounger” to hostile stories and comments that have come from the media and the government. Magistrates used disability hate crime laws to increase the sentence imposed on David McGregor, who had waged a three-month hate campaign against Peter Greener. South Tyneside magistrates heard that McGregor accused Greener of being a “benefit scrounger”, encouraged his own and other local children to hurl abuse at him, sprayed graffiti on Greener’s fence, and threw rocks at his window, much of it caught on CCTV that had been installed by the Greener family. Greener has a fluctuating condition, which means sometimes he can walk and sometimes he uses a wheelchair, but McGregor claimed he was exaggerating his impairment. McGregor, of Johnston Avenue, Hebburn, pleaded guilty to harassment, criminal damage and attempted criminal damage. He was handed a 10-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and must carry out 80 hours of unpaid work. He was also given a restraining order and told not to harass or intimidate the Greener family for 12 months. Magistrates had been intending to impose a community order, but because the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) drew their attention to the disability hate crime aspects of the case, they instead imposed a more serious suspended prison sentence. The case was mentioned by Anne McGuire, Labour’s shadow disabled people’s minister, in a <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm111123/halltext/111123h0001.htm#11112365000001" target="_blank">Commons debate on disability hate crime</a> this week. She linked Greener’s ordeal to the government’s treatment of welfare reform and its use of statistics on disability benefits, and to the “dramatic increase in the number of media articles related to disability fraud”. She said that the “daily feeding to the media of press releases and distortion of figures, and the calling into question whether people really are disabled, has changed the landscape for disabled people”. McGuire called on Maria Miller, the Conservative minister for disabled people, to “challenge some of the more outrageous and outlandish comments” by some of her senior ministerial colleagues, because she said they were causing “fear and uncertainty” among disabled people. Kaliya Franklin, the disabled blogger and activist who co-founded <a href="http://thebrokenofbritain.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Broken of Britain</a>, said the court case showed signs of improved “understanding, classification and management” of disability hate crime by the criminal justice system. But she said the number of anecdotal reports of disability hate crime had increased rapidly in the last year, and also raised concerns that many were linked to hostile reports appearing in newspapers such as the Daily Mail, and public comments from government ministers. She said: “Disabled people are afraid, not just of the impact of the cuts, but that we are becoming targets for the wider community as a direct result of the demonisation of benefit recipients coming from the government and media.” Stephen Brookes, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, was behind a statement issued last week by the National Union of Journalists’ (NUJ) disabled members council, which urged journalists to “support and sustain fair and balanced reporting of matters relating to disabled people”. The NUJ said the “continuous drip-feed” of stories promoting a “range of inaccurate and generalised accusations against disabled people” had led to them being “demonized” in the press as “work shy” and “scroungers” and caused hostility, discrimination and physical attacks. Brookes, joint chair of the disabled members council, said cases such as the hostility experienced by Peter Greener were “the exact reason why I wanted that statement”. A CPS spokesman welcomed Northumbria police’s action in treating the offences as motivated by hostility towards a disabled person. He said the way the police, CPS and magistrates had dealt with the case “demonstrates that the messages around disability hate crime and other hate crime are being received and understood and people are acting on that”. Campaigners have repeatedly highlighted the failure of the courts, police and prosecutors to take advantage of section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows courts to impose harsher sentences for disability hate crimes, although not for murders. But earlier this month, police, prosecutors and magistrates in Bristol won praise for using section 146 to increase the sentence imposed on a hairdresser who shaved an offensive word into the hair of a man with learning difficulties. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=258 The radical disabled people’s network DAN has warned the government to expect an imminent return to the kind of high-profile, non-violent, direct action protests last seen in the 1990s. The pledge was made at the launch of the second UK Disability History Month (UK DHM), which is running until 22 December. Barbara Lisicki was a key DAN figure in its glory days in the 1990s, which saw disabled activists forcing ITV to abandon its fund-raising Telethon, and chaining themselves to buses to protest at the lack of accessible transport. Lisicki told the UK DHM launch event, held at the National Union of Teachers’ London headquarters: “When disabled people get together they have immense power.” But she said the protests currently taking place over the government’s cuts to benefits and services were “too nice, too polite” and it was “time we got out there and upset people”. She added: “DAN had a great history but we need to have a great future, too.” After the launch, Lisicki told Disability News Service that direct action over the government’s cuts to disabled people’s benefits and services would happen, and added: “I can’t tell you when and how, but it is going to happen for sure. “The issue is very much ‘stop attacking disabled people’s rights’. It is about saying that all the gains we have made are just being grabbed back and they think we will not notice.” She said she believed the protests would have as much impact as DAN’s actions in its 1990s heyday, and would certainly target the government. She said: “When it happens, it will be a big splash. It is a question of when, not if.” UK DHM founder Richard Rieser said disabled people owed many of the rights they currently enjoyed to previous campaigns led by the disability movement, and added: “This government is pedalling lie after lie about our lives as disabled people. “We need to get a little bit more active about this, otherwise all those things achieved in the past will be gone. “Disability History Month isn’t just about looking over our shoulder, it is also about moving forward.” Other presentations at the launch included one from Maresa MacKeith, a poet and disabled activist, who discussed the work of two eighteenth century disabled poets, Mary Chandler and Mary Leapor, and read a poem from her own book, Taking the Time. As part of UK DHM, the British Library has launched <a href="http://sounds.bl.uk/Browse.aspx?category=Oral-history&collection=Disability-Voices" target="_blank">Disability Voices</a>, a new collection of oral history interviews with disabled people. The collection includes: the Scope-led project Speaking for Ourselves, an oral history of people with cerebral palsy; Hearing Link’s Unheard Voices, a collection of interviews with Deafened People; interviews with Paralympians Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson and Danny Crates, recorded for An Oral History of British Athletics; and Geoff Webb’s self-recorded autobiography, his account of living with polio. Meanwhile, Katharine Quarmby, who is taking part this weekend in a discussion about disability hate crime as part of <a href="http://ukdisabilityhistorymonth.com/list-of-events-2011/" target="_blank">UK DHM</a>, has been presented with the literature prize at the annual Ability Media International Awards for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scapegoat-Why-Failing-Disabled-People/dp/1846273218/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310053829&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>, her ground-breaking book on the subject. Quarmby will be speaking at the <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk/events/detail.cfm?event=3368" target="_blank">free event</a> at the TUC’s headquarters in London on Saturday 26 November, from 11am, alongside Mike Smith, the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s disability commissioner, and Stephen Brookes, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=257 At least three disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) plan to submit evidence to a major inquiry to draw its attention to how some newspapers are stirring up hostility towards disabled people. The Leveson Inquiry was set up to examine the role of the press and the police in the wake of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, with the first part of the inquiry examining the culture, practices and ethics of the media. Disabled activists have repeatedly criticised newspapers like the Daily Mail for publishing offensive, disablist and inaccurate stories about disability benefits, particularly incapacity benefit, employment and support allowance and disability living allowance. Now the UK Disabled People’s Council (UKDPC), Inclusion London and the Disability Hate Crime Network (DHCN) are all set to submit evidence to the inquiry. Jaspal Dhani, chief executive of UKDPC, said: “Now the media are under the spotlight it is a fantastic opportunity for us to raise our concerns about how they are portraying disabled people.” He said there was strong anecdotal evidence that disabled people were facing an increase in targeted hostility and hate crime as a result of stories that have been published in newspapers such as the Daily Mail. He said: “When you look at the hostility and verbal abuse about people being ‘workshy’ and ‘scroungers’, where would people get those messages from? “I think it is pretty safe to assume that a lot of those messages arise from certain sections of the press. Those kinds of messages have to influence people’s thinking.” UKDPC is hoping other DPOs will contact it with newspaper stories they have found inaccurate, hostile and offensive. Tracey Lazard, chief executive of Inclusion London, said she hoped to submit joint evidence to the inquiry, alongside other campaigning organisations. The evidence is likely to draw the inquiry’s attention to the government’s failure to counter “outrageous, inaccurate and hostile reporting” by some newspapers, and how some Department for Work and Pensions press releases appear to have contributed to those stories. Lazard said there was a clear link between the press coverage and a rise in hostility, and added: “When we meet disabled people they are saying that the climate is significantly worse, they are far more fearful of how they are perceived.” Stephen Brookes, a coordinator of DHCN, which also plans to submit evidence to the inquiry, said: “We have continually been told that the language that has been used about disabled people is demeaning and damaging, and it is a continual drip-feed of harassment.” He said it was clear that some of the hostility facing disabled people “has originated through the papers”. DPOs can email scans of newspaper articles or internet links to <a href="&#109;&#97;&#105;&#108;&#116;&#111;&#58;&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#64;&#117;&#107;&#100;&#112;&#99;&#46;&#110;&#101;&#116;">&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#64;&#117;&#107;&#100;&#112;&#99;&#46;&#110;&#101;&#116;</a> or send them by post to Jaspal Dhani, UKDPC, Stratford Advice Arcade, 107-109 The Grove, Stratford, London E15 1HP. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=256 A disabled activist with one of the country’s leading self-advocacy organisations has spoken of her pride in taking her council to court over its decision to remove their funding. Gina Barrett and colleagues from People First Lambeth (PFL) were in the high court this week for a judicial review of Lambeth council’s decision not to renew annual contracts with PFL worth £118,000. The judge’s ruling is not expected until next month, but Barrett said she was “happy” that she had taken the council to court. She said: “It was a good thing for me to do because not many people with learning difficulties go to court. “It was good in a way that I did it for other people that have got learning difficulties. I felt good because it was a challenge for me to do it, but I found a good lawyer who was on my side.” She said it was important to take a stand against the council because PFL was the only organisation run by people with learning difficulties in Lambeth. Barrett said she had felt “upset and horrible” at the council’s “hurtful” decision to withdraw PFL’s funding and “pay someone else to do what we have done”, rather than paying people with learning difficulties to do the work themselves. The council funding made up 94 per cent of PFL’s annual revenue, and Barrett and other people with learning difficulties from Lambeth are now fighting for the survival of their organisation, which was set up in 1985. Louise Whitfield, a judicial review expert with Pierce Glynn solicitors, the firm representing Barrett, said: “It is important and significant for people with learning disabilities that the case was brought by a person with a learning disability.” Barrett’s lawyers claim the council failed in its public sector equality duty – under the Disability Discrimination Act – to pay due regard to the impact of the cuts on disabled people and the need to promote disability equality, and to consult or engage with PFL members, before making the decision. Whitfield said it was one of the first cases to look at these duties in respect of people with learning difficulties. She said: “If you decide to consult, you have to do it fairly, and obviously if your consultees have particular needs you need to address those needs to make the consultation process fair and lawful, and part of our argument was that that had not been done.” They also challenged the council’s continuing consultation efforts, using the new Equality Act to argue that removing PFL’s funding had made it impossible for members to secure the support they needed to take part in the process. Although the council eventually responded to these later concerns by appointing a “user involvement worker”, this was only a part-time post and the person was not employed or managed by PFL. The case is just the latest in a series of high-profile judicial reviews of decisions by public bodies to slash services and spending following huge cuts by the coalition government. Lambeth council declined to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=255 Disability organisations have welcomed the second annual review of the government’s much-criticised “fitness for work” test, but have warned that progress on improving the assessment has been too slow. Professor Malcolm Harrington, who has carried out both independent reviews for the government, said he believed “real progress” had been made in improving the work capability assessment (WCA), although he said he would “not for one minute claim that things are perfect”. Harrington’s first review concluded that changes were needed to all stages of the assessment – which assesses eligibility for employment and support allowance (ESA) – to make it a “fairer, more effective and more humane process”. But the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) said progress on improving the test had been “slow”, while there were still “fundamental problems” with the WCA. Harrington’s new review proposes a number of new recommendations to improve how the WCA operates and the “transparency” of the face-to-face assessment, and to develop new guidance for the professionals from Atos Healthcare who carry out the assessments and the civil servants who make decisions on eligibility. Harrington also warned that the programme to reassess about 1.5 million existing claimants of old-style incapacity benefit would “place considerable demands on every part of the WCA process”, and showed the need for “the right decision about a claimant’s eligibility for ESA to be made first time”. Neil Coyle, director of policy for Disability Alliance and a member of the DBC steering group, called on the government to make a “more significant effort” to ensure further improvements to the WCA were made “as swiftly as possible” so as to “reduce avoidable expenditure on appeals”. He also called for more government support for disabled people to get and keep work, including greater use of the Access to Work programme. The consortium also warned that measures in the government’s welfare reform bill would impose a one-year time limit for most people on the contributory form of ESA, a move which it said would “undermine the effectiveness of the benefit and deny support to hundreds of thousands of disabled people”. And it urged the government to learn lessons from the WCA to “avoid repeating the mistakes” in its planned reform of disability living allowance. Chris Grayling, the Conservative employment minister, said the government would implement all of Harrington’s recommendations. He said: “It is in everyone’s interest to get the system right. We want the assessment to be as fair and consistent as possible. This is the first step on a journey back to work for many people and we want it to be positive. “The system is far better than it was two years ago but there are still improvements and refinements we can make.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=254 The government appears to have left out any mention of the brutal cuts to disabled people’s benefits and services in a crucial report about how it is implementing the United Nations (UN) disability convention. <a href="http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/disabled-people-and-legislation/un-convention-on-the-rights-of-disabled-people/have-your-say.php" target="_blank">The report</a> was submitted today (Thursday) to the UN by the UK government’s Office for Disability Issues, and describes measures that are being taken to implement each of the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But an initial analysis of the report suggests the government has omitted any mention of its planned 20 per cent cut to spending on disability living allowance (DLA), and of other cuts, such as plans to impose a one-year time limit on most claimants of the contributory form of employment and support allowance (ESA). In the section on article 28 of the convention, which describes disabled people’s right to an adequate standard of living, the government’s report admits that twice as many disabled adults in Britain live in “persistent poverty” as non-disabled adults. But it makes no mention of how the DLA cuts, the impact of ever-tightening eligibility criteria for care services being introduced by councils, the cuts to ESA, or the closure of the Independent Living Fund to new members are set to attack people’s standard of living. Even in an annex summarising responses from disabled people and disabled people’s organisations to May’s draft version of the report, it appears to skate over the public spending cuts. The annex says: “Disabled people believe that in the approach taken to reform, and the government’s ambition to reduce public sector spending, government should avoid steps that might result in disproportionate impact on them when compared to non-disabled people.” It is also careful not to mention the word “cuts” in the annex section on independent living, instead reporting that disabled people had “suggested” that “changes” to local authority spending would lead to councils “focusing provision on the services which they have a legal obligation to deliver”. Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people, said the report was “an important milestone” and “sets out the progress we have made across the United Kingdom and the approach to delivering the government’s commitment to equality for disabled people”. She added: “Going forward, we will maintain this momentum through a new disability strategy. We will use the convention as a starting point to focus all our energy on ensuring that disabled people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.” The UK Disabled People’s Council is leading a project – <a href="http://www.disabilityrightswatchuk.org/" target="_blank">Disability Rights Watch UK</a> – to compile a separate, independent report to the UN based on evidence from disabled people and their organisations, while the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Scottish Human Rights Commission will also submit reports to the UN. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=253 The Access Association which promotes inclusive and accessible environments has appointed Ian Streets, Director of About Access Ltd as their representative on the British Standard BS8300 – Design of buildings and their approach to meet the needs of disabled people – code of practice. The Association a national organisation for access professionals in local authorities and private practice. Its members receive networking facilities through regional meetings a CPD program and information packs with an annual half day seminar at the Association's AGM. About Access Ltd provides advice to clients on making premises and services accessible to disabled people. About Access Ltd works with organizations of all sizes around the country, and on all property types from listed properties to those that have yet to be built. Managing Director, Ian Streets who is also on the National Register of Access Consultants, said “This is an honour to represent the Association, it is a respected body in the access field and is often the first port of call when looking for support, not only that but BS8300 is a key document when looking to improve access to the built environment.” The Access Association can be found at <a href="http://www.accessassociation.co.uk" target="_blank">www.accessassociation.co.uk</a> and About Access Ltd at <a href="http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk" target="_blank">www.aboutaccess.co.uk</a> or 01482 651101 http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=252 The latest of a series of horrific murders of disabled people has shown the urgent need for research into what motivates the men and women who commit such hate crimes, campaigners believe. The call came after the publication of a <a href="http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/wccweb.nsf/Links/0C9B7D1DF19DA51680257944003F4A04/$file/GH+SCR+Public+Summary+(APPROVED+19.10.11).pdf" target="_blank">serious case review into the murder of Gemma Hayter</a>, a young disabled woman who was brutally beaten to death by five young people she considered her “friends”. Many of the circumstances surrounding Hayter’s death are similar to those of other notorious hate crime murders in recent years. Katharine Quarmby, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network and author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scapegoat-Why-Failing-Disabled-People/dp/1846273218/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310053829&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>, a ground-breaking investigation of disability hate crime, highlighted several similarities. Hayter was killed by a group of young men and women, who she thought were her “friends”. She was also forced to drink urine. Several of the violent deaths Quarmby has studied have involved “dehumanising” the disabled person in some way using urine. Quarmby said Hayter’s death showed other “clear hallmarks” of a disability hate crime, and particularly the kind of “mate crime” in which disabled people – often those with learning difficulties, like Hayter – are befriended and then groomed and exploited. Quarmby said the case highlighted the urgent need for research into the kind of people who carry out disability hate crime, their motivation and “some kind of profile of what a disability hate crime looks like”. This kind of “perpetrator analysis” was a key recommendation of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into disability-related harassment, which reported in September and is currently out for consultation. Quarmby believes such research will make it easier for police, prosecutors and judges to use section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows for stricter sentences for disability hate crimes, although not presently for murders. She said: “I think we have enough cases to profile what these cases look like, who is doing them and what the markers are. “Without perpetrator analysis, the police will never move forward and each case will [continue to] be treated in isolation.” Simon Cole, chief constable of Leicestershire police, and mental health and disability lead for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “Improving the way in which the police service recognises and responds to harassment and abuse of disabled people is a significant challenge facing policing and we can only be successful by working in partnership with disabled people and other public bodies. “One of the seven areas the EHRC is looking at is how well we understand the motivations of those individuals who perpetrate crimes against disabled people and in our response to the EHRC we will be looking at how best we can take this forward, and this will include perpetrator analysis.” He added: “I urge disabled people to continue to come forward and report crimes against them so that perpetrators can face the consequence of their actions in the courts.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=251 The government has finally admitted that large numbers of confidential medical questionnaires – submitted by disabled people as part of their benefit claims – are being opened by Royal Mail staff. Disabled activists <a href="http://www.bhfederation.org.uk/federation-news/item/1412-fury-over-sensitive-benefits-forms-opened-by-royal-mail-staff.html" target="_blank">first suggested early last month</a> that ESA50 questionnaires were being opened by Royal Mail, before being forwarded to Atos Healthcare, the company that carries out “fitness for work” tests for the government. Information suggesting the practice was widespread was contained in a response from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to a Freedom of Information Act (FIA) request. Disabled people were outraged that Royal Mail staff could be opening and handling detailed and sensitive personal information, for example about their medication, communication difficulties, incontinence, and panic attacks. Disabled activist <a href="http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/2011/10/did-you-know-this-about-your-esa50-form.html" target"_blank">Sue Marsh, who wrote about the FIA request on her blog last month</a>, said filling in such forms was the one time that most disabled people “sit down and really face exactly how their illness or disability limits their life”. She said: “You are writing things on those forms that you probably do not even tell your mum or your partner.” One of the disabled people who commented on Marsh’s blog said she felt as if she had been “punched” when she read how the forms were being opened by Royal Mail staff. She had to declare on her ESA form how she had been raped – because of its impact on her mental health – as well as including her address, telephone number and the fact that she lives alone. She said it was “morally and ethically wrong” that the forms were being opened by Royal Mail staff, as well as being “frightening and humiliating and degrading”. Another person who commented on the blog said her disabled daughter’s form had included the fact that she had been gang-raped, and that – if she knew Royal Mail employees were accessing that information – she would be “terrified” that it could be misused. The government originally failed to comment on the claims, before eventually insisting, late last month, that the practice was restricted to one Royal Mail “opening unit”, which dealt with forms for just one Atos testing centre, in Flowers Hill, Bristol. But the DWP has now admitted – despite repeatedly insisting that only one Royal Mail unit was involved – that the practice is far more widespread. The discrepancy only emerged after Conservative employment minister Chris Grayling wrote a letter to Marsh’s mother, appearing to accept that the practice was common and noting her concerns “about the security of personal data” on the forms. Nearly two weeks after Grayling’s letter was forwarded to the DWP press office by Disability News Service, a senior DWP press officer finally admitted that the practice was not just restricted to one Royal Mail unit in Bristol. He confirmed this week that ESA50 forms and other DWP mail were also being opened in Royal Mail centres in Edinburgh, Falkirk, south London and Preston, while insisting that the previous – inaccurate – information had been provided by DWP “in good faith”. He said there had “been no attempt by the department to mislead anyone, and we would certainly apologise if anyone felt that had been the case”. He said the ESA50 forms opened by Royal Mail staff were “processed in a separate and secure location designated for DWP mail”, while the post opening was monitored by CCTV, among other security measures. Marsh said discovering that it had taken the DWP so long to find out what was going on made her almost as angry as realising there was “another tier of people who get to read these details and that no-one knew about it”. She said: “Those of us used to dealing with the DWP know their left hand does not know what their right hand is doing, but to find it is systematic through the whole DWP, and that even their press officers don’t seem to know what is going on, is really worrying and quite frightening.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=250 Researchers are seeking volunteers to take part in a project that will trace how the educational experiences of disabled people have changed over the last 100 years. The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE), which is working on the <a href="http://www.allfie.org.uk/pages/work/historyproject.html" target="_blank">What Did You Learn at School Today? project</a> with the British Library, is looking for between 50 and 60 disabled people from across England who are willing to be interviewed about their experiences. The project was awarded a grant of nearly £180,000 in March to create a public archive of oral histories, which will be stored by the British Library. The collection of personal memories will also be used by colleges and schools to “bring to life debates on citizenship, equality and diversity”, while a new website will include an historical timeline showing the progress made over the last 100 years. Kevin Caulfield, the project’s coordinator, said there was a sense of excitement about the ground-breaking project, which will “raise in a real way the knowledge of disabled people’s experiences”. The team has already made contact with a woman of 102, who attended a special school in the early years of the twentieth century, and is hoping she will agree to be interviewed. Caulfield believes it is the first time a disabled people’s organisation has carried out such a piece of work. He said: “The other thing that is probably unique is that all of the interviewers will be disabled people, a very diverse group of disabled people with very different impairments and backgrounds. “Although we are looking at similar outcomes to any other oral history project, I think it will perhaps result in [interviewees] feeling freer to be themselves.” ALLFIE believes the project will map progress from the “old-fashioned and paternalistic view of disabled children and young people as ‘ineducable’ to a more inclusive and empowering approach where disabled children and young people are valued and welcomed into their local school and communities”. ALLFIE hopes the project will give disabled young people a “greater understanding of their history”, and provide proof of how inclusion improves the quality of all young people’s lives, as well as inspiring those involved in the struggle for inclusion. Anyone interested in being interviewed should email Kevin Caulfield at <a href="mailto:kevin.caulfield@allfie.org.uk">kevin.caulfield@allfie.org.uk</a>, write to him at: The Alliance for Inclusive Education, 336 Brixton Road, London SW9 7AA, or phone: 020 7737 6030. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=249 A disabled peer has challenged a minister over whether she is taking account of the views of disabled people in developing new policies. Baroness [Jane] Campbell told Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people, that there had been a “great deal of rhetoric” from the government on how it was listening to disabled people and their organisations. But Baroness Campbell said there were significant numbers of disabled people who were saying that they “didn’t think they were meaningfully involved”. Miller, the care services minister Paul Burstow, and the housing and local government minister <a href="http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=9250" target="_blank">Grant Shapps were the last witnesses to give evidence</a> to an inquiry by the parliamentary joint committee on human rights into the implementation of disabled people’s right to independent living. Baroness Campbell told Miller: “What we are receiving more than we anticipated was the feeling from people who came to give evidence [to the inquiry] – disabled people – that there was not meaningful involvement of their voice in the development and implementation and monitoring of policies which affect their rights.” Miller claimed disabled people had had a “demonstrably important” influence on programmes such as Right to Control (RTC), and that the need for the new £3 million project to support the growth of local disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) had been expressed by disabled people and DPOs. But Baroness Campbell said disabled people believed that RTC – which puts support from six sources, including council-funded care, into single pots of money for disabled people to use as they wish – had been a “very good example” but was now “going off the boil and [they] were very worried about their involvement”. Miller insisted that the involvement of disabled people in government policy was “absolutely clear”, whether through the Equality 2025 advisory network, or the “immense consultations” on policies such as disability living allowance (DLA) reform, or her meetings with disability organisations. She claimed disabled people were “demonstrably” affecting the development of the assessment criteria for the personal independence payment, the planned replacement for DLA. She added: “Is it that people feel that they are finding it difficult to be always listened to because we do not always completely agree on every single area? “I think that may well be some of it, but certainly we are absolutely listening very strongly and absolutely taking into account issues that are raised when we are able to.” But Miller said there would always be a need for disabled people to understand the “proactive and important tension” between the two sides. Members of the committee referred frequently during the evidence session to disabled people’s rights to independent living as guaranteed by article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Miller said independent living would be “at the heart” of the government’s disability strategy, which is due to be published in draft form next spring and would take the UN convention “as its basis” and focus on priority areas identified by disabled people. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=248 The mental health anti-stigma campaign Time to Change has secured £20 million in funding over the next four years. The campaign, run by the charities Mind and Rethink, has been awarded £16 million by the government, in addition to £4 million from Comic Relief, which has been funding Time to Change since 2007. Among its new projects is a £2.7 million fund that will provide grants to 75 local grassroots organisations to tackle stigma in their own communities. Some of the new funding will be used to support user-led groups to run community events and activities, with training in event organisation provided to people with mental health conditions with “unfulfilled leadership potential”. Time to Change will also continue to train and support people to disclose their impairment “safely”, and to challenge stigma at a local level, for instance by setting up new user-led groups. The campaign believes the funding will allow it to reach 29 million members of the public and increase the confidence of 100,000 people with mental health conditions to challenge stigma and discrimination. There will be a particular focus on the stigma faced by children and young people, and those from black and minority ethnic communities, which will start by targeting the African Caribbean community. A survey carried out last month found that more than 40 per cent of people with mental health conditions who were in touch with the campaign were experiencing stigma and discrimination on at least a monthly basis. But the Institute of Psychiatry has measured a four per cent reduction in the discrimination reported by people with mental health conditions as a result of Time to Change. Alastair Campbell, the former Downing Street communications director, who has spoken publicly about his own mental health condition, helped the campaign with its appeal to Comic Relief for funding. He wrote on his blog that he and Sue Baker, director of Time to Change, had argued that mental health was “an area where the stigma and discrimination were often worse than the symptoms, and that the campaign was focused on one of the hardest things of all – changing attitudes”. He added: “Mental illness is perhaps the last great taboo, and we need to break it down.” Baker said: “We have worked hard over the last four years to secure the beginnings of change in society, and have seen robust evidence of a reduction in discrimination. “But it takes more than four years to overturn decades of prejudice – this is the work of a generation.” Paul Burstow, the Liberal Democrat care services minister, said: “Coping with a mental health condition is difficult enough without the added burden of overcoming discrimination too. “That’s why I am committing up to £16 million over the next three and a half years to Time to Change to help fight the negative attitudes people have towards mental health conditions.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=247 Disabled people have expressed outrage after learning that benefits claim forms containing confidential and highly personal information are being opened by Royal Mail staff in a south London sorting office. Following a series of Freedom of Information Act (FIA) requests by disabled activists, they say the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted that “ESA 50” claim forms for employment and support allowance (ESA) are diverted to Royal Mail. Royal Mail staff open the envelopes and bundle up the “limited capability for work questionnaires” before forwarding them to the company that assesses the eligibility of claimants, Atos Healthcare. Most people have to fill in an ESA 50 form if claiming ESA, the new replacement for incapacity benefit. Disabled people had assumed that the forms were opened by employees of Atos, which is paid by the DWP to assess the eligibility of claimants using the controversial work capability assessment. Campaigners say the use of Royal Mail staff raises serious questions over the confidentiality of their claim forms, which can include highly personal details about their health condition. They have also questioned whether the use of Royal Mail by the government could be breaching the Data Protection Act. Disabled activist Sue Marsh, who wrote about the FIA requests on her blog this week, said she believed that “no-one should see these forms but the person who wrote them and the decision maker who will consider them”. She said: “I don’t care if it’s legal, it certainly isn’t moral. It’s shocking. “People like me and the people I write for have spent our whole lives being told we can’t see our medical notes. They protect this data so strongly in every walk of your life.” One of the disabled people who commented on Marsh’s blog said she felt as if she had been “punched” when she read how the forms were being opened and sorted by Royal Mail. She was forced to declare on her ESA form how she had been raped – because it affected her mental health – as well as including her address, telephone number and the information that she lives alone. She added: “I already feel desperately frightened of life and vulnerable as hell. This makes me feel even worse.” Another described how the form asks for information such as medication, hospital visits, any problems with drugs or alcohol, communication difficulties, incontinence, any mental health conditions, blackouts, and anxiety or panic attacks. They added: “Why do they not put anything on the form to tell us that this is what will happen? Surely that is against the rules? “Whether ‘illegal’ or not, it is morally and ethically wrong. It is frightening and humiliating and degrading.” A Royal Mail spokesman refused to comment. He said: “We would never talk about individual customers to third parties.” The Department for Work and Pensions was also unable to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=246 Three of the country’s leading disability organisations have agreed to merge within months. Members of the National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL), RADAR and Disability Alliance (DA) backed the merger at separate annual general meetings held over the last fortnight. The new charity – Disability Rights UK – will be a disabled people’s organisation (DPO), will be led by a disabled person, and will be run and controlled by disabled people, with disabled people making up at least three-quarters of its board members. The final approval for the merger came this afternoon at NCIL’s annual general meeting (agm) in south London, with 11 votes in favour and just one abstention. DA’s members had voted unanimously in favour at their agm, while just one RADAR member voted against the plans. Mike Smith, NCIL’s chair, assured his members that achieving “meaningful” independent living for disabled people would be one of the new organisation’s four core “tenets”. Disability Rights UK will also focus on promoting disabled people’s leadership and control, breaking the link between disability and poverty, and campaigning for disability equality and human rights. The new organisation will be based in RADAR’s current central London headquarters, which are to undergo a major refit, and is likely to begin work on 1 January 2012, although an official launch is not likely until the spring. Smith said NCIL had been facing an “uncertain financial future”, while members had a “greater chance of achieving our objectives because of the greater size and scale” of the new organisation, which would ensure that the independent living movement “thrives and not just survives”. Sue Bott, NCIL’s director, said the merger would create a “powerful and a stronger voice” and would allow NCIL to move away from its current “over-reliance on government funds”. Liz Sayce, the chief executive of RADAR, will lead the new organisation, with Bott its director of development, leading on areas such as co-production, working with DPOs, independent living, and developing leaders within the disability movement. Disabled individuals and DPOs will be able to become voting members, while “ally” organisations that are not run by disabled people will be able to join, but will not have voting rights. Tara Flood, director of the Alliance for Inclusive Education and treasurer of the UK Disabled People’s Council (UKDPC), told the agm that Disability Rights UK must recognise the importance of having a “diversity of voices” in the disability movement. Last year, UKDPC “politely declined” an invitation to join the merged organisation, but pledged to work alongside it. It also warned last year of the danger of the new organisation setting itself up as the only voice of disabled people, a concern echoed today by Flood. Bott said: “We are not putting forward Disability Rights UK as the [only] voice of disabled people. That it could never be.” Sayce said afterwards that she wanted the two organisations to “work in a collaborative and positive way together”, and believed there was room for both UKDPC and Disability Rights UK. She pointed to UKDPC’s important work on disability hate crime and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Sayce said: “It is fantastic news that three organisations have now voted overwhelmingly in favour of coming together to create an even stronger national organisation led by disabled people, that will enable many more disabled people to have a voice.” But she said it was too early to say if there would be any redundancies as a result of the merger. Richard Gutch, interim chief executive of DA, said he felt “excitement” but also “relief” at the vote by NCIL’s members, following nearly three years of negotiations between the three organisations. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=245 Disabled Liberal Democrats have helped force a major change to their party’s policies on welfare reform, and the use of “fitness for work” tests to determine eligibility for out-of-work disability benefits. The party voted this week for urgent improvements to the government’s much-criticised work capability assessment (WCA) – which helps decide eligibility for employment and support allowance (ESA) – after disabled members took to the stage to explain the disturbing impact of the tests. Among changes approved by members was a call for Atos Healthcare – the company which carries out the WCAs for the government – to be replaced by a charity or public sector organisation when its contract expires, and for its performance to be reviewed. They also called on Liberal Democrat ministers to oppose any “arbitrary” time limit on claiming ESA. The government’s welfare reform bill proposes a one-year limit on claiming the contributory form of ESA for those disabled people found able to return to work in the future. The Department for Work and Pensions began sending letters out this week, which will warn all such claimants that they could lose the benefit from next April if they have been receiving it for more than 12 months, even though the measure is still being debated in parliament. Liberal Democrat party members also voted for less stressful WCAs, and clearer criteria and more accurate tests, particularly for those with fluctuating conditions. They also want all claimants appealing against the result of their ESA application to have access to legal aid and expert advice. Disabled Liberal Democrat Shana Pezaro told the conference debate the WCA was “utterly failing” the many disabled people who were “genuinely not able to work”. Pezaro, who has multiple sclerosis (ms), said: “It is impossible to give a standard answer to a benefits assessor about how ms affects me on a typical day.” She welcomed the coalition’s efforts to improve the WCA, but she added: “We still need to send a bold and clear message that much more needs to be done.” She said the stress of the test was “making ill people suffer still further”. George Potter, the young Liberal Democrat activist who first proposed the WCA motion, said plans to impose the one-year time-limit on ESA were “potentially dangerous and devastating” to hundreds of thousands of disabled people. After the debate, Greg Judge, an executive member of the Liberal Democrat Disability Association, who supported the motion, said he believed Liberal Democrat peers would now submit amendments that were similar to parts of the motion to the welfare reform bill as it passed through the Lords. Although the motion is now party policy, Liberal Democrat ministers, other MPs, and peers are not bound by the vote, although they are certain to take note of the party’s decision. The disabled Liberal Democrat peer Baroness [Celia] Thomas told Disability News Service that she hoped there would be some “compromise” from the government as the bill passed through the Lords. She said: “I hate the policy of time-limited ESA. What we desperately hope is that we can get some compromise.” But she said there were many aspects of the bill that she wanted to challenge in the Lords, including proposals to increase the qualifying period for the replacement for disability living allowance (DLA) from three months (as it is with DLA) to six months, and the government’s proposed benefits cap. She said: “What do you do when there are so many things to fight for? We will do our best, but we have got to pick our fights.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=244 A new programme aims to help the Liberal Democrats increase the number of disabled people – and other under-represented groups – elected to represent their party as MPs. The Liberal Democrat leadership programme was launched by the party’s leader, Nick Clegg. The first eight candidates have already been selected. The programme is designed to support about 50 future parliamentary candidates through training, mentoring, and shadowing existing elected officials. At least two candidates from the programme will be shortlisted to fight each priority seat, if enough of them apply. Ten per cent of the places on the scheme will be reserved for disabled people. Greg Judge, a disabled activist from Coventry, was among the first eight party members selected for the leadership programme. Judge, an executive member of the Liberal Democrat Disability Association, said he believed the programme would lead eventually to more disabled Liberal Democrat MPs. And he said that other parties could be watching the success of the new programme closely. He said: “It gives us the assured knowledge that we will at least be put in front of a panel and have a consideration of what we have to offer local parties. “It gives us the leg-up we need in order to overcome the limited representation that diverse demographics currently have in the UK.” Last week, the government announced that – following a consultation – it had decided to go ahead with five of six proposals aimed at supporting more disabled people to become local councillors and MPs. Most of the £1 million-a-year package will go towards setting up a fund to help disabled people with the impairment-related costs of running for office, and providing them with training and development opportunities. But the government will also work with political parties, the Local Government Association and disability organisations to raise awareness, and work with parties to promote their legal obligations under the Equality Act and analyse their existing access policies. The government said that the sixth proposal – to set up a network of disabled MPs and councillors to act as role models –would not go ahead, because of the comparative lack of support for it during the consultation and the level of funding required. The Government Equalities Office is to work with other organisations to develop the five proposals. The announcement came more than 18 months after the cross-party speaker’s conference on parliamentary representation reported on ways to increase the number of disabled, female and minority ethnic MPs. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=243 A Liberal Democrat minister has warned that a government social care white paper due next spring may not include long-awaited measures to reform the funding of support for disabled adults and older people. Paul Burstow, the care services minister, told Disability News Service (DNS) that “definite proposals” on funding reform would only be included in the white paper if the government made “a lot of progress” over the next six months. DNS revealed concerns in July that the white paper would not include proposals for funding reform, which would merely be relegated to a “progress report”. Last week, the government announced a new “engagement exercise” aimed at hearing the views on social care reform of service-users, carers and those working in the social care industry, although it was accused of sidelining disabled people’s organisations from that process. Burstow told DNS the results of the engagement exercise would “feed into the white paper process”. He added: “What we have committed to is a progress report. If we make a lot of progress [on funding] there might be definite proposals – we will have to wait and see.” His comments will add to concerns that Treasury ministers are not prepared to fund the recommendations outlined in July in the Dilnot commission on the funding of care and support, with rumours that the report was to be “strangled at birth”. Burstow spoke several times during this week’s conference of the need for Liberal Democrats and the voluntary sector to push the coalition harder on the need for reform. He told one fringe event: “I personally will feel let down by this party if this party isn’t as angry, challenging, as fierce about making sure we deliver our agenda on social care as we are on health.” He told another fringe meeting: “It disappoints me that the party doesn’t see social care as important as healthcare.” Lord [Victor] Adebowale, chief executive of the social care charity Turning Point, told the same meeting that he believed Burstow’s words were a “plea for help”. He said: “It seems to me that perhaps what he is asking for is a bit more pressure on our politicians to show some leadership and to show some political leadership.” Andrew Dilnot, who led the commission, told a third fringe meeting that campaigners needed to be “much more angry” in calling for reform of a “staggeringly stupid” and “mind-numbingly daft” system of social care funding. He added: “At the moment... we are not making enough noise.” He said: “We need to send a message to the politicians that if they let us down this time then really this time the gloves have to come off.” But he did say he believed there was an “eight out of 10 chance” that most of his report would be implemented, although he said that “to do that you have to raise the political temperature.” Norman Lamb MP, chief parliamentary and political advisor to the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, raised fears further by telling campaigners at the meeting that “the pressure has to be maintained on us”. He said he believed reform would only happen if the Labour party was “fully on board as part of the process”. Burstow’s call for his party to show more interest in the issue was highlighted by a conference hall that was barely a quarter full for most of a social care debate the following morning. He told the debate that the party would be “letting down disabled people, older people and vulnerable people in this country” if it did not secure reform, and that it needed to find “the passion, the will and the drive” to ensure it happened, and must hold the government’s “feet to the fire” on the issue. He added: “We should be the engine on reform of social care, not the brakes.” The conference passed a motion – apparently unanimously – calling on the government to use the Dilnot commission recommendations as a basis for reforming the funding of the social care system. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=242 A government minister has held out hope that some of the most unpopular measures in the welfare reform bill could be removed or eased during its progress through the House of Lords. The Liberal Democrat pensions minister Steve Webb was speaking to Disability News Service (DNS) after his own party members voted for major changes to policy on incapacity benefit reform. One of the key changes that has now become party policy as a result of the vote is a call for the government to drop proposals in the bill to impose a one-year limit on the length of time disabled people in the “work-related activity group” can claim the contributions-based form of employment and support allowance (ESA). Webb said: “We are a party that takes seriously the motions that happen here. We will go back and reflect on the things our colleagues have said. I know our peers are taking seriously the motion.” But Webb defended the decision by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to impose the ESA cut. “We had to find over £10 billion worth of cuts. There isn’t a soft bit of the DWP budget yet. There isn’t an easy cut.” But he said the DWP would “clearly” have to look at the motion’s calls for the contract to carry out the work capability assessment – the test for ESA applicants – to be removed from the much-criticised Atos Healthcare. He said: “What the amendment says is a presumption in favour of the public [and voluntary] sector. Clearly we will have to look at that [when the Atos contract expires]. “What should be done at that point is look at whether Atos have improved. They need to and they need to do more.” He also held out hope that the proposal to remove disability living allowance (DLA) mobility support from disabled people in state-funded residential care – currently delayed until 2013 – could be scrapped completely. He said the DWP had introduced the proposal because it believed at the time that there was evidence of “double provision” – disabled people receiving the benefit when their mobility needs were already being provided for. But he said it became obvious “very quickly” that the true experiences of disabled people were “very diverse” and there were “clear examples of people for whom the withdrawal of DLA mobility would have been a big problem”. He said he had pushed hard himself within the DWP for the date to be put back, and added: “The extra time has given us more chance to look at exactly what is happening on the ground. “David Freud [the Conservative welfare reform minister] will debate it with the Lords, but will certainly be listening to what the Lords have to say.” But Webb said he had also told some of the disability charities with stands at the conference that their campaigning risked alarming many disabled people who were not at any risk of losing their support when DLA is replaced by the new personal independence payment. He said: “You’re alleging that the government is spinning. There is a lot of spinning going on and it is not just the government...” He declined to comment on calculations by DNS that show that, despite government claims that working-age claimants of DLA have risen by 30 per cent over eight years, the true increase is nearer 13 per cent. He said: “I haven’t seen the numbers or your analysis.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=241 The government is seeking international agreement on rules that would force car manufacturers to reduce the threat of their near-silent electric vehicles to the safety of blind pedestrians, a Liberal Democrat minister has announced. Two months ago, a report for the government by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) downplayed the risk caused by quiet electric and hybrid vehicles to the safety of partially-sighted and blind pedestrians. The Department for Transport (DfT) said then that a decision on whether manufacturers would be forced to add artificial noise to their electric and hybrid vehicles would be taken at European Union (EU) level. The DfT said at the time that the TRL research would feed into the EU’s work, and that the government had yet to decide whether adding noise was a good idea. But transport minister Norman Baker told a fringe meeting at this week’s party conference that the government was “on the case” and was trying to secure an “international agreement” on what level of sound would be needed, and what the sound itself would be. He said this was a better approach than individual countries creating their own rules, which would just raise costs. He told the meeting: “We are fully seized that there is the need for a sound with an electric vehicle.” Blind and partially-sighted people have increasingly raised concerns about the environmentally-friendly vehicles because they say they are often impossible to hear approaching. Engine noise can provide an indication of a vehicle’s speed, whether it is accelerating or decelerating, and how close it is to the pedestrian. Jill Allen-King, chair of the European Blind Union’s commission on mobility and transport, welcomed the government’s new position. She believes the issue is one of the two most important access and transport problems facing blind people across the world, together with shared space developments in town centres. She has been among those blind campaigners who raised the electric vehicle issue with Baker this summer. She added: “I welcome [the announcement] but they just need to make sure they put it into practice.” The TRL report said accident statistics from 2005-2008 were inconclusive on whether electric and hybrid vehicles pose more of a risk to partially-sighted and blind pedestrians than cars with regular internal combustion engines. But TRL’s own experiments with partially-sighted pedestrians in a semi-rural setting showed the risk was 1.4 times greater, and 1.3 times greater in urban conditions, while electric and hybrid vehicles were “far more difficult to detect” than normal engines at the “lowest steady speed and when pulling away from rest at the lowest speed”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=240 Campaigners have welcomed new rules that should make it easier for some mobility scooter-users to travel on buses. The code of practice, drawn up by the industry body the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) and backed by the Department for Transport, puts in place standard procedures that should allow users of many scooters to use low-floor buses safely. Disabled people will be able to apply for a free permit that will show the driver their scooter has been approved by the bus company and that they have been trained in how to board and alight from the bus safely. The credit card-sized permit will be accepted by all bus operators in England that adopt the code, except for those in London – because of the refusal of Transport for London to sign up to the scheme – and will only apply to accessible, low-floor buses. The code says that <a href="http://www.cpt-uk.org/_uploads/attachment/1942.pdf" target="_blank">class three scooters</a> – which are larger and faster – will not be approved for a permit, while <a href="http://www.cpt-uk.org/_uploads/attachment/1943.pdf" target="_blank">class two scooters</a> will be allowed on low-floor buses, as long as they are no more than 600mm wide, 1,000mm long and have a turning radius no bigger than 1,200mm. Liberal Democrat transport minister Norman Baker said his department’s aim was “to give passengers clarity over which scooters will be accepted on a particular operator’s bus, and I hope that this initiative will go some way to achieve that”. Sallyanne Currie, a scooter-user from Tottenham, north London, and a member of the accessible transport charity Transport for All (TfA), said the card was “a brilliant idea”. Sometimes she is allowed to board a bus, but she is often refused, because Transport for London’s drivers are allowed some discretion in deciding which scooters are allowed on their buses. Lianna Etkind, TfA’s campaigns and outreach co-ordinator, said: “Scooter-users face inconsistent treatment when travelling by bus: some bus drivers may allow them to board, while other flatly refuse them entry. “With more people now using scooters than ever, we welcome CPT’s efforts to make it easier for scooter-users to know where they stand on bus access, and be able to travel with confidence.” But she said bus operators must “do all they can to ensure the training which scooter-users must undergo to qualify for a permit is available quickly and easily”. And she said it was “a shame that scooter-users in London will not be able to benefit from this permit system”. Steve Whiteway, CPT’s president, said the code would “make clear to all concerned the types of mobility scooters our vehicles will be able to accommodate and will, I am sure, improve the service we provide”. He called for bus operators adopting the code of practice to add their names to the <a href="http://www.cpt-uk.org/" target="_blank">CPT website</a>. So far, bus companies Arriva, Blackpool Transport Services, Country Bus, East Yorkshire Motor Services, Quality Bus, Safeguard, FirstGroup, National Express, Stagecoach, Thamesdown Transport and Western Greyhound have signed up to the code. No-one from Transport for London was available to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=239 The world’s biggest disability and deaf arts festival is to link up next year with the cultural celebrations around the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. <a href="http://www.dadahello.com/dadafest" target="_blank">DaDaFest, the International Festival of Disability and Deaf Arts</a>, which is based in Liverpool, will take place much earlier than in previous years so it can connect with London 2012 and the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. The festival will include collaborations with leading artists from across the world and will focus more on artists from the non-English speaking world, including at least 12 European countries. DaDaFest is also talking to artists in Africa, Asia and South America, particularly Brazil, which will itself be staging a major disability arts festival in Rio at the time of the 2016 Paralympics. DaDaFest is hoping to take a mini-festival to Rio as part of those celebrations. It is also hoping to take international disabled artists visiting the UK as part of the 2012 celebrations and tour them under the DaDaFest umbrella in venues in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast. The theme of next year’s festival, the “biggest, most comprehensive and challenging festival of disability and deaf arts in the world”, will be Transactions – Fluid Bodies: Shifting Identities. The theme will allow the festival to look at “how disability affects the lives of us all, examining exchanges that occur between people and technology”. It will also look at how our sense of identity is “bound up with” our bodies, and how those bodies “are not stable or unchanging through our lives but alter depending upon age and a wide variety of other situations”. Ruth Gould, chief executive of DaDaFest, said: “We wanted to be a bit provocative and get people to think about things we don’t usually think about.” She said she was particularly interested in how artists might react to the idea of cyborgs – humans who are also part-machine – or what they think the decision of the disabled athlete Oscar Pistorius to take part in the Olympics “says about the Paralympics and our place as disabled people”. One of the centrepieces of the festival will be Niet Normaal (Dutch for “not normal”), an adaptation of a successful <a href="http://www.nietnormaal.nl/" target="_blank">Amsterdam exhibition</a> that asked the question: what is normal and who decides? The DaDaFest version will include new commissions and a programme of talks and films, which aims to celebrate difference in the year of the Olympics and Paralympics. Among other highlights will be a major international visual arts festival, “cutting-edge comedy”, Deaf culture events, and performances by leading international musicians. The last DaDaFest in 2010 reached nearly 80,000 visitors, and featured 316 artists. Future festivals will take place every two years. The 11th festival will take place, mostly in arts venues across Liverpool, from 13 July to 2 September 2012. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=238 New research by disabled activists has produced fresh evidence of poor performance by the company paid to test disabled people’s “fitness for work”. The results come from an online survey form hosted by the campaigning website AfterAtos, and cover responses from the last six months. Although the results are not based on a random sample of disabled people who have undergone the work capability assessment (WCA) as part of their claim for employment and support allowance (ESA), they still provide further evidence of the anger felt by many of those tested by Atos Healthcare. The AfterAtos website was set up in March by a disabled activist who uses the pseudonym “Aunty”, and provides a database of disabled people’s anonymous experiences of Atos and the WCA. Her site is one of the internet forums and websites that have received legal threats from Atos over information posted on their sites. She plans to send the report to Atos, and said it was the company’s failure to enable customer feedback about the assessments that was “bringing them into disrepute”. She said the findings of the survey were “horrendous and very telling”, and she highlighted figures that showed the financial impact of the assessments, with 91 of the 140 respondents saying their finances had “greatly worsened” as a result of the test. She also pointed to the findings about the Atos “healthcare professionals” employed to carry out the tests, with 65 of the respondents describing the attitude and behaviour of their assessor as “bad” or “very bad”, compared with 14 who found them “good” or “very good”. Meanwhile, 92 of the 140 respondents said the assessor’s knowledge and understanding of their conditions were “bad” or “very bad”. And 86 claimants said their experience of an Atos assessment and the subsequent decision on their ESA claim had “greatly worsened” their mental health. One described how being found fit for work – and the subsequent lack of support and money – had led to a “mental breakdown”, and eventually to becoming suicidal, followed by admission to an acute psychiatric ward. There was also evidence of continuing problems with the accessibility of the Atos assessment centres. When asked how accessible the centre was for parking, 26 people said it was “bad” or “very bad”, while 33 said the accessibility of the building’s entrance was “bad” or “very bad”. Only two of the 140 said access inside the building was “excellent”, while 36 described it as “bad” and 19 said it was “very bad”. One claimant described arriving at the centre and finding they were to be interviewed in an upstairs room. “A stairlift is there but was broken awaiting repair on my visit which meant I had to shuffle my way upstairs. Even though it took me ten minutes to get up them the interviewer put that I could walk upstairs with no difficulty!” Not one of the 140 respondents said the Atos assessment and subsequent support received from the government had improved their employment situation. Of the 140 who took part in the survey, 110 have already lodged an appeal against the result of their ESA application. Of those who have had their appeal heard, 51 were successful and 35 have had the appeal turned down. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=237 Campaigners will try to convince local authorities testing out new government policies on special educational needs (SEN) to take an inclusive approach, despite the coalition’s “hostile” stance on including disabled children in mainstream schools. Sarah Teather, the Liberal Democrat children’s minister, this week announced 20 “pathfinder” schemes across England that will test out proposals in the special educational needs and disability green paper, which was published in March. The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) has warned that measures in the green paper would set the fight for inclusive education back 20 years. ALLFIE believes the green paper proposals would “dismantle” the framework of support for disabled learners, and cut the number of children identified as needing that support. It also believes the proposals would create “many more hurdles” for parents to overcome in finding a school and securing an assessment of their children’s needs and funding for support, and would provide fewer opportunities for challenging the system. The new pathfinder areas cover 31 local authority areas and the councils’ primary care trust partners. Among the proposals to be tested are plans for disabled children to have their own education, health and care plan, lasting from birth to the age of 25. Another is for disabled children and those with SEN to have their support delivered through personal budgets. Tara Flood, ALLFIE’s director, said she and other campaigners felt they were confronting a “hostile situation”, with the coalition having pledged to “end the bias towards the inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream schools”. Flood said: “The worry for us is the lack of aspiration in the green paper. It is starting from a negative position. “There are 20 [pathfinders] and we are going to do all that we can to try and push them to include inclusive practice and inclusive thinking as their pilots roll out, but I think it is going to be very difficult because they are working within parameters set by the Department for Education.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=236 New research has raised doubts over whether changes to the government’s “fitness for work” tests have made the assessments any fairer for disabled people. The survey of welfare advisers by the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) comes nearly 10 months after the publication of an independent review of the work capability assessment (WCA) called on the government to improve “every stage” of the much-criticised tests. A report based on the DBC results has been sent to Professor Malcolm Harrington, who is now preparing his second annual review of the WCA, this time examining the need for further improvements and how the recommendations in his first review have been implemented. Although the DBC said it welcomed Harrington’s recommendations, it said it was “clear that the reforms are taking time to translate into improvements for claimants”. It says the key recommendation emerging from its members and the welfare advisers who took part in the survey was that greater efforts should be made to collect “additional medical evidence” about each benefit applicant, and that this should be “given more weight” by assessors and the civil servants who make the final decisions on the applications. The consortium also calls for greater transparency in the assessment process, and improved training for assessors – employed by the private company Atos Healthcare – particularly on mental health and fluctuating conditions. And it calls for changes to the “descriptors” – which describe the tasks or activities the claimant is asked if they can perform – to ensure they “more closely reflect someone’s ability to work”. The consortium said it was “extremely disappointed” that applicants in only one part of the country – Wrexham, where a pilot scheme is taking place – are receiving a summary of their assessment that they can discuss afterwards with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). More than 90 per cent of the welfare advisers who took part in the survey said they “disagreed” or “strongly disagreed” that major changes to the “descriptors” – introduced by the government in March after an internal review – had made the test fairer and more accurate. These changes were criticised by the government’s own benefits advice body, the social security advisory committee, as well as disability organisations, peers and MPs. One respondent to the survey said: “I’ve been completely astonished at the severity of disability that some clients have and are still being scored ‘zero’ points.” The DBC called for the descriptors to be revised, particularly to improve assessments of those with mental health and fluctuating conditions. It also noted that there continued to be a “high degree of mistrust” of Atos, while more than 87 per cent of those surveyed said the accuracy of reports by Atos assessors had not improved since the start of 2011. Meanwhile, new research for the DWP has shown how few successful ESA claimants are eventually finding jobs, even if placed in the “work-related activity group” for those disabled people found able to return to employment in the future. The report says just nine per cent of those who were not in employment before their successful ESA application were in work a year to 18 months after their initial claim. For those who had been in work before their claim, about a quarter had returned to work by the time of the follow-up survey. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=235 Disabled people are to hold a major international disability arts festival to run in parallel with the London 2012 Paralympics. The free festival will take place in and around a park in east London, less than two miles from the main Olympic Park, and will probably start and end on the same days as the Paralympics opening and closing ceremonies, on 29 August and 9 September. The Memorial Recreation Ground is run by Newham council and is a short walk from West Ham station, one of the “gateway” stations for the 2012 games, which is on the accessible Docklands Light Railway and the Jubilee tube line. In contrast to the annual one-day Liberty disability arts festival in central London, which no longer focuses on rights issues, the new event – currently titled The Together Festival – will put disability rights at its heart, and will be led by the UK Disabled People’s Council (UKDPC). Organisers hope to share some work with the major Liverpool-based disability arts festival DaDaFest, which will take place from mid-July to early September, and to build close links between Newham and the city of Liverpool. The disabled artist Ju Gosling, who will direct the festival, said there would be a “strong rights-based element to the festival”. She said: “London used to have a four-week long disability arts festival and a four-day long international disability film festival. “Now there is just Liberty, which is in central London, and now positions itself as just an arts festival, without any emphasis on disability rights.” She added: “We see it as an opportunity to showcase the accessibility of Newham, which is probably the most accessible borough in the country and led the way on inclusive education.” Jaspal Dhani, UKDPC’s chief executive, said: “We feel the Paralympics next year will be the ideal platform to draw attention to disabled artists and their work.” But he said it was also a “way of bringing the disability rights message into the public domain”. He said the festival would be a “great opportunity” to promote the work of UKDPC, but also a chance “for the movement as a whole to be showcased and profiled”. He added: “This is our opportunity to be seen, to be heard, to be visible.” The festival will include a two or three-day international symposium looking at how the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities can be used to improve disabled people’s access to art, culture and sport. Disabled people will also be able to access information and advice about jobs, education, transport and other aspects of independent living. Gosling hopes visitors to the Paralympics will come to the festival before or after watching 2012 events at the Olympic Park, and that Paralympic athletes will “hop on the train and come down” from the athletes’ village. It is hoped the festival will feature a big screen, so visitors can watch live coverage of the Paralympics in between sampling the performances and exhibitions. Gosling now wants to hear from all disabled artists with work they would like to include in the festival. The Together Festival has already won the backing of Newham council, West Ham United Football Club, the two local Labour MPs, Stephen Timms and Lyn Brown, and Richard Barnes, one of Boris Johnson’s deputy mayors. It will be branded as part of the 2012 cultural programme being run by the five Olympic and Paralympic “host boroughs” – Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest – and will be the focus for cultural events taking place in Newham during the Paralympics. Although it will have no official connection to London 2012, the festival will be branded as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Gosling said it was hoped to pay for the free festival entirely through sponsorship and other funding, without having to ask Newham council for any financial support. She said: “Our goal is to show it is possible to fund the festival as a commercial event, because that would make such a difference to the future of disability arts.” The festival has tentatively been named in honour of the words of the disability rights campaigner, and mayoral adviser, David Morris – “Together we can change the world” – who died last year. The festival was originally the idea of Morris, Gosling, and Julie Newman, UKDPC’s acting chair. Any disabled artists interested in taking part in the festival, and individuals or organisations considering funding or sponsorship, should email UKDPC at <a href="mailto:info@ukdpc.net">info@ukdpc.net</a>. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=234 The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to investigate why it refused to prosecute any of the NHS staff accused of abusing 18 disabled people at a day centre. The decision not to bring any charges over the alleged abuse at the Solar Centre in Doncaster was made just three days after the head of the CPS, and a leading chief constable, spoke publicly of their determination to correct their organisations’ past failures in dealing with disability hate crime. Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, and Stephen Otter, the equality and diversity lead for the Association of Chief Police Officers, spoke out last week at the launch of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) major report into disability-related harassment. The report accused public bodies of a “systematic, institutional failure” to recognise such harassment. The latest decision by the CPS in south Yorkshire follows a three-year battle for justice by families of former users of the day centre. An internal NHS investigation, which reported in 2008, found evidence of 44 incidents between 2005 and 2007, involving abuse of 18 people with learning difficulties and high support needs. The report by the trust which runs the day centre, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) – which was leaked to the media last year – provides few details of the incidents, although it makes it clear that nine different members of staff claimed they had witnessed abuse. But Disability News Service (DNS) has seen safeguarding reports into the abuse of two of the 18 service-users, which detail clear evidence against at least three former staff members. These two reports raise serious questions over why the police and CPS have twice failed to bring any prosecutions against the three members of staff, referred to as “A”, “B” and “C”. In 2007, South Yorkshire Police investigated allegations of physical assault, but the CPS said there was “insufficient evidence” to bring charges. Last year, after the RDaSH report was leaked, the force reopened its investigation. This time it investigated possible allegations of ill-treatment under the Mental Health Act, after DNS questioned why such charges were not considered in 2007. But last week, the force said it had been told by the CPS that there was still “insufficient evidence to proceed” with any charges. Now, after DNS questioned why no charges were possible when RDaSH appears to have taken at least nine witness statements describing ill-treatment, the CPS has agreed to re-examine its decision. Martin Goldman, the chief crown prosecutor for Yorkshire and Humberside, has told DNS that his deputy will “look into the issues”. A CPS spokeswoman said that Naheed Hussain, who is responsible for the South Yorkshire area, would examine whether the statements detailed in the RDaSH report were passed to the CPS by the police. Some relatives of former users of the Solar Centre are now considering seeking a judicial review of the decision not to bring any charges. And at least three of the families are likely to lodge complaints with the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Adrian Milnes, step-father of Richie Rowe, one of the disabled men allegedly abused at the day centre, said: “The trust, the Care Quality Commission [the care watchdog], the police and the CPS have all behaved absolutely atrociously.” He accused the authorities of “trampling over the human rights” of Richie and other former users of the Solar Centre. Valerie Kirsopp, mother of Robert Kirsopp, another of the men allegedly abused, said she was “absolutely devastated” by the latest CPS decision. She said: “The abuse was so blatant and continued for three long years. To think what he went through on a daily basis. I just think Robbie has been really let down.” The uncle of another former service-user said he had “no faith” in the police and “wasn’t surprised” by the latest decision. He said: “I feel let down that someone hasn’t done their job, whether it is the police or the CPS.” Meanwhile, South Yorkshire Police has refused to answer crucial questions about its latest “investigation”, including whether it made any efforts to interview service-users themselves. It is also unclear what action the force took over the RDaSH statements described in the two safeguarding reports. A police spokeswoman said the force was “unable to provide any further details of the actual investigation, any evidence/allegations brought forwards and any witness statements taken”. This week, a spokeswoman for Keir Starmer also refused to comment on the case, despite his pledge at the EHRC launch. Below, DNS can summarise some of the allegations detailed in the two safeguarding reports. The report on the abuse allegedly experienced by Richie Rowe describes how: • Witness H reported seeing A “turn Richie Rowe...in his wheelchair to face the wall using pillows to stop him moving” for up to 15 minutes • Witness Q saw A and C “kick Richie’s wheelchair whilst he was sat in it from one side of the room to the other causing Richie to crash into patients and the walls” • Witness Q saw A and C “lift Richie out of his chair and throw him onto the floor” • Witness E saw A and C each grab one of Richie’s arms and legs and “throw him onto trampoline and say ‘oh look he’s hit his head’” A report on the abuse allegedly experienced by Robert Kirsopp describes how: • Witness E saw A “grabbing and forcing Robert to the floor to clean up a spilt drink” • Witness J saw A “pushing Robert around the room and pricking him with a needle” • Witness E saw A “pinning Robert against the wall” and hitting his head • Witness G saw B “push Robert to the floor to clean up a spilt drink” and smack his face • Witness F saw B “punch Robert in the head” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=233 Disabled peers have failed to prevent the government moving the next stage of the debate on its hugely controversial welfare reform bill to a less accessible part of the House of Lords. The government argued that the bill’s lengthy next stage should take place in a committee room – in “grand committee” – rather than in the main Lords chamber. Negotiations had broken down with Labour peers over splitting the committee stage of the bill between the two venues. But the government move sparked fury among disabled activists – including blogger Kaliya Franklin, co-founder of <a href="http://thebrokenofbritain.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Broken of Britain</a> – who found out about it just hours before it was due to be decided by a Lords vote, and flooded peers and MPs with emails and phone calls. As well as causing access problems, having the bill discussed in “grand committee” will mean peers will not be able to force votes on key controversial issues until the bill returns to the main chamber for its report stage. The disabled peer Baroness [Jane] Campbell told the Lords that she felt “compelled” to speak out against the move, even though she would normally be resting at home having attended the lengthy second reading debate the previous day. She said having the committee stage outside the chamber would make access “tremendously difficult” for both disabled peers and those disabled campaigners following the debate. And she said that not being able to vote during the committee stage on “one of the most significant pieces of legislation for disabled people in my adult life” was “deeply disturbing”. She had spoken out the previous day about measures in the bill to replace disability living allowance with a new personal independence payment – cutting spending by a fifth – which she warned could “return disabled people to levels of dependence last seen 30 years ago”. Her fellow disabled peer, Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson, said the Lords would be doing disabled people a “great disservice” by not having the debate in the main chamber. But the Liberal Democrat disabled peer Baroness [Celia] Thomas disagreed, saying that taking the debate away from the chamber would mean fewer interruptions from other business. The Conservative chief whip in the Lords, Baroness Anelay, told peers that a “reasonable” proportion of bills had to be sent to grand committee if peers were to have “reasonable time” to scrutinise them all. She said she believed the welfare reform bill was the “best candidate” to be sent to grand committee because it would benefit from a more “in-depth, informal and technical approach”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=232 The Paralympic flame for next year’s games in London will be created in a ceremony in Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, 2012 organisers have announced. It will be created from four separate flames lit in the capital cities of the UK – London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff – and then brought to Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the National Centre for Disability Sport, in Buckinghamshire. Following the ceremony in Stoke Mandeville, a 24-hour relay will take the torch to Stratford in east London for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics on 29 August 2012. The 2012 organising committee, LOCOG, said that 580 torchbearers – working in teams of five – would carry the Paralympic flame to the stadium to light the cauldron. Details of how torchbearers will be selected will be announced later. Martin McElhatton, chief executive of the national wheelchair sports charity WheelPower, which owns Stoke Mandeville Stadium, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming home the Paralympic movement for the Paralympic torch relay. “The London 2012 games provide us with the wonderful opportunity to celebrate Britain’s proud heritage as the birthplace of Paralympic sport and use the power of the games and the uniting of the flame as a symbol to inspire disabled people throughout the world to transform their lives through sport.” The programme will begin on Friday 24 August with the first flame lighting event, in London. Over the bank holiday weekend, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff will host similar events and evening Paralympic Flame Festivals – which will include “flame-themed entertainment” – with a fourth festival taking place in Stoke Mandeville on 28 August. Each of the four locations will devise its own way of lighting its flame, using “the energy of physical human endeavour”, with the flame then touring community groups and “key locations” in and around the city. Jeremy Hunt, the secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, said: “The torch relay will take the Paralympics to each home nation, helping to build excitement for the games and awareness of disability sport. This is our chance to welcome home the Paralympic movement.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=231 Disabled cinema-goers are still facing discrimination at the hands of major cinema chains, according to the results of an investigation by young campaigners. Members of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s Trailblazers network of young disabled campaigners surveyed 125 independent and chain venues across the UK. Their <a href="http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org/assets/0002/7771/Trailblazers_-_The_Big_Picture.pdf" target="_blank">Big Picture report</a> concludes that practice is improving, particularly at independent cinemas and the smaller chains, but many of the cinemas run by major chains are still providing a second-class service. The report says that it tends to be the smaller companies “who take the time to work with, listen to and invest in the adjustments needed by disabled people”. Problems encountered in the survey included uncomfortable viewing areas, inaccessible auditoriums and refreshments areas, poor disability awareness among staff, broken lifts, heavy doors and poor lighting. At some cinemas, it was impossible to enter the venue at all because there was no accessible entrance. One in three venues run by the major chains offered poor or very poor views of the screen from its wheelchair-accessible spaces, while a similar number employed staff with poor or very poor disability awareness. But among independent cinemas, 96 per cent provided good or very good views from their wheelchair-accessible areas, with eight out of ten having good or very good staff disability awareness. And at almost half of the cinemas surveyed, it was impossible in practice to buy tickets online, because the website had no facility to book a free ticket for a personal assistant or carer through the industry’s national card scheme. The Trailblazers have now produced a 10-point charter describing the access and services that disabled cinema-goers should be able to expect. Trailblazer Tanvi Vyas, who is leading the campaign, said: “We hope that this charter will help to raise the bar on accessibility standards at cinemas and encourage cinema operators to think more progressively about their disabled customers.” The Trailblazers have also launched a <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/cinema_access" target="_blank">petition</a>, which will be presented in October to MPs and peers on the all party parliamentary group for young disabled people. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=230 Organisers of next year’s <a href="http://www.london2012.com/" target="_blank">London 2012</a> Paralympics have released full details of the competition schedule for all 20 sports. The details were released as the organising committee prepared to pass a key milestone in its preparations for London 2012: one year to go until the opening ceremony on 29 August 2012. Ticket prices were also confirmed at the same time as full details for the 10 days of competition, including the dates and times for more than 300 sessions across the 20 sports in 20 venues. Track and field athletics will start on 31 August and finish on 8 September, with the marathon taking place the following day, 9 September, the same day as the closing ceremony. Track cycling will take place between 30 August and 2 September, with swimming from 30 August to 8 September. Sir Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee, said: “Our elite athletes will captivate billions around the world, will inspire millions and ultimately lead to societal change and help alter perceptions of what can be achieved by a person with an impairment. “These are a games not to be missed and the announcement of the competition schedule, together with International Paralympic Day [in Trafalgar Square] on 8 September, act as two steps closer to the opening ceremony of the games next year.” Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive of ParalympicsGB, which manages Britain’s Paralympians, said: “Knowing that the schedule is out makes it all the more real. “We are working hard with the sports and athletes to make every one of the last 369 days count, as everyone is determined to produce their lifetime best performances on home soil. “We hope that people will use the schedule to plan their trip so that they can get behind the ParalympicsGB team and cheer us on.” The highest ticket prices will be for athletics sessions in the main Olympic stadium, track cycling in the Velodrome and swimming in the Aquatics Centre, likely to be the three most popular sports among spectators. Tickets for athletics, swimming and track cycling sessions that include medal-deciding finals range from £5 for concessions to £45 for the most expensive tickets. Tickets for the archery, equestrian events, rowing, shooting and road cycling are just £10, with concessions also available. Most tickets for 5-a-side and 7-a-side football will be £15, as will most of those for wheelchair basketball, boccia, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair tennis, table-tennis, sitting volleyball, wheelchair fencing, goalball, judo and powerlifting, again with concessions available. Sailing in Weymouth and Portland, Dorset, will be a free, non-ticketed event. Prices for the opening and closing ceremonies are much higher than for any of the sports events. Tickets for the opening ceremony on 29 August 2012 range from £20.12 up to £500, with closing ceremony tickets as high as £350. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=229 A gold medal-winning Paralympic cyclist was in a critical condition in hospital this evening after a collision with a van while training. Simon Richardson, who won two gold medals and a silver at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, has been left with multiple injuries after the alleged hit-and-run incident on the A48 near Bridgend, south Wales, on Wednesday morning. Richardson was thrown over the handlebars of his bike by the collision and onto the side of the road. South Wales police said the van failed to stop, although a 59-year-old man was later arrested in connection with the incident. Richardson was taken by air ambulance to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. His back is broken in two places, he has a fractured pelvis, a broken breastbone, deep cuts to his legs and is only breathing through one lung. It is Richardson’s second major collision while cycling. He became disabled after being hit by a car in 2001. Members of the British Paralympic cycling team heard about the incident as they were taking part in a ParalympicsGB training camp at the University of Bath. <a href="http://philsroadbikingblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A blog written by Phil Jones</a>, a director of the technology company Brother, which sponsors Richardson, has kept supporters updated, and includes some of the many online messages of support sent via Twitter. Richardson was today said to be conscious and able to communicate with his wife, Amanda. His condition was described as “critical but stable”. He had not been expected to win selection for London 2012, although he was said to have “harboured hopes” of making the team. In the wake of the accident, Gareth Sheppard, para-cycling performance manager for British Cycling, called for a government-backed campaign to improve safety for cyclists. Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive of ParalympicsGB, added: “We’re deeply shocked by the news of Simon’s accident. He’s in our thoughts and, on behalf of everyone in the British Paralympic family, we wish him a speedy recovery.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=228 Some of the world’s top disabled sports stars will be in London next month to showcase what the Paralympics has to offer, less than a year before the 2012 games take centre stage in the capital. International Paralympic Day, on Thursday 8 September, will include demonstrations of sports such as wheelchair basketball, powerlifting and wheelchair rugby in London’s Trafalgar Square. UK Paralympic stars such as swimmers Ellie Simmonds and Sascha Kindred and rower Sam Scowen will be joined by international athletes including South African Oscar Pistorius, the German athlete Heinrich Popow and US sprinter April Holmes. Pistorius will be appearing just days after he is due to compete in the (non-disabled) world championships in South Korea, having shocked the athletics world by qualifying for the 400 metres. The public will be able to find out about all 20 sports that will feature in next year’s London 2012 Paralympic Games, which will take place from 29 August to 9 September. Other highlights of International Paralympic Day will include an attempt by members of Britain’s sitting volleyball team to break the world record for the longest rally. International Paralympic Day is usually held in Germany every two years, but Paralympic chiefs decided to hold this year’s event in London as part of the build-up to London 2012. The event will be free, with activities taking place throughout the day. Sir Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee, said: “Showcasing Paralympic sport and our athletes in such a superb location, such as Trafalgar Square, will act as the perfect catalyst as we head towards tickets going on-sale. “It will give the public an opportunity to interact with our athletes, learn more about each sport and see for themselves just why the Paralympic Games is growing in popularity all the time.” The following day, 9 September, <a href="http://www.tickets.london2012.com/" target="_blank">tickets for the London 2012 Paralympics will go on sale</a>, with the application process open until 26 September. More than half of the two million tickets will cost £10 or less, with three-quarters at £20 or less. On Saturday 10 September, Paralympic sponsor Sainsbury’s will stage a day of live music – including UK acts Pixie Lott, The Saturdays and the Sugababes – demonstrations of Paralympic sports, and appearances by British Paralympic athletes, on London’s Clapham Common. The <a href="http://www.tickets.london2012.com/" target="_blank">Sainsbury’s Super Saturday event</a> will again aim to raise awareness of Paralympic sport, with profits going to the Paralympic Legacy Fund, a Sainsbury’s initiative to support Paralympic athletes. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=227 More disabled and older people will be paid to play a vital role in inspections of social care and health services, thanks to three new partnerships.<br> The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates health and adult social care in England, this week announced the first three partners of its new Acting Together scheme.<br> Each partner organisation will help CQC find “experts by experience” (EBE), current or former service-users who take part in inspections of care homes and hospitals, and play a role in consultations, reviews, studies and CQC events.<br> More EBE are needed because the number of services regulated by CQC has risen sharply.<br> A CQC spokesman said EBE were “a cornerstone to everything we do” and the new partnerships would allow the commission “more flexibility” and the ability to send EBE on more inspections.<br> The number of EBE available to take part in inspections and other CQC activity is likely to rise from about 140 to more than 200, as a result of the new scheme, although it is not clear yet what impact this will have on the frequency of EBE attending inspections.<br> One of the new Acting Together partners is a consortium of disability and advocacy organisations – led by the social care charity Choice Support – which will find disabled people to work as EBE.<br> Some will have learning difficulties or autism, while others will have physical or sensory impairments, experience of being detained under the Mental Health Act, or mental health conditions.<br> The consortium includes the disability organisations Inclusion North, Living Options and Skills for People, and advocacy organisations VoiceAbility, Advocacy Alliance Bedford and Advocacy Experience.<br> Choice Support’s bid was based on its own successful Quality Checkers scheme, through which people with learning difficulties help to monitor the charity’s own services, and those of other organisations. <br> Kim Arnold, the national lead for the Choice Support consortium and Quality Checkers, said: “One of the key things that we have learned from Quality Checkers is that they learn so much within the first half an hour. <br> “They see what really is happening and that can be from the moment they ring the doorbell.<br> “It has been clear that the people who use the services have told the Quality Checkers important information that might never have been picked up by anyone else.”<br> Samantha Clark, chief executive of Inclusion North, one of the consortium’s members, said she believed Acting Together would bring “new impetus” to EBE and had “real potential to make a difference”.<br> She said: “People with learning difficulties are sometimes more likely to tell something to another person with a learning difficulty than they are a person who they see as in a professional role.”<br> She added: “I think it’s a real opportunity for CQC to work with people and family members in a spirit of collaboration.” <br> The disabled people who are recruited by the consortium will be paid £17 an hour. More than 70 – nine of whom have experience as Quality Checkers – have already signed “casual” contracts.<br> In addition to the Choice Support consortium, CQC has signed up Age UK to provide service-users and carers with experience of older people’s services, and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation to find family carers of people with learning difficulties and high support needs. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=226 Extensive cuts to bus services are making it harder for disabled people to access employment, education and voluntary work, according to a new report by a committee of MPs.<br> The transport select committee said the cuts to rural, evening and weekend services were affecting the lives of disabled, older and young people, and were also damaging their ability to reach shops and healthcare facilities.<br> In its report on the impact of government spending cuts on bus services in England – except for those in London – the committee says most local authorities are cutting funding for bus services, while there are likely to be even deeper cuts next year.<br> The English bus industry, it says, is probably facing a fall of £200 to £300 million a year in revenue, which is its “greatest financial challenge...for a generation”.<br> The report says 70 per cent of councils have cut funding for bus services, while some have decided to withdraw all their subsidised services.<br> Only last week, the campaign group False Economy released research showing how charities have lost out through council funding cuts, which included a series of Dial-a-Ride services that have either faced cuts or have had their council funding removed completely.<br> The committee’s report backs the government’s commitment to protect free bus travel for older and disabled people, but points out that the scheme does not apply to most of England’s 1,700 community transport providers — most of which are independent charities that provide transport such as dial-a-ride bus services.<br> The committee calls on the government to introduce new laws that would allow the concessionary bus pass to be used on a wider range of community transport services.<br> The report welcomes the extra £10 million funding from the Department for Transport to encourage the growth of community transport in rural areas, but says such schemes are “unlikely to replace more than a small fraction of withdrawn local authority-subsidised bus services”.<br> The report also calls on local authorities to carry out proper consultations on any further cuts to bus services.<br> Douglas Gilroy, vice-president of the National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFB UK), who has yet to read the full report, said: “For blind and partially-sighted people, public transport is an essential part of their ability to move about society. They have little alternative or access to a private vehicle.<br> “I think it is unreasonable and unacceptable for travel connections to be withdrawn without any prior consultation or notice.”<br> He said NFB UK hoped to hear from a speaker from the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK at the charity’s annual general meeting in London on 3 September, and added: “I am sure this topic will come up.”<br> Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport minister, said that nearly four-fifths of bus services outside London do not rely on direct funding from councils, while the government had “protected the concessionary travel scheme in full and provided £10 million of extra funding for community transport in rural areas”.<br> He said the government “accepts that the overall funding settlement for local authorities is challenging” and is “keeping a close eye on whether councils are approaching this imaginatively, finding savings in procurement and back room staff, or just reaching for the axe and cutting front line services”.<br> The government will respond formally to the report this autumn.<br> http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=225 The case of a boy with autism who was asked to leave his seat in a London theatre during a performance of a hit musical has raised new questions about the capital’s readiness to welcome tens of thousands of disabled visitors to next year’s Paralympics.<br> Gregor Morris, who is 12 years old, was enjoying a performance of The Wizard of Oz prequel Wicked with his parents and sister at the Apollo Victoria Theatre when they were told he was causing a “disturbance”. <br> A staff member at the Apollo had approached Gregor’s family after concerns were raised by a colleague.<br> Gregor’s parents, Glyn and Jennifer, who live near Inverness, in Scotland, were shocked and mystified, as none of their fellow audience members had shown any signs of being disturbed.<br> Gregor’s family have been taking him to the theatre three or four times a year since he was four years old, including a successful trip to watch Mary Poppins on New York’s Broadway.<br> Glyn said that Gregor had been hugely enjoying Wicked and making no more noise than many other children in the audience. A theatre manager admitted there had not been a single complaint from a member of the audience.<br> Glyn chose to take Gregor back to the hotel the family were staying in, after being offered the chance to watch the show from behind a glass partition or squatting on a flight of stairs and watching through the banisters.<br> The incident came just as a new website was launched by disabled activists, which aims to highlight the “shameful” failure to put access and inclusion at the heart of next year’s London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. <br> Their unofficial visitor guide, Inclusive London?, raises a string of concerns about the capital’s readiness to welcome so many disabled visitors to the city’s facilities, services and tourist attractions.<br> There are now more than 4,000 members of a Facebook group (“greenwicked”) set up to raise awareness of the incident at the Apollo. The show itself tells the story of a sorcery student who faces discrimination and bullying.<br> Glyn Morris, who works in the entertainment industry himself, said: “The support has been incredible. No-one who has had any contact with Gregor could believe what happened. <br> “The only thing is that he has a hearty laugh, but it is always in context when he laughs. It certainly wasn’t causing any disruption to the audience.”<br> The Apollo Victoria is part of the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), the UK’s largest theatre owner, which runs a string of theatres across London’s West End and has now “apologised unreservedly” for the treatment Gregor received.<br> Julia Potts, the group’s head of learning and access, said the incident had gone “horribly wrong” and that “with greater training there are different things that should have been done”, while all the staff involved were now “feeling absolutely terrible”.<br> She said the theatre accepted that Gregor was “as entitled as anyone else to sit and enjoy the show”.<br> She said: “As soon as it was discovered that Gregor has autism and his response is related to his condition and he was having a perfectly happy time, they should have been left to watch the show.”<br> As a result of the incident, ATG is now reviewing its training, and has also asked the user-led arts organisation Shape to run a training session for senior staff from its West End theatres, focusing particularly on customers with autism.<br> But it has also decided to carry out a special audit of access in its West End theatres in advance of the 2012 Paralympics, and examine what measures it can take during London 2012, such as offering more audio-described, signed and captioned performances.<br> ‘Spasticus’, the anonymous disabled activist running the Inclusive London? website, said the incident with Gregor Morris “underlines the fact that a great deal more needs to be done before London can be described as an inclusive city”. <br> ‘Spasticus’ said: “It is unsurprising that 50 per cent of disabled people don’t attend a single arts event in the course of a year; we know that we are often unwelcome even when a venue is theoretically accessible to us. <br> “Treatment like this – which is actually extremely common – shows that we need a complete change of attitude, not simply more ramps.”<br> Glyn, along with many other supporters, has emailed London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, about the incident.<br> The Morris family have received more than 2,000 emails from well-wishers, many of them from other families who have children with autism, detailing similar discrimination and “a lack of understanding” in theatres, restaurants and cinemas. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=224 The BBC has apologised “unreservedly” after presenters on the popular motoring show Top Gear were filmed parking in two accessible parking bays.<br> The episode aired this week (31 July) on BBC2 and featured presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May test-driving two electric vehicles.<br> At one point in the segment, they stopped in the carpark of a farm shop in Lincolnshire, and the cars were both clearly seen to be parked in two accessible bays.<br> The charity Disabled Motoring UK (DM UK) – part of the Baywatch campaign, which was set up to tackle such abuse – received scores of emails and phone calls from angry members after the programme was aired.<br> Helen Dolphin, DM UK’s director of policy and campaigns, said disabled people were right to be angry, because of the widespread misuse of accessible bays.<br> Dolphin said: “Obviously people do get upset by it, because it is such a big problem. They do not want to see people on TV abusing those bays and leaving others to think it is OK.<br> “Joe Bloggs down the road sees them doing it and thinks, ‘Top Gear do it, so I’m going to do it.’”<br> Andy Wilman, Top Gear’s executive producer, said in a blog on the show’s website that the production team had secured permission from the carpark’s owner to use the accessible bays, because they provided “a quiet spot to film in”.<br> Wilman claimed that both Clarkson and May had expressed “deep concern” to the crew about using the bays, because of “the disrespectful impression it would convey”, but “only capitulated when we assured them the parking had been approved by the owner, and that the disabled bay markings would not appear on television”.<br> He added: “This was our fault, not theirs, and we unreservedly apologise to all the viewers we have upset as a consequence.” A Top Gear spokeswoman added: “There were other disabled spaces available, and of course had anyone needed to park in one of the spaces occupied by Top Gear, we would have moved immediately.”<br> Dolphin has now suggested to Top Gear that the show take part in the next national Baywatch survey of bay abuse in supermarket carparks, which will take place next year. <br> Meanwhile, DM UK has released the results of a survey which shows many local authorities are doing nothing to combat fraud and misuse connected with the disabled people’s blue badge parking scheme.<br> The survey found that, across the 79 local authorities in England and Wales that provided answers to a Freedom of Information Act request, the average annual number of prosecutions for fraud and misuse of blue badges was just 2.9 in 2009-10, and 4.5 in 2010-11.<br> Most councils carried out no prosecutions at all, but a small handful appeared to be taking the issue seriously, such as Birmingham City Council with 124 prosecutions in 2010-11 and Enfield council in London with 75.<br> Dolphin said: “We hear from our members how difficult parking is becoming and by people using stolen, fake or ‘borrowed’ badges the situation is only getting worse. <br> “By taking action, local authorities will be sending out a strong message that this crime will no longer be tolerated and those found using a badge that does not belong to them will be suitably punished.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=223 This year’s Liberty disability arts festival will feature disabled stars of music, dance, comedy and street theatre, and circus and aerial displays. <br> Highlights of the free festival include a performance by Deaf Men Dancing, a film on 60 years of disability arts, performance artist Bobby Baker, French jugglers Juggle Deaf, and the children’s theatre of Kazzum.<br> Instead of its usual setting of Trafalgar Square, Liberty will this year take place across two venues on London’s South Bank, on Saturday 3 September. <br> An afternoon of music and cabaret in The Clore Ballroom, inside the Royal Festival Hall – which is part of the Southbank Centre complex – will be compered by comedians Steve Day and Liz Carr, with a line-up including soprano Victoria Oruwari, stand-up Kiruna Stamell and rapper Lady MJ.<br> Julie McNamara will be in Theatre Square, outside the National Theatre, to compere dance and performance including Graeae’s Rhinestone Rollers and the disabled aerialists of Cirque Nova.<br> This year, rather than being a festival in its own right, Liberty is being staged as part of celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of the Festival of Britain at the Southbank Centre, and the National Theatre’s Watch This Space Festival.<br> The performances outside the National Theatre will take place from 1pm to 7.30pm, with those in The Clore Ballroom between 1pm and 5pm.<br> Concerns have been raised about the decision to move the festival from Trafalgar Square to the South Bank, with fears that its new, less central location will not make as strong a statement about the importance of disabled people and their culture to London.<br> There have also been concerns about access, but organisers say the festival will be “as accessible as possible for artists and audience”, with features including information and access areas at both the Southbank Centre and the National Theatre; BSL interpreters; audio description; induction loops; accessible toilets; stewards; viewing areas; medical facilities; a wheelchair loan service; a charging point for electric wheelchairs and scooters; and an assistance dogs area.<br> http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=222 New measures that would see significant improvements to telephone “relay” services for people with hearing and speech impairments have been proposed by the industry regulator Ofcom.<br> Among proposals it is now consulting on, Ofcom wants to introduce a duty on providers to ensure access to a “next generation” text relay service, at a likely cost of less than £16 million a year.<br> It also wants communications providers to offer access to a new video relay service for users of British Sign Language (BSL). <br> Video relay services are currently only available commercially, and mainly funded through the government’s Access to Work scheme.<br> Because such a service could cost more than £100 million a year – if demand was high – due to the need for trained interpreters, Ofcom has proposed restricting the video relay service to certain times of the day, or giving users a monthly allocation of minutes. <br> If the two proposals are confirmed following the consultation, Ofcom would update the legal duties already imposed on communications providers such as BT, Sky and TalkTalk. <br> Text relay involves an assistant converting typed messages into speech and then converting the spoken response back into typed words.<br> There is currently only one widely-available national text relay service – operated by BT but available to customers of all service-providers – but it uses technology that is 30 years old and has been described by campaigners as “slow and cumbersome”.<br> Many BSL-users find the text relay service difficult to use. Video relay services allow them to communicate in their first language, BSL, and enjoy conversations that are “quicker and more fluid” than those using text relay.<br> Ofcom research found deaf and speech-impaired people still believed text relay played “an important role” in ensuring they could communicate on an “equivalent basis” to voice telephone calls.<br> But they criticised the BT service for slow conversation speeds, the lack of privacy, and the inability to express or detect emotion, or to be used with equipment such as personal computers and netbooks. <br> Among suggested features of the next generation text relay service, Ofcom wants users to be able to interrupt during a conversation through the use of “live captions”, instead of having to wait until the end of a message.<br> The consultation ends on 20 October 2011. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=221 Car manufacturers must be forced to adapt their near-silent electric vehicles so they no longer pose such a serious threat to the safety of blind pedestrians, say campaigners.<br> A new report for the government downplays the risk caused by quiet electric and hybrid vehicles to the safety of partially-sighted and blind pedestrians.<br> But blind and partially-sighted people are increasingly concerned about the environmentally-friendly vehicles because they say they are often impossible to hear approaching.<br> Engine noise can provide an indication of a vehicle’s speed, whether it is accelerating or decelerating and how close it is to the pedestrian.<br> Jill Allen-King, chair of the European Blind Union’s commission on mobility and transport, took part last year in tests in France of a new electric vehicle for a major manufacturer. <br> She said: “I just couldn’t hear it and my hearing is good. I said I was absolutely adamant that they have got to do something.”<br> She said the two most important access and transport issues for blind people across the world were the risks caused by electric cars and shared street developments, in which kerbs are removed so motorists and pedestrians have to share the street space.<br> She said: “These are the two issues we have got to fight, because otherwise, with shared spaces and electric vehicles, blind people will just not stand a chance.<br> “We recognise the value of environmentally-friendly vehicles but they have got to put a sound on all the electric vehicles, otherwise they will just be killing us off.”<br> The new report, by the Transport Research Laboratory, says accident statistics from 2005-2008 are inconclusive on whether electric and hybrid vehicles pose more of a risk to partially-sighted and blind pedestrians than cars with regular internal combustion engines.<br> But its own experiments with 10 partially-sighted pedestrians in a semi-rural setting showed the risk was 1.4 times greater, and 1.3 times greater in urban conditions, while electric and hybrid vehicles were “far more difficult to detect” than normal engines at the “lowest steady speed and when pulling away from rest at the lowest speed”.<br> Despite these results, the report concludes that while there may be a “potential risk”, the “scale of the problem is currently very small”, while moves to impose minimum noise limits would be “challenging”.<br> Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport minister, said the government was “committed to the introduction of electric vehicles in a way that will complement the department’s long-standing efforts to protect vulnerable road users”.<br> But a Department for Transport spokeswoman said a decision on whether manufacturers would be forced to add artificial noise to their electric and hybrid vehicles would be taken at European Union (EU) level.<br> She said the new research would feed into the EU’s work, but the government had yet to decide whether adding noise was a good idea. <br> Allen-King now plans to write to Baker, to her own MP and to David Blunkett MP, who is blind, to call for action. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=220 Careers education is failing many young disabled people, and other disadvantaged groups, according to a new report from the equality watchdog. The <a href="http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/71_careers_information.pdf" target="_blank">Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report</a> says careers education and guidance often fails to meet students’ needs or challenge traditional “stereotypical thinking”. The report – which focuses on England, Scotland and Wales – reveals that nearly a quarter of disabled young people say they have not had enough information to make the right choices for their future. Research suggests that disabled young people are not receiving the careers advice they believe they need to move into employment and adult life, with many left feeling “discouraged” and “disappointed”, says the report. Other research suggests that careers advice is “insufficiently targeted” at the needs of disabled young people, which are “not well understood”. The report says all careers education should raise aspirations and address equality issues, and should begin in primary school, while the education sector should work more closely with parents and businesses. It also calls for young disabled people to be involved in the development of careers services. RADAR, the disability rights charity, said it was “concerned” by the report’s findings, which “confirm what disabled people have been telling us”. Disabled 17-year-olds in England are more than twice as likely to be not in education, employment or training as non-disabled young people the same age (17 per cent compared with seven per cent). RADAR said action was needed to “break down barriers to young disabled people realising their full potential”, through inclusive education, role models, work experience and flexible support. Liz Sayce, RADAR’s chief executive, said: “This report gives hard evidence that positive outcomes of careers education and guidance largely pass young disabled people by. “Disabled young people are still hemmed in by stereotypes of what they can and cannot do. It is imperative that careers advice and guidance breaks out of the stereotypes and encourages disabled people to aim high.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=219 A new inquiry into plans to reform disability living allowance (DLA) is set to increase pressure on the government to describe the true impact on disabled people of its controversial proposals. The inquiry will be carried out by the Commons work and pensions committee, which is chaired by the disabled Labour MP Dame Anne Begg. It will investigate the implications of the government’s plans to replace DLA with a new personal independence payment (PIP) – and to cut spending on working-age claimants by 20 per cent. Dame Anne said: “There is a lot of fear among people that DLA will be taken away from them and there will not be anything in its place.” The committee will also examine the impact of the government’s pledge to focus financial support on those with higher needs. And it will probe how disabled PIP claimants will be assessed and which organisation is likely to carry out those assessments for the government. The inquiry will also ask whether there are lessons to be learned from Professor Malcolm Harrington’s review of the much-criticised work capability assessment (WCA), the new test for out-of-work disability benefits. Campaigners have become increasingly frustrated by the government’s reluctance to release detailed information about the likely impact of its DLA reforms, even though PIP is due to be introduced in less than two years. The plans are being introduced through the welfare reform bill, which has already been debated in the Commons and is due to finish its progress through the Lords this autumn. But the detail of how the reforms will work in practice and how they will impact on disabled people will be contained in regulations, which the government has yet to publish, but which will need to be approved by both Houses of Parliament. Dame Anne said it was “very difficult” for disabled people to know whether the reforms were “going to be a good thing or a bad thing” until the regulations were published and provided details of crucial elements of the reforms, such as the PIP eligibility criteria. She said that launching the inquiry now, rather than earlier this year, would give the committee a better chance to investigate the regulations. She said the committee believed many of the regulations have not even been written yet. She added: “Our concern is that the regulations will not be scrutinised by parliament because they have not come out before the bill.” Neil Coyle, director of policy for Disability Alliance, welcomed the new inquiry. He said: “DA is very pleased that the work and pensions committee is investigating the government’s plans. “We hope the reckless manner in which proposals have been developed is exposed and the risks to disabled people revealed.” In April, the government published its response to a consultation on the DLA reforms, which had drawn more than 5,500 responses – many of them highly critical. But the Department for Work and Pensions has been unable to name a single change it made to the reforms as a result of the consultation. The work and pensions committee will accept <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/news/dla/" target="_blank">written evidence for its inquiry</a> until 2 September 2011. Meanwhile, Professor Harrington has issued <a href="http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2011/wca-call-for-evidence.shtml" target="_blank">a call for evidence</a> as part of his second independent review of the WCA. He said he was particularly interested in evidence about how the recommendations of his first review were being implemented and what impact they were having; as well as what further work was needed in future reviews. He is also keen to hear evidence about the face-to-face assessments carried out by Atos Healthcare on behalf of the government. The deadline for submissions is 16 September. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=218 The company at the centre of allegations of abuse of disabled people at a private hospital has suspended four members of staff at another of its care facilities. Allegations of abuse at Winterbourne View, a “hospital” for adults with learning difficulties run by the company Castlebeck, were aired in a BBC Panorama documentary in May. But this week it emerged that four employees have been suspended over alleged “misconduct” at another Castlebeck institution on the edge of Bristol, Rose Villa, a home for nine adults with learning difficulties situated less than 10 miles from Winterbourne View. Two staff members at Rose Villa were suspended by Castlebeck following a review of care standards at the home on 1 July by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The visit was part of CQC’s review of all Castlebeck’s learning difficulties services in England, launched in the wake of the Panorama programme. Castlebeck has also commissioned its own review of all its care facilities across England and Scotland by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). Another member of Rose Villa staff had already been suspended by Castlebeck over an unrelated incident last month, while a fourth member of staff was suspended this week, again over a separate incident. CQC, which has been heavily criticised for its failure to take action over concerns raised by a whistleblower at Winterbourne View, has stressed that the Rose Villa allegations were less serious than those raised by the Panorama documentary. The last regular CQC inspection of Rose Villa, in 2010, led to the home being given a “good”, or “two star”, rating. A Castlebeck spokeswoman said: “In accordance with our policy we have notified and are working with all relevant authorities as enquiries are being conducted.” Asked whether the latest allegations suggested wider problems with care standards across the company, she said: “We are currently in the midst of two wide-ranging reviews from the CQC and PWC and we wouldn’t prejudge the findings of either of those at this stage.” Bristol City Council and NHS Bristol said in a joint statement that they were treating the latest allegations “with the utmost seriousness”. A spokesman said: “Although we do not currently have any Bristol residents in the nine-bed unit, as part of our role as the lead safeguarding organisations, we have visited Rose Villa and reviewed the care and wellbeing of the residents as soon as we were made aware of the allegations concerning Winterbourne View. “We have continued to visit the home regularly during the intervening period and have provided additional independent support to the home.” But the city council was unable to say when the safeguarding team was first alerted to the concerns at Rose Villa, what action it took, or whether it was aware of any previous concerns about standards at the home before July this year. Avon and Somerset police said it was assisting investigations by its “multi-agency partners”, which include Bristol City Council and NHS Bristol, but that there was no suspicion so far of any criminal offences having been committed by any of the four suspended Castlebeck employees. The force is still investigating the Winterbourne View allegations, although Castlebeck has now closed the hospital. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=217 The government is set to resist fierce opposition and force through proposals that will weaken the steps public bodies must take to help them promote equality. Campaigners, opposition MPs and the equality watchdog have all warned that the decision will lead to a rise in court cases taken by disabled people and other disadvantaged groups over the decisions of local authorities and other public bodies. But the government says it wants to avoid “burdening public authorities with unnecessary bureaucratic processes” by removing some of the “specific duties” they have to meet to comply with the Equality Act’s single equality duty. The equality duty says that public bodies – ranging from primary schools to government departments – must have “due regard” to eliminating discrimination faced by disabled people and other groups, as well as advancing equality of opportunity, and promoting good relations. But those in England will now have just two “specific duties”: to set a minimum of one equality objective every four years – across disability and the other five equality strands – and to publish information every year on how they are complying with the equality duty. Inclusion London criticised the “minimalist nature” of the specific duties, and compared them to previous duties under the Disability Discrimination Act which were “precise tools to drive change and help authorities to understand how they may be discriminating and how proactively to employ people, deliver services and do work in ways that were likely to produce more equal outcomes”. The specific duties are contained in new regulations finally approved by MPs this week – already more than three months after the single equality duty came into force – but will not now be debated in the Lords until after the summer recess. In a debate on the regulations, Labour’s shadow equalities minister Fiona Mactaggart said the requirement for a public body to publish just one equality objective every four years was “pretty pathetic” and would mean a “miracle worker” would be needed to fulfil the equality duty. She said: “We have ended up with a muddle. Local authorities and public bodies are not sure what is necessary and what makes a difference.” She added: “The government are doing the least that they believe they can get away with, and they should be ashamed of themselves.” But Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat equalities minister, said the regulations achieve “an appropriate balance between greater flexibility and reduced bureaucracy and will make public bodies accountable to the public who use their services rather than to Whitehall”. Anne Kane, policy manager for Inclusion London, said after the debate that the specific duties should have been designed to help councils and other public bodies avoid legal action, but the regulations would instead see more court cases and public bodies taking fewer “proactive” steps towards equality. But Kane insisted that disabled people would still be able to use the equality duty to hold public bodies to account and uphold their “rights and equality”. The Government Equalities Office (GEO) had intended the regulations to come into force before the summer recess. A GEO spokeswoman was unable to explain the reason for the delay. Kane said the delays around key elements of the Equality Act showed “a complete lack of leadership from this government on equality and shows that it just isn’t a priority”. The Equality and Human Rights Commission declined to comment on any of the issues around the specific duties. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=216 Furious trade unions have “declared war” on the coalition, after it backed proposals that could see most of Remploy’s remaining sheltered factories closed down, and an end to the company’s government funding. In its response to last month’s review of employment support for disabled people, the government said it was “minded to accept” the recommendations on Remploy. It will now <a href="http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2011/specialist-disability-emp-prog.shtml" target"_blank">consult</a> on these and other proposals in the review, which was carried out by RADAR chief executive Liz Sayce. She recommended an end to government ownership and funding for Remploy, and the closure of factories which were “not viable”. But she said others could be taken over by disabled workers and become social enterprises, co-operatives, or “mutuals” owned by their employees, with the help of short-term, “tapering”, government subsidies. But Les Woodward, Remploy convenor for the GMB union, said Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people, had “made it perfectly clear” in a meeting this week that the government would provide no such subsidies to help workers take over factories. He said: “There is absolutely no funding for Remploy factories. That is the way it came across to us. “They want to ditch Remploy and they want to ditch it like a hot potato and do it as fast as possible.” He said the only way Remploy workers would be able to take over any of the factories would be if “a huge wodge of money” was made available to help start the new businesses. He added: “The trade union consortium will fight any closures by any which way possible. They have declared war on us and we will declare war and fight back with any weapons that we have got in our armoury.” When asked what those weapons might be, Woodward said: “Did Churchill put in the papers what the plans were for D-Day? No, he didn’t.” The government spends about £25,000 to subsidise each of the 2,800 disabled factory staff still working in the remaining 54 sheltered Remploy factories, although 544 of those workers have applied for voluntary redundancy. Sayce said last month that there was “total consensus” among disabled people’s organisations that segregated employment, such as that offered by the Remploy factories, was “not a model for the 21st century”. Phil Davies, national secretary for Remploy for the GMB union, said there were “no prospects” that any of the factories would stay open without government funding, and that the union would “staunchly defend these jobs and the communities they are in”. He added: “The current employment in the 54 factories are real jobs making products for mainline companies like Jaguar Rover, and supplying goods to the armed forces.” A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman insisted that, despite Woodward’s report of the meeting with the minister, “no decisions have been made on Remploy factories – that is one of the issues we are consulting about”. The closing date for the consultation is 17 October. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=215 A health minister has fuelled concerns that next spring’s social care white paper will not include long-awaited reforms to the funding of care and support. The comments by the Conservative peer Earl Howe to Disability News Service (DNS) have increased fears that the government has decided to postpone funding reforms because of opposition from chancellor George Osborne and the Treasury. Lord Howe was speaking after the three members of the Dilnot commission on the funding of care and support – whose report last week was widely welcomed – discussed their proposals with the all-party parliamentary disability group and several other all-party groups. Last week, the Department of Health repeatedly refused to comment when asked whether the white paper would include proposals on funding reform. And after this week’s meeting, Lord Howe told DNS that he was “not the person to ask”, even though he is a health minister. When asked again whether the white paper would contain proposals on funding reform, he said: “I don’t know. It is too soon to say.” Baroness [Jane] Campbell, the disabled crossbench peer who chaired the meeting, said afterwards: “My guess, and I hope I’m wrong, is that they will want to kick the funding settlement into the medium grass for the time being and select parts of the report that they can safely put in the white paper, like portability of assessment. “Anything with significant money attached to it seems to be totally anathema to the Treasury at the moment, however compelling the arguments. We are in desperate times, I’m afraid.” Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow care services minister, told the meeting that her party had been “concerned” to hear of “unattributed briefings” that the Dilnot commission’s report was to be “strangled at birth” by Osborne’s Treasury. But Lord Howe said the commission had done a “really terrific job”, and claimed the government wanted to “keep the momentum up” on funding reform and that it “remains our intention to legislate at the earliest possible opportunity”. After the meeting, Dame Jo Williams, one of the commissioners, said she and her colleagues “remain optimistic about what we have heard so far” from the government. Andrew Dilnot, who chaired the commission, told DNS: “My expectation is that there will be a serious considered response to our report. I am genuinely pretty confident that we are going to see some action.” But Thornberry said: “I get the impression that there is a tussle going on between the Treasury and the Department of Health.” Alex Cowan, a disabled equality consultant who attended the meeting, welcomed the government’s decision to commission the report, which she said “holds out hope for disabled and older people to have a life where they can have independence, dignity and security in having access to the care we need and want”. But she said the government’s response so far had been “unconvincing, in the face of what seem to be serious attacks on people’s fundamental dignity, independence and choice and control”, such as the case of Elaine McDonald, who last week lost her Supreme Court appeal for night-time support from Kensington and Chelsea council. Cowan said: “It makes you feel as if you cannot get on with the future because you’re worried to talk about what it’s going to look like and even if you are going to be able to get out of the house.” Meanwhile, the Local Government Ombudsman’s annual report reveals that the number of complaints about adult social care rose sharply in 2010/11. In 2009/10, there were 667 adult social care complaints concerning councils, but this rose to 974 last year, an increase of nearly 50 per cent. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=214 The government must ensure its websites are accessible to disabled people if it wants more benefits claims dealt with online, a coalition minister has been warned. Anne McGuire MP, Labour’s former minister for disabled people, told a joint meeting of the all party parliamentary disability group (APPDG) and other disability-themed groups that it was a “government ambition” for 80 per cent of “benefits traffic” to be dealt with online. But McGuire, the APPDG’s co-chair, said she feared the new system could “close down opportunities for disabled people” if it was not fully accessible. The coalition plans to simplify the system by replacing a series of benefits with a new “universal credit”, but the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has also proposed £50 civil fines for mistakes made on benefits claim forms. McGuire asked Ed Vaizey, the Conservative minister for culture, communications and creative industries, if his department had ensured the new system the DWP was creating would be “fully accessible”. Vaizey said the new benefits system was “a major undertaking”, but he promised to have a “proper sit-down with my opposite number at the DWP and talk to them about progress on this”. Baroness [Jane] Campbell, the APPDG’s other co-chair, raised concerns about the accessibility of government websites for the thousands of disabled people who use voice-activated software to operate their computers. Vaizey said he had had meetings with Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude about the need for all government websites to be accessible. After the meeting, Baroness Campbell said she was concerned that some disabled people who use voice-activated software might make innocent mistakes when making benefits claims, but could still be fined. She said: “I just want the government to be more ‘voice-activated confident’. I want them to be... aware that more and more disabled people use that method of using computers and navigating the internet and to make sure that the technology is accessible... and that they understand that mistakes can be made.” Earlier in the meeting, Susan Daniels, chief executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, called on Vaizey to encourage more communications companies to provide telephone relay services for deaf people. There is currently only one widely-available national relay service, the text relay service funded and run by BT, but it uses technology that is 30 years old and has been described by campaigners as “slow and cumbersome”. Daniels asked Vaizey how he would introduce competition into the market for relay services. Vaizey said he wanted to find “pragmatic solutions”, and that the issue was “the headline this year in terms of my postbag”. He is hosting a “round table” discussion on relay services in September. Meanwhile, the strength of the APPDG under Baroness Campbell and Anne McGuire has been highlighted by figures which show that its membership has been boosted by 43 new MPs. There are now about 35 peers and 85 MPs who are members of the group. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=213 A leading disabled film-maker is seeking a permanent home for her award-winning installation about the killing of hundreds of thousands of disabled people in Nazi Germany. Liz Crow’s Resistance: which way the future? has received critical and popular acclaim and has been shown at venues across the country, as well as at the renowned Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. But because Crow has to be so closely involved with touring Resistance, she is looking for an organisation to take over this work. The Aktion-T4 programme is believed to have led to the targeted killing of as many as 200,000 disabled people, and possibly many more, and became the blueprint for the “Final Solution”, through which the Nazis hoped to wipe out Jews, gay people and other minority groups. Crow’s film-based installation explores the values that allowed T4 to happen but also shows how some disabled people found the courage to resist. It also draws close parallels with issues that challenge disabled people’s right to exist today, such as the campaign to legalise assisted suicide, the rise in disability hate crime, and cases of institutional abuse, such as allegations concerning Winterbourne View hospital near Bristol. She believes Resistance “is needed more now than when I started working on it” and has helped people think “in ways they haven’t done before”. But she is keen to find a solution that will allow her to concentrate on other projects, possibly by finding a permanent venue or an organisation with the “experience and resources or imagination” to tour the work itself. Crow said it would be “a terrible waste” if Resistance had to fold. “At the moment, Resistance is so bound up with me that it requires me to keep going out there, and four years on I need to be moving onto other projects. “I need a solution that, when I pull out, it doesn’t fold. I can’t just let it fold.” Resistance will be shown at Bristol’s M Shed in January 2012, and in Gloucester Cathedral this autumn. Any organisation that might be able to help can contact Liz Crow at liz@roaring-girl.com http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=212 The care and health watchdog has failed in its duty to protect service-users and has become a “bureaucratic nightmare”, an MP has told its under-fire chair. Labour MP Rosie Cooper told Dame Jo Williams, who chairs the Care Quality Commission, that her organisation needed to ensure “light years improvement” to its inspection work. Dame Jo was giving evidence to the Commons health committee less than a month after the commission admitted failing to take action over concerns raised by a whistleblower about alleged abuse at Winterbourne View, a hospital for people with learning difficulties near Bristol. Cooper told Dame Jo she was “seriously worried” about CQC’s “capacity to deliver”, and raised concerns about the high level of vacant posts for inspectors, after she heard that CQC had 350 job vacancies, including 121 inspectors. The MP suggested this was “a long-term problem” and the public had been “put at risk because you have not had enough inspectors while you were busy internally reorganising yourselves”. Dame Jo said this was “absolutely not true” and CQC had worked “entirely within the guidance we were given to make sure that we recruited people appropriately and people with the right skills to do the job”. She said CQC had offered jobs to about 70 people in the last few weeks. Last month, CQC was forced to admit carrying out just 2,148 inspections of adult social care facilities in the six months to March 2011, compared with 6,840 from April to September 2009. CQC said the drop – revealed in figures obtained by the magazine Community Care – was “largely” due to the need to register health and social care providers under its new regulatory system, which began to have an impact in the second half of 2009-10. But there have been concerns that CQC’s new “risk-based” system of regulation, under which social care providers produce their own written self-assessments, while CQC gathers evidence from other sources and focuses on providers where there is evidence of concerns, could see some homes that appear good on paper avoiding inspection for up to five years. There have also been concerns that the new system has been driven largely by the need to cut costs. Cooper told Dame Jo that she believed CQC had become a “bureaucratic nightmare”, and added: “What we need to know is that somebody is listening... People are depending on you. You cannot fail and you have.” Dame Jo insisted that CQC was in a “much stronger position than we were at the start of the year” and that inspections had risen to about 600 a month, which she hoped would eventually double. She said there was a “considerable appetite” among the public and service-providers for CQC to be “more visible” and carry out more inspections. She told the committee that CQC had asked the Department of Health for a 10 per cent increase in its budget – a rise of about £15 million a year – in order to increase the number of inspections, and to bring in more “experts by experience” (service-users who take part in inspections). http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=211 The nation would be “in uproar” if the government had tried to make similar cuts in the NHS to those happening across social care, a leading disabled activist has told MPs and peers. Andrew Lee, director of People First (Self Advocacy), told the joint committee on human rights that politicians’ lives would become “a nightmare” if they tried to make such cuts to the NHS. The parliamentary committee was hearing from some of the country’s leading disabled activists as part of its inquiry into the implementation of disabled people’s right to independent living. Lee told the committee that non-disabled people take independent living for granted, whereas disabled people “have to fight for everything – having children, having a job, living independently”. He said: “We have to fight for the audacity of saying this is what we want when everybody we come across says, ‘You will not be able to do that, you’re not capable of doing that.’” John Evans, the veteran activist and co-founder of the National Centre for Independent Living, who campaigns across Europe for independent living, said disabled activists on the continent had reacted with “absolute astonishment” to reports of cuts to support for disabled people in the UK. He said the UK was seen as leading the way on independent living, but disabled people in other European countries were now saying: “If this can happen in the UK... what is going to happen in our country?” Evans said that if – as feared – the government closes the Independent Living Fund completely in 2015, he would probably be forced to move into residential care. He also said he was “absolutely astonished” at the “quite alarming” number of people working for local authorities who were unaware of the existence of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Doug Paulley, who lives in a residential home and campaigns on behalf of other disabled residents, said one key problem was the lack of any user-led organisation to represent people living in residential care. He said the government had failed to realise that the big disability charities, which often ran residential homes themselves, were not “democratically representative” of disabled people. And he said that government funding given to these charities should be handed instead to user-led organisations, which he said could “make a big difference”. Professor Peter Beresford, chair of Shaping Our Lives, called for more to be done to provide new opportunities for the user-led sector, which he said was “one of the most exciting and emerging and radical sectors”. He said central and local government were not offering the user-led sector “any kind of equality” in terms of opportunities to provide services, “despite the evidence we have from research of the value it can contribute as employer, as service-provider and commissioner”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=210 Creditors are failing to make the necessary reasonable adjustments to help their disabled clients sort out their debt problems, according to a new report from Citizens Advice (CA). The report, Double Disadvantage, says many disabled people face problems such as inaccessible bills, high pressure sales techniques, unfair methods of debt collection, and irresponsible lending, with many creditors not taking any account of their client’s impairment. Although disabled Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) clients have slightly lower average debts (under £13,000) than their non-disabled clients (nearly £15,500), they are more likely to have high-cost credit debts. Citizens Advice said creditors must become more proactive in recognising the needs of their disabled clients. About a fifth of people seeking debt advice from CAB in England and Wales are disabled or have a long-term health condition. Last year, CAB gave advice or support on problem debt to more than 72,000 disabled people. Common causes of debt problems for disabled people include a restricted ability to work, low income, and the cost of disability-related expenditure. More than a quarter of CAB clients who are disabled or have a disabled child attribute some of their financial difficulties to problems with benefits, compared with seven per cent of all CAB clients, says the report. Among its recommendations, the report says regulators of financial services, credit providers and utilities need to “provide a clear steer on how to implement the rules governing consumer credit and retail banking to make sure disabled consumers’ needs are taken into account”. The report also says that many creditors are failing to take account of the Equality Act and need to adopt an “equality focus” in all parts of their business. Gillian Guy, CA’s chief executive, said: “Being in debt can be very disempowering for consumers but our research shows that disabled people in debt face a double disadvantage. “They are disempowered by both their financial difficulties and the failure of creditors to take account of their needs through reasonable adjustments.” The report also says that it is vital for debt advice services to be sufficiently funded. Guy added: “Many of the clients we spoke to would not have engaged with their creditors without the help and support from specialist advisers who understood and met their needs. “It is essential that all future plans to fund debt advice services are equality-proofed. This means providing advice through a variety of channels, not just funding the cheapest option. One size does not fit all.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=209 An airline has been unable to explain why it is still refusing to accept powered wheelchairs on its flights, at least five years after the issue was first raised publicly. EasyJet claims health and safety rules mean it cannot ask baggage handlers to load any wheelchairs that weigh more than 60kg onto its aircraft. The issue was highlighted this week after the mother of 12-year-old Declan Spencer, from Leicester, was told by easyJet that it would not allow his powered wheelchair into the hold of their holiday flight to Cyprus because it was too heavy. EasyJet said it “welcomes more than a quarter of a million passengers with reduced mobility every year and we regularly carry powered wheelchairs, provided they can be collapsed into separate parts weighing less than 60kg each”. But it has been unable to explain why it cannot pay for suitable equipment to load heavier wheelchairs onto its aircraft, or why it appears to have taken no steps to solve the problem since at least 2006. Five years ago, Clare Gray, from Gloucestershire, raised almost identical concerns to the Spencers when easyJet told her it could not carry her wheelchair on a flight from Bristol to Newcastle because it exceeded the 60kg weight limit. Declan’s mother Alexandra has now had to cancel their easyJet seats at short notice and book with another company, Thomson Airways. She said easyJet’s policy was “ludicrous and discriminatory”, and added: “We have been told that they are refusing to carry Declan’s wheelchair on health and safety grounds to protect their staff, but this seems extremely hollow when you consider that every other airline in this country is prepared to accommodate us.” European regulations, introduced in 2008, should prevent airlines discriminating against passengers with “reduced mobility”. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is supposed to enforce the regulations, but this week it said it was “still reviewing the circumstances of the complaint to identify whether easyJet acted reasonably”. CAA said each case “should be treated on its respective merits and the airline should work to find a solution where practicable”, while it was working with UK airlines on the issue of wheelchair weight and had raised the matter with the European Commission. The Spencers’ case was taken up by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign (MDC), whose Trailblazers network of young disabled campaigners criticised easyJet in a report last August. MDC said it was “totally unacceptable” for an airline to impose a rule that “makes it all but impossible for users of powered wheelchairs to use their service”. An MDC spokeswoman added: “It seems to us that other budget airlines have found solutions. How is it that Thomson are finding solutions and easyJet aren’t?” Ann Bates, a disabled transport access consultant and former deputy-chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, has flown often with easyJet and always supervises baggage handling staff as they remove two heavy batteries from her chair, taking the weight below 60kg. But she said some wheelchairs were not so easy to dismantle, while she also would not want to risk baggage handlers dropping her chair. Bates said it seemed “reasonable” for easyJet to invest in machinery that could load heavier powered wheelchairs onto its aircraft. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=208 Leading disabled artists and campaigners have raised concerns about the decision to move London’s annual disability arts festival from its home in Trafalgar Square. This year’s Liberty festival will instead take place on London’s South Bank – home to the National Theatre and the Southbank Centre – on Saturday 3 September. The eight previous Liberty festivals have all been held in Trafalgar Square, since the first event in 2003 was created by London’s then mayor Ken Livingstone and the now defunct disabled people’s organisation, Greater London Action on Disability. Since 2003, Liberty has established itself as a vital date on the capital’s disability arts calendar, and has become a tourist attraction in its own right, playing a major part in raising awareness of disability rights and boosting the profile of some of the country’s most talented disabled artists. But the announcement that Liberty was moving to the South Bank, still part of London’s tourist heartland but much less central than Trafalgar Square, was slipped out quietly this week. The news was included in a press release issued by the organisers of London 2012, announcing that Bradley Hemmings, who curates and produces Liberty, had been appointed as one of two artistic directors for the 2012 Paralympics opening ceremony. Leading disabled figures raised concerns this week about the decision to move Liberty to the South Bank. Michael Shamash, a disability researcher and lecturer, said there were “real issues” about relocating Liberty. He said: “The beauty of Trafalgar Square is it is so central and as such it makes such a statement about the visibility of disabled people.” Shamash said he also felt the access at the Southbank Centre was “bitty”, although the problems were probably “manageable”. But he said: “I think there is an issue of visibility and making a statement. Trafalgar Square on a sunny day, there is nowhere like it, with the fountains and the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, Nelson’s Column... “It is a super setting and it gives pre-eminence to disabled people and their culture and the contribution they make to London.” The disabled artist Ju Gosling aka ju90 said she had concerns about the accessibility of the South Bank, and raised particular concerns about parking, the availability of accessible toilets and access to the venues from nearby public transport routes. She said: “If I was producing something there, I wouldn’t see it as a suitable place.” The film-maker Liz Crow said parking was a “significant issue”, as was the distance between venues, but she said she thought such problems were probably “solvable”, while she believed there was “a status attached” to having the event on the South Bank. No-one from the office of London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, was able to provide any information about why the decision had been taken to move Liberty, or about access at the new venue. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=207 The appointment of two disabled artists to direct next year’s opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics creates a “fantastic opportunity” to showcase disability arts on a world stage, say fellow artists. Disabled artists said the choice of Jenny Sealey – artistic director of the disabled-led theatre company Graeae – should provide “amazing opportunities” for disabled performers. The appointment of Bradley Hemmings – less well-known but still an influential figure in the disability arts world – as the second artistic director for the opening ceremony has also been welcomed. Hemmings is director of the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF) – a critically-acclaimed outdoor dance and theatre festival – and also curates and produces Liberty, London’s annual disability arts festival. Sealey described her appointment as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work collaboratively with leading Deaf, disabled and non-disabled artists to create a unique, unforgettable spectacle to be enjoyed by millions across the globe”. The disabled film-maker Liz Crow said Sealey was “an excellent choice”, and added: “She has spent years honing Graeae and refining what it does. “To move some of that onto this bigger platform – the potential is huge. I think it is fantastic news and an incredible opportunity for Jenny. “My hope is that within the Paralympic opening ceremony there will be a potential for a real showcasing of disability arts.” Allan Sutherland, the disabled writer and performance poet, said Sealey had a “strong record of putting accessibility on stage”. He said: “I think that could lead to some very interesting artistic choices because her work has been very much about including accessibility within the show and not just having a performance and an interpreter over there [at the side].” Sutherland said that introducing that kind of visual accessibility into such a large performance space as the Olympic Stadium was “unexplored territory”. He added: “It could make for a ceremony that really sets the rules for future ceremonies, that recalibrates what is expected and has to be delivered. That would be brilliant.” Ruth Gould, chief executive of DaDaFest, said she admired the work of both Sealey and Hemmings, who would make “a good team”. This week, she watched Sealey’s production of The Iron Man at GDIF, which she said was “very clever”. Gould said: “How many times have disabled creators of any shape had this kind of opportunity? “There will be amazing opportunities for disabled performers – that cannot be underestimated.” She said Hemmings was “used to working on big events”, including GDIF, where access was “just brilliant” and which features many disabled artists. The actor and broadcaster Mik Scarlet, who has worked with Sealey at Graeae, said her work over the last few years had been “incredible”, while GDAF had featured “superb” work by disabled artists. Lord [Sebastian] Coe, who chairs the 2012 organising committee LOCOG, said Sealey and Hemmings were “the perfect team to lead the artistic direction of the opening ceremony”. He said: “Both are directors with great experience of creating brilliant live shows and events together. They are respected in the arts world for bringing disabled and non-disabled performers together to create spectacular shows.” Stephen Daldry, the Oscar-nominated film director, who is an executive producer of the four 2012 opening and closing ceremonies, said Sealey and Hemmings had been the “obvious choices”. He said their “experience primarily as extraordinary artists who have led innovative work with disabled and non-disabled artists means we can look forward to a ceremony of spectacle and emotion”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=206 Scores of disabled activists and allies have staged a Westminster protest against government plans that they believe would cause the country to slide back towards a segregated education system. As many as 70 campaigners joined the high-spirited, noisy march to protest at reforms that would make it harder for parents to secure a mainstream education for their disabled children and destroy years of progress towards a more inclusive system. The coalition government has pledged to “remove the bias towards inclusion” in the education system, and has backed that pledge with proposals laid out in its special educational needs (SEN) green paper. The protest was timed to coincide with the penultimate day of the green paper’s public consultation. The government wants to reintroduce two notorious “caveats” that made it easier for schools to avoid admitting disabled pupils. The caveats were removed following a long campaign in the 1990s by disabled activists including Richard Rieser and Micheline Mason, who are leading the new <a href="http://www.reversethebiascampaign.com/" target="_blank">Reverse the Bias campaign</a> against the government’s proposals. The government also plans to replace SEN statements with personal budgets for disabled children, which Mason and Rieser believe would simply lead to councils rationing school-based support. And they say the government’s policies on free schools will lead to the launch of a new generation of special schools, outside the control of local authorities. The march started on Westminster Bridge and wound past the Houses of Parliament and twice around Parliament Square, before campaigners set off balloons outside Westminster Abbey, to highlight the involvement of the Church of England in running special schools. Rieser told fellow campaigners outside the abbey: “We are an inconvenient truth. We are disabled people and we have a right to be included.” The protest moved to the nearby offices of the Department for Education, where Rieser and Mason handed over information for education secretary Michael Gove about the campaign and their demands. Campaigners also delivered a letter to Downing Street. The launch was attended later by two high-profile Labour MPs, Jeremy Corbyn and shadow work and pensions minister Stephen Timms, who both backed the campaign. But Corbyn warned Rieser that they would have “quite a tough fight”, as prime minister David Cameron was “absolutely convinced that special schools are the answer”. Rieser said: “They want to get rid of disabled children from mainstream schools because then they are easy to sell off to private business. Why else would they want to change the law back to where it was 12 years ago?” Mason said she was “stunned” by the “mixture of power and lack of knowledge” displayed by the government, and at having to start again “from square one”. She said: “I cannot possibly sit back and watch what I have now seen with my own eyes as being so liberating for people be destroyed by people who don’t know what they are doing. I just can’t sit back and watch it happen.” She added: “What segregated schools do to non-disabled people is they teach them that we do not matter... that we belong somewhere else, and they take that attitude into their adult life.” One fellow protester, Michelle Daley, a disability equality consultant, campaigner and former member of the government’s Equality 2025 advisory network, who attended a segregated school as a child, said: “How can the government be supporting a biased education system that doesn’t provide many disabled people with the same opportunities to reach their potential as others?” Lucy Mason, an international children’s rights worker and daughter of Micheline Mason, added: “What they are doing is dismantling a lot of the civil rights that disabled people have campaigned for over the last 20 or 30 years. I feel like we are about to go backwards.” The disabled actor and broadcaster Mik Scarlet, who attended mainstream schools throughout his education, said he could not believe that, in the 21st century, he and other disabled activists were being forced to protest outside the Department for Education to call for disabled people to be able to attend mainstream schools. Scarlet said his own experience had benefited not only him but also his schoolfriends. He said: “We need to be all together. I know it works. Part of the reason I am so confident is that I went to school with a load of non-disabled people. “If we don’t grow up together and we don’t know each other as people, a lot of the stereotypes and myths about each other carry on.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=205 A Conservative MP who suggested disabled people should be allowed to work for less than the minimum wage has been dismissed by campaigners as “ill-informed” and “prejudiced”. Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley, told fellow MPs that minimum wage legislation prevented disabled people from climbing onto the “first rung of the employment ladder”. Davies, who appeared confused about the difference between learning difficulties and mental health conditions, said it was “inevitable that the employer would take on the person who was going to be more productive and less of a risk”. He added: “The point is that if an employer is considering two candidates, one who has disabilities and one who does not, and if they have to pay them both the same rate, which is the employer more likely to take on?” He said that allowing disabled people to work for less than minimum wage would give them the chance to “prove themselves” and so possibly “move up the pay rates much more quickly”. But the Conservative business and enterprise minister Mark Prisk said disabled workers “do not have equal bargaining power when compared with their employer” and would face the risk of “exploitation” if they could work for below the minimum wage. The MPs were debating a private members’ bill proposed by another Conservative MP, Christopher Chope, which would allow people to choose to work for below the minimum wage. Chope’s bill was denied a second reading by 23 votes to five. Marije Davidson, RADAR’s public affairs manager, accused Davies of making “ill-informed, prejudiced comments”. She said the pay gap between disabled and non-disabled people was 20 per cent for men and 12 per cent for women, which was “a gross injustice”, and added: “Many disabled people can get into a job and have sustainable careers – if they have the support that they need and if discrimination is tackled.” Richard Exell, a TUC senior policy officer, said that “excluding disabled people from the minimum wage would be a badge of second-class citizenship”. Exell, who himself has a mental health condition, added: “It is a preposterous suggestion that someone who has a mental health problem should be prepared to accept less than the minimum wage to get their foot in the door with an employer.” The Equality and Human Rights Commission said Davies’ comments were “nonsense”, and added: “Evidence from our inquiry into disability-related harassment suggests that the perpetrators view disabled people as worth less than other people. “We will be writing to Mr Davies in due course to remind him of his responsibilities and will be inviting him to attend an evidence session for this inquiry.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=204 Older people who rely on care and support in their homes are having their human rights breached because of “major problems” in the system, according to the equality and human rights watchdog. People are being left in bed for more than 17 hours between care visits, while others are not washed properly or given enough help to eat and drink. Some are being left in soiled beds and clothes for long periods, while high staff turnover means many older service-users have a “huge number” of different care workers performing their personal care. One woman recorded 32 different care workers visiting her in just two weeks. Because homecare visits can be as short as 15 minutes, some older people have to choose between being washed or having a cooked meal, with many having no control over the time of their visit. The evidence was released by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which is conducting an inquiry into how well the system of care and support at home in England is protecting and promoting the human rights of people over 65. One in five older people who responded to the EHRC’s call for evidence said they would not complain about poor care because they didn’t know how to, or because they feared “repercussions”. The final report will be published in November. The EHRC said it would use the findings to influence the government’s white paper on adult social care, which is also due later this year. Disabled activist Anne Novis said Bromley council had refused to fund more than 14 hours of support a week for her mother Jean if she remained living at home, even though she was offered an assisted living placement with round-the-clock support. Novis said: “As soon as you become an older person your rights seem to go out of the window. The independent living ethos is not carried through for older people. “There is not time to talk with her, encourage her to do things, go out socialising. Just because you are older, doesn’t mean you suddenly cannot do things or go out. “I have seen it happen to friends of mine who have reached that age limit and their hours are immediately cut because they are older.” A Bromley council spokeswoman said the care package agreed “was designed to meet Mrs Novis’s mother’s assessed needs”. She added: “If her needs have changed or if she or her family have concerns around the care plan then this can be reviewed. “Increasingly, those with care needs and their families are arranging their own care through a direct payment, which can provide greater flexibility and control over the way in which care is provided.” Novis has asked for an emergency reassessment of her mother’s needs, but she said a direct payment was not practical because it was impossible to find a care worker to visit three times a day for such short periods of time. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=203 The government has been accused again of stirring up hostility against disabled people and running a “deliberate smearing campaign”, after stories appeared in national newspapers about alleged abuse of the Motability car scheme. A Sunday Times “investigation” claimed friends and relatives were misusing the cars that disabled people have obtained through the Motability scheme, while the Daily Mail described this misuse as a “scam”. The Sunday Times claimed government officials were concerned that the disabled people’s car scheme had “mushroomed out of control” and was “so generous that it encourages people to submit spurious claims or to try to keep a benefit to which they are no longer entitled”. The Mail said the government “hopes that its planned reform of the disability living allowance (DLA) will help stamp out such abuses by introducing closer scrutiny of the system and considering whether Motability is the best option for everyone”. Many disabled activists are convinced that the source of the story was within the government, which they say is trying to soften up the public for cuts to spending on DLA and its replacement with a new personal independence payment (PIP). Anne Novis, a leading disability hate crime campaigner, said the story “smacks of government preparing to withdraw DLA and Motability schemes or tighten them exclusively to those they deem ‘severely disabled’”. She added: “Any scheme can be abused but the fact that this and other statements about disabled people’s benefits, allowances and support being misused are coming out from Whitehall almost every week indicates a deliberate smearing campaign against us as disabled people. “We are cursed, reviled, demeaned at every turn because people now think they have ‘permission’ from government to treat us this way.” Novis has given evidence to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) inquiry into disability-related harassment that disabled people’s cars have been “repeatedly vandalized” and set on fire over the last few years. She added: “For the government to now incite such misunderstandings about the Motability schemes will incite more hostility towards us yet again.” Helen Dolphin, director of policy and campaigns for Disabled Motoring UK (DM UK), said she also believed the stories would stir up further hostility towards disabled people. She said she said she would be “absolutely appalled” if the government was behind the stories. Last week, DM UK completed its Alps Challenge, in which disabled volunteers recreated a 1,500 mile journey across the Alps in 1947 on a petrol-driven tricycle to highlight the importance of providing mobility support to disabled people. Dolphin said: “The Alps Challenge was to demonstrate how far we had come since 1947, with fantastic adaptations and the fact that we do have Motability and DLA to pay for it, but it seems when you read articles like this that people would like us to step backwards to when we were pushing people around in little blue trikes.” Motability said its scheme was abused only by “a small minority” of people, while the “overwhelming majority of our customers are hugely deserving individuals with real physical impairments”. In 2010/11, about 800 people were removed from the scheme for abuse, out of 580,000 customers – less than 0.14 per cent. Another 500 people were prevented from joining or renewing their agreements, but Motability said many of these were due to driving convictions and so unrelated to misuse. A DWP spokeswoman said: “Motability is an independent charity which is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the scheme and DWP has regular reviews to monitor its performance. “Motability provides a vital service for disabled people. However, any misuse of taxpayers’ money is unacceptable and it is essential that we get the gateway to receipt of DLA right, which is why we are introducing the PIP.” But when asked whether the story originated from the DWP and was another attempt to soften up the public in advance of cuts and reforms of DLA, she declined to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=202 Disabled activists have welcomed a new campaign aimed at improving the way the police handle hate crime against people with learning difficulties, but have warned that it could distract from wider efforts to address the issue. The charity Mencap this week launched its <a href="http://www.mencap.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Stand%20by%20me%20research%20report.pdf" target="_blank">Stand By Me campaign, and a report based on research examining 14 police forces across England</a>. Mark Goldring, Mencap’s chief executive, said: “We continue to hear reports of incidents being dismissed as ‘only antisocial behaviour’ with little or no real action being taken. “For the people with a learning disability who are suffering from daily abuse, attacks and harassment, this is simply not good enough.” The report calls for better training in most police forces on “identifying, recording and handling hate crime reports made by people with a learning disability”. Among its other recommendations, it says forces should: build partnerships with disabled people’s organisations and those run by people with learning difficulties; ensure there is at least one officer with “dedicated responsibility” for dealing with hate crime; and encourage third-party reporting. Anne Novis, who leads on hate crime issues for the UK Disabled People’s Council, welcomed Mencap’s decision to campaign on hate crime but said the focus on people with learning difficulties was “a distraction”. She said the focus should not be impairment-specific, but on “why people vilify and view disabled people as a valid target”. She wants to see a national pan-disability campaign, led by disabled people, with funding for organisations to “come together and work together” on addressing disability hate crime. Stephen Brookes, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, said that hate crime “happens across all disabilities and age groups, and the failures are systemic and deep”. He said it was important to address not only police failings, but also those of other organisations, such as housing associations, neighbourhood watch schemes and residential homes. He said: “Our message is clear and unambiguous – we all need to work together across all sectors to stop this appalling crime.” A Mencap spokeswoman said that many of its recommendations would improve the police’s treatment of all disability hate crime victims. She said Mencap had been working with pan-disability campaigners who have been supportive of its work and “recognise the campaign has generally raised awareness of hate crime against disabled people” and has given campaigners a “good platform to talk about the issues more generally”. She added: “Mencap will continue to work with people from across the disability sector as well as the police and other statutory agencies to support disability hate crime victims and help end hate crime.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=201 There is “no place” for the type of private “hospital” that was at the centre of abuse allegations uncovered by the BBC’s Panorama, say disabled activists and other campaigners who have written to the prime minister. Nearly 90 individuals and organisations call in their letter for David Cameron to end the use of institutions for people with learning difficulties like Winterbourne View, near Bristol, where the abuse alleged by Panorama took place. <a href="http://www.thecbf.org.uk/campaigns/latestnews.htm" target="_blank">The letter</a> says such provision “does not work” and should be replaced with “individualised” services and support that are “integrated as far as possible into local communities”. It also says that the evidence of abuse and failures seen in the Panorama programme are “an almost unavoidable consequence of the continuing use of inappropriate services”, which are only used because of the lack of more appropriate local facilities. The campaigners and professionals who signed the letter call for more effective regulation and inspection of services, with priority given to “listening to and understanding the experiences of service users and their families”. They also call for access to independent advocacy for those placed in settings outside their home area or in hospitals. And they suggest that there were clear similarities between the events at Winterbourne View and previous abuse scandals, warning that lessons from past cases appear to have “been forgotten”. Among the disabled activists who have signed the letter are Gavin Harding and Amanda Platts, co-chairs of The National Forum of People with Learning Difficulties; Michael Ratcliffe, a former co-chair of the national forum; Professor Peter Beresford, chair of the user-led Shaping Our Lives network; Steve Robertson, chair of People First (Scotland); and Liz Sayce, chief executive of RADAR. Other prominent figures who have signed it include Rob Greig, the government’s former national director for learning disabilities; Dame Philippa Russell, a leading campaigner for carers and the rights of people with learning difficulties; Joanna Perry, chair of Values Into Action; and Steven Rose, chief executive of Choice Support. A Downing Street spokesman said they would respond formally to the letter in due course. The letter was sent as the Department of Health (DH) published <a href="http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_127740.pdf" target="_blank">the terms of reference</a> for its review of the Winterbourne View case. The review will consider any policy implications, and analyse whether lessons from previous cases have been “embedded into practice”, and where that hasn’t happened “why not and what needs to be done to ensure that it is”. A DH spokesman said: “We can only share the distress of the authors following the terrible events at Winterbourne View and their determination to prevent the risk of others facing similar abuse.” He said that “all the issues and actions outlined in the letter will be considered fully” in the review, and added: “We need the full facts of what happened before deciding what actions are needed next.” Meanwhile, the company that runs Winterbourne View, Castlebeck, has announced that the hospital will close for good on 24 June, when the last service-users are transferred to new homes. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=200 A new bill that would put right “one of the most fundamental wrongs in the social care system” has been introduced by a disabled peer. Baroness [Jane] Campbell’s social care portability bill received its first reading in the House of Lords this week. Her private members’ bill would provide continuity of support for disabled people who choose to relocate to another local authority area in England or Wales. The bill would place duties on councils to work together to ensure disabled people have equivalent care and support in place when they arrive at their new home, rather than having to renegotiate their package from scratch. Baroness Campbell said: “We all have a human right to move home around the country, to be close to family and friends or a job, university and so on. “Or so I thought, until I tried to move 22 years ago. It was then I found out that thousands of disabled and older people who receive social care support do not enjoy this same right.” She said her bill would put right this “fundamental wrong”. The government has signalled that it wants to see greater “portability of assessment” – which it again confirmed this week – but this would only ensure that disabled people do not need to be reassessed when they relocate and not that they would secure the same level of support in their new home. Sue Bott, director of the National Centre for Independent Living, said the need for portability was “a fundamental point of principle”. She said: “It is really time this was corrected. I challenge the government not to support this.” But she said she was concerned that the bill’s principles could clash with the government’s push for “localism” – more decisions taken at local level – even though they fit in well with David Cameron’s “Big Society” agenda and his party’s call for people to support each other in their communities. Bott said the new bill would help disabled people take up job opportunities, and make it easier for older people to move closer to their families, reducing the money councils need to spend on support. RADAR, which has supported Baroness Campbell with her bill, also welcomed its publication. Liz Sayce, RADAR’s chief executive, said: “Making portability rights a reality would enable disabled people to pursue work or education opportunities, or allow them to live nearer family and friends for greater security and support.” In her <a href="http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/sayce-report.pdf" target="_blank">review of disability employment support for the government</a>, published earlier this month, Sayce said the lack of portable social care was a key barrier to employment for disabled people. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=199 Disabled children are set to enjoy new sporting opportunities at school, both in inclusive versions of mainstream events and in high quality competitions against other disabled young people. Jeremy Hunt, the secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, announced plans this week to boost the participation of disabled children in sport. He was speaking at one of nine pilot events taking place ahead of this September’s launch of a new national School Games competition, which will include both non-disabled and disabled pupils from schools across England. Hunt said that participation rates of disabled children in competitive sport will be measured for the first time; there will be information and guidance for teachers and coaches on how disabled and non-disabled pupils can participate alongside each other in inclusive versions of mainstream sports; and 50 “trailblazing” schools will pioneer new ways to develop sporting opportunities for disabled pupils. The new School Games will see pupils compete at school level, against other schools, and in county or regional finals, with the first national finals set to be staged in the 2012 Olympic Park next May. Disabled pupils will compete next May in swimming, athletics, table-tennis and wheelchair basketball, with the possibility of events in sitting volleyball and wheelchair fencing. Alison Oliver, director of sport for the Youth Sport Trust (YST), the body delivering the School Games for the government, said the competition was “a great opportunity to raise awareness among able-bodied young people of the abilities of their disabled peers”. There will be no events at the national finals with disabled and non-disabled children competing side-by-side because “most of the inclusive formats are not well-enough established”, although Oliver said this was something they hoped to try in the future. But events for disabled pupils will be integrated into the mainstream programme. Because most schools will not have enough disabled pupils to make up their own teams in sports such as wheelchair basketball, YST hopes mainstream schools will enable their pupils to join with disabled children from other local schools in teams based at central venues. Oliver said the efforts to boost participation among disabled children would be “a challenge” but was “not an impossibility”. She said: “It is not going to happen overnight but we have the best opportunity we could ever have, with the resources and the intent there.” Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson, who won 11 Paralympic gold medals, told Disability News Service: “With the [London] Paralympics just a year away it is a really massive opportunity to get it right in a positive way.” But she added: “It is really challenging. Sport is probably one of the hardest things to deliver inclusively. It is really complicated.” She said sport was the only thing that segregated education was good for, because there were always other disabled children to compete against, but it was much harder to include disabled pupils in sport in mainstream schools. And she warned there would be a need for greater depth to competitions for disabled young people, so non-disabled children could see the standard was “really strong as well so they take disability sport and Paralympic sport really seriously”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=198 One of the prime minister’s disabled constituents has issued a personal plea for his help, after he was forced to appeal for the third time against an unfair and inaccurate assessment of his ability to work. David Cameron promised to write to his own ministers at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) after Chris Caudle told him how he was treated during three work capability assessments (WCAs) carried out by “healthcare professionals” employed by Atos Healthcare. Atos has been subjected to a sustained and angry protest campaign from disabled activists over the poor quality of its work and the generosity of its contract with the DWP. Caudle, who has to take morphine three times a day to deal with the pain of ankylosing spondylitis, told the prime minister at his constituency surgery last week that he was now waiting for his third appeal against the outcome of a WCA in as many years. He has already won two appeals, and is so angry at the treatment he has received from Atos that he is considering legal action. The first time Caudle was assessed, for a new claim for employment and support allowance (ESA) – the replacement for incapacity benefit – he was found fully fit for work. Caudle won his appeal, and was one of the small number of disabled people placed in the “support group”, for those whose barriers to employment mean they do not have to carry out any work-related activity. At his next WCA, he was forced to walk a quarter of a mile in agony from a car-park to the assessment centre, because he was told he could not park outside the building. The journey took him 90 minutes and by the time he arrived at the centre he was “crying with pain”. Caudle says he was only asked one question during the assessment – to confirm his name – and was subsequently placed in the work-related activity group (WRAG), for those expected to prepare to return to work. Again he appealed successfully, and was placed back in the support group. This year, he was called in for a third WCA and again placed in the WRAG. He has been told he may now have to wait until November to have his latest appeal heard. Meanwhile, his benefits have been cut by £19.65 a week and will not be reinstated and backdated to the full amount until he wins the appeal. The previous two reductions in his benefits while he was waiting for appeals have destroyed his credit rating. Caudle, from Eynsham, near Oxford, said the treatment he has received from Atos has been “inhuman”. He said: “They don’t care how you feel when you get there. They don’t offer any help if you are in pain. “They are almost like a production line. The doctors there just sit at the keyboard, typing. “Every time I think, ‘why have they put me through all this pain and agony just to sit there?’ Every time I feel degraded.” Susie Drohan, manager of Oxfordshire Welfare Rights (OWR), said the WCA was clearly “not fit for purpose” and was producing a “revolving door” of disabled people moving from assessments to appeals and back to assessments. The organisation has a 96 per cent success rate for appeals against the outcomes of claims for ESA, she said. Nick Turnill, an OWR case worker, who has supported Caudle, said: “Chris is a severely disabled man who is caught up in a process that is inflexible and, as presently constituted, not fit for purpose.” Caudle said the prime minister concluded that Atos was “not carrying out the procedures as they should be carried out”. He added: “You could see by his face that he was concerned. He seemed as though he wanted to do something about it.” A DWP spokesman said he could not comment on individual cases, but that the review of the WCA by Professor Malcolm Harrington would make it “a fairer and more effective assessment” and reduce the number of appeals. He said that a successful appeal “does not necessarily mean that the original decision was inaccurate”, because claimants often “produce new evidence” for their appeal. And he said the DWP was also introducing measures to reduce appeal rates, which have been endorsed by Harrington. An Atos spokeswoman said: “We definitely would not comment on individual cases.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=197 There are now more than a billion disabled people across the world, but many of the barriers they face are avoidable, according to a major new report. The World Health Organization (WHO) and The World Bank, which have published the report, hope their findings will provide the evidence for new policies to improve the lives of disabled people and help rich and poor countries alike to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. <a href=http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789240685215_eng.pdf" target="_blank">The World Report on Disability</a> should also force donors to take access issues into account when funding development projects. The report aims to provide the “best available survey” of what is known about the barriers facing disabled people across the world and how to remove them and “enable disabled people to participate in mainstream services”. Dr Tom Shakespeare, a leading British disabled academic who now works for WHO and is one of the authors and editors of the report, said it was clear there was good and bad practice spread across both high and low income countries. But he added: “The message is absolutely that these barriers are avoidable.” The report estimates that about 15 per cent of the world’s population are disabled, or more than a billion people – the first such estimate in 40 years. Previous WHO estimates suggested a figure of 10 per cent. The report highlights barriers such as negative attitudes in employment, education, healthcare and social participation; inadequate funding for services, even in high income countries; lack of accessibility in the built environment, transport and information; and a failure to consult with disabled people and involve them in decision-making. And it says that these barriers mean disabled people across the world experience poorer health; lower educational achievements; lower rates of employment; higher rates of poverty; and increased levels of isolation and dependency on others. The report makes nine major recommendations for countries to follow, such as enabling access to all mainstream services; drawing up a national disability strategy; involving disabled people in forming policies and laws that affect them; providing adequate funding for services; and increasing public awareness of disability. And it offers suggestions for how countries can translate these recommendations into action, such as moving disabled people out of institutions and providing support for them to live in the community, and introducing mandatory minimum standards of accessibility. Shakespeare said he found it “terrible” and “shocking” that the report had found that disabled people were nearly three times more likely to be denied healthcare than non-disabled people. But he said he was also excited by the many examples of good practice found across the world, in low and high income countries. He said: “It does make a difference if you intervene in the right way to empower people and challenge negative attitudes towards disabled people. “These are really hopeful signs that with the right intervention you can actually transform lives.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=196 A campaigning disabled people’s organisation is hoping its bid to recreate an historic journey across the Alps on a petrol-driven tricycle will highlight to a government minister the importance of providing mobility support to disabled people. Disabled Motoring UK (DM UK) – the charity formerly known as Mobilise – is retracing the epic, 1,500 mile journey of O A “Denny” Denly in 1947, in which he drove his petrol-driven Argson tricycle from London to Switzerland, across the Alps to Geneva, and back to London. Denly, who died last year, was co-founder of the Invalid Tricycle Association (ITA), which later became the Disabled Drivers’ Association, and then merged with another charity in 2005 to become Mobilise. Denly’s journey – which included a climb of almost 8,000 feet – is being retraced as closely as possible using his original 1932 trike, which has been restored by a member of the Royal Light Dragoons, based near the charity’s Norfolk headquarters, who has joined the team as travelling mechanic for the Alps Challenge. On the team’s return to London, the charity will hand a letter to Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people, highlighting the importance of independent mobility. Helen Dolphin, director of policy and campaigns for DM UK, said the letter would stress the impact of rising fuel prices on disabled people, with many unable to afford to drive the vehicles they had obtained through the Motability scheme. The letter will also call for councils to take tough enforcement measures against people found using forged, stolen or borrowed blue parking badges. And it will ask the minister to make it clear in the welfare reform bill that disabled people will continue to receive personal independence payment (PIP) – the planned replacement for disability living allowance (DLA) – once they reach 65. They also want the government to allow people who become severely disabled only after the age of 65 to be able to apply for the mobility component of DLA. Dolphin said: “The main thing is that we do not want to go back to 1947. If people have got cars they cannot use and haven’t got any benefits, it’s pretty much like it was in 1947, apart from the fact that you don’t get issued with a mobility trike.” The first leg of the challenge was completed by TV presenter and former Paralympic basketball star Ade Adepitan, who set off from Greenwich on Saturday (4 June), despite last-minute problems with an overheated clutch – the original part, now nearly 80 years old – and a puncture. The second leg was taken by DM UK member Dan McIntyre, from Manchester, who is carrying out most of the driving duties on the challenge. Once he reaches Switzerland, another leg is set to be completed by Nicholas Hamilton, the disabled younger brother of Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton, and an up-and-coming racing driver in his own right. Once McIntyre has driven the trike safely back to London, it will be steered across the finish line outside the Houses of Parliament on Thursday (16 June) by another former Paralympian, Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=195 Members of the European disability movement have called for new laws to guarantee freedom of movement for disabled people across the Europe Union (EU). They were speaking at the 15th annual general assembly of the European Disability Forum in Budapest, Hungary, from 27 to 29 May. The general assembly heard that while the EU supposedly guarantees freedom of movement for all its citizens, there is no such right for disabled people, who still face “major difficulties” when travelling or going to study, work and live in another European country. Next year, the European Commission (EC) plans to introduce proposals for a European Accessibility Act, which will aim to address barriers to goods and services, including transport. Delegates to the assembly heard that the EC must include and listen to the European disability movement when preparing the act. EDF wants the act to be in the form of a directive, which would impose a legal duty to ensure accessibility, but would allow each country freedom to decide how to bring that about. Disabled campaigners are also calling for a new European mobility card, which would allow disabled people from the UK to enjoy the same concessions as disabled people in other EU countries when they are travelling through or living in those countries. These benefits could include reduced fares or priority seating on public transport, exemptions from toll road charges, and reduced ticket prices at the theatre. An EDF spokeswoman said such a card would be a “very important... very concrete and symbolic” development for disabled people. Last November, the EC raised the possibility of introducing a mobility card when it launched its new European Disability Strategy. Yannis Vardakastanis, EDF’s president, also told the general assembly that austerity measures introduced by EU governments in response to the financial crisis were “hitting us hard” and causing “alarming situations for persons with disabilities”. He said: “We are not responsible for this crisis and the disability movement will fight to ensure that 80 million persons with disabilities are not the first to pay.” In a meeting this week with an EDF delegation, including Vardakastanis, the EC president, Jose Manuel Barroso, pledged to put pressure on national governments to protect the rights of disabled people during the financial crisis. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=194 Major supermarket chains have been criticised for failing to do more to stop the abuse of accessible parking bays, despite a government minister asking them to tackle the problem. Liberal Democrat transport minister Norman Baker wrote to supermarkets earlier this year as part of government efforts to reform the system of disabled people’s blue parking badges. He announced this week that seven supermarkets had expressed their support for government efforts to “eradicate blue badge abuse”. Disabled campaigners have been calling for supermarkets to introduce stricter enforcement of their accessible spaces – including the introduction of widespread fines for abuse – for about 10 years. But when Disability News Service contacted the “big four” chains – Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and Asda – none of them said they had agreed to strengthen enforcement as a result of Baker’s letter. Helen Dolphin, director of policy and campaigns for the charity Disabled Motoring UK [DM UK, formerly Mobilise], welcomed the minister’s letter and said she hoped he would write to the supermarkets again in several months to ask what action they had taken. She said supermarkets knew the only method of enforcement that worked was issuing fines. Under the Equality Act, supermarkets that operate their own carparks would probably have to show they had taken reasonable steps to ensure their accessible spaces are available to their disabled customers. Dolphin said she believed there had been a number of such cases taken by disabled people under the Disability Discrimination Act, but that they had all been settled out of court. She added: “I would like to see more people take court actions against supermarkets for failing to tackle abuse. “It is only when they are threatened with legal action that they pull their fingers out and do something. If I face such discrimination, I will be taking a case. It seems to be the only way forward.” Of the big four, Asda led the way by introducing widespread fining for abuse in 2008. Tesco’s efforts have in the past been criticised as half-hearted by campaigners, with the last survey by the Baywatch campaign – DM UK, the British Polio Fellowship and Disability Now magazine – finding its bays were the most likely to be abused of the four chains. Morrisons has also been criticised for lagging behind in introducing fining, while Sainsbury’s was the best performer in the last Baywatch survey after it began fining some abusers in 2009. But none of the four said they had agreed to toughen their enforcement. Tesco said its policy had not changed as a result of the minister’s letter. A Tesco spokesman said they did not fine bay abusers in all their carparks, although he claimed that “in some areas where abuse is prevalent we are very strict”, while in other carparks “there is no need”. A Morrisons spokesman said: “We are happy to reinforce the government’s message, but has something voluntarily changed in terms of our policy? It has not.” He said the store fined abusers “from time to time” but not more often because “we prefer to educate first and penalise afterwards”. Sainsbury’s said its position “has not changed with this announcement”, which it said was “an opportunity to launch our support for the initiative and reiterate the fact that we recognise that this is something that frustrates our customers”. Asda also confirmed that its policies had not changed as a result of Baker’s letter, although –uniquely among the big four – it said it fined all cars abusing accessible spaces. A spokeswoman said: “We are leading on this and always have done. Any car using a disabled space without a blue badge will be fined immediately. That is our policy.” A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: ““All of the supermarkets who responded share the government’s view that abuse of blue badges needs to be tackled and said they are taking action on this issue. “This is an important step in tackling abuse of blue badges and ensuring that the government’s reforms announced in February are more widely enforced.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=193 Government plans to reform the equality watchdog risk turning it into a weak and “nit-picking compliance factory”, its chair has warned. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) was responding to a Government Equalities Office (GEO) consultation on plans to slash the commission’s budget and reduce its powers, remove funding for its grants programme, and ask the private or voluntary sector to take over its national helpline. Trevor Phillips, the commission’s chair, said the proposals were a “missed opportunity” to modernise the way equality law works and risked turning the EHRC into an “anonymous, cowed, nit-picking compliance factory, remote from the everyday challenges that face ordinary people”. The EHRC response suggests that the government intends to cut its budget by more than half from £53m in 2010-11 to just £26m by 2014/15. It comes just two weeks after MPs and peers pledged to oppose the plans to remove the helpline from the EHRC, with Baroness [Jane] Campbell, Lord [Colin] Low – both disabled crossbench peers – and the Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Lloyd all promising to fight the proposal. <a href='http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/consultations/ehrc_initial_response_0511_geo_consultation.pdf' target='_blank'>In its initial response to the consultation</a>, the EHRC says the government’s proposals will prove expensive and time-consuming and distract it from its own modernisation plans. The commission warns that the proposals would also threaten its independence – and put at risk its national human rights institution “A” status with the UN – with particular concerns over proposals that would allow the government to impose financial sanctions if the commission is shown to have “mis-spent taxpayers’ money”. It also warns that outsourcing its helpline would remove “the only expert national source of advice and guidance on equality and human rights issues”. And it says that scrapping its mediation and conciliation service was likely to lead to more uncertainty and higher costs for public bodies and businesses, with discrimination cases on goods and services more likely to end up in court. The EHRC says it has settled more than three-quarters of 459 mediation cases without the need for expensive court action. The commission also says that plans to restrict its duty to promote good relations in society could make it harder to tackle issues such as disability-related harassment. A government spokeswoman said: “We have noted the commission’s initial response to our consultation, which closes on 15 June. We will publish a full response in the autumn. “It is vital that we have a strong, effective and independent equalities and human rights body. The proposals being considered are intended to deliver that.” The GEO consultation ends on 15 June. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=192 A disabled peer is set to introduce a private members’ bill that would ensure disabled people do not have to wait until 2015 for new legal rights around their care and support. The government looks likely to give disabled people new rights to ensure some continuity of care when they move to a different local authority area, for example when they find a new job. But Baroness [Jane] Campbell told fellow peers and MPs this week that disabled people could not wait until 2015 for the government to implement the social care legislation that could give them these new rights of “portability”. The joint meeting of several all party parliamentary groups – including those on disability and social care – was discussing last week’s Law Commission report on the reform of adult social care law, which makes several recommendations on portability. These include promoting co-operation between local authorities when a disabled person moves to a different area, and imposing a duty on the new authority to carry out an assessment of the person’s needs. If the new local authority decides to provide a “significantly different support package” – the commission recommends – it would have to produce “a clear written explanation”. Care services minister Paul Burstow welcomed the report’s emphasis on the importance of portability, although he made no specific pledge that there would be any such rights in the government’s social care bill. The government is due to publish an adult social care white paper later this year, followed by a bill next May, but Burstow confirmed that the new laws would not come into force until April 2015. Baroness Campbell told the meeting that she was “thrilled” to see portability mentioned in the Law Commission report, but she warned that “for many of us time is very pressing”, and that disabled people could not wait until 2015. She said she had a private members’ bill on portability that was “ready to go”, and had been prepared in “a very collaborative way” and “fits in very well with the Law Commission report”. She said that – with services and disability benefits being “cut and cut” – the ability to find work would be “very much central to many disabled people’s ability to participate and maybe even survive” in the current economic climate, and so they would need to be able to move quickly to new parts of the country, particularly to find work. Baroness Campbell suggested that if her private members’ bill was to become law it could eventually be incorporated into the government’s new social care bill. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=191 A decision by MEPs to back calls for an international treaty that would make more books available in accessible formats has increased pressure on EU leaders to reverse their opposition to such an agreement. Campaigners say that millions of blind EU citizens – and others with impairments such as dyslexia – face a “book famine”, with only about five per cent of books ever converted into formats such as Braille, large print or audio. The European Blind Union (EBU) has campaigned for years for a binding international treaty – through the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) – that would ease the problem by allowing charities to make and distribute books in accessible formats and share them between countries. Most WIPO member states support such a treaty, with a draft version that has been drawn up by the World Blind Union due to be discussed by a WIPO committee in Geneva next month. The European Commission – the European Union’s executive body – and the leaders of its member states – the European Council – have so far opposed such a binding treaty and instead favour recommendations and voluntary licenses. But members of the European Parliament have now agreed a <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA-2011-0240+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN" target="_blank">resolution</a> that calls on the commission to agree a WIPO treaty. The resolution also reminds the European Commission and EU members of their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to “take all appropriate measures to ensure that people with disabilities enjoy access to cultural materials in accessible formats”. The resolution comes only weeks after the EBU co-hosted an event in the European Parliament to highlight the opposition of the commission and member states to the treaty. Lord [Colin] Low, president of the EBU, said: “I am delighted that the parliament has so clearly demonstrated its support for a binding law at WIPO. “I urge the council and commission, which negotiate on this matter, to listen to the parliament, which speaks for the EU’s citizens, and support a binding treaty when they go to Geneva this June.” No-one from the European Commission was available to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=190 Nearly a fifth of local authorities in England have cut education services for deaf children, according to new research. The figures obtained by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) are the latest evidence of cuts to services being carried out by councils across the country, as the government’s deficit reduction plan begins to bite. The charity also said it would back legal action by parents of deaf children facing cuts to the services they receive. The NDCS released the figures as it launched its <a jref="http://www.ndcs.org.uk/cuts_map/" target="_blank">Save Services for Deaf Children</a> campaign. And it has written to Michael Gove, the education secretary, asking him to launch an investigation into the cuts. The NDCS has information so far from 141 of 152 local authorities in England. Of those 141, 28 have confirmed cuts to education services for deaf children, such as specialist “teachers of the Deaf” and teaching assistants. Another 24 councils are at “high risk” of making cuts. The charity also said that 96 per cent of the councils making cuts had breached their legal duty under equality legislation to consult parents. Susan Daniels, chief executive of NDCS, said she was “appalled” by the cuts, and added: “The support being taken away is not an optional extra, it is absolutely crucial for deaf children’s learning and development, particularly as they are already underachieving compared to other children. “We are so alarmed about the long-term impact of these cuts that we will support families in legally challenging reductions to services their child receives.” A Department for Education (DfE) spokesman said: “Local authorities have a statutory duty to identify children’s special educational needs and provide the services to meet them – no ifs and buts. “We’ve protected schools’ cash levels nationally and made sure local authorities can maintain [specialist] SEN provision – the best possible settlement considering the dire public finances. “We expect local authorities [to] target resources at the most vulnerable children, who need the most support – including deaf and hearing-impaired children.” He said Gove would respond to the letter “in due course”. Meanwhile, the charities Dyslexia Action and RNIB have secured DfE funding to set up a website to provide print-disabled young people with downloadable curriculum materials in accessible formats. The website will enable children with dyslexia, visual impairments or other specific learning difficulties to access textbooks and other published materials such as set texts, images and worksheets. Kevin Geeson, chief executive of Dyslexia Action, said: “At the moment many children wait, sometimes for months, for the curriculum material they need, the inevitable result being that they fall behind and are increasingly marginalised. “This will give teachers some of the materials they need to help their students and will level the playing field a bit more for children with hidden disabilities and specific learning difficulties.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=189 London’s mayor has been told to make a stronger commitment to accessible transport and housing in his masterplan for the city’s development over the next 20 years. <a href="http://www.london.gov.uk/london-plan-eip" target="_blank">The report by the Planning Inspectorate</a> calls for the mayor’s London Plan to make explicit commitments to “seeking to secure step-free access to public transport wherever feasible” and to providing step-free access when modernising tube and rail stations. It also calls for the plan to pledge to provide step-free bus access “wherever practical”. The inspectorate’s report – which follows an “examination in public” (EIP) of the mayor’s draft London plan – also calls for a firm commitment to the need for developers and local authorities to involve disabled people and other service-users when drawing up development policies and proposals. It says developers should engage with user groups before submitting design and access statements that explain how inclusive design principles have been integrated into a development and how inclusion will be maintained and managed. And it says borough councils should engage with user groups when drawing up planning policies and “masterplans” to ensure they meet high standards of accessibility and inclusion from the earliest stages of the development. Anne Kane, policy manager for Inclusion London, said: “We are pleased that the inspectorate has supported improving the mayor’s draft London plan to create better access standards on a number of issues that we focused on in the EIP and we want the mayor to make sure the final plan is amended to incorporate these recommendations.” Transport for All, the user-led accessible transport charity, said: “The Planning Inspectorate is absolutely right to press TfL on implementing step-free access to London’s stations and bus stops. “Sixteen years after the Disability Discrimination Act came into force, huge sections of the transport system remain off limits to disabled people. “TfL have dragged their feet on this for too long. We urge the mayor to prioritise their accessibility programme, and ensure that disabled people are able to get to work, family and friends with the same freedom and independence as everyone else.” The mayor, Boris Johnson, has already examined the report and has made some changes to his plan based on the inspectorate’s recommendations. A spokesman for the mayor said a new version of the report included some of the recommendations, but not all of them. The new version has now been sent to the communities and local government secretary, Eric Pickles, who will decide whether any further changes are needed. The final version of the London Plan will be published in July. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=188 A government suggestion that the entire Equality Act could be scrapped has sparked outrage among disabled people’s organisations. The proposal appears on the Cabinet Office’s new “Red Tape Challenge” website, which was set up to seek ideas from the public on how to reduce the “burden of regulation”. The “equalities” section of the website says the Equality Act was “designed to help ensure fairness in the workplace and in wider society” and includes “regulations and laws on discrimination and harassment”. But it adds: “Tell us what you think should happen to this Act and why,” before suggesting a number of options, including: “Should they be scrapped altogether?” The launch comes only weeks after the government began a review of nearly 1,300 local authority statutory duties, including a string of social care obligations, again aimed at removing “unnecessary burdens or restrictions”. RADAR has now written to Theresa May, the home secretary and equalities minister, expressing “consternation” at the new website and “surprise and concern” at the government’s apparent “change of direction” on equality. Marije Davidson, RADAR’s public affairs manager, suggested that the website could be breaching the government’s own legal equality duties – contained within the Equality Act – around advancing equality, eliminating discrimination and fostering good relations. She said: “We have to see the government show leadership through promoting equality and they’re not doing this by creating a platform for stigma and prejudice.” Anne Kane, policy manager for Inclusion London, said that inviting comments on why the Equality Act should be scrapped “goes beyond farce” because the act includes “major anti discrimination statutes spanning decades and meeting international obligations”. The Red Tape Challenge website says the government wants to “encourage greater responsibility in our society” by giving people “more freedom to do the right thing”. And it warns that the “default presumption” will be that “burdensome regulations will go”, and if ministers want to keep them they will “have to make a very good case for them to stay”. This raises the prospect of May – whose department has already weakened Labour’s Equality Act – being asked to explain to the Cabinet Office why the act should not be scrapped. Kane said the website’s “open invitation to reactionaries to post views on this government website is an attempt to shift public opinion against equality”. Davidson said the government appeared to be encouraging the message that “equality is a burden on businesses and public bodies instead of something that actually supports the economy as well as protects people who are otherwise marginalised or excluded”. A Government Equalities Office spokesman said: “The questions that are asked in the website are standard for every piece of legislation or regulation. “The government is committed to our recently published Equality Strategy and the Equality Act is the main piece of legislation in this area. People should not draw any conclusions about the questions asked or the Equality Act’s presence on the website.” But he added: “We want to know whether people think the Equality Act is well designed and provides vital protections, or if they think it is badly designed, badly implemented or simply a bad idea.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=187 Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) staff are set to stage a one-hour walkout over drastic cuts to the organisation’s budget, after voting in favour of strike action. The strike by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCSU) is set to take place within the next few weeks. The EHRC’s budget for 2010/11 appears to have been cut from about £62 million to £53 million, and is set to fall to £45 million in 2011/12. Reports suggest it will be slashed to just £22.5 million by 2015, although the EHRC has described this figure as “completely speculative”. The union said such cuts – which could see a reduction in staff from 416 posts to just 200 – would mean employers and public bodies no longer being held to account over discriminatory policies, and would “effectively end the commission’s legal work”. The PCSU believes the cuts would leave the commission with just a third of the combined staff of the three equality bodies it replaced in 2007 – the Disability Rights Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission. In a ballot of the 314 PCSU members at the EHRC, more than 77 per cent voted to strike on a turnout of about 50 per cent. The union said it wanted EHRC chair Trevor Phillips to reveal his future plans for the commission, and to define the EHRC’s “core functions” he claims will be protected. A PCSU spokesman said the strike would also send a signal to the government over the cuts, and pressure the EHRC’s commissioners to lobby the government for more funding. Last month, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) launched a consultation on “radical” plans to reduce the EHRC’s duties and responsibilities. Among its reforms, the GEO wants to stop funding the EHRC’s grants programme, and commission the private or voluntary sector to take over responsibility for its national helpline. Mark Serwotka, the union’s general secretary, said: “Our members are experts in their fields and this strike vote shows they are prepared to fight to maintain a proper national equality and human rights body at a time when government cuts are making it more likely people will face discrimination and disadvantage. “We do not accept the need for these cuts and the commission should talk to us urgently about the alternatives which would end the need for a strike and protect the vital services our members provide.” The EHRC declined to comment on the strike vote. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=186 A disabled people’s organisation is to recreate an historic journey in which a three-wheeled “invalid carriage” was driven across the Alps, in a bid to highlight cuts to disability benefits and problems caused by rising fuel prices. Campaigners will repeat the epic, 1,500 mile journey of O A “Denny” Denly in 1947, in which he drove his petrol-driven Argson tricycle – which had a top speed of 30 miles per hour – from London to Switzerland, across the Alps to Geneva, and back to London. Denly had planned to visit Switzerland when he took his first leave from the Royal Navy, but became disabled after contracting polio in Ceylon in 1945. After leaving hospital and securing a job as a hospital administrator, he decided to go ahead with the trip to Switzerland on his trike. Denly, who died last year at the age of 86, was co-founder of the Invalid Tricycle Association (ITA), which later became the Disabled Drivers’ Association, and merged with the Disabled Drivers’ Motor Club in 2005 to become Mobilise. Denly’s journey – which included a climb of almost 8,000 feet – will be retraced in June using his original trike, which has been restored by a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, who are based near Mobilise’s Norfolk headquarters. The Alps Challenge will commemorate Denly’s life and achievements and raise awareness of the renaming of Mobilise as Disabled Motoring UK (DM UK) as well as highlighting rising fuel prices and government cuts to disability living allowance (DLA). Members of DM UK, and disabled members of the armed services, will each drive a leg of the journey, which will start at the charity’s headquarters and end more than two weeks later at the Houses of Parliament, with the final leg driven by Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson. Helen Dolphin, director of policy and campaigns for DM UK, which campaigns on issues around the mobility of disabled people, said disabled motorists were being increasingly hit by rising fuel prices, while there were also “a lot of concerns about whether people will keep their DLA”. She said the message of the Alps Challenge was that disabled people do not want to return to “how things used to be” in 1947, with severely restricted mobility. She said: “Because many disabled people have to drive automatic vehicles and use larger vehicles which carry heavy equipment, the amount of fuel they have to use is disproportionate. “We have people saying to us, ‘I have this wonderful car but it sits on my drive and I only use it when absolutely necessary.’” The charity has asked the Treasury to introduce a VAT rebate on some of the fuel used by disabled drivers. Dolphin said “Mobilise” had only ever been intended to be a temporary name. But the main reason for the change, she said, was that Mobilise was frequently mistaken for Motability, the charity which runs the disabled people’s car scheme. Mobilise members voted 574 to 30 in favour of the name change to Disabled Motoring UK. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=185 Advanced robotics and computer technology could soon be combined in a much more cost-effective way to offer independence for disabled people with high support needs in their homes, a conference has heard. Trying to “reinvent people” by cramming everything into one extremely costly “humanoid” device would do little to achieve independence, the conference heard. Instead, the assisted living systems of the future could see many different robotics devices scattered around the home, all controlled by a central computer. Richard Greenhill, founder of Shadow Robot Company, the British company that has created “the world’s most advanced robot hand” – which is so lifelike it can handle a raw egg without cracking it – said the assisted living robotics devices of the future could be relatively inexpensive and use mostly cheap, easily-made parts. He said such systems would be far more likely to boost a disabled person’s independence than a “humanoid” robot “tottering around the place on wheels or legs” to deliver a cup of coffee. Greenhill was speaking at a two-day international conference, Technology with Disabled and Older People, hosted by the London School of Economics. Greenhill said he was working on developing a system that could use robotics devices that were 10 or even 100 times cheaper than current technology. He said the system would be designed in such a way that if one device malfunctioned, the others would still work. He said such devices “may move quite slowly and may not be very powerful” but would still be able to provide the necessary support with aspects of independent living such as communication, cooking, washing and entertainment, and would use different technology for different tasks. Greenhill told Disability News Service afterwards that it would also be important only to provide as much support as was needed, so the robotics devices did not “take over” from the disabled person and were designed to “help you rather than treat you as a piece of meat”. This could also mean the role of the care workers of the future would be “radically different”, providing technical support and discussing with the service-user what changes to make to their system, rather than performing lifting and other manual tasks. But he said he worried that the new system could be “a bit obtrusive”, so there was a need for discussion with disabled people about how much of this potentially bulky technology they would accept in their homes. Feedback from potential users on the development of such systems would be absolutely vital. “It has got to actually please the users,” he added. For information about Shadow Robot’s work, email contact@shadowrobot.com. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=184 A shock government move to weaken the rules on how public bodies must promote equality will make it harder for disabled people to challenge their policies and decisions, say campaigners. In a new “policy review paper”, the government says it wants to lighten the bureaucratic “burden” on public bodies by removing some of the “specific duties” they have to meet to comply with the Equality Act’s equality duty. The equality duty says public bodies must have “due regard” to eliminating discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity, and promoting good relations when making decisions. But the government now wants to turn its approach to the specific duties “on its head” so organisations – such as councils, health trusts and government departments – would no longer have to publish details of how they consulted disabled people and other groups in drawing up their policies and equality objectives. They would also not have to publish the equality analysis they carried out in reaching those decisions, or set out how they plan to measure progress on reaching their equality objectives, while they could set just a single objective every four years. The policy review reverses government moves to strengthen the specific duties that were made in January, after a previous consultation. Caroline Gooding, an equality consultant and a former director with the Disability Rights Commission, said the review sent “a very damaging signal” to public authorities “that they do not need to look at the equality impact of their decisions”, even though “they do have to do that because that is what is required by the act itself.” She said the new regulations would mean more people would have to go to court to challenge the decisions of public bodies. Gooding said she believed the government decision was a “reaction” to the high-profile equality duty court case lost by education secretary Michael Gove in February over his scrapping of school building projects. Anne Kane, policy manager for Inclusion London, said the changes were “extremely unhelpful” and would “weaken the duties”. She said: “It will make it much more difficult for groups like ours to judge whether they have had sufficient consultation and have spoken to a broad enough range or relevant enough range of people in the process of determining their policies.” Marije Davidson, RADAR’s public affairs manager, said: “We are worried about the message that the policy review sends out, which is that equality can be achieved with a minimum of effort; that ‘processes’ are a burden rather than something that actually helps deliver better outcomes.” Although the general equality duty will still come into force on 5 April, the specific duties will now be delayed – probably until July. The government is seeking comments on its policy review paper – which applies to public bodies in England and “non-devolved” bodies in Scotland and Wales – until 21 April. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=183 Parents will have fewer rights to have their disabled children educated in mainstream schools, according to government plans for reforming the special educational needs (SEN) system. The green paper, Support and Aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability, aims to fulfil the coalition government’s pledge to “remove the bias towards inclusion” in disabled children’s education. Among the proposals, the green paper says parents of children with SEN statements will not be able to have their preference for a state-funded school – including a mainstream setting – met if it does not meet the needs of the child, is incompatible with the efficient education of other children, or is an inefficient use of resources. This would reintroduce anti-inclusion laws that were in place until 2001. Currently, parents can only be prevented from choosing a mainstream school if it is “incompatible with the efficient education of other children”. The green paper also proposes replacing the system of statutory SEN assessments and statements with a single assessment of disabled children’s education, care and health needs. By 2014, disabled children will have their own education, health and care plan, lasting from birth to the age of 25. The government claimed this would provide “the same statutory protection” to parents as is provided by an SEN statement. Pilot schemes will start this September. And every family with a single plan or statement will have the right for it to be delivered through a personal budget, giving them control over how they spend the money. The green paper also wants to reduce the number of children qualifying for extra support through the SEN system, while teacher training will be “overhauled”. In 2010, 2.7 per cent of children had a statement of SEN, while another 18.2 per cent had SEN but no statement. If parents disagree with their local authority over a child’s support at school, they will have to use mediation before appealing. Parents will also be given more information and support. The government said the reforms would prevent disabled children from “falling between the gaps in services or having to undergo multiple assessments”. Sarah Teather, the Liberal Democrat children’s minister, said the new single assessment process and plan would “mean that parents don’t feel they have to push to get the services they are entitled to”. But the Alliance for Inclusive Education said the proposals would create “many more hurdles for parents to overcome in terms of finding a school, getting an assessment of need and funding for support, with less opportunities for challenging the system”. A consultation on the green paper will last until the end of June, with detailed plans due later this year. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=182 Disabled people who took part in a groundbreaking conference this week have suggested key ways to solve the chronic lack of accessible housing in Scotland. Disabled people, charities, housing professionals and civil servants from the Scottish government came together at the conference – hosted by Capability Scotland and Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCIL) – to discuss how to deal with the housing crisis that prevents a fifth of disabled people in Scotland from living in accessible homes. Among the recommendations agreed at the conference, delegates called for all 32 local authorities across Scotland to follow Glasgow’s lead in using the planning system to encourage the development of accessible housing. For all private developments of more than 20 homes in Glasgow, at least ten per cent must be wheelchair-accessible. The conference also called for expert housing advice and information for disabled people to be available across the country, rather than the current scattered local provision, and for better and more efficient housing adaptations services. And delegates said there should be a Scottish accessible housing register – an idea backed by the Scottish government – following the lead of a pilot scheme in Glasgow, developed by GCIL. The conference’s recommendations, as well as a report and research by Capability Scotland, will be passed to MSPs and the Scottish government. Grant Carson, GCIL’s director of housing and employment services, said the conference was the first time that disabled people, housing professionals and civil servants had come together in this way to discuss the shortage of accessible housing. He said: “The overall message is that the local authorities need to work more efficiently to meet the needs of disabled people. “A lot of the time it is not about more money, it is about using the money you have more efficiently.” He said there was a shortfall of 230,000 accessible properties across Scotland, with 8,000 households waiting for an adaptation that would allow then to bathe independently, and 6,000 waiting for a ramp to be installed to allow disabled people to enter and leave their own homes unaided. And of 5,000 fully wheelchair-accessible properties across Scotland, only 2,000 were occupied by wheelchair-users. Carson added: “Housing is the cornerstone of inclusive living. Without a user-friendly accessible house, disabled people cannot access employment, education, or even social and recreational opportunities.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=181 The Oscars success of the British film The King’s Speech is already helping to fight ignorance and dispel urban myths about stammering, say campaigners. The user-led British Stammering Association (BSA) said calls to its helpline have risen by half as a result of the film’s popularity, with visits to its website increasing even more sharply. The King’s Speech has won wide praise for its depiction of how King George VI, who had a stammer, coped with his fear of public speaking with the help of an Australian speech therapist. The film won four Oscars at this week’s Academy Awards, with awards for best picture, best director, best actor (for the British actor Colin Firth) and best original screenplay for David Seidler, who himself had a stammer as a child. Norbert Lieckfeldt, BSA’s chief executive, said the charity had received calls from members who said people were asking them about their stammer for the first time, because of the film. He said: “Suddenly it has become a thing that can be talked about, which is very important for us. There is a lot of ignorance and urban myths about stammering. “For those people who are engaged in conversations about it, their situation will have changed for the better.” He said there had also been a hugely positive reaction to Seidler’s acceptance speech, in which he said that people with stammers now “have a voice, we have been heard”. But despite the huge rise in interest in BSA in the wake of the film’s release, the charity is still facing a similar funding struggle to many other user-led disability organisations, with its Department for Education funding running out at the end of this month. Lieckfeldt said: “It’s going to be very difficult for us, I think. There has been a lot more demand for our services, but it hasn’t so far worked its way through into funding.” Ed Balls MP, the shadow chancellor, who has a stammer himself, has written of how the film and Firth’s “brilliant performance” have “done more to advance the understanding of stammering than anything in my lifetime”. Balls said: “Today’s open discussion of stammering is profoundly liberating for the thousands of children and adults, like myself, across Britain who have to deal with it every day. “And the fact that the condition is portrayed so accurately and sensitively is a relief to everyone with a stammer who has seen it mocked on screen for laughs or used as a scriptwriter’s cipher for weakness.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=180 Campaigners have welcomed new measures that should make it easier for councils to stop motorists risking the safety of disabled pedestrians by parking on pavements. Vehicles parked on pavements can force wheelchair-users, people with visual impairments and other disabled people into busy roads. They also damage pavements, making it more likely that people with visual and mobility impairments will trip and fall. Liberal Democrat transport minister Norman Baker has now written to local authorities to ask them to use their powers to stop pavement parking where it is a problem. The Department for Transport has also given permission to all councils in England to use traffic signs to indicate a local ban on pavement parking, rather than having to seek permission every time they want to do so. Parking on pavements is already banned across London. Baker said: “Parking on the pavement can be selfish and dangerous, putting pedestrians – especially those with disabilities or using pushchairs – in danger. “If a vehicle is blocking the pavement then people often have no choice but to walk in the road where they are at much greater risk of being involved in an accident.” Jill Allen-King, public relations officer for the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, said the announcement was “really good news” as the federation had been campaigning on the issue since 1979, when it launched its Give Us Back Our Pavements campaign. Her mother-in-law died in hospital following a fall she sustained tripping on a pavement damaged by a lorry continually parking on it, she said. She added: “It is not only the hazard it creates, you also can’t get past with your guide dog and have to go out into the road.” Helen Dolphin, director of policy and campaigns at the charity Mobilise, also welcomed the government’s announcement. She said cars parking on pavements can block the path of wheelchair-users, who have to put themselves in danger by using the road instead. And she said councils could do far more to use the enforcement powers they already have to keep pavements clear of all obstructions. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=179 Mobile phone companies should be forced to sign up permanently to a scheme that allows disabled people to send text messages to the emergency services instead of dialling “999”, according to the communications watchdog. A trial of the emergencySMS scheme has been running across the UK since late 2009, and so far has 14,500 registered users, most of whom are Deaf or have hearing or speech impairments. Messages are routed via the Text Relay call centre – which deals with calls to and from textphones – and users receive a message within two minutes to say their message has been received. One woman who used the system has told how it helped save her colleague’s life, after she collapsed at work. OFCOM said feedback from users and emergency services had been “overwhelmingly positive”, with about one text a day leading to attendance by the police, ambulance or fire service, while it had proved “robust, consistent and entirely dependable”. Now it wants to “safeguard” it by making it compulsory for mobile phone companies to offer the service to disabled people who register their phone with the scheme. OFCOM said that making the scheme permanent would cost a one-off sum of £80,000 and annual running costs of about £70,000, to be split between mobile network operators. The proposal is part of changes that OFCOM believes need to be made to its regulations in order to comply with new European laws that come into effect on 25 May. It is now consulting on the changes. Under the European regulations, disabled people must have access to emergency services that is as close to that enjoyed by other consumers as technology allows. OFCOM said the emergency text scheme “does have limitations”, such as taking longer to exchange information, but offers “greater equivalence than current alternatives”. Chris Bowden, senior usability officer for the charity RNID, said: “We welcome OFCOM’s proposal that the voluntary trial enabling people to text the emergency services should be made mandatory. “This is a vital service which makes it as easy as possible for people with hearing loss to contact the emergency services in their hour of need.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=178 The government hopes a new strategy will help more disabled people become local councillors and MPs. The £1 million-a-year package of six proposals includes a new Access to Elected Office Fund to help would-be disabled politicians meet the extra disability-related costs of running for office. The government also wants to change attitudes about disabled politicians among the public and political parties, build a network of disabled MPs and councillors to act as role models, and develop new training opportunities for disabled candidates. It also wants to help political parties improve their support for prospective disabled candidates – particularly at local level – and do more to explain their legal obligations under the new Equality Act. The announcement comes a year after the cross-party speaker’s conference on parliamentary representation reported on ways to increase the number of disabled, female and minority ethnic MPs. A consultation on the new proposals will run until 11 May, with the scheme expected to launch later this year. It will apply to UK Westminster elections, English local elections, Greater London Authority elections, English mayoral elections and elections of police and crime commissioners in England and Wales. Theresa May, the Conservative home secretary and minister for equalities, said: “It’s not fair that someone who has the right to take an active role in our democracy is prevented from doing so simply because are disabled. “Disabled people are under-represented in politics, and this package of support will help remedy that.” Liz Sayce, chief executive of RADAR, strongly welcomed the strategy. She said: “RADAR has supported several disabled people to stand for election and to successfully become local councillors or mayor through our Leadership Programme. “We need more initiatives to give disabled people the confidence, the practical support and the flexibility to become a local councillor or MP. “Having more disabled people included in decision-making means local and national policies are created which reflect what everyone wants and needs in their communities.” The disabled MP Paul Maynard told young disabled people at the launch of an all party parliamentary group, on the same day the strategy was launched: “It is really, really important that you just do not wait for somebody else to speak on your behalf and you grab those opportunities with both hands. “I hope that some of you today... might before too long be sitting at this end of the table.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=177 Disabled people have finally secured “important rights” to travel on buses and coaches across the European Union (EU), following two years of negotiations. The new EU regulation will guarantee non-discriminatory access to transport and a right to accessible information before and during a journey. There will also be compulsory disability awareness training for all drivers, although member states will be able to exempt themselves from this duty for five years. The regulation also includes a right to full compensation for lost or damaged wheelchairs and other assistive equipment, while information about passengers’ rights will have to be provided in terminals and online. And for journeys over 250 kilometres, disabled passengers will be entitled to free assistance at terminals and on board coaches. If a passenger has made a request at least 36 hours before departure, and the transport provider is unable to provide suitable assistance, the passenger will have the right to be accompanied by an assistant at no extra charge. Member states will be able to exempt their regular domestic services from this assistance duty for up to eight years. The regulation was approved by MEPs this week after it was agreed by individual EU governments last month, and will come into force in 2013. Europe’s leading disabled people’s organisation, the European Disability Forum (EDF), said that, although the final regulation “does not include all our demands”, it provides disabled passengers with a “set of important rights”. An EDF spokeswoman said the 250 kilometre limit was “very, very high”, while the need to notify transport providers of a need for assistance 36 hours before the journey was too long. EDF said its members would have a “key role” in ensuring there was “constructive dialogue” with bus operators and transport bodies over implementation of the regulation, but it called on EU countries not to ask for exemptions. A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “The EU regulation will secure significant benefits for passengers, including disabled people and people with reduced mobility, whilst containing transitional arrangements to ensure the industry has time to prepare. “Decisions on whether to use the available exemptions to delay the application of certain requirements will be taken next year following consultation with interested parties.” RADAR said the move was “a real step towards accessibility for disabled people”. Marije Davidson, RADAR’s public affairs manager, said: “Despite disability discrimination legislation, disabled people still experience negative attitudes and can’t get on inaccessible buses. “This will strengthen our rights and improve access to education and employment. RADAR wants these measures to be implemented as quickly as possible.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=176 The government has announced major reforms of the blue badge parking scheme for disabled people – the first on such a scale since its launch 40 years ago. Councils will be forced to use more independent mobility assessments – instead of asking GPs to assess applicants – of those who do not qualify automatically for a badge. How this will work has not yet been finalised, with new guidance for councils expected in May or June. Included in the reforms is a long-awaited plan for a national database of the 2.5 million badge-holders, which should make it easier for councils to enforce the scheme. The database could include badges issued in Wales and Scotland. Councils will be given “tough” new enforcement powers, including the right to cancel badges that have been lost, stolen, have expired or been withdrawn due to misuse, and on-the-spot powers to confiscate such badges. The government also plans to contract a company to design, print and supply all blue badges across England – with a new electronic badge that will be harder to forge and alter – although councils will still process applications. The maximum fee a council can charge will rise from £2 to £10, the first increase in nearly 30 years. It will also be possible to renew badges online through the government’s directgov website. The government says faster renewals and less abuse could save £20 million a year. The National Fraud Authority’s latest estimate is that blue badge fraud costs the UK about £46 million a year. Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport minister, said at the launch of the new plans in Camden, north London, that they would ensure the badge was “fit for purpose” and that “people who need blue badges can get them and use them”. He also promised to write to supermarkets to encourage them to tackle abuse of accessible parking bays in their own carparks. Dai Powell, chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), said the plans were “a huge step forward” but it was vital that they delivered “integrity” to the scheme. Helen Dolphin, a DPTAC member and director of policy and campaigns at the charity Mobilise, said: “I am pleased that at last we have some reforms that are hopefully going to make a difference to the tremendous abuse the scheme is still suffering from.” She said too many local authorities were issuing badges to people who do not need them. Eligibility for the badge will also be extended to more disabled children aged between two and three, with automatic entitlement given to disabled service personnel and veterans with high support needs. Many of the changes announced will be introduced within a year. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=175 The BBC has won the UK radio rights to broadcast coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics on its Radio 5 Live news and sports station. The BBC said it would broadcast an estimated 25 hours of programmes and news on Radio 5 Live during the games, as well as extensive live commentary on its sister station Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. The stations were awarded the rights this week by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). A Radio 5 Live spokesman said the “key moments” of the games would be covered on 5 Live, with “blow by blow commentary” on Sports Extra. Although he said it was too early to say how many hours there would be on Sports Extra, the total number of hours across both stations will be far higher than the 10 hours or so of coverage from the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. In a surprise decision by LOCOG in January 2010, the BBC lost out on the UK TV rights to Channel 4, which pledged to provide more than 150 hours of “blanket” coverage during the 12 days of the games. Jane Jones, director of communications for ParalympicsGB, which manages Britain’s Paralympians, said it was “delighted” that 5 Live had been awarded the rights. She said: “We know they’ll do a fantastic job of covering the games and the British team’s exploits. “We’re looking forward to working closely with them in the run up to the most important games in our history.” Adrian Van Klaveren, controller of 5 Live, said: “There’s unprecedented interest in the Paralympics taking place on home soil and we’re delighted to be providing the radio coverage. “We’re committed to bringing our listeners all of the sporting stories, capturing the human drama and raising awareness of Paralympic sport.” Lord Coe, LOCOG’s chair, said 5 Live was a “brilliant sports broadcaster” and would be “a perfect radio partner”, while the BBC had been “a great champion of the Paralympic movement”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=174 Designers of the successor to London’s inaccessible Routemaster bus have failed to include enough space for wheelchair-users, say campaigners. The accessible transport charity Transport for All (TfA) says the new Routemaster’s wheelchair space is too small, and “considerably smaller” than spaces on London’s existing buses. The concerns come eight months after Transport for London (TfL) admitted failing to consult with disabled people’s organisations on the bus’s design. The mayor of London’s transport advisor, Kulveer Ranger, said then that disabled people would be able to “see the bus for themselves and feed back their opinions” when the full mock-up of the bus arrived in the capital. But having seen the mock-up, TfA said that the “manoeuvring skills of a Paralympian basketball player seem to be required to get yourself into the space” in the new bus. The old Routemasters were scrapped by the previous mayor, Ken Livingstone, largely because they were not accessible. Lianna Etkind, TfA’s campaigns and outreach officer, said: “We say that the best practice in consultation is ‘nothing about us without us’, and disabled and older people should be included from the very earliest stages and not just at the end.” If TfL had done that, she said, they would have avoided having to make “last minute” changes to the design, which is due to be finalised this autumn, with the first buses set to appear on London’s streets early next year. Etkind said the bus was London’s chance to “set a gold standard for accessibility” in advance of next year’s Olympics and Paralympics, but she was “not confident” that TfL would “make the appropriate changes” and “do the right thing for London’s disabled and older people”. She said the new bus had some positive access features, including a low floor, the “i-bus” system, which announces destinations visually and via audio, and plenty of grab rails. But she said that “if the final design incorporates a wheelchair space of this size, it will be bad for disabled people, and bad for parents with pushchairs”. A TfL spokeswoman said that, following initial feedback, some changes were made “to the location of the hand poles and the seats to provide more space for manoeuvrability”, but that “further changes could be made”. She said creating more space for wheelchair-users would mean fewer “low floor” seats for older people or those unable to stand. But TfL declined to comment on whether the design problems proved they should have consulted with disabled people earlier. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=173 Two of Britain’s leading Paralympic athletes were forced to pull out of the world championships wheelchair marathon because the organisers had failed to close the course to traffic. David Weir – who had already won three gold medals during the IPC Athletics World Championships – and fellow British athlete Shelly Woods withdrew on the morning of last weekend’s road race in Christchurch, New Zealand. The rules of the governing body – the International Association of Athletics Federations – state that all roads have to be completely closed to traffic for such races. UK Athletics, the governing body for athletics in the UK, said it would write to the IPC [International Paralympic Committee] to “reiterate” its concerns about the incident. Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson, who was in New Zealand working for the BBC, backed their decision to pull out, telling her followers on Twitter that she agreed with Weir that it was “too big a risk” to race on open roads and that there was “nothing clever about putting yourself in danger”. Peter Eriksson, the British team leader, said the team “fully support” the decision to withdraw from the race “although obviously the athletes and UK Athletics as a whole are disappointed that they can’t show what great form they’re in”. He said: “Safety, however, is paramount, and with less than 600 days to go to the London 2012 Paralympic Games this presents a danger we are not prepared to take.” The world championships were the last major event before the 2012 Paralympics. In the medals table, Britain came third behind China (21 golds) and Russia (18 golds), and the British haul of 38 medals (12 golds, nine silver and 17 bronze) was second only to China, which finished with 58, with Russia on 35. Eriksson said it was a huge improvement on the Beijing Paralympics, in which the British team finished 18th in track and field. He said: “Overall we’re starting to see the gradual transition to a much more professional squad with a fantastic team spirit and it’s paid off; I’m confident that our success will now continue through to London.” Meanwhile, the German mobility technology company Otto Bock has become the second Paralympic-only sponsor – after Sainsbury’s – for the London 2012 games. Otto Bock will provide repairs during the games to Paralympic athletes with prostheses (limb replacements), orthoses (limb supports) and wheelchairs. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=172 A court ruling that disabled volunteers are not entitled to protection under discrimination at work laws has sparked serious concerns over their rights. The Court of Appeal ruled that a disabled volunteer for Mid Sussex Citizens Advice Bureau was not entitled to protection under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). Mrs X – who hopes to appeal to the Supreme Court – claims that when the charity asked her to stop volunteering, it was discriminating against her because she was HIV-positive. But the court found she was not protected by the DDA because she was unpaid and did not have a contract, even though she had a law degree and a post-graduate qualification and hoped to secure a training contract with Citizens Advice (CA) so she could qualify as a solicitor. The court also found that volunteers were not protected by the European Union’s equal treatment directive. Alex Eastwood, a legal caseworker for Disability Law Service, said discrimination against disabled volunteers was “all too common”, so it was “strange” they were not covered by the law. He said government welfare reforms were likely to lead to disabled people being forced to undertake voluntary work, but without any protection from anti-discrimination laws. He said: “Employers will therefore have no duty to make adjustments for disabled volunteers or take steps to prevent harassment of volunteers.” The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which “intervened” in the case, warned that if such laws do not apply to volunteers, organisations will legally be able to discriminate against disabled people and other groups. An EHRC spokeswoman said: “Given that many employees begin their working life as volunteers, which provides them with valuable experience which they can use as a step up to paid employment, it seems unfair that certain groups of people can legally be denied this experience.” Andy Williams, from solicitors Charles Russell, who represents Mrs X, said the ruling could stop some people volunteering, harming the government’s “Big Society” programme. He said: “If the government’s Big Society vision involves an increased requirement for volunteers, as things stand those volunteers currently have no legal rights whatsoever.” A CA spokeswoman said: “The law is clear that volunteers do not have the same legal rights and responsibilities as paid employees. That is not the same as saying that organisations should be able to treat volunteers unfairly.” She insisted that CA was “committed to equality, values diversity, and challenges discrimination” and had a “range of policies to support disabled people to volunteer”, with more than 1,500 disabled people volunteering across England and Wales last year. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=171 Attitudes towards disabled people appear to be improving slightly, according to figures from a national survey. The Public Perceptions of Disabled People report by the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) found that just 17 per cent of the public said they viewed disabled people with “discomfort or awkwardness”, compared with 22 per cent four years earlier. And 85 per cent of those questioned said they thought of disabled people as “the same as everybody else”, compared with 77 per cent four years before. The figures were taken from the 2009 British Social Attitudes Survey, and were compared with a similar survey in 2005. But they also suggest that people with learning difficulties or mental health conditions are more likely to face prejudice than those with sensory or physical impairments. Many of those surveyed were uncomfortable with the idea of people with mental health conditions or learning difficulties being in positions of authority, with only two-fifths of people saying they would be very or fairly comfortable with having an MP with learning difficulties or a mental health condition. The report also says that three-quarters of those surveyed thought of disabled people as needing to be cared for some or most of the time, a similar level to 2005. The survey also suggests that disabled people are less likely to express views in line with the social model of disability – that barriers in society prevent disabled people living a full life – than non-disabled people. But a majority of both disabled and non-disabled people said they believed that social barriers were a factor in causing disability. The ODI report concludes: “People are less likely to think of disabled people as getting in the way or with discomfort and awkwardness. Conversely, they are more likely to think of disabled people as the same as everybody else.” But it adds that, although “very few people express openly prejudiced views”, the evidence suggests that “a degree of ‘benevolent prejudice’ [the belief that disabled people need looking after rather than overt hostility] exists towards disabled people”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=170 A police force is to be investigated over its failure to respond to a telephone call in which concerns were expressed about the health of a disabled man, who was found dead just two hours later. It is the third time in a year that the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has had to launch an investigation into how Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has responded to disability-related incidents. One leading disabled activist said it raises fresh, serious concerns over how the force treats disabled people. In the latest incident, Philip Dorsett, a wheelchair-user, was found dead by a relative at about 9.20am on 16 December 2010. More than two hours earlier, a neighbour had called police expressing concerns about his welfare, after seeing him in a carpark near his home in Great Lever, Bolton. An IPCC spokesman said Dorsett had been ill with a chest infection and is believed to have left his home for some fresh air – despite the near-freezing conditions – and to avoid disturbing his family with his coughing. The IPCC spokesman said GMP failed to take any action in response to the phone call, or to pass the information to the ambulance service. He said police failed to respond until receiving a call more than two hours later saying Dorsett had died. The death is not being treated as suspicious. Naseem Malik, an IPCC commissioner, said: “It is unclear whether Mr Dorsett was already dead when the call was made to GMP, but it is important that we independently examine how the neighbour’s call was handled and the decision-making that led to there being no police response.” GMP is already awaiting the result of two other IPCC investigations concerning serious incidents involving disabled people. The IPCC is nearing the end of its probe into how the force dealt with the family of David Askew, a disabled man who was subjected to years of harassment and hostility from local youths, before collapsing and dying from “natural causes” shortly after yet another incident. GMP was also heavily criticised for not treating the incident as a potential disability hate crime. There were also questions raised about whether the force failed to investigate a brutal and sustained attack on a young man with Asperger’s syndrome as a potential disability hate crime. The three teenagers recorded the attack – which lasted three days – on a mobile phone. And the IPCC is preparing to publish a report into an incident in which a GMP officer used a 50,000 volt “Taser” stun-gun on a man who was recovering from an epileptic seizure. Stephen Brookes, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, said: “I have had deep concerns about the way Manchester police have been caught short so often. Their attitude to disability hate crime is woefully lacking.” He said the force’s attitude towards safeguarding, hate crime and supporting disabled people in vulnerable situations was “pretty bad”. He added: “They are just not doing the job and there is no question that they are not doing the job, otherwise these incidents would not be happening.” GMP said it could not comment on the three IPCC cases until the commission had finished its investigations. But assistant chief constable Garry Shewan said: “We have conducted a number of internal reviews around how we handle the issue of disability hate crime, and we are currently developing a training package so that officers can quickly identify when an incident can be dealt with under disability hate crime legislation so that it can be prosecuted as such and offenders are given lengthier sentences.” He said the force was also “working hard to address the causes of disability-related harassment by working with disabled people, disability organisations and partner agencies to raise awareness of this very serious issue”. And he said GMP had introduced a new system to ensure neighbourhood officers “can identity anyone who might be vulnerable and at risk of anti-social behaviour so they develop specific action plans to stop that person from being a victim of harassment”. He added: “We have hosted a number of conferences to raise awareness of the issue of disability-related harassment and have enhanced our provisions for schools-based officers who can combat hate crime and bullying in schools.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=169 The announcement that 2,800 disabled Remploy workers are to be offered voluntary redundancy could be “the beginning of the end” for its sheltered factories, according to unions. Remploy’s disabled staff were said to be in shock this week after the company said the offer would be made in a bid to cut mounting losses in its factory businesses. Unions reacted furiously to the announcement by the government-funded company and promised to fight any job losses at the remaining 54 sheltered factories. Steve Sargent, a member of the GMB union and deputy national convenor for the Remploy trade union consortium, said he believed the company’s long-term strategy was to close all of the factories. He said: “Personally I think it is the beginning of the end. So far our members are in shock. People are very concerned about their jobs.” Sargent said his members were concerned that if significant numbers of staff accepted voluntary redundancy, it could lead to factories closing. He said members were worried about the economic environment they would face if they lost their jobs, with government cuts to disability benefits and high and rising unemployment. Remploy insisted it had no plans to close any of its factories, but said that half of the staff in many of them were being paid to do nothing, because of the lack of orders caused by the economic downturn. The company said it could only decide how many redundancies there would be after consulting with staff and unions. Last October, the Cabinet Office failed to reach a decision on whether Remploy would be scrapped as part of its review of quangos, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed this week that that position had not changed. Liz Sayce, RADAR’s chief executive, is conducting a review of the employment support the government provides for disabled people, including those services run by Remploy. When asked whether its long-term plan was to close all its sheltered factories, a Remploy spokesman said: “I wouldn’t say that.” But he said the Sayce report would “play an important role” in deciding Remploy’s future, and added: “It will be important, but let us not pre-empt it.” A DWP spokeswoman said the review would “inform how the government moves forward in this area”, and added: “I think everyone would agree that moving into mainstream employment would be the best option. These factories were set up in the 1940s. They are outdated.” The government has pledged £111 million-a-year funding for Remploy until 2012-13. Three years ago, the Labour government closed 29 Remploy factories as part of a modernisation programme. GMB claims 90 per cent of the 2,000 disabled workers who took voluntary redundancy then are now out of work, a figure Remploy disputes. The union has blamed “incompetent and overpaid management” for the factories’ lack of work. Remploy said its managers had done “everything they can to try and win new business in a very tough economic climate”. Remploy said that anyone choosing voluntary redundancy would be offered help from its employment service, which this year is due to support 16,000 people into mainstream jobs. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=168 Disabled motorists who have won victories over two local authorities that scrapped free parking could inspire other campaigners fighting council spending cuts, says one leading activist. City of Lincoln Council and Norwich City Council both removed free parking for holders of blue parking badges in some of their council-run carparks in 2009. But disabled people complained that the councils had ignored the extra time it can take disabled people to park and shop. Five disabled motorists from Norfolk have now forced Norwich council to rethink its decision, after threatening legal action under disability discrimination laws. Last month, the council bowed to the pressure and introduced new reduced rates for disabled drivers, with an hour’s free parking for every hour they buy in the seven carparks at which charges apply. The changes were seen as “reasonable adjustments” under the new Equality Act, which replaced the Disability Discrimination Act in October 2010. The victory followed that of Matt Smith, who took Lincoln council to court over its decision to scrap free parking for blue badge-holders. Lincoln council agreed to introduce a similar “buy one, get one free” concession. The Norwich action was sparked by Helen Smith, who lives in the city and is director of policy and campaigns for the disabled motorists’ charity Mobilise. She said: “I am hoping that other councils up and down the land will now look at their policies.” Smith described their success as “a small but notable victory” that she hoped would “set a precedent” in disabled people’s battle against spending cuts. She said: “They may want to cut spending but a discriminatory policy is not the way to go. Parking or cutting people’s care, it all comes under the same banner as far as I am concerned. “It is about time people realised that you cannot just stamp all over disabled people.” She believes many other councils have carried out similar policies, and encouraged disabled people whose local authorities have scrapped free parking to contact Wake Smith and Tofields, the legal firm that acted for her and the other claimants in both Norwich and Lincoln. The Norwich campaigners are now liaising with the council over possible compensation. A Norwich council spokeswoman claimed the decision to change its parking fees last month was unconnected with the threat of legal action, and that the council altered them because of the new Equality Act. She said the council had “consulted widely” with disabled residents and disabled groups before introducing the original changes to charges in 2009. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=167 Disabled rail passengers are still being left stranded on trains and platforms because of continuing failures in the system set up to book assistance, says a new report. Passenger Focus, the rail consumer watchdog, said there had been some improvements since its last survey of the Assisted Passenger Reservation System (APRS) in 2008, but the service was still “inconsistent”. The watchdog warned that a failure to improve could lead to the industry failing disabled passengers during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. The report says 71 per cent of “mystery shoppers” who tested the system were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” – an improvement of just three per cent since the 2008 survey – while 15 per cent were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied”. In two per cent of journeys (six occasions), the passenger could not get off the train and had to travel to the next station. On five per cent of journeys, no staff were present to help the passenger board the train. The survey also found staff were only prepared for the passenger’s arrival on 65 per cent of occasions, compared with 67 per cent in 2008. Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus’s chief executive, said there were “too many instances of staff not being adequately trained, people being left stranded without help and, in some cases, not being treated in a decent or dignified way”. The report calls on rail companies to ensure staff are adequately trained, passengers receive accurate information, and there is good communication between staff and with passengers. Members of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s Trailblazers network of young disabled campaigners took part in the survey, which followed their own investigations into rail access. Bobby Ancil, the Trailblazers project manager, said: “Our investigations show that delivery of [APRS] is patchy and that much work still needs to be done to ensure quality of service. “We are still hearing of disabled travellers being left unable to board their train or leave at the appropriate station. “The need for advance booking 24 hours ahead is also a major cause of frustration for active young people with disabilities – it denies them the chance to behave as spontaneously as friends and peers.” The Trailblazers network is working with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) to improve APRS. ATOC said it would roll out an “improved passenger booking system” this summer, which will be tested by Trailblazers. An ATOC spokesman said any APRS failures were “unacceptable” but the survey did not “properly reflect the real improvements” that had been made. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=166 Police forces trialling a new approach to anti-social behaviour should not be tempted to downgrade potential disability hate crimes, says a leading disabled activist. The government has launched pilot projects across eight forces, aimed at changing the way the police respond to calls about anti-social behaviour. The schemes should make it easier to recognise someone who has made repeated complaints, share information with other agencies, such as local authorities, and quickly identify the “most vulnerable victims”. One of the forces taking part is Leicestershire police, which was heavily criticised over the death of Fiona Pilkington, who killed herself and her disabled daughter after suffering years of targeted hostility at the hands of a local gang. Despite repeated calls to the police, the harassment was never treated as a disability hate crime. An inquest jury concluded that the failures of the police and other public bodies contributed to Pilkington’s decision to kill herself and her daughter in 2007. Anne Novis, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, said she welcomed any system that would help police forces recognise repeated harassment or hostility against disabled people. But she wants to see forces – including those taking part in the pilots – recording incidents of targeted hostility against disabled people as disability hate crime and not anti-social behaviour. She said: “I don’t want to see this distract them from the reality of hate crime and the fact that that should be investigated appropriately and quickly as hate crime.” She also raised concerns about the government again describing disabled people as “vulnerable”. Sir Ken MacDonald QC, then the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, said in 2008 that the use of the “vulnerable” label to describe hate crime victims meant “we are one step away from making the assumption that disabled people should expect to be attacked because of who they are”. A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The call handling trials are about better protecting those most vulnerable in our communities. “Specialist support, including hate crime advice, will be available to the eight trial areas so repeat victims are identified quickly and receive the right support. “Where a hate crime is reported, police should treat it as such and respond appropriately.” The trials, in Avon and Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, London, South Wales, Sussex and West Mercia will run until July. James Brokenshire, the crime prevention minister, said: “Antisocial behaviour ruins lives, damages our communities and, at its worst, can have tragic consequences. “It is essential those who raise the alarm and ask for help are listened to and their complaints acted upon promptly. “It is not acceptable that those most in need either slip through the net or are plain ignored. “The technology exists to allow agencies to introduce a smart way of handling such complaints and a simple way of sharing information – they need to use it.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=165 More than 8,000 disabled people have applied to volunteer at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Although the figure is only about three per cent of the total number of applicants, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said it was “very pleased” with how many disabled people had put their names forward. The number of disabled applicants for the volunteering programme was obtained from LOCOG by Disability News Service. In all, more than 240,000 people have applied to volunteer at the games, with LOCOG now starting to short-list the “best of the best”. Interviews and selection will take place over the next year. LOCOG said that most of those who have applied asked to volunteer at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. A LOCOG spokeswoman added: “We’re thrilled with the response we’ve had to date from disabled people, with thousands having submitted their application. “We’re committed to making sure disabled people are a key part of the volunteering programme and we’re confident that our communications campaign reached diverse community sectors, giving everyone the opportunity to apply.” LOCOG gave disabled people who wanted to volunteer an extra two months to apply, after taking advice from disability organisations and volunteering teams from previous games. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=164 A new project aims to find some of the best examples of inclusively-designed outdoor public spaces across Europe. Five European specialists in inclusive design have secured European Commission funding – through the Leonardo programme – to research how public spaces can be made more “engaging and accessible”. The UK partner in the research – the Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) – is appealing for disabled people and their organisations to tell them about their favourite improvements and innovations in public spaces. They want to hear about examples such as the most accessible town squares, inclusively-designed parks, public spaces with art works that everyone can enjoy, and accessible signs. The Training Tools for Accessible Towns project – which will also examine how legislation and standards vary from country to country – will lead to new training materials to help builders, access consultants, architects and planners create accessible outdoor public spaces. Wai Chan, CAE’s project development manager, said she hoped the project would “showcase best practice and help remove and prevent barriers to access” and “find innovative solutions and ideas that have worked”. She added: “We appreciate there is no such thing as the perfect public space but are looking for examples that show some innovation and good practice. For example, the redevelopment of Trafalgar Square led to better crossing routes, improved public sanitary facilities and lift access.” Kevin Davis, CAE’s chief executive, said the project would provide “an indispensable resource for anybody working on public realm schemes, whether in the UK or Europe”. The project is being led by ARVHA, a research and training organisation in France. The three other European partners are BBM-Grup, an architecture agency in Romania; Roma Tre University’s department of architecture and design in Italy; and Omada 80, a Greek architectural firm. To share a good practice example with CAE, email: leonardo@cae.org.uk or tel: 020 7840 0125. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=163 The government has said it could scrap the legal duty for builders to provide written access statements, sparking concerns among leading access experts. Access statements lay out how developers and designers have addressed access issues when working on new or refurbished buildings. But the government has announced that it wants to “reduce the regulatory burden on builders” and make it easier and cheaper to comply with building regulations, the national rules that ensure buildings achieve “baseline standards”. Andrew Stunell, the Liberal Democrat communities and local government minister, said the government wanted to “explore the potential for deregulation and streamlining” of the building regulations. He said the government believed there was “scope to look at the rationalisation” of part M of the regulations – which concern access – and added: “As part of this we intend to review existing guidance that promotes the use of access statements in order to consider whether they remain necessary while maintaining the standards of accessibility we are seeking to achieve.” In a document accompanying the announcement, the government said it wanted to examine whether access statements “have achieved their objectives in driving up compliance, and how they have functioned in practice alongside other legal requirements already in place”. The Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) said there were problems with how access statements operate, but that it was “essential to strengthen rather than remove the requirement for evidence that access has been considered”. A spokeswoman for the charity added: “We would strongly oppose the removal of this requirement, and will be scrutinising the forthcoming consultation on proposed changes to the building regulations for any suggestions that this might happen.” Ian Streets, an access consultant and director of About Access, said he believed there needed to be reform of part M, but that scrapping access statements risked “going backwards in terms of access for all”. Ian Carter, a director of Equo, which publishes the Good Access Guide website, said: “It would be great if access statements weren’t needed. But the only way that would happen is if we could guarantee a minimum level of accessibility in all buildings. And that’s not about to happen.” A Communities and Local Government spokeswoman said that “any proposals to change the provisions for access statements will be subject to a full public consultation”, but she was unable to comment further. Stunell also said the government wanted to examine how the building regulations might be used to ensure that more fully accessible toilet and changing facilities – so-called Changing Places facilities – were available for disabled people with the highest support needs. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=162 Campaigners hope a new government green paper could finally herald the end of the “outrageous” disparity between sentences for disability and other hate crime murders. Someone found guilty of a race hate murder, or one based on hostility to religion or sexuality, faces a “starting tariff” – which could be increased or lowered due to other factors – of at least 30 years in prison. But under schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, someone found guilty of a disability hate crime murder faces a starting tariff of just 15 years. The discrepancy was highlighted last month with the sentencing of Martin Mather, who was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to beating a disabled man to death at his flat in Rhyl, north Wales. Because it was a murder case, the law did not allow the judge to increase Mather’s sentence on the grounds that it was a disability hate crime, even though both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and North Wales police had treated it as a hate crime. Mather will serve at least 17 years in prison. Campaigners have long called for the government to address this sentencing discrepancy. This week, the Ministry of Justice published a new green paper, Breaking the Cycle, which includes a pledge to tighten the law on hate crime. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “The government is looking to strengthen efforts to prevent hate crime and punish offenders. “Schedule 21, which provides guidance to the courts on determining the minimum term for a life sentence for murder, will be considered as part of this public consultation.” Anne Novis, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, said the commitment to look at the sentencing disparity was “very welcome”, although the government had yet to say exactly what measures it would introduce. She added: “I felt outraged when I found out about [the disparity]. For years and years we have been saying about this inequality and waiting for it to be changed. Even the CPS didn’t know why it was like that.” The green paper also lays out plans to divert more offenders with mental health conditions away from prison and refer them instead to health services, through a new national liaison and diversion service. To respond to the consultation, which ends on 4 March 2011, visit: http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/breaking-cycle-071210.htm http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=161 The coalition government has backtracked on a high-profile pledge to allow disabled people to secure funding for workplace adjustments before they applied for a job. The government had repeatedly promised to reform the Access to Work programme so that disabled people could show potential employers that they already had funding in place for adaptations and equipment at work. The coalition’s “programme for government” in May stated: “We will reform Access to Work, so disabled people can apply for jobs with funding already secured for any adaptations and equipment they will need.” The pledge was repeated by Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people, at a meeting of the all-party parliamentary disability group in June. But when Miller announced details of the scheme today, she revealed that it would simply provide a standard letter that disabled people could print out from the government’s Directgov website and then show to an employer. The letter begins: “Dear Customer. This letter confirms that you may be eligible to apply for Access to Work. You can print it off and show it to potential employers when looking for work.” Miller said the change would “give disabled people the confidence to apply for jobs, safe in the knowledge that they are already eligible for support”. She added: “Employers will also be reassured that support is available towards costs beyond what is reasonable for them to meet.” A DWP spokesman confirmed that the government would not be extending the measure any further than just making the letter available to download from the website. He said: “We do think it is a good thing and will speed up the process a bit. Employers will recognise this letter. “I think the fact that you may be eligible goes pretty far. You can’t always decide [in advance] what level of funding they will get.” Marije Davidson, RADAR’s public affairs manager, said they were “very disappointed” that the coalition was not implementing the commitment in its programme for government. She said: “Enabling disabled people to bring a letter to their prospective employer will help to spread awareness about the Access to Work scheme. “However, this does not go far enough, and we call upon the government to give disabled people and their prospective employers more certainty about the type and extent of support that will be available, as well as to ensure that disabled people have access to support from the time that they start their employment. “Currently disabled people may have to wait a long time for approval of support after they’ve started their job.” Anne Kane, policy manager for Inclusion London, accused the government of “playing games with disabled people’s need for better lives and better independence”. And Neil Coyle, director of policy for Disability Alliance, also expressed concern at the government announcement. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=160 A disabled man who was brutally assaulted and neglected at a notorious residential home 20 years ago has been forced to “pay back” benefits that were fraudulently claimed in his name by one of his abusers. David Jackson (not his real name), who has learning difficulties and high support needs, was tied to a tree, hosed down with cold water, forced to eat meals outside, beaten and deprived of food and toiletries while a resident at the Longcare homes in south Buckinghamshire between 1983 and 1994. The main perpetrator was the owner of the homes, Gordon Rowe, who killed himself before he could be charged by police. But Rowe’s widow, Angela, was jailed for 30 months in 1997 for ill-treatment and neglect of residents, including David. David’s horrified sister, Janet, only discovered last year that Angela Rowe – through her maiden name, Angela Adams – had fraudulently claimed the care component of disability living allowance (DLA) on David’s behalf between 1992 and 1995. Relatives of survivors of the abuse believe the Rowes stole tens of thousands of pounds of residents’ benefits, sold their possessions, and inflated profits by depriving them of food and toiletries. David, who communicates via basic signs, was not eligible to claim DLA care component because he was funded by a local authority. When the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found out about the claim, it demanded that he “pay back” nearly £6,000 out of his own benefits at £4 a week, a tenth of his weekly allowance. He appears to have been paying money to the DWP since 1996. Despite Janet’s attempts to explain the brutal abuse David had experienced at Longcare, and that there was no possibility that he knew anything about the claim or received any of the money, the DWP refused to reverse its decision. Thanks to the coalition government’s plans to remove the mobility component of DLA from council-funded disabled people in residential care, David’s weekly allowance is now set to fall to just £22.30 a week in 2012. Janet said: “I was very, very angry. It was so wrong and quite appalling after all he had been through that he was having to pay the money. We kept coming up against a brick wall when we tried to explain.” A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said she was “unable to comment on individual cases”, but added: “Where new evidence is received the decision regarding the recoverability of the overpayment can be reviewed.” John Pring’s new book on the Longcare scandal, Longcare Survivors, is due to be published in spring 2011. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=159 Recorded levels of disability hate crime have almost doubled in one year, according to new police figures. The Association of Chief Police Officers figures show there were 1,402 recorded disability hate crimes across England, Wales and Northern Ireland during 2009. It was the first full year since police forces started collecting figures for disability hate crime in April 2008, but in 2008 (with estimates for January to March) there were just 800 such crimes. The new figures also show huge variations between police areas, which disabled activists say demonstrates how some forces treat the issue less seriously than others. Avon and Somerset police recorded 78 disability hate crimes during 2009, the Metropolitan police recorded 99, and Thames Valley police 102, whereas Cleveland police recorded zero (one of three forces to state that there was not a single disability hate crime in the entire year). Anne Novis, one of the coordinators of the Disability Hate Crime Network and a leading campaigner, welcomed the rising numbers of recorded crimes because it shows that “at last it is on the radar”. She said: “At last they are collecting figures and people are starting to talk about it.” But she said the striking variation between different forces showed the need for police to invest in training for their officers. She said: “There has been no appropriate national training [which offers] consistent best practice, pan-impairment, social model on disability hate crime going out to police officers. That is one of the reasons we are not getting a consistent approach.” Novis also warned that budget cuts could lead to a loss of momentum on the issue among police forces. And she said there was still a need for new, stronger legislation on sentencing for disability hate crimes. During 2009 there was a total of 52,028 hate crimes recorded across race, religious belief, sexual orientation, disability or because a person was transgender, a rise from 46,300 in 2008. Chief constable Stephen Otter, ACPO’s lead for equality, diversity and human rights, said: “Whilst we want to reduce the incidence of these crimes, it is vital that we close the gap of under-reporting. “We are making real progress in this critical area through standardised reporting and better recording and we continue to work to improve our support to victims of hate crime.” The figures were released as a civil servant was seconded from the government’s Office for Disability Issues to work for the disability charity RADAR on fighting hate crime. James Pool will work with criminal justice agencies to develop a national, independent disability hate crime reporting centre, minimum standards for reporting centres and a plan to raise disabled people’s awareness of hate crime. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan police are seeking to recruit disabled volunteers for their new independent advisory group, which will examine how disabled people are affected by policing in London. Members will act as “critical friends” and form a link between disabled people and the police in London. For more information, tel: 020 7161 2719, email: disability@met.police.uk textphone 18001 020 7161 2719 or text: 07920 768425. The closing date for applicants is 24 December. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=158 The first “British standard” on website accessibility could force businesses to take the issue seriously, according to one leading disabled expert. British Standard 8788 (BS 8788) on web accessibility was released this week and builds on guidance published four years ago. The new code of practice provides a detailed guide on how to make websites more accessible, but crucially also includes guidance on creating the policies and procedures organisations need to eliminate the barriers faced by disabled people. BSI, which developed the new standard, said its publication could help organisations meet the new legal duty – included in this year’s Equality Act – to make information accessible. Robin Christopherson, head of digital inclusion for the disability charity AbilityNet, said that, as a blind web-user, he still faced “a lot of frustration” when using the internet. He said he hoped the new standard would “raise awareness” and have a “real impact on people’s appreciation of the fact that [accessibility] needs to be built into everything they do” rather than being just a “bolt-on activity”, and said it could lead to improvements in both websites and software. He added: “It is not just a technical guide, it is not just something for web developers. It is saying that every organisation needs to have an over-arching e-governance strategy that embeds accessibility.” He said the new standard would provide a “requirement” for organisations to act, rather than the previous “optional best practice”. He said: “It has got a bit more teeth because companies are used to complying with British Standards, so hopefully it will have some impact.” Christopherson said there had been a legal duty for websites to be accessible under the Disability Discrimination Act for more than 10 years, but the government had done little to enforce the law. Instead, individual disabled people have had to take civil claims through the courts, often with backing from charities such as RNIB. He said that more than 90 per cent of websites do not even meet “single A” accessibility, the lowest of the three levels. The new standard places “double A”, the middle of the three levels, as the “medium term goal”. A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said the publication of a new standard was included in the new government’s eAccessibility Action Plan in October. He said: “We knew it was coming and we welcome it and hope industry will sign up to it. “We will continue to work through the action plan to achieve those goals.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=157 A leading disabled campaigner is to head a new government review of the employment support it offers disabled people. Liz Sayce, chief executive of RADAR, will review support services such as those provided through the new Work Choice programme, the government’s planned Work Programme – set to launch next summer – and Access to Work. She will be asked to make recommendations for how the government’s strategy could be improved, including within Work Choice and the Work Programme. Both programmes are set to play crucial roles in the coalition government’s plans to cut the number of disabled people claiming incapacity benefits. Chris Grayling, the employment minister, told the Conservative conference in October that the Work Programme would be “one of the biggest employment and back to work programmes the world has ever seen”. He said the programme would “create a whole new world for benefit claimants” with “no more sitting at home on benefits doing nothing”, while those who refused to cooperate would lose their benefits. Sayce said at the time that she wanted to know that the government would take account of those people – such as those with fluctuating, serious mental health conditions – who do not respond to elements of the Work Programme because of their impairment. And she said it was vital that the support provided through the Work Programme was accessible. Sayce will also examine support provided by the government through the nine residential training colleges and through Remploy, which provides specialist employment services – including some Work Choice contracts – and runs 54 sheltered factories. In July, RADAR published a report – written by Sayce and funded by Remploy – which suggested that most disabled people were better off being supported to find mainstream employment rather than “special” jobs in separate, sheltered workplaces. In a statement, Sayce said she hoped the review would help the government make “real improvements to the services that support disabled people who want to develop fulfilling careers”. She added: “I hope that by starting from disabled people’s experience and aspirations, and reviewing evidence from research and from practice, we will understand the most effective approaches to supporting satisfying, sustainable employment.” Maria Miller, minister for disabled people, said: “Too often in the past disabled people have been failed by the programmes that were meant to help them, and that has to stop.” She said the government expected that the Work Programme and Work Choice would support more disabled people into work every year than “any of its predecessor government programmes”. The review should be published next summer. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=156 The BBC has again dominated an annual awards ceremony that recognises the best portrayals and reporting of mental distress. The broadcaster won six of the nine awards at the Mind Mental Health Media Awards, including recognition for the BBC Four documentary Sectioned and two awards for the BBC’s Headroom campaign around mental health and wellbeing. Last year, the BBC also won six awards. The BBC1 soap EastEnders picked up the award for best soap for the second year running for its ongoing storyline involving the character Stacey Slater, who has bipolar disorder. Channel 4 won the drama award, again for the depiction of a character with bipolar disorder, in its long-running comedy-drama Shameless. The Speaking Out award was won by former Royal Marine Danny Claricoates, who featured in a Sky documentary in which he told how he developed post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing the deaths of his two closest friends in Afghanistan. The BBC also dominated the shortlists for the awards – which focus on broadcast and online media – with 12 nominations, compared to two for Channel 4, two for Sky and one for ITV. Mind said it was keen to engage with the other broadcasters and did not want to criticise them, but accepted that other media organisations had work to do to catch up with the BBC. A Mind spokeswoman said: “It is a job for us to engage them and hopefully they will be motivated by what they have seen and recognise that there is an appetite for programming about mental health.” Other award-winners included the Somerset and former England cricketer Marcus Trescothick, for his continuing efforts to raise awareness of mental health conditions, including work on a BBC documentary investigating depression among sports stars. Trescothick said: “One of the worst things about having a mental health problem is feeling that you are alone and so to be recognised for helping to raise awareness, which will hopefully help others going through the same thing not to feel so isolated, is just the best feeling.” The awards came on the same day that the Shift campaign – the Department of Health programme to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination – concluded that, despite “clear improvements over recent years”, prime-time TV drama was still struggling to present “an accurate picture of mental illness”. Shift’s Making Drama out of a Crisis study, which analysed TV drama content over a three-month period on UK terrestrial channels, found an “over dominance of unsympathetic portrayals or references to mental health”, but also pointed to “clear examples” where the issues had been addressed “sensitively and constructively”. Of 74 programmes containing mental health storylines, there were 33 examples of violence to other characters, 53 examples of self-harm and 33 examples of sympathetic portrayal. The study concluded that mental illness was “still used as an easy source of violent tragedy or as something to poke fun at”, but there were also examples where “conditions are explained and portrayals are essentially sympathetic”, praising characterisation on shows such as EastEnders and Shameless. It said the “most likely way to reduce the fear, exclusion and stigma” was by showing mental health conditions as “a normal feature of human life”, with characters integrated in their social and work lives “in spite of and in some ways because of their mental health problems”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=155 A new report by members of the London Assembly shows that Transport for London (TfL) is “dragging its feet” in upgrading to a modern, accessible transport network, say disabled activists. The assembly’s transport committee says the access problems on London’s public transport network are “simply unacceptable”, while current proposals for improving access on the tube, buses and trains are “too modest”. The report says that mayor Boris Johnson and TfL need to “take every opportunity to identify and secure further funding” to improve access at stations and bus stops. The committee points to low-cost measures that could improve access, such as allowing manual ramps on the tube network and involving disabled people in training bus drivers. And it says TfL should explain how its proposed staff cuts at tube stations will impact on people with mobility impairments. The report says there are 890,000 Londoners with reduced mobility (including parents with buggies), but less than a quarter of tube stations (61 of 270) are step-free from street to platform. Only a third of 300 rail stations have step-free access from street to platform, and although all London buses now have ramps, only half of bus stops meet all three of TfL’s criteria for accessibility. According to current plans, only two-thirds of bus stops will be fully accessible by 2018, while only 27 per cent of tube stations and fewer than half of rail stations will be step-free from street to platform. But the report does point out that, of the 37 stations on London’s new Crossrail route, 31 should have step-free access from street-level to platform. Transport for All (TfA), the accessible transport charity, said the report “does a great job of highlighting that there are a number of relatively inexpensive, simple steps that can be taken which would have a big impact on disabled people’s ease of travel”. Lianna Etkind, TfA’s campaigns and outreach coordinator, said: “The battles that disabled and older Londoners face every time they want to use the bus or train are not an inevitable part of being old or disabled: they are the result of TfL’s continued foot-dragging in upgrading to a modern, accessible transport network fit for purpose.” A Transport for London spokesman denied that it was “foot-dragging”, and said it was “already taking forward improvements in many of the areas referred to by the committee”, and already had “the most accessible bus network in the UK”. He said the recommendations were being closed examined and that it was “committed to providing a strategic, accessible transport network”. But he added: “Some things cost a lot of money and that’s money that doesn’t exist. In a perfect world, every station would have lifts and would be fully accessible. Given that that is not a possibility, we are trying to do everything we can.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=154 Europe’s leading disabled people’s organisation (DPO) has welcomed the European Union’s (EU) new 10-year disability strategy as a “great step” for disabled people. The European Disability Strategy was published this week by the European Commission and sets out to provide a “framework for action” at European and national level until 2020, including more than 160 “key actions” over the next five years. The European Disability Forum (EDF), which represents an estimated 80 million disabled people across the EU, said it welcomed the action across eight areas, including accessibility, participation in society, equality, employment, education and training, and health. Among measures EDF welcomed were plans for a European Accessibility Act, aimed at improving access to goods and services; a proposal to ensure all public sector websites are accessible by 2015; measures to give disabled people the right to free movement and residence across the EU; and a promise to use EU funds to improve accessibility. The strategy also pledges to use EU funds to support disabled people to move from institutional to community-based care. And it promises to promote inclusive education and lifelong learning for disabled pupils and students. But among its criticisms of the strategy, EDF said there should have been a greater emphasis on the need – as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – for EU member states to consult and involve DPOs when making decisions that will affect disabled people. And EDF said all relevant European laws – and not just employment legislation, as the strategy says – should be checked to ensure they comply with the UN convention when being reviewed. Yannis Vardakastanis, EDF’s president, said: “The disability strategy is a great step for persons with disabilities: it is more ambitious than the last action plan [the EU Disability Action Plan for 2003-2010] and it includes a lot of our proposals. “If implemented, the strategy could be of benefit to 80 million Europeans with disabilities.” European parliament president Jerzy Buzek has promised EDF a meeting every two years between the presidents of the commission and the parliament and disabled people’s organizations to assess progress on the strategy. An EDF spokeswoman said its focus would now be on ensuring the strategy and its actions were implemented, particularly over the next five years. Viviane Reding, EU commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, said her goal was “a truly barrier-free Europe” for disabled people by 2020. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=153 Hate crime campaigners have welcomed the recognition in court that the brutal murder of a disabled man in his own flat was a disability hate crime. Martin Mather, 23, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to beating Philip Holmes to death at his flat in Rhyl, north Wales, in April this year. The judge, Mr Justice Griffith Williams, told Mather he will serve at least 17 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. Holmes, who had a mobility impairment, was found dead in his flat by his support worker on 16 April. Because it was a murder case, the law did not allow the judge to increase Mather’s sentence on the grounds that it was a disability hate crime, even though both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and North Wales police had treated it as a hate crime. The CPS drew the court’s attention to the “hostility” Mather had shown towards Holmes as a disabled person when interviewed by police but the judge was only able to increase the sentence on the grounds of Holmes’s “vulnerability”. Detective chief inspector John Hanson said Mather had carried out a “brutal and sustained attack” on Holmes. He said: “Having attacked his disabled victim, a man who couldn’t walk without a frame, he left him on the floor in his flat, closing the door behind him and making no attempt to help or call assistance. “He showed a callous disregard for Philip and whilst in police custody showed no remorse whatsoever for his actions.” The court heard that Holmes suffered massive internal injuries consistent with a sustained violent assault. Gareth Preston, CPS North Wales crown advocate, said: “It is hard to know for certain the exact motivation behind this attack – only Martin Mather truly knows what drove him to commit such an horrific crime. “What is clear is that Mr Mather was aware of, and exploited, Philip Holmes’ vulnerable situation. “In interviews with police after his arrest, Mr Mather also made disparaging remarks about Philip Holmes that displayed hostility toward his disability.” Anne Novis, a leading disabled activist and anti-hate crime campaigner, welcomed the statement in court by the CPS that the murder was a disability hate crime and said this recognition would be “good for community confidence”. But she said the case highlighted why there was a need for tougher disability hate crime laws, to ensure equality with how other types of hate crime were treated by the courts. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=152 Disabled people will face harsh penalties if they fail to comply with government efforts to help them prepare for work, according to a new welfare reform white paper. Launching a “root and branch reform”, work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith said the government could “not afford to simply continue tinkering around the edges of the welfare system”. His white paper, Universal Credit: Welfare that Works, includes plans to introduce potential sanctions for disabled people who have been found “not fit for work” but still capable of “work-related activity”. They may have to take steps to prepare for work, and could lose their work-related benefits temporarily if they fail to comply with the regime. Claimants of jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) – many of whom will be disabled people found “fit for work” through the controversial work capability assessment – could lose their JSA for a longer period, potentially as long as three years for “the most extreme cases”. And many JSA claimants will be forced to undertake up to four weeks of unpaid work to help them develop “labour-market discipline”. The white paper also fleshes out plans for a new universal credit (UC), which will see a range of benefits – including housing benefit, income support, income-based JSA and income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) – replaced by one single payment. Disability living allowance and contributory ESA are among the non-means-tested benefits that will not be replaced by UC, which will begin to be introduced in 2013. The UC will provide a basic sum, with extra cash for disabled people, and to take account of children, caring responsibilities, and housing need. Benefits will be withdrawn “slowly and rationally” from this payment as claimants return to work and increase their working hours. The changes should mean that those returning to work keep 35p of every extra pound they earn. Disabled people will be among those groups who can earn more – the white paper suggests £7,000 per household a year – before any benefits start to be withdrawn. Duncan Smith said his reforms would “cut a swathe through the massive complexity of the existing benefit system and make it less bureaucratic to run”. Maria Miller, speaking at a Disability Alliance conference on the day of the launch, said the current welfare system was “torturously complicated”, and the new UC would mean “everyone who is in a position to work will be better off”. She said that “many disabled people who want to work and are not able to will be able to get into work, maybe for the first time”, with people with fluctuating conditions particularly benefiting, while the UC would also “make it easier to reduce fraud and error”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=151 A new campaign is hoping tens of thousands of disabled people will help to fix the problems caused by inaccessible websites. Fix the Web hopes its scheme will enable access problems on up to 250,000 websites to be reported to their owners within two years. The campaign, backed by the disability charity AbilityNet, is led by Citizens Online, which campaigns for wider access to the internet. Fix the Web aims to provide disabled people with a “quick and easy” way to make complaints about inaccessible websites. Any disabled person will be able to report an access problem through the Fix the Web site, via Twitter or by email, while filing this report should take less than a minute. Thousands of volunteers will then take up the complaints on their behalf and liaise with the owners of the websites over fixing the problems. AbilityNet said four-fifths of websites were still failing to meet minimum accessibility criteria, with problems including images with no captions or alternative text; the use of distracting animations; and websites that can only be used by mouse-users. Robin Christopherson, AbilityNet’s head of digital inclusion, said: “A raft of legislation already obliges website providers to ensure accessibility…but the business case for so doing is overwhelming.” Citizens Online said blind web-users report wasting 30 per cent of their web time because of problems with access. Disabled web-surfer Mandy de la Mare said the campaign was “a fantastic idea”. She added: “I have tried complaining to various websites but either the forms were not accessible for me or if I do manage to lodge a complaint, I do not get a reply.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=150 A high-flying diplomat’s career is “in limbo” after she lost a disability discrimination case against the Foreign Office over the support she needed to do her job in a new posting. Jane Cordell, who is profoundly Deaf, had been offered the job of deputy ambassador to Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan, but the offer was withdrawn because the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said the cost of providing lip-speakers to support her would be too high. Cordell, who now has a London desk job, had been praised by the FCO for her performance in her previous posting in Poland – and received awards from the Polish authorities for her disability rights work – for which the government provided lip-speakers at an annual cost of about £146,000. But the employment tribunal heard that a new FCO reasonable adjustments policy had been introduced after Cordell started working in Poland. She argued that funding lip-speakers for the Kazakhstan posting was a “reasonable adjustment” under the Disability Discrimination Act, and estimated the cost to be about £200,000 a year, while the FCO’s estimate was nearly £300,000. But the tribunal found that the FCO did not discriminate against her by refusing to fund the lip-speakers, and dismissed her claims for direct disability discrimination, disability-related discrimination and a failure to make reasonable adjustments. In its judgment, the tribunal said the likely annual cost of the adjustments was more than five times Cordell’s salary, which would not be “reasonable”. Cordell said she was proud of her work with the FCO, but added: “I am also proud to have brought my case to tribunal. People with disabilities and long-term illnesses who want to be economically active and independent need answers to the questions the case poses.” RADAR said it was “shocked” by the FCO’s failure to fund the adjustments Cordell needed, which is said was a “real setback” to equality in the workplace. Liz Sayce, RADAR’s chief executive, said the decision “puts a cap on ambition” and sends the message to disabled people that “the highest level jobs will be debarred” and that some of them “are just too expensive to employ and will never achieve equality”. She said that Cordell “could have been an incredible international role model and ambassador for Britain”. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which helped fund Cordell’s case, said her career was now “in limbo” because the FCO had failed to clarify how much support she was entitled to, a decision which “directly influences whether she can be posted abroad in the future”. An EHRC spokeswoman said: “We thought it was an interesting test case because she is such a high-flyer, a senior woman. We thought we might get some clarity around what tribunals thought was reasonable.” She added: “It is important that reasonable adjustments are provided to allow disabled people to participate fully in the workforce and allow talented people like Jane to realise their full potential.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=149 Disabled activists are set to launch the first UK Disability History Month (DHM), with backing from more than 40 organisations. The aim is to encourage schools and colleges, as well as the media, unions, employers and public bodies, to raise the profile of disabled people’s rights, inclusion, disablism, the social model of disability and the struggle for equality. The month, which will take place from 22 November to 22 December, has been timed to coincide with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, International Human Rights Day on 8 December and HIV/AIDS Day on 1 December. DHM coordinator Richard Rieser said: “DHM is about rights not charity. It is about solidarity in our struggle for equality, not feeling sorry for disabled people.” Although Rieser only came up with the idea for DHM in July, a string of events have already been lined up. These include a pre-release screening of a highly-rated documentary about Staff Benda Bilili, the band of street musicians from the Congo – most of who are disabled – at the Tricycle cinema in north London on 5 December; and a celebration of the struggle for inclusive education, at the Institute of Education in London on 24 November. The TUC will be holding a meeting examining disabled people’s battle for rights at work, while the DHM line-up also includes events in Tiverton, Bristol and Cardiff. And Birmingham Disability Resource Centre (BDRC), one of many leading disabled people’s organisations backing DHM, will run a disability history-themed event at Midland Arts Centre on 3 December. As well as examining disabled people’s historical struggles, DHM will also focus on more recent events. Rieser said the idea for DHM was sparked by the sparse mention of disabled people in the new government’s coalition agreement, which he said was “a warning sign” about its attitude to disability. This was reinforced later, he said, by the government’s decision – as part of its programme of spending cuts – to scrap the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee and the Disability Employment Advisory Committee. He said he hoped DHM would act as “a standard-bearer for disability rights”, which were now “under attack” from government cuts. Rieser said the latest spending cuts protests by disabled people, such as those during last month’s anti-cuts march in Birmingham, were “history in the making”. He added: “The benefits that are being cut were only won by previous people’s struggles. They always had to be fought for. That perspective needs to be there.” Rieser hopes DHM will also celebrate disabled people’s lives and achievements, focusing not only on leading figures from the disability movement, but also those such as Stephen Hawking, Stephen Fry and Albert Einstein, who “were not part of the movement but still fought for the right to be part of society”. And he hopes it will put disabled people on a par with other minority groups who already have their own history months, such as Black History Month, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month, and Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month. Pete Millington, information and community empowerment officer for BDRC, said he believed that DHM was “hugely important” and would “bring home to people in a powerful way experiences of discrimination” and the “change of attitudes to disabled people and how that has been brought around by disabled people themselves”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=148 The BBC has been criticised by the communications watchdog over a programme in which presenter Jeremy Clarkson made offensive, disablist comments about people with learning difficulties. Clarkson told viewers of the popular BBC2 motoring show Top Gear that the Ferrari F430 Especial should instead have been called the “430 Speciale Needs” because its “smiling front end” made it “look like a simpleton”. The BBC said the comments were made as a “light-hearted reference to the look of the car” but said it recognised that the comment had “the potential to cause offence”. It removed the comment from the repeat version of the programme and the version available on BBC iPlayer, and assured Ofcom that the original version of the programme would not be repeated. It also apologised for any offence caused by the comments. Ofcom said it took account of the fact that Top Gear was “well known for its irreverent style, and sometimes outspoken humour and studio banter between the presenters” but that “discriminatory language of this nature has the potential to be very offensive to some viewers, as it could be seen to single out certain sections of society in a derogatory way because of their disability”. It concluded that Clarkson’s comments “were capable of causing offence” and “could easily be understood as ridiculing people in society with a particular physical disability or learning difficulty”. Ofcom said it had decided to take no further action over the comments because the BBC had taken “immediate steps in response to complaints it received about the programme”. The latest ruling comes five months after Ofcom overturned its own ruling and condemned the use of similarly offensive, disablist language on the Channel 4 show Celebrity Big Brother’s Big Mouth. Nine people with learning difficulties – and other campaigners – had protested at Ofcom’s original decision not to uphold complaints about actor Vinnie Jones “joking” that presenter Davina McCall walked “like a retard”. Several of the people with learning difficulties who signed the letter protesting at the decision had hand-delivered it to Ofcom’s headquarters. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=147 Access to railway stations in Wales is “unacceptable”, with more than half of the 221 stations across Wales not fully accessible, according to a new report by a committee of politicians. The report by the Welsh assembly’s equality of opportunity committee said there were “significant shortcomings” in access, with a third of stations having no wheelchair access to platforms and 89 per cent of stations having no wheelchair-accessible toilets. But the report fails to recommend a “full upgrading” of all stations, because it says the cost would be “prohibitively expensive”, and instead recommends a “process of prioritisation”. The report also warns that there has been a failure by industry and government to reach a consensus on what level of accessibility to aim for. Among the problems highlighted in the report are footbridge-only access to platforms, unreliable lifts, large gaps between trains and platforms, understaffing and a lack of clear audio-visual information. The Equality and Human Rights Commission passed the committee examples of complaints it had received from disabled people, including a passenger told he could not travel by rail from Swansea to London unless he gave 12 hours’ notice to open the gate leading onto the station, and a wheelchair-user told he might not be able to travel from Pembrokeshire to Cardiff if the ramps were being used on another platform. The Neath Port Talbot Disability Network told the committee that a wheelchair-user who wanted to travel into Port Talbot Station at 6pm on a Sunday evening would have to travel to either Neath or Bridgend and then use a taxi to get to Port Talbot. And research by the MS Society found 83 per cent of all stations in Wales were unstaffed, with only six staffed 24-hours-a-day. The Welsh Assembly Government does not have full control over the Welsh railway network, with stations owned by Network Rail and leased by Arriva Trains Wales, which also runs many of the train services, and much of railway policy controlled by the UK government’s Department for Transport. But the report calls on Welsh ministers to use the powers they have to increase funding, and to lobby the UK government to prioritise access improvements when it sets targets for Network Rail for 2014-2018. The report also calls for a greater involvement of disabled people in planning and monitoring access improvements, and more access information to be displayed in stations. And the committee wants the Welsh government to encourage councils and other public bodies to work with the rail industry to encourage the take-up of disabled people’s railcards. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=146 The failure of Remploy bosses to stop a senior manager referring to a member of staff by a disablist nickname showed the company’s “total lack of respect” for its disabled employees, according to a senior union official. An employment tribunal heard that Brian Davies, a senior regional shop steward with the GMB union, had been called “Ironside” – after the television detective who also used a wheelchair. The tribunal this week awarded Davies £6,000 compensation after ruling that he had been discriminated against under the Disability Discrimination Act by Remploy, which runs 54 sheltered factories and provides other employment services to disabled people. Davies – who was awarded an MBE for his union work at Remploy and has worked for the company for 30 years – and the GMB had asked Remploy to stop the nickname being used at a factory in Burnley by both the factory manager and other employees, including disabled shop floor workers. The factory manager was later moved to a different job at Remploy following internal disciplinary proceedings. Phil Davies, the GMB’s national secretary, said senior Remploy managers allowed the use of the nickname to continue for two years and failed to tell their staff it was wrong to use the nickname. Phil Davies said: “I think the result of this tribunal shows what the trade unions have been saying for the last 10 years – that there is a total lack of respect [for their disabled staff] from senior management.” And he said the failure of senior managers to “comprehend how offensive it can be” to use such nicknames showed the need for disabled people to be running the company. He added: “All the people that made the decisions and would not act in this case over a two-year period were non-disabled people.” A Remploy spokesman said: “We concur with the tribunal’s findings. I would definitely dispute that there is a lack of respect for any employee. It was obviously a regrettable case and disciplinary action was taken against the person concerned.” He declined to comment further, but added: “We do not want to get in a debate over this with the union. We accept the tribunal’s decision and apologise to Mr Davies.” Remploy’s future is still in doubt after the government’s review of quangos last week postponed a decision on whether it would be scrapped. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=145 A major new review of inequality in Britain has called for action to close the most important “equality gaps” faced by disabled people and other minority groups. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it hoped its triennial review would deliver a “wake-up call to Britain”, which it said was a country still divided by unfairness and discrimination. EHRC chair Trevor Phillips said the How Fair is Britain? report was the first attempt by a “major nation” to examine how society “lives up to the promise to be fair to its people”. Although Phillips said Britons “despise prejudice” and “embrace equality”, he said many disabled people and members of other groups were still imprisoned by “prejudice, inertia and unfairness”. The 750-page review – which by law the EHRC has to publish every three years – has been presented to parliament, with copies also sent to every minister making decisions in advance of the spending review on 20 October. The EHRC review looks at evidence on inequalities across eight key areas, including education, employment, security, and care and support. Among its findings, the review says disabled people are less likely to have confidence in the criminal justice system, while more than one in four families with disabled members receive less than 60 per cent of the average [median] income. In education, only eight per cent of boys in England with special educational needs (SEN) who are eligible for free school meals obtain five good GCSEs, including English and maths, compared to 61 per cent of children without SEN. And nearly three-quarters of permanent exclusions in England involve pupils with SEN, while four-fifths of disabled young people in England said they had been bullied. The review highlights 15 major challenges, several of which explicitly refer to disabled people. Because disabled people are far less likely to be in work and to possess qualifications, the review calls for action to close both the “qualifications gap” and the “employment gap”. It also calls for action to reduce disability hate crime and increase the conviction rate for disability hate crime, and reduce disability-related bullying in schools and workplaces. And it calls for increased choice and control for both disabled people who receive care and for carers. Phillips said at the review’s launch that life chances “should not be dependent on luck” but on “talent, ambition and hard work”, and that fairness was “not all about money” but was also about control, dignity, respect and the “right to have our voices heard”. He said he believed the review showed Britain was “tolerant, fair-minded and ready to change”, but was still “a country where our achievements haven't yet caught up with our aspirations”, and added: “We may have changed people’s attitudes. We now need to get them to change their behaviour.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=144 The government has laid out plans for making websites, computers and other parts of the “digital economy” more accessible to disabled people. The new eAccessibility Action Plan, published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, calls for a “step change” in e-accessibility by the time of the London Olympics and Paralympics in 2012. As part of the plan, the Cabinet Office will set out proposals for improving the accessibility of public websites next spring. Three months ago, the prime minister’s “digital champion”, Martha Lane Fox, called on the government to shut down publicly-funded websites that “consistently fail to meet” its web accessibility guidelines. Other objectives in the action plan include improving the availability and affordability of accessible digital equipment such as computers, radios and televisions, and software such as Braille and screen-reading programmes, and making online and television content accessible. There will also be new regulations, so the communications watchdog Ofcom will be able to ensure disabled people have “equivalent” choice and access to mobile phones, television, radio and the internet. Plans to encourage the availability of low-cost computers with built-in accessibility will be boosted when the retail giant Comet launches an accessible, low-cost PC early next year. And the action plan says that Microsoft is working with the National Union of Students and 21 different suppliers to ensure disabled students have accessible PCs when they start university. Ed Vaizey, the minister for culture, communications and creative industries, said: “A successful digital economy can only be achieved if everyone can enjoy the same advantages that technology offers, like access to public services, online shopping and banking, interactive games and social media. “The market already provides options to suit different disabilities but making use of these technologies can still be difficult, and expensive.” Vaizey said accessibility was crucial as the government was set to deliver “more and more services online”. And he said it was “vital” that inclusive design principles should be adopted by “the widest number of organisations possible when they design, develop and deliver products, platforms and services”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=143 Phone companies are failing to tell prospective customers about the services they provide for disabled people, according to the communications watchdog. Ofcom described the performance of the eight companies – BT, Orange, O2, TalkTalk, T-Mobile, Virgin Media, Vodafone and 3 – as “fairly poor”, and warned that it could impose heavy fines if they fail to improve. The country’s leading campaigning organisation of blind people called the findings from a “mystery shopping” survey “concerning”, and said the companies should take “immediate steps” to improve their performance. Ofcom commissioned the survey to discover what advice would-be disabled customers – or their relatives – would be given by phone or email about accessible services. By law, phone companies have to provide a range of services to disabled customers, such as free directory enquiries for those who cannot use a printed version, bills and contracts in accessible formats, access to a text relay service, and priority repairs for customers who depend on a landline because of a health condition or impairment. They must also take “reasonable steps” to ensure these services are “widely publicised”. But only just over a third of callers in the survey were told about at least one service available for disabled customers without being prompted. Even after prompting, this figure only rose to three-quarters of callers. Ofcom said this was a “significant drop” since similar research in 2006, which found 91 per cent of calls resulted in such information being provided after prompting. The survey also found that in only one out of every 25 calls did the company mention three or more of the services without prompting. Many of the companies’ websites also failed to mention key services for disabled customers. Ofcom said it had asked the companies to set out action plans with “reasonable timings” for improvements. An Ofcom spokeswoman said all the companies had pledged to take action, although “some are more enthusiastic about it than others”. It plans a further survey, and warned of possible enforcement action if companies fail to improve, which could mean a fine of up to 10 per cent of their turnover. Douglas Gilroy, vice-president of the National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFB UK), said: “Services such as free directory enquiries for those who cannot read a printed telephone directory, bills and contracts in accessible formats and priority repairs for customers who depend on a landline, are all important and essential to blind and partially-sighted people.” Many blind and partially-sighted people rely on the telephone as their main means of communication, he added. Gilroy called on the companies to take “immediate steps to eliminate these poor findings” and meet their legal duties. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=142 Disabled children are set to take part in a new school sports competition that will be trialled across England from early next year. The “Olympic and Paralympic-style” competition will be piloted in nine areas, involving schools from the Black Country, London, Cornwall, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear. Schools will compete against each other in local leagues, with winning athletes and teams qualifying for area finals next summer. The pilots will be used to finalise plans for the first nationwide competition in 2012, which will end with national finals in London’s Olympic Park. Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, said the competition would “spark a revolution in school sport, and leave a lasting legacy” from London 2012. But it is still unclear how disabled children will be involved. When the government first announced the idea in June, disability sports organisations welcomed the plans but said they wanted to hear more detail about how the competition would work for disabled children. Because many disabled children attend mainstream schools, they said it would be more difficult to set up a meaningful inter-school, Paralympic-style competition. The government has promised a “Paralympic element at every level of the competition” for young disabled people. A spokeswoman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said this week: “We are determined to offer young disabled people the opportunity to take part in meaningful and regular competitive sport through the ‘School Olympics and Paralympics’. “We are currently in discussions with a wide range of disability partners as we develop the School Olympics and Paralympics to ensure that there is a genuine competitive pathway for young disabled people.” She said that, although there were no further details yet, disabled children would take part in the pilot scheme “in all nine areas”. Martin McElhatton, chief executive of WheelPower, the national wheelchair sports charity, said he had yet to hear much detail on how the competition would work for disabled children. But he said he was “hoping that whatever they do will have a positive impact” and that it “delivers something really meaningful for young disabled people”. A ParalympicsGB spokeswoman said they were still involved in discussions with the government, and added: “We are quite confident that a good solution will be found. “Anything that brings more good quality disability sport to anyone with a disability is a good thing. That is what they are saying this would do and obviously we would support that.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=141 Major new laws to protect disabled people from discrimination come into force today (1 October), as part of the Equality Act. The act – introduced and steered through parliament by the last Labour government – brings together nine separate pieces of existing legislation, but also includes a series of new rights for disabled people and other minority groups. Much of the act is being implemented today, although the coalition government says other measures will be phased in over the next three years. Among crucial measures introduced today are laws banning employers from using health questionnaires to discriminate against disabled job applicants – a move welcomed by disabled people’s organisations as a major step forward for disability rights. Other measures coming into force today will provide new protection from indirect disability discrimination, and should make it easier to prove that someone seeking protection under the act is a disabled person. Theresa May, the home secretary and minister for women and equality, said the act would make it easier for businesses to comply with discrimination law by streamlining equality legislation, and would provide more protection for disabled people. Other major improvements included in the act are likely to be introduced next year, including measures on accessible taxis and the provision of auxiliary aids for disabled pupils. But disabled people’s organisations have raised major concerns about the coalition government’s plans for how public authorities should promote equality under the act. In August, activists described draft regulations for these “specific duties” as an “enormous setback” in the battle for disability rights. Most of these duties are likely to come into force in April 2011. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=140 The coalition government looks set to scrap its advice body on accessible transport and the Independent Living Fund (ILF) as part of its programme of spending cuts, according to a leaked government document. A leaked list of quangos set for abolition includes the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, the ILF and the Disability Employment Advisory Committee (DEAC), as well as the Disability Living/Attendance Allowance Advisory Board. But the list appears to confirm that the government will not scrap Equality 2025, its advisory network of disabled people. The leaked document, published by the BBC, suggests DEAC’s functions could be transferred to Equality 2025, while DPTAC’s role could be “mainstreamed”, with its “remaining functions” transferred to other bodies. The ILF looks likely to have its budget – currently £359 million a year – transferred to local authorities, although this is “awaiting a final decision”. In June, the ILF – which is funded by the government and supports disabled people with high support needs to live independently – admitted it would only be able to fund 600 of the 1,000 new awards it had intended to make this year. The leaked document also says that the future of the Equality and Human Rights Commission is “still to be decided”, although most equality campaigners believe it will not be scrapped but will have its budget cut. The leaked list says the future of Remploy is also under review. The organisation employs about 3,000 disabled people in 54 sheltered factories, despite closing 29 factories as part of a modernisation programme. Sue Bott, director of the National Centre for Independent Living, said she feared the impact of the loss of the ILF would be “horrible”. She said: “I am really, really concerned because we are talking about people with high support needs, and they have got to be met for you to have any chance of being able to participate in life as a citizen “I really want to urge the government to draw breath and understand what things like the ILF do before reaching these decisions.” Bott said indications from civil servants were that any funding saved by scrapping the ILF would only be provided by the government to local authorities for three or four years, and after that they would “just be expected to get on with it and fund people from existing resources”. Alan Norton, a DPTAC member and chief executive of Assist UK, said it would be a “terrible mistake” if DPTAC was to be scrapped. He said DPTAC – already set to be cut from 19 to just 10 members at the end of this year – was a “real success story” in which disabled people had “influenced change in the country”. He added: “I really feel it is totally the wrong thing to do. It would put us backwards in many areas.” Trevor Phillips, chair of the EHRC, told Disability News Service that he would be “a bit surprised” if the commission was scrapped, because “somebody has to do this job”. But he added: “There is no issue about the idea that we need to do things differently. We are not afraid of change at all. [We have] no problem about somebody saying, ‘You could be better,’ because we think so.” Marije Davidson, RADAR’s senior policy and parliamentary officer, said she had “concerns” about some of the bodies that could be scrapped, but what was important was how the government planned to replace the vital work they did. She said there could be opportunities for third sector organisations to take on some of these roles. And she said it was crucial that the government listened to disabled people when carrying out its equality impact assessment of its plans. Sue Sharp, head of public policy and campaigns for Guide Dogs, said that scrapping DPTAC would be “a retrograde step”. Sharp, who previously worked in the Department for Transport’s mobility and inclusion unit, said DPTAC provided a “unique” opportunity for both disabled people and industry to present their cases to government, and that it had a “long record of moving forward the agenda”. She said this work would “not get done” if DPTAC was scrapped, with the responsibility for such work left to the third sector to fund itself. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “The government has made it clear that it is committed to radically increasing accountability and improving efficiency. “As part of this, work is already underway to make substantial reforms to its public bodies. This work is on-going and an announcement will be made in due course. “We deeply regret any extra uncertainty for employees that this irresponsible leak has caused.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=139 The coalition government is refusing to back proposed laws that would provide new rights for disabled bus and coach passengers across Europe. The government’s failure to back the measures has been fiercely criticised by the National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFB UK), which described them as a “once in a generation opportunity”. The European parliament has already approved the new laws, but they have yet to be agreed by the individual EU member states, with negotiations currently taking place. If approved, they would provide free assistance to disabled bus and coach passengers, compensation for lost or damaged mobility equipment, a duty to provide key information in an accessible format, and mandatory disability awareness training for drivers and terminal staff. But Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport minister, said: “While we support the aims of passenger rights for both disabled and non-disabled people, we do not believe that an EU regulation of the nature proposed by the European parliament helps achieve that. “Increased regulation will result in increased costs on the bus and coach industry and will inevitably mean they are simply able to provide fewer services, which will certainly not help disabled people. “I am determined to ensure that local bus services are improved to the benefit of people with disabilities, but we must do so in a way that is not self-defeating.” Douglas Gilroy, the NFB UK’s vice-president, said the government’s attitude was “wholly inadequate, unacceptable and totally fails to address these problems which we face daily”. He said bus travel was “essential to many of us being able to lead an independent life”, but that “too many blind people have a bad experience when travelling by bus and this urgently needs to improve”. He added: “Sighted people can see the timetable; the bus approaching the stop; [the] destination and service number of the bus; [and] the point at which someone reaches their destination. “Many blind people cannot, so we will simply become second class citizens. I thought we were trying to create a fully inclusive society for all.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=136 Nearly a third of people who have contacted the police about anti-social behaviour are disabled people, according to a major national report. The Stop the Rot report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) says anti-social behaviour (ASB) across England and Wales is a “blight” on the lives of millions of people, and calls for police to make a “new start” in tackling it. Of nearly 5,700 people who contacted the police about ASB and took part in a survey for the report, 29 per cent said they were disabled or had a health condition. And more than a third (36 per cent) of callers who said they had reported ASB six times or more in the last year were disabled or had a health condition. Disabled people were also much more likely than non-disabled people to have faced intimidation (43 per cent, against 27 per cent) after making a stand against ASB. The report says that of 43 police forces across England and Wales, only 22 have IT systems that help them identify and prioritise repeat callers, with just 16 of them able to identify those most at risk of harm. Sir Denis O’Connor, the chief inspector of constabulary, said: “Perpetrators need to know they are wrecking lives, the results can be tragic and that they will get swift action from the authorities if the public call for help.” The report’s publication came in the same week that magistrates sentenced a teenager for repeatedly harassing a man with learning difficulties. David Askew, whose family had faced 17 years of abuse, bullying and harassment at the hands of local yobs, collapsed and died soon after Greater Manchester Police received the latest report of harassment outside his home. The HMIC review says the impact of ASB is even greater for repeat victims, particularly those who are disabled people. Among its recommendations, the report calls for police officers to visit more victims of ASB, prioritise repeat victims and those most at risk of harm, and for forces to give their officers the information and resources they need to act on ASB. Stephen Brookes, coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, said the anti-social behaviour highlighted in the report was “just the tip of the iceberg”. He said: “The network has brought to light a massive issue and people are recognising that it has to be sorted because it is far bigger than anybody ever thought.” But he added: “It is not just a police issue. It is the Crown Prosecution Service, social services, local government, every single agency needs to sit down and get their act together. Unless they do, there will be more deaths.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=135 A police force twice failed to investigate claims that a woman had been sexually assaulted, because officers decided she was making the allegations up as a result of her mental health condition. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded this week that there were “serious failings” in the way Essex police responded to the woman’s allegations. On two occasions in 2007, a man broke into the woman’s home and subjected her to a serious sexual assault. On both occasions, Essex police officers visited her home but didn’t believe her allegations because of her mental health history. They reported that no offence had been committed. It was only when her family and GP complained about the lack of action that the force carried out a proper investigation. A man subsequently pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was jailed for six years in March 2008. IPCC commissioner Len Jackson said the IPCC investigation had found “serious failings” by individual officers and the force. He said: “We have substantiated a number of complaints made by the family including that the lack of positive action by officers was adversely influenced by the woman’s mental health history. “I remain saddened for the victim and her family who have conducted themselves with great dignity throughout these protracted proceedings.” He said the lack of support and help for the woman “stemmed from very poor policing and totally inadequate supervision”. At a disciplinary hearing earlier this year, an inspector, a detective constable, a sergeant and a police constable were fined between 5 and 13 days’ pay, while another sergeant received a reprimand and another constable a caution. Mark Roberts, a founder member of the campaigning network Mad Pride, said access to justice was a “huge” problem for people with mental health conditions and that any allegations less serious than murder were unlikely to be investigated by police. He said: “It is very widespread, if not the dominant orthodoxy. It happens more often than it doesn’t.” He said the problem stemmed from the attitudes of lawyers and judges, who treat people with mental health conditions as “unreliable witnesses”. Roberts added: “The police just say it would be a waste of money [to investigate] and the court chucks it out. “There must be a law brought in that makes it illegal to consider automatically that someone is an unreliable witness.” Andy Bliss, deputy chief constable of Essex police, said the way the force dealt with the woman’s allegations was “totally unacceptable”, and added: “I have personally apologised to the victim of these appalling and extremely distressing crimes.” He said the case was “a wake-up call to us about the way we deal with people with mental ill-health”, and as a “direct result” the force had introduced new training for frontline officers, with further training for officers in dealing with allegations of serious sexual assaults." " http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=134 A police force has been fiercely criticised for failing to treat the bullying and harassment of a disabled man as a potential disability hate crime. Kial Cottingham, 19, was this week sentenced by magistrates to 16 weeks in a young offenders institution, after pleading guilty to harassing David Askew, from Hattersley, on the edge of Manchester. Askew, who had learning difficulties, collapsed and died in March soon after police received reports that youths had again been harassing him outside his home. Tests revealed he died from natural causes, due to a heart condition and undiagnosed cancer. Cottingham admitted harassing him for more than six weeks, although Askew and his family – his mother is a wheelchair-user and his brother also has learning difficulties – had faced hostility, threats and abuse from local youths for 17 years. Askew’s mother Rose said: “He had been put through hell over the years. It was not just one incident – it went on for years. Sometimes he would cry and ask me if I could move people out of our garden because they would call him very hurtful names.” Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Askew and his family “had been subjected to prolonged anti-social behaviour and harassment for a number of years before his death” and that Askew “had severe learning difficulties and because of this he was a regular target for youths”. Despite this, GMP admitted to Disability News Service that they failed to investigate the incident as a possible disability hate crime. So although the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) later “flagged” the case as a potential disability hate crime, the police did not have the evidence to prove Cottingham’s harassment was motivated by hostility or prejudice. If they had done so, the CPS could have brought this to the attention of the magistrates, who would have had to increase his sentence. A CPS spokesman refused to comment on “what the police may nor may not have done”, but he said the crown prosecutor did provide details of Askew’s “vulnerable situation”, which magistrates took into account in sentencing. Two years ago, the then head of the CPS, Sir Ken MacDonald QC, was deeply critical of his organisation’s tendency to describe disabled victims of hate crime as “vulnerable”. He said in 2008 that this use of the “vulnerable” label meant “we are one step away from making the assumption that disabled people should expect to be attacked because of who they are”. Stephen Brookes, coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, said he was “deeply saddened” by the failure of GMP when “other police forces through the country seem to be doing far more” in taking disability hate crime seriously. But he said he was also “deeply disappointed” by the failure of the CPS to ask the police to produce the necessary evidence to prove that Askew was the victim of disability hate crime. Mark Shrimpton, deputy chief executive of RADAR, said: “RADAR understand that Greater Manchester Police did not recognise the David Askew case as one motivated by disability hate. “We find that astonishing and, if true, a fundamental error on the part of the police. Disabled people experiencing hate crime clearly continue to be let down by the criminal justice system.” The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is looking at how GMP handled the crimes experienced by the Askew family. A GMP spokesman said: “We have had contact with the Askew family for several years, with several different generations of offenders who have been after this family.” He said the IPCC would be asking whether the force did enough to “save” the family and whether David Askew’s death could have been prevented by “further police action”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=133 Sports organisations and campaigners were this week mourning the loss of a ground-breaking disabled photographer who leaves behind an “enormous legacy” of pictures that captured many of the great moments of Paralympic sport. Graham Bool, who died suddenly on 17 September, represented Britain at wheelchair basketball at three Paralympic games but later established a peerless reputation as a photographer specialising in disability sport and the Paralympics. He had been running photography shops and working in public relations when friends persuaded him to take advantage of his skill with a camera and use his own experience as a former disabled sportsman to specialise in taking photographs of disability sport. He launched his own photography business, Graham Bool Photography, covering every Paralympics from the 1992 games in Barcelona until the Beijing games of 2008, and was looking forward to shooting London in 2012. Tony Sainsbury, the former team manager of Britain’s wheelchair basketball team, said Paralympic games and disability sport would “never be the same again”. He said Bool had captured “the great moments of Paralympic sport” and had “left an enormous legacy and a vacuum which it will be near impossible to fill”. ParalympicsGB also paid tribute to his work and said he had “worked tirelessly to capture disability sport at all levels in his photography”. Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson said Bool made “a massive contribution” to the development of Paralympic and disability sport in Britain, covering not only the major events but the lower-profile national and junior games as well. He was an ever-present figure throughout her sporting career, and was usually the first non-athlete she would speak to after crossing the finish line, she said. “Everybody knew him. He was very open, very friendly, he was patient, he took time to find out what athletes were doing.” She also pointed to his dedication and hard work and said he was always there “first thing in the morning until last thing at night”, as well as being “incredibly ethical” in his work. She added: “It is sad for the sport because who else is going to have that kind of passion? I think the most important thing is he was a good photographer. His pictures were lovely. And he understood disability sport because he had been there.” Phil Friend, one of the country’s leading disability consultants and campaigners and a close friend of Bool since they attended the same special school together from the late 1950s, said he was “kind” and “generous” and “loved being with other people”, and was a wonderful father who had brought up his two children alone after the death of his beloved wife, Fran. Friend said: “He was one of the biggest human beings I have met. He had a huge smile and a big laugh and he just had this incredible amount of energy.” He said Bool’s archive of sports photographs, recording the growth and development of disability sport, would provide an incredible legacy. Another close friend, Malcolm Tarkenter, chair of British Wheelchair Basketball, said: “Graham was a giant of a man in all respects, he had time for everybody.” He added: “As a young player he took me under his wing and he was a big brother to me and our friendship lasted a lifetime. I can’t believe he is not here now.” British Wheelchair Basketball said Bool was “the ultimate gentleman” and “a principled man”, who was “happy to give advice and has been tremendously supportive to players and young people coming into sport as well as a sound counsel to directors, chairmen and chief executives across a number of Paralympic sports and bodies”. Bool also photographed many major disability events for organisations such as RADAR. Liz Sayce, RADAR’s chief executive, said he was “a great professional and a great human being” and “the greatest pleasure to work with”. He leaves two children, Roger and Jessica, and a partner, Toni." http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=132 The designer of the world’s first wheelchair for mannequins hopes her ground-breaking new product will be a step forward for disability equality in the high street. The Mannequal made its first appearance on 3 September in the store window of the Oxford Street branch of Debenhams in London. Debenhams used the Mannequal for the first time as it rolled out its first national fashion advertising campaign to feature a wheelchair-using model in the windows of all its 160 UK and Republic of Ireland stores. The campaign followed a “really good reaction” to shots of the same model – Shannon Murray – in window displays in three stores earlier this year, which came after Debenhams was approached by the Channel 4 show How to Look Good Naked. Murray praised Debenhams for its “dedication to represent real women on the high street.” She added: “I’m hoping that eventually other brands will follow Debenhams’ lead and recognise the diversity of their customers.” The Mannequal was designed by disabled artist, campaigner and model Sophie Morgan – who appeared in the BBC reality show Britain’s Missing Top Model – and allows retailers to show their mannequins using a wheelchair while modelling their latest fashions. Morgan was inspired to design the Mannequal while browsing in a branch of Top Shop and seeing mannequins of different ethnicity, but wondering why there were no disabled mannequins. She said: “It is quite difficult to represent every different disability, so I was thinking about the most generic way to represent disabled people. “Although I use a wheelchair, I don’t want people to think I designed it to represent just wheelchair-users. The Mannequal is a symbol that represents all disabilities. “The idea is to make it as easy and straightforward as possible to bring disability onto the high street. The idea is to be as subtle as possible, so the focus is still on the clothing.” A Debenhams spokeswoman said they were trialling the Mannequal at its Oxford Street store to gauge public reaction. She added: “We had never seen anything like it before until Sophie came to us.” As well as its Debenhams appearance, the Mannequal is also appearing in the Katie & Jo boutique at 253 New King’s Road, London http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=131 Awareness of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) among employers has fallen since 2006, according to a new government report. The report, Organisations’ Responses to the Disability Discrimination Act, says the number of employers who were aware of the recruitment and employment measures in the DDA fell from 80 to 76 per cent. And only a fifth of employers were able to “spontaneously name the DDA”. There was also a fall in the number of employers who had made a workplace adjustment for a disabled employee or planned to do so, from 70 to 61 per cent. Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people, said that legislation “sends an important message to employers, but legislation alone is not enough”. She said: “Most employers recognise that employing disabled people is the ‘right thing to do’. We need even more employers understanding that employing disabled people makes real business sense too.” The report also found there was a fall in the proportion of providers of goods and services that had made an adjustment to their service – such as providing a ramp or accessible toilet for disabled customers – from 87 per cent to 80 per cent since the previous survey in 2006. The survey was carried out for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by the Institute for Employment Studies and Ipsos Mori in the autumn of 2009, and coincided with the economic downturn. Employers said the recession had not yet had an impact on their ability to make adjustments for disabled employees, but some feared it might do so in the future. Although 16 per cent of employers said last autumn that the recession had affected their ability to employ disabled people, nearly three-quarters of this group said this was because they had stopped recruitment altogether, while just 14 per cent of them said it was because they could not afford to make workplace adjustments. The report – based on 2,000 telephone interviews and 97 in-depth interviews – says some providers of goods and service had been badly affected by the recession, “but many thought that this would not affect their services to disabled customers”. Only two of the service providers interviewed in-depth said the recession might alter what they saw as “reasonable” in making adjustments, while “in a few cases” the recession was “already thought to have had an impact on the adjustments being made”, particularly with more costly physical adaptations to buildings. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=130 The government should produce new evidence that demonstrates the benefits to smaller businesses of becoming more accessible to disabled customers, according to a new report. The report by consultants Atkins was commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Office for Disability Issues, as part of efforts to produce a “legacy” for disabled people from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. One of the key pledges in the Labour government’s “legacy promise” was to secure a “radical shift in society’s perceptions of disability”, and remove barriers to inclusion in areas such as business and sport. But Atkins said its research found a low level of interest and awareness of disabled people as customers by small and medium-sized enterprises. The report says businesses with a “better focus” on disabled customers have seen a “rapidly expanding customer base, increases in sales and profitability”, and have gained a “distinct advantage” over their competitors. But the report, 2012 Legacy for Disabled People: Inclusive and Accessible Business, says few SMEs are aware of these opportunities, while often sharing a “discomfort with disability”, a fear of “getting it wrong”, and confusion about “reasonable adjustments”. The report calls for more to be done to build relationships between disabled people’s organisations – which are most knowledgeable about disability and access – and business organisations. And it points to a lack of material – such as “best practice” case studies – for government departments and agencies to use to promote the case for focusing on disabled customers in the lead-up to 2012. The report calls on the government to commission new “compelling material” to help achieve a “radical shift in the attitude of businesses”. Andrew Little, chief executive of Inclusion London, welcomed the report and said it was “very important” to build the “maximum possible positive legacy for disabled people” from London 2012, with “every opportunity” taken to remove the barriers facing disabled people. But he criticised some of the report’s “quite basic” recommendations with so little time left before 2012. He said: “We are all for more research, but both the equality and the business case for access and inclusion have been made. Now is the time to implement.” He said more progress might have been made had both the Greater London Authority and the London Development Agency not cut spending on supporting and promoting equality to the private sector. A BIS spokeswoman said commissioning new material was “something we are looking at doing [but] at the moment it has not been approved by ministers as we have only just received the report”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=129 The Department for Transport (DfT) is to slash the membership of its advisory body on accessible transport by nearly half as a result of the coalition government’s freeze on civil service recruitment. The DfT admitted this week that membership of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) – most of whom are disabled people – would be cut from 19 to just 10 people at the end of this year. The three-year terms of nine members are due to end on 31 December, and none of them will now be replaced or have their membership renewed. Those being forced to leave include many of DPTAC’s most experienced members. The DfT also admitted that the cuts could mean the government breaches its legal duty to ensure that DPTAC – which provides a pan-disability view on the impact of transport laws, regulations, guidance and policy to government and the transport industry – has a chair and at least 10 other members. A DfT spokeswoman said: “It hasn’t happened yet. We need to take stock and see what we can do about it.” Helen Smith, director of policy and campaigns for Mobilise and one of the DPTAC members who will be forced to leave, described the situation as “pretty dire”. She said the cuts would mean DPTAC would have to scrap its structure of four working groups, each specializing in different areas of transport, while many of the 10 remaining members were much less experienced than those who were leaving. She said: “I think there is a great deal of disappointment. We feel that the work of DPTAC is not being particularly taken seriously.” She fears the government might be considering scrapping DPTAC altogether in a bid to cut spending even further. Alan Norton, chief executive of Assist UK and another member due to leave in December, said DPTAC’s work had led to a “massive improvement in services for disabled people, without wasting money”. He said: “It is one of the areas where disabled people have really made a difference in advising ministers on policy. Recommendations that we have put forward have been implemented.” He added: “DPTAC’s remit is very wide. It covers all forms of transport. Obviously if it has reduced numbers its scope would have to be reduced and its priorities would have to change.” A DfT spokeswoman confirmed that the number of members would be cut from 19 to 10 at the end of 2010. She said there were no further cuts planned to DPTAC’s budget. She said the DfT could not say whether DPTAC would still be equipped to perform its advisory duties “until we have looked at the implications of the recruitment freeze”. In a statement, Dai Powell, chair of DPTAC, said it was “vital” that it continued its work so “the dedication, expertise and commitment” of its members could keep the “needs of the disabled traveller” at the “forefront of government transport policy development”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=128 Disabled people are still receiving a second-rate service from the air travel industry, say campaigners, more than two years after new EU regulations were brought in to combat discrimination. A new report by the Trailblazers campaigning network found many young disabled people faced problems across the tourism industry, including extra costs, poor access information and disability awareness and a shortage of accessible hotel rooms. More than 200 young disabled people took part in a survey for the All Inclusive? report, with many raising concerns about the inaccessibility of hotels, airlines, tourist attractions, travel agents and travel websites. Among the findings, more than half of those questioned said the inaccessibility of aircraft had a major impact on their choice of holiday destination. Issues that network members have encountered with air travel include problems boarding planes, being asked to pay extra because of their impairment, staff attitudes, and poor treatment of their mobility equipment. The report is the latest to be produced by Trailblazers, a campaigning network of young disabled people run by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. More than two years ago, the European Union introduced regulations that provided new rights for disabled people to access air travel, including booking flights, checking in at the airport, assistance to board the plane, and compensation for damaged equipment. Trailblazer Jagdeep Sehmbi, who travelled to Canada last summer, said she was “devastated” when she found her electric wheelchair at baggage reclaim and saw the back was bent out of shape and the headrest broken. On a previous occasion, her wheelchair had been even more badly damaged, with parts “lying all over the airport floor”. She said: “It is very upsetting when a piece of equipment that I am dependant on for independence on a day-to-day basis is damaged because of a lack of care or ignorance on the part of an airline company.” Earlier this year, in a review of the first 18 months of the EU regulations, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) called for: travel companies to improve access to booking tickets and information on assistance; better sharing of information between airports and airlines; and improved awareness of the new laws by airport staff. A CAA spokeswoman said the report concluded that the regulations had improved the experience of disabled people when travelling by air. But she added: “However, the CAA feels further improvements are possible, and is driving them by working with stakeholders including disability groups and the aviation industry to develop best practice guidance for industry and to consider ways of increasing consumers’ awareness of their rights.” And ABTA – which represents travel agents and tour operators – has launched an online training course on accessible travel, together with the Equality and Human Rights Commission. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=127 Recruiting thousands of disabled people to volunteer for the London 2012 Paralympics will play a vital part in the success of the games, according to one of Britain’s greatest Paralympians. Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson, who won 11 Paralympic gold medals, was speaking as the capital prepared to mark two years until the opening ceremony on 29 August 2012. She said it was vital that disabled people signed up, and suggested that she would like at least five to seven per cent of volunteers to be disabled people. She said: “I think we would have done well if we can get that. [Disabled people] will be able to give that much more practical advice that you can’t teach in any training session. “It’s quite hard to train somebody in what it is like to travel around London as a wheelchair-user.” Baroness Grey-Thompson, who is vice-chair of the 2012 organising committee’s sports advisory group, said having thousands of disabled volunteers would also “help break down people’s attitudes to disability and impairment”. She said she would hold her fellow disabled peer Baroness [Jane] Campbell to her pledge to volunteer. Another major challenge, she said, would be ensuring the stadia for Paralympics events were full, or at least “fullish”. Chris Holmes, who won nine Paralympic gold medals and is now director of Paralympic integration for LOCOG, the 2012 organising committee, said the “greatest challenge” was to secure the same level of “excitement and engagement” as with the Olympics. Holmes said that having so many elite Paralympic athletes in London would “phenomenally change people’s attitudes” and “ripple out” and improve education and employment opportunities for disabled people. But both former athletes said there would need to be some realism about how far access to transport and services in London such as theatres, restaurants and hotels could be improved in time for 2012. Baroness Grey-Thompson said: “I think it is still going to be a challenge. We are not going to make the whole of London accessible. “It is how in games-time we can be as smart as possible in how people are advised to get around London. “LOCOG can’t go round telling people to make their business wheelchair-accessible, but any smart businessman will make it happen.” London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, has announced that live coverage of the Paralympics will be screened in Trafalgar Square, which will also host performances – building on the annual Liberty disability arts festival – showcasing some of the best disability arts alongside mainstream arts groups. For information on 2012 volunteering and tickets, visit: www.london2012.com http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=126 A feature-length, prime-time television documentary will paint a remarkable portrait of some of Britain’s top Paralympic athletes. Inside Incredible Athletes portrays the disabled sports stars – including footballer David Clarke, equestrian Lee Pearson and wheelchair rugby player Steve Brown – as obsessive, super-fit and incredibly skilful. The Channel 4 documentary will be shown on Sunday 29 August, two years to the day before the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics. Brown, a member of Britain’s wheelchair rugby squad, tells how he first encountered the sport while receiving treatment at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville hospital. He describes how he came from the hospital where “everybody’s doing everything for you because it’s such a struggle” to a wheelchair rugby training session where disabled people were “smashing the s*** out of each other in their wheelchairs”. He says: “They were angry, they were aggressive, they were violent, they were screaming, they were shouting. Human traits that I hadn’t even seen for two months, let alone see anyone in a wheelchair ever have.” Pearson, training hard for his fourth Paralympic games and already the winner of nine dressage gold medals, explains how he controls his horse using movements in just his pelvis, lower back and hips. He competes successfully in events for both disabled and non-disabled riders. And Clarke, who captains the England blind football team and has scored more than 100 goals for his country, describes how the stereotypes and “automatic assumptions” about blindness tend to vanish when people watch blind football for the first time. He demonstrates his incredible spatial awareness and how he has a “perfect visual image about how the world is” that allows him to play football so well. He says he wants to captain the British team at London 2012, which would be his last tournament, and adds: “The prize is there and my god is it worth it.” This week, Clarke was captaining the England side in the world championships in Hereford. A tense 1-0 victory over Colombia in their final group match secured a semi-final place against Brazil. Inside Incredible Athletes, Sunday 29 August, 9pm, Channel 4. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=125 Disabled people have the chance to help push for urgent housing improvements across Scotland, thanks to a partnership between the Scottish government and two leading disability organisations. The partnership programme was launched this week by Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCIL) and Capability Scotland, with the first of seven consultation events to be held over the next few months for disabled people who have experienced housing problems. There will also be a national survey asking disabled Scots about the barriers that prevent them accessing suitable housing, the priorities for action from the Scottish government, and other questions such as whether they can access every part of their own home. Etienne d’Aboville, GCIL’s chief executive, said housing was the “cornerstone” of independent living, because “if you cannot get in and out of your home you don’t get very far with everything else”. He said the programme would link in with the independent living work the Scottish government was doing alongside local authorities and Scotland’s independent living movement. D’Aboville said he expects disabled people who take part to raise issues such as the lack of choice in accessible housing, the failure of councils to provide joined-up systems providing information on the availability of accessible properties, and the difficulty of securing adaptations to private rented accommodation. He said there was a need for many more accessible properties to be built “to the right standards”, following the recent slump in house-building. D’Aboville said he was optimistic that the Scottish government would listen to what disabled people said in the consultation. He said: “The limits will be about what is politically acceptable and how much money there is, but in terms of the will and intent to progress our agenda, I do think we have a very good chance of being listened to.” The consultation results will feed into a conference next year and will help GCIL and Capability Scotland to influence future housing policy and legislation. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=124 Alcoholics, people with hayfever and those with tendencies to steal or set fires will not be able to claim protection from disability discrimination under the Equality Act, according to new government guidance. The draft guidance, published this week by the Office for Disability Issues, says that people with disfigurements caused by tattoos or non-medical body piercings should also not be treated as disabled people under the act. The act defines a disabled person as someone with a “physical or mental impairment” which has a “substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”. People with cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis do not have to meet this test and are protected under the act from the moment they are diagnosed, while those certified as blind, sight-impaired or partially-sighted by a consultant ophthalmologist are also automatically protected. The final version of the guidance will be used by courts and tribunals to decide whether someone is a disabled person protected from discrimination by the act, which became law earlier this year. Implementation of most of the act begins on 1 October. The draft guidance includes a string of examples of disabled people who would and would not be protected by the act. For example, a woman with learning difficulties who finds it difficult travelling alone because she often gets lost in slightly unfamiliar areas would be seen to be experiencing a “substantial adverse effect” on her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Other factors that would be seen as having a “substantial adverse effect” on the ability to carry out such activities include “difficulty opening a moderately heavy door” and “persistent difficulty” in remembering the names of family or friends. But factors that would not be included under the act include “simple clumsiness”, “inability to carry heavy luggage without assistance”, and “inability to sing in tune”. A consultation on the draft guidance, which applies to England, Scotland and Wales, closes on 31 October 2010. To take part visit the link below http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=123 Channel 4 says it wants to make its wall-to-wall coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics the “biggest event” in its history. The broadcaster is promising a multi-million pound marketing campaign in the lead-up to London 2012 – again the biggest in its history – and promised that coverage during the games would be “pretty much first thing in the morning until last thing at night”. Channel 4 will start the countdown to 2012 later this month, with a weekend of Paralympic-themed programming. The channel’s youth strand T4 will be hosted across the bank holiday weekend from a location near the ParalympicsGB training camp in Bath and will include the first in a 10-week magazine series, That Paralympic Show, co-presented by former Paralympian Ade Adepitan. On Sunday 29 August, exactly two years before the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics, the channel will air a feature-length documentary, Inside Incredible Athletes, which uses scientific tests and scanning technology to create “biomechanical portraits” of seven elite athletes hoping to represent ParalympicsGB in 2012. The documentary will be promoted with an “ambitious” marketing campaign –using the phrase “freaks of nature” – that “aims to challenge perceptions of disability sport and encourage the audience to question their own prejudices”. The following day, Channel 4 will show highlights of the IPC swimming world championships in the Netherlands. Launching the channel’s plans for 2012, Julian Bellamy, Channel 4’s acting chief creative officer, said research showed 84 per cent of the British public could not name a single Paralympian. Adepitan said Channel 4 was “taking the Paralympics into a new era” and promised that it would “turn our Paralympians into household names”. Speaking after the launch, Alison Walsh, Channel 4’s disability executive, said the broadcaster was “very alive” to potential criticism that its programmes would have a “medical model” emphasis on elite athletes and their impairments, overshadowing the problems caused by the barriers that disabled people faced in society. But she said the channel hoped to change attitudes of “pity” towards disabled people. Inside Incredible Athletes would be “empowering” and portray the athletes instead as “really powerful”, she said. “It will not be all about making them into some kind of super-hero. They are going to be [shown as] really hard-working athletes.” But she added: “The disabled audience have to be the judge.” Chris Holmes, who won nine Paralympic swimming gold medals and is now director of Paralympic integration for the 2012 organising committee, said the games could change the way society views disabled people, as they did in South Korea after it hosted the 1988 games. He said the weekend of programmes was a “great way to launch it with two years to go” and would be “a great weekend of sport”. Channel 4 also announced that BT and Sainsbury’s had become joint sponsors of its Paralympic programming. That Paralympic Show, Saturday 28 August, 1.25pm, Channel 4. Inside Incredible Athletes, Sunday 29 August, 9pm, Channel 4. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=122 Home secretary Theresa May has warned the chancellor that the government’s planned spending cuts could cause it to breach its legal duty to promote disability equality. May wrote to George Osborne on 9 June in her role as women and equalities minister, two weeks before his emergency budget, warning him of “real risks that women, ethnic minorities, disabled people and older people will be disproportionately affected” by spending cuts. Her letter was written on the same day that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) wrote to the civil servants who head every government department – including the Treasury – to ask for “reassurance” that they would comply with their legal duties to consider the impact of spending cuts on disabled people, ethnic minorities and women. A number of disabled people’s organisations have raised serious concerns about the impact of cuts on disabled people, particularly around disability benefits, with one calling plans to cut spending on disability living allowance by 20 per cent a “wholesale, brutal attack on disabled people”. In her letter, leaked to the Guardian newspaper, May said there was a “real risk” of successful legal challenges – for example by those receiving public services or the EHRC – if government departments could not show they had taken equality issues into account in reaching their spending decisions. This week, the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for equality for women, announced it was seeking a judicial review of the emergency budget on the grounds that it would increase inequality between men and women. The EHRC told Disability News Service that it was closely monitoring the potential impact on disabled people as government departments prepared their plans for spending cuts. The EHRC is in “initial discussions” with all government departments – including the Treasury – about the equality impact of their spending decisions, and is “watching with interest” the progress of the Fawcett Society judicial review. If the government fails to comply with its equality duties, the EHRC has a range of powers, which include holding a formal inquiry. Asked whether a formal inquiry was a possibility, an EHRC spokeswoman said: “I really wouldn’t want to speculate on that. So far our discussions with the departments have been fairly positive. What happens next remains to be seen.” A Government Equalities Office spokeswoman said: “The letter was simply a formality. In her capacity as minister for women and equalities, Theresa May wrote to all government departments – not just the Treasury – reminding them of their legal responsibilities under the 2006 Equality Act.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=121 Planned cuts to hundreds of jobs across London Underground could make it harder for disabled passengers to secure the assistance they need to use the service, say campaigners. Three organisations that campaign on disability issues – London Visual Impairment Forum (LVIF), Transport for All and Inclusion London – have written to the mayor, Boris Johnson, saying they are “greatly concerned” about the proposed cuts. They believe the job losses could “seriously undermine the mobility of older and disabled people in the capital”. Their letter says: “Whilst we understand that budgets are tight our concerns centre around the impact on the level of assistance that will then be available to older and disabled people. We are also concerned about the implications for personal security.” They say many disabled people rely on London Underground staff assistance to use ticket machines, negotiate barriers and access platforms, and during service disruptions and emergencies, while many disabled people feel safer if they know there are staff around to call on if needed. Transport for London (TfL) is planning to cut up to 800 posts. It says most of them will be ticket office positions. A TfL spokesman said that only one in 20 journeys involved any interaction at a ticket office window, while it wants to “deploy staff more visibly in stations where they can more easily assist passengers”. He said all stations “will continue to be staffed at all times while trains are operating”, and added: “The safe operations of our network remains at the top of our priorities and these changes will improve our performance still further.” But LVIF, Inclusion London and Transport for All said that some disabled people were unable to use automatic ticket machines and would continue to need assistance from staff in ticket offices. They said their concerns “should be addressed in detail” before they could be reassured that staff would still be available to meet the needs of disabled people after the job cuts. They pointed to the example of a disabled woman who had reported her experience of separate journeys through three tube stations. “In none of these stations were staff visible and she was unable to find anyone to offer advice or assistance. “Whereas she normally feels relaxed and confident when using the underground, on these occasions she felt frightened and vulnerable.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=120 Police are considering reopening an investigation into abuse of people with learning difficulties at an NHS day centre, after a report detailing the abuse was leaked to the press. The report describes how staff at the Solar Centre in Doncaster allegedly hit service-users and used “inappropriate force”, as well as detailing other allegations of ill-treatment between 2005 and 2007. The local newspaper that obtained the report said there were 44 allegations of abuse, and that staff had allegedly threatened and humiliated service-users, withheld food and drink and locked them in cupboards. Following concerns raised by other members of staff in early 2007, South Yorkshire police investigated allegations that staff were physically assaulting service-users, but failed to produce enough evidence to press any charges. Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) then carried out its own investigation, which ended in November 2008. Its subsequent report described incidents involving 18 service-users with learning difficulties, high support needs and physical and sensory impairments. The trust said the “majority” of the allegations made against four members of staff were proven, although all four are said to have denied all the allegations. But the trust failed to pass copies of its report to families of those allegedly abused until January this year, at the end of lengthy disciplinary procedures. And RDaSH admitted this week that it also failed to pass a copy of its report to the police. Ian Jerams, the trust’s chief operating officer, said: “The police had already concluded their enquiries and much of the trust’s report was based on the police investigation. “The trust is of the view that there is no additional evidence from its internal investigation not already known to the police. “We are however liaising with the police over any future action they may wish to pursue.” It is also unclear what action was taken against the four members of staff following the disciplinary process. Jerams said: “Two no longer work for the trust and a third did not return to work at the Solar Centre or in any of the trust’s community learning disability services. “A fourth person involved was employed by another trust and worked at the Solar Centre under a service level agreement.” He added: “The trust has expressed sincere regret and has apologised to the service users and their families for failing to protect the day centre users from the actions of the staff members concerned.” Detective chief inspector Matt Fenwick, of South Yorkshire police, said in a statement: “I have requested a copy of the report that came out in January. “This will be reviewed and if additional evidence is present, or further allegations have been highlighted, then consideration will be given to reopening this investigation.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=119 The UK’s elections watchdog says that tough new powers would allow it to force action from elections officers who fail to make their polling stations accessible to disabled people. The Electoral Commission called for the new powers in a report on this year’s general election, when chaotic scenes saw more than 1,200 people unable to vote because of queues at polling stations. The commission said the government should produce a “comprehensive electoral modernisation strategy” to ensure that future elections were “straightforward, accessible and secure”. A commission spokeswoman told Disability News Service that giving it a “power of direction” over returning officers – who are responsible for running elections in local areas – would enable it to force improvements in those areas with inaccessible polling stations. A survey of more than 1,000 polling stations at the election by the disability charity Scope found two thirds (67 per cent) failed to meet at least one of seven basic access criteria – such as having large print ballot papers and a tactile voting device for visually-impaired people. This was an improvement of just one percentage point since 2005. Scope also found just 59 per cent of polling stations had properly-designed level access into the building, down from 60 per cent in 2005. The commission spokeswoman said: “At the moment there is nothing either us or Scope could do outside the normal disability laws. Part of the problem is all we can do is give guidance to people.” Marc Bush, Scope’s head of policy, said non-disabled voters had suddenly realised what disabled people had been experiencing at elections “since time immemorial”. He said Scope was “slightly disappointed” that the commission was only calling for urgent change because of the problems experienced by non-disabled people. He said: “Had they heeded the findings of our previous reports they would have known that inevitably the system would lead to this for non-disabled people as well.” He said Scope was also disappointed that the commission’s report did not call for an expansion of voting methods, such as online voting. He said: “If people had that choice and they could enforce best practice [at polling stations] people would have a real choice.” A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said the government welcomed the report, and the finding that the elections were “well run in the main with most areas encountering no major issue” was “welcome”. She added: “We will respond to the report once we’ve had a chance to consider it fully and to hear the views of other stakeholders on the recommendations made.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=118 Disabled activists campaigning against the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia are facing yet another attempt to force the government to weaken the law. Lawyers for Tony Nicklinson, a stroke survivor with high support needs, announced this week that they want the director of public prosecutions (DPP) to issue guidelines stating when it would be in the public interest to prosecute cases of euthanasia. They said that Nicklinson, who can only move his head and eyes, has made a “clear and settled” decision that he wants to die when ready to do so, but is unable to carry out that wish himself. He wants his wife to be able to end his life without facing prosecution for murder. The case is similar to that of Debbie Purdy, who used the courts to force the DPP to list the factors to be considered by prosecutors when deciding whether to charge someone with assisted suicide. But Nicklinson wants the DPP to issue guidance for cases of euthanasia, in which someone actively takes a disabled person’s life, rather than assisting them to take their own life. The DPP, Keir Starmer, has refused to issue new guidance because he believes existing guidelines and advice for prosecutors are “sufficient”. Nicklinson’s lawyers this week issued legal proceedings in the high court seeking a judicial review of the DPP’s refusal to issue new guidance. But the Care Not Killing alliance – whose members include RADAR – said the current law “acts as a powerful deterrent” and changing the law was opposed by “the vast majority of disabled people and disability rights organisations in our country” and would “contribute to a mindset that the lives of sick or disabled people are somehow less worth living”. In a witness statement, Nicklinson said he had “no privacy or dignity left” and added: “I am fed up with my life and don’t want to spend the next 20 years or so like this.” Saimo Chahal, Nicklinson’s solicitor, said: “The law of murder is inflexible and the Law Commission was right when, in 2006, it recommended that the law should be reviewed, particularly in the context of mercy killing.” A spokeswoman for the DPP said there were “a number of important distinctions between assisted suicide, euthanasia and so-called mercy killing”. She said: “Suicide, whether assisted or not, and murder are very different acts in that the former requires a person to take their own life, whereas the latter involves a person doing an act that ends the life of another.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=117 Disabled people should be supported to find mainstream employment rather than “special” jobs in separate, sheltered workplaces, according to a new report. The Supporting Sustainable Careers report by RADAR suggests ten “propositions” that would make it easier for disabled people to gain decent pay, career development opportunities, status and inclusion in society, and freedom from discrimination. It concludes that in general – although not for every disabled person – open employment with the necessary support meets more of these “key factors” than other options, such as sheltered workplaces. The report was funded by Remploy, which still employs about 3,000 disabled people in 54 sheltered factories, despite closing 29 factories as part of a controversial modernisation programme. Tim Matthews, chief executive of Remploy, told Disability News Service at the report’s launch that he doubted whether there would be a long-term role for employment settings where there were “100 per cent disabled people congregating together”. He said that “there may well be a place for sheltered factories in the future” but they would “increasingly” have to fulfil the criteria outlined in the report, such as providing career progression, offering “real jobs” that were not subsidised and being part of an inclusive workforce. RADAR’s report also says that the continued existence of separate workplaces just for disabled people makes it harder to tackle bullying, harassment and discrimination in mainstream workplaces. And it says disabled people should be offered extra support to keep their jobs – particularly in the light of current public spending cuts – because they face greater risks of long-term unemployment. The highest priority, says the report, is to enable disabled people to achieve “career security” – building up the skills and experience to move from one job to another. Liz Sayce, chief executive of RADAR, said: “In past recessions, disabled people have ended up living on benefits for decades. “As public sector jobs are cut we need to stop that happening again – by using scarce resources efficiently on the type of employment support we know works. “That means offering all disabled people the chance of a regular job as jobs come back on stream, help to get the skills the economy needs and pay that is at least the minimum wage. Everyone needs to raise their expectations of what disabled people can do.” Researchers for the report talked to more than 50 disabled RADAR members, disability organisations, trade unionists and supported employment providers. Among its other “propositions”, the report says disabled people should have the opportunity to manage and control their own job support, while more social firms should be led and managed by disabled people. It also says that there is “no place” for sheltered work that contributes to the economy but offers less than the minimum wage, while businesses should only let contracts to social firms or supportive businesses that offer at least the minimum wage to their disabled employees. And it calls for disabled volunteers to be offered career development support so they can move on to paid employment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=116 Disabled campaigners have welcomed the new commission that will examine the funding of adult care and support in England, despite concerns that the government could have already ruled out some methods of funding the system. Paul Burstow, the Liberal Democrat care services minister, said the government was “determined to build a funding system that is fair, affordable and sustainable”. But Andrew Lansley, the Conservative health secretary, warned that the new system would have to be “consistent with the government’s deficit reduction plan”. And he said the commission would be asked to find “the best way to meet care and support costs as a partnership between individuals and the state”. Lansley also said the commission’s recommendations would have to be compatible with the government’s personalisation agenda, take into account how the right “housing and related services” can support disabled people, and examine the links between the social care and benefits systems. Sue Bott, director of the National Centre for Independent Living, said she was “concerned” about the use of the term “partnership” because it could imply that the government will not consider funding the care and support system through general taxation, a solution which has widespread support among disabled people and their organisations. She said: “We will be reiterating again that we think social care should be funded from general taxation. If that funding option is ruled out we would be very unhappy.” But she welcomed the tight timescale, with the commission told to complete its work by the end of July 2011. She said: “The crisis is now. We have had these debates ad infinitum. It is time to get on with it.” Marije Davidson, RADAR’s senior policy and parliamentary officer, called on the commission to ensure that its recommendations were “fully informed by the views and experiences of disabled people”. She said the current system “leads to inequity across the country”, causes “stress and insecurity to disabled people”, keeps them in poverty and denies them opportunities to participate in their communities. The commission will be chaired by the economist Andrew Dilnot, who will be joined by two former directors of social services, Dame Jo Williams, the former chief executive of Mencap and now acting chair of the Care Quality Commission, and the Labour peer and former health minister Lord Warner. There has been some concern that the government failed to appoint a disabled member of the commission, but a Department of Health spokesman said the government was “confident” it had “the right mix of skills and experience to engage effectively with the needs and preferences of people with disabilities”. He said the government had suggested that the commission should appoint a panel of representatives of older people, working-age disabled people and carers to be “consulted regularly on the commission’s work”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=115 The advertising watchdog has ruled that a TV advert that features a blind footballer accidentally kicking a cat is not offensive and does not need to be taken off air. More than 1,000 viewers complained to the advertising watchdog about the advert for the Irish bookmaker Paddy Power – so far seen by an estimated ten million adults – which features two blind football teams using a ball with a bell inside it. When the ball is kicked out of play, a cat with a bell around its neck runs onto the pitch, and is kicked into a tree by a player who mistakes it for the ball. Of those who complained, 220 viewers said it was offensive to blind people while more than 1,000 complained on the grounds of animal cruelty. Paddy Power told the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that the ad “enabled them to promote and create awareness of a lesser-known sport”, “would enhance appreciation of the skill required by those who participated in the sport” and was “humorous and slapstick in nature”. The company claimed it had received “extremely positive feedback from the blind and partially sighted community”. The ASA claimed the ad “featured, and was supported by members of the England Blind Football Team” and that it was “unlikely to be seen by most viewers as malicious or to imply that blind people were likely to cause harm to animals”. It concluded that the ad was “unlikely to be seen as humiliating, stigmatising or undermining to blind people and was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence”. It ruled that Paddy Power had not breached the advertising standards code, either in its depiction of blind people or in its treatment of cruelty to animals. A spokesman for the Football Association (FA), football’s governing body, which supports the national blind football squad, said only former international players had taken part in the advert, and so the part of the ASA ruling that said the advert was supported by members of the England team was “not strictly accurate”. But no-one from the FA was available to comment further on the ASA ruling. The world blind football championship is due to take place in England from 14 to 22 August. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=114 The prime minister and the US president, Barack Obama, have discussed the case of disabled computer hacker Gary McKinnon, who faces the threat of extradition to the United States. The two leaders discussed McKinnon’s case during their meeting at the White House this week, and in a subsequent televised press conference. If extradited, McKinnon, who has Asperger’s syndrome, faces a trial for allegedly hacking into US defense department computer systems, and a possible prison sentence of 60 years if convicted. David Cameron said he hoped a “way through” could be found in the case but that he understood McKinnon was accused of “a very important and significant crime”. Obama said he hoped the matter could be “resolved in a way that underscores the seriousness of the issue but also underscores the fact that we work together and we can find an appropriate solution”. Cameron later told the BBC that discussions between the UK and the US ambassador about the case had started under the Labour government and were continuing. He appeared to suggest that these discussions were focused on allowing McKinnon to serve “some” of any prison sentence handed to him by a US court in a British prison. But this would still mean extraditing him to the US to stand trial. Cameron said discussions had been taking place “to see if there isn’t some way of dealing with this case where perhaps the sentence is given in America but some of the – if there is a prison sentence – is served in a British prison”. Cameron and Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, were among senior coalition figures who criticised the Labour government’s failure to stop McKinnon’s extradition when they were in opposition. Home secretary Theresa May has asked for more time to consider McKinnon’s case, before the high court rules on whether the previous government was right to refuse to halt the extradition. Last November, the then home secretary Alan Johnson decided the extradition could go ahead after considering new evidence relating to McKinnon’s mental health, which suggested he was highly likely to try to kill himself if extradited. Johnson told MPs at the time that extraditing McKinnon would not breach his rights under the European Convention of Human Rights. The high court is due to consider whether Johnson should have halted the extradition in the light of the new evidence. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=113 Local and national government could take simple steps that would make it easier for thousands of wheelchair-users to find accessible homes, according to a new report. The Mind the Step report estimates that about 78,000, or 13 per cent, of households in England that include a wheelchair-user are living in homes that are not fully wheelchair-accessible. The report – produced by the accessible housing association Habinteg and London South Bank University – says that only about 16 per cent of all homes in England would allow a wheelchair-user to enter easily through the front door. Sandra Ruddick, a wheelchair-user and a Habinteg tenant and board member, who spoke at this week’s launch of the report, said there was “such a vast amount of need out there” for wheelchair-accessible housing. She also pointed to the contrasting provision in different parts of the country, sometimes even between neighbouring London boroughs. Nearly one in four wheelchair-user households in the north-west of England and nearly one in five in London are in accommodation that is not fully wheelchair-accessible, compared with less than one in ten in the south-west and one in 20 in the south-east. The report concludes: “The figures are not huge, the solutions are not complicated and most of the mechanisms to increase the supply of suitably designed homes and improve the accessibility of people’s existing homes are already in place.” Among its recommendations, the report calls for more new homes to be built to wheelchair-accessible standards and for the government to recognise the importance of adaptations to homes. It also criticises the inefficient allocation of existing accessible and adaptable social housing – in 2008-09 only 22 per cent of local authority and housing association “wheelchair standard” properties were allocated to households that included a wheelchair-user. Councils, it says, should set up accessible housing registers to hold information on accessible properties and housing applicants who need wheelchair-accessible housing. The report also calls for continued funding for wheelchair-accessible housing from the Homes and Communities Agency, which sponsored the report, and for local authorities to ensure that wheelchair standard homes are included in all new developments with reasonable access to local amenities. It suggests that local authorities should use the report’s figures on unmet housing need to set their own five-year targets for the development of new wheelchair standard homes. And it calls on estate agents and lettings agencies to use accessibility as a selling point in advertising homes for sale or rent. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=112 Disability organisations in the UK could learn from developing countries about how to cope with the impact of public sector funding cuts, according to a leading disabled human rights expert. Diane Mulligan, who leads the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s work on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said many developing countries had been forced to be “creative” in how they promote disability equality. She told Disability News Service: “With the austerity measures being taken by the new coalition government, we can learn a lot from the global south on how to do things well within a limited budget and resources.” In using role models to change attitudes to disabled people, some developing countries have focused on everyday disabled people doing everyday things, rather than “over-performers” such as Paralympians or the Labour MP David Blunkett, she said. Other developing countries have developed low-cost accessible latrines. Mulligan, a long-standing member of the EHRC’s disability committee and a new member of the government’s Equality 2025 advisory network, said the impact of funding cuts on disabled people would become clearer in the autumn when the government starts “spelling out some detail on welfare reform, independent living and social care”. But she said the “age of austerity” and the lack of resources might prove to be “beneficial”, as it could force disability organisations to come together and cooperate in campaigning for the government to fully implement the UN convention in the UK. She believes the UN convention will have an impact on disabled people’s rights in the UK, in areas such as independent living, particularly as disabled people will be able to hold the government to account for its decisions, as it has signed up to the convention’s optional protocol. But she said the disability movement and other disability organisations would have to work together “with a united voice” and “forget our differences” if they want to “make much headway” in ensuring disability rights are fully implemented. She added: “It is easy to fight your own corner but there is strength in coalitions.” Earlier this month, Mulligan was nominated as the UK’s candidate for election in 2012 for one of 18 seats on the UN’s expert committee which monitors implementation of the convention in those countries where it has been ratified. She has government funding for her campaign to run for election over the next two years and wants the majority of that money to be spent working with DPOs, so she will know their key concerns. One area she will focus on in the lead-up to the election is examining why the Labour government ratified the convention with reservations and an “interpretive declaration” – the government’s convention opt-outs – on inclusive education, immigration, employment in the armed services and benefits. As a member of the EHRC disability committee, Mulligan said she will ask the new coalition government to say when it will re-examine these opt-outs. “I am very interested to know why other countries didn’t feel the need to put reservations or interpretive declarations in place – there needs to be a conversation with the new government about that approach.” One of the opt-outs concerns the convention’s demand for an inclusive education system. Mulligan said Cuba was the only country in the world with a truly inclusive education system. “Cuba is not a particularly rich country but they decided that they were going to have an inclusive education system even if it meant there was one-to-one support for three children in a classroom. And it works, and it works really well.” But she warned: “It is going to cost quite a lot of money. Unless you are prepared to invest, it is not going to happen.” Mulligan was speaking as the EHRC published a new guide to the UN convention, describing disabled people’s rights and how to use them. The guide sets out how disability organisations can use the convention in negotiations, in advocacy and in legal cases, and how they can send their own reports to the UN on how the government is implementing the convention. Mike Smith, chair of the EHRC’s disability committee, said the EHRC would “continue to work with the government to make sure that it is implemented fully”. He said: “The convention is not just a paper ‘declaration’ without any teeth. It requires government to take action to remove barriers and give disabled people real freedom, dignity and equality. “Our role is to ensure Britain makes rapid progress towards making the convention rights a reality for disabled people.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=111 Disabled people who want to volunteer at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be able to start applying later this month – nearly two months earlier than non-disabled people. The 2012 organising committee (LOCOG) decided to give disabled people longer to apply after taking advice from disability organisations and volunteering teams from previous games. Disabled people who want to apply for general volunteering roles will be able to do so from 27 July, the same day applications open for anti-doping, medical and other specialist roles. LOCOG has set up arrangements with a number of disability organisations to enable disabled people to apply to volunteer early, and has promised to put disabled people who are interested in touch with one of these organisations. Non-disabled people will not be able to apply for general volunteering roles – such as spectator assistants and ticket checkers – until 15 September. Chris Holmes, who won nine Paralympic swimming gold medals and is now director of Paralympic integration for LOCOG, told a meeting of the all party parliamentary disability group that the extra time would let disabled people know they were “on an equal start line” when they started to assess volunteers in September. Baroness [Jane] Campbell, co-chair of the group, said she wanted to volunteer herself but questioned whether disabled people would “end up on toilet duty”. But Holmes said: “We want to ensure that not just the workforce but – crucially – the 70,000 volunteers across both games will be representative of the country we live in, across all strands of diversity.” LOCOG said it would be the biggest UK volunteer recruitment campaign since the Second World War. A 2012 spokeswoman said organisers “wanted to ensure that should disabled people want to explore if volunteering is for them, they have the largest possible amount of time to apply and can access whatever assistance they require”. She added: “We want this to be everyone’s 2012 and we know that, historically, disabled people are less likely to apply and are harder to reach.” The fast-food giant McDonald’s will be helping to select and train general volunteers. But LOCOG said disability awareness training for volunteers would be written and delivered by its own diversity and inclusion team, with support from other organisations. LOCOG also announced this week that the sticker manufacturer Panini will be publishing a collectable London 2012 sticker collection in the spring of 2012, featuring Paralympic and Olympic legends. In early 2012, Panini will also launch a “collectable trading card game” featuring successful Paralympic and Olympic athletes from the “past, present and future”. Information on how to apply to be a volunteer will be available from 27 July at: www.london2012.com/volunteering http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=110 A disabled peer has engineered a victory over the government in a Lords vote that could help guarantee the future of local authority support services for disabled pupils. Baroness [Rosalie] Wilkins was one of several disabled peers who raised serious concerns about the impact of the government’s new academies bill. They say that because the bill will increase the number of academies – publicly-funded independent schools that are free from council control – it will also increase the drain of resources from local councils’ specialist support budgets. Baroness Wilkins told fellow peers this week that a large increase in the number of academy schools would mean services for children with “low incidence” special educational needs (SEN) or impairments would become “untenable”. She said the bill could mean that “large numbers of deaf and blind children and others with multi-sensory impairments” would not get the support they needed. She moved an amendment that would allow councils to keep all of the funding for support services, rather than giving a share of that money to academies. Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson supported the amendment and said she had experienced a lack of funding for support when she was at school, and feared other disabled pupils would not receive the “rounded education that they all deserve” if changes were not made to the bill. Baroness [Jane] Campbell also backed the amendment, and said she had met with two young disabled pupils who feared the impact the bill would have on the support they received. A fourth disabled peer, Lord [Colin] Low, said the problem was “already serious” and “likely to grow”, with local authority budgets shrinking because of existing academies. He said councils were the only realistic providers of such services, and added: “If the budget is removed from local authorities so that they cannot provide specialist services, there is the problem of knowing where academies will buy them in for their pupils from low incidence groups.” Lord Hill, the Conservative junior education minister, said the government would work closely with local authorities, examine the funding of low-incidence SEN, and “monitor the impact of increasing numbers of academies on local authority sensory impairment services”. But Baroness Wilkins said she was not reassured by his comments and asked for a vote on her amendment, which was passed by 193 to 171 votes. The bill now passes to the Commons, with its second reading due on 19 July. When asked whether the government would attempt to overturn the amendment in the Commons, a Department for Education spokeswoman said: “Ministers are now considering their options.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=109 Campaigners fear that delays in bringing forward key elements of the Equality Act could mean the coalition government is planning to water down parts of the legislation. The government announced this week that much of Labour’s act – which streamlines existing equality laws and provides new protection in some areas – would come into force this October, as planned. This will include laws banning employers from using health questionnaires to discriminate against disabled job applicants; providing protection from indirect disability discrimination; and making it easier to prove that someone seeking protection under the act is a disabled person. But the coalition government has yet to consult on the draft regulations that will describe the specific duties that public bodies such as councils and NHS trusts will have to meet as part of a new single equality duty. The Government Equalities Office (GEO) told Disability News Service this week that the public sector duty and the draft regulations were being considered as part of a review of laws passed by the previous government but not yet implemented. A GEO spokeswoman said the government was “looking at how the rest of the act can be implemented in the best way for business”. Earlier this week, Theresa May, the home secretary and minister for women and equalities, said: “A successful economy needs the full participation of all its citizens and we are committed to implementing the act in the best way for business.” The duties have been a key area of concern for many campaigners. Only when the government publishes the draft regulations will disabled people know how far the government wants public bodies to go in promoting disability equality. Anne Kane, policy manager for Inclusion London, said she was concerned about the government’s delay in publishing the draft regulations, and feared that this might signal a weakening of the specific duties. She highlighted concerns that the government’s comments about business might mean it is planning to water down Labour’s plans for specific duties on procurement. The procurement duties could force public bodies to consider disability and other equality factors in the £125 billion a year they spend on buying goods and services from the private sector. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=108 Campaigners fear the government could bow to pressure from the house-building lobby and delay the implementation of compulsory accessibility and adaptability standards for all new homes. The Foundation for Lifetime Homes and Neighbourhoods – the accessible housing provider Habinteg, RADAR, Age UK and the Town and Country Planning Association – spoke out as it launched a new version of its Lifetime Homes Standard following a consultation. The standard is a set of 16 design criteria – key features that should be included in the design of accessible and adaptable housing. The foundation said it was vital that all new homes were designed according to the Lifetime Homes Standard, with 300,000 disabled and older people living in unsuitable housing. The Labour government had agreed that all public sector housing in England would be built to the Lifetime Homes Standard from 2011 (it is already a requirement in Wales and Northern Ireland), with a target of 2013 for all private sector homes. But it backed away from this commitment in last December’s pre-budget report, saying it wanted “a proportionate approach” and that any move to make the standard mandatory for all new homes would not be until 2013 “at the earliest”. Labour’s review of Lifetime Homes policy is continuing under the new coalition government. Andy Shipley, the foundation’s Lifetime Homes coordinator, said: “The government has committed to continuing the review but it is still unclear which way they are going to go with it and how committed they are to seeing Lifetime Homes as the way forward.” And he warned that even the target for Lifetime Homes to be mandatory for all public sector homes by 2011 was now not guaranteed. He said there was “considerable concern” that the government would bow to demands from housing developers for a “lighter regulatory touch” because of the state of the economy. No-one from the Communities and Local Government department was available to comment. The disabled peer Baroness [Rosalie] Wilkins, a patron of the foundation, has called on the government to consider “the range of social, health, welfare and economic savings” made by adopting the Lifetime Homes Standard. During a Lords debate on affordable housing, she added: “In developing their social care policy, will the government include the benefits of the universal adoption of the Lifetime Homes Standard as an efficient way to support care delivery in the home?” Baroness Hanham, the junior communities and local government minister, said that the Lifetime Homes Standard “remains an aspiration that should be met, even if not for every single home”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=107 New laws approved by MEPs should make it easier for disabled people across Europe to travel by boat, and could also mean new rights to accessible bus and coach travel. The regulations approved by the European Parliament will mean that transport providers will not be able to deny a disabled person the right to board a boat, unless it would be unsafe or the design of the ship or port made it impossible. Ports and ships will also have to provide free assistance to disabled people – as long as they are given at least 48 hours’ notice. There should also be full compensation for lost or damaged mobility equipment or assistive devices. And important information about the journey, such as delays and cancellations, should be made available in accessible formats, while the complaints process should also be accessible. All passenger boats carrying more than 12 passengers will have to obey the new laws, which are set to come into force in 2012, although there will be some exceptions, such as excursions and sightseeing tours. The European Parliament also approved new laws that would provide free assistance to disabled bus and coach passengers. But the bus and coach regulations have yet to be approved by the individual EU member states, with negotiations likely to take place this summer. Campaigners are hoping the regulations will include compensation for lost or damaged mobility equipment, and a duty to provide key information in an accessible format, if they finally become law. The European Disability Forum (EDF) welcomed both sets of proposals. An EDF spokeswoman said: “European law applicable in all EU countries is the best way to ensure that disabled people will enjoy a comparable travel experience as everyone else.” She said that disabled passengers face a “multitude” of barriers with transport infrastructure, vehicle design and staff attitudes, despite the European Union treaty guaranteeing freedom of movement to all EU citizens. She said there was a “serious lack of information” in accessible formats, poor levels of assistance, and “difficult physical access”. But she warned that some companies would probably “not respect” the new laws, so disabled people would have to take legal action to enforce their rights, as they did with the EU’s air passenger laws, which came into force in 2008. The EDF called on the disability movement to lobby national governments to back the bus and coach proposals. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=106 Soul legend Stevie Wonder has delivered a plea to “make the world more accessible”, at the end of his headlining appearance at the Glastonbury music festival. The singer-songwriter, who is blind, had performed some of his classic hits, including Higher Ground, Superstition and Happy Birthday, in front of an estimated crowd of 100,000 people on the final day of the festival. But as he finished his set, he appealed to the crowd to “encourage the world to make the world more accessible for those who are physically challenged”. To a roar of approval from the crowd, he added: “Make it more accessible. Let there be nowhere that I cannot go being blind, or one cannot go being deaf, or someone cannot go being paraplegic or quadriplegic. “Make it accessible so that we can celebrate the world as well as you can.” The musician has a long track record of campaigning on civil and human rights issues, and raising funds for disability and other causes. Elsewhere at the festival, Attitude is Everything (AIE), which campaigns for better access to live music for disabled people, showcased several Deaf and disabled musicians and DJs on one of the open air stages. Performers included Bug Prentice and La Rebla Fam, both of which have disabled band members, and Deaf Rave DJs MC Geezer, DJ Inigo and DJ Ceri. Other disabled musicians who appeared at the festival included the Congolese band Staff Benda Bilili and Mystery Jets, whose frontman Blaine Harrison is disabled. AIE also provided 10 Deaf and disabled stewards to assist disabled festival-goers on the accessible campsite and on the viewing platforms. Suzanne Bull, chief executive of AIE, said it was too early to evaluate access at this year’s festival, but she added: “Glastonbury work very hard to do the best that they can. They are open to the suggestions and feedback and evaluation that we give them.” She pointed to notices written by festival founder Michael Eavis on the doors of the accessible toilets, asking non-disabled people not to use them. She said: “What is changing is that they are asking the question now instead of us bringing it up.” She added: “They are not just talking about [disabled] audiences anymore, they are talking about artists, too.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=105 A new law which could improve access to pubs and clubs in Scotland has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. The law will force bars to provide details of their access when applying for new licences or major changes to their licensing conditions. Local councils will publish the statements on their websites, so disabled people can check out access at a pub or club before they visit. The new law was included as an amendment to the criminal justice and licensing (Scotland) bill, which was passed by the Scottish parliament this week. The amendment was lodged by MSP George Foulkes, who took up the issue after being approached by wheelchair-user Mark Cooper, from Edinburgh. Cooper launched a successful Facebook campaign for better access – Barred! – after being told by an Edinburgh pub that it had no accessible toilet, even though it had level access. Cooper’s campaign was taken up and expanded by the disability charity Capability Scotland, which now employs him as a parliamentary and policy officer. Cooper said he was “delighted” that campaigners’ hard work had paid off, and said the new law would ensure that “disabled people can make informed choices about where they go to socialise”. He added: “I think it will make a tremendous difference because it will allow disabled people to plan and enjoy a night out and not have to figure out the barriers that could occur.” Jim Elder-Woodward, convenor of Independent Living in Scotland, a disabled people’s organisation set up to develop the independent living movement in Scotland, praised the Barred! campaign but said the new law was “only a start” towards making it easier for disabled and non-disabled people to meet and relate to one another. He said pubs and bars had been “central to the British way of socialising for generations” but “for many disabled people, they have been no-man’s land”. He said: “The inaccessibility of most bars and pubs has cut off vital resources in disabled people’s attempts to integrate and participate in their local communities. “Irrespective of the amount of time spent in sharing work or educational experiences, it is only by sharing social time with non-disabled people, that the real barriers between them and disabled people can come tumbling down.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=104 The government has admitted there are “unacceptable” variations in the quality of wheelchair services across the country. Paul Burstow, the Liberal Democrat care services minister, said many disabled people experienced a “poor” service, with long waiting-times and “far too much off-the-shelf or ‘like it or lump it’ provision”. His comments came in a Commons debate on wheelchair services, secured by Labour MP David Anderson, who chairs the all party parliamentary group on muscular dystrophy. It followed last week’s Commons launch of the Get Moving report by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, which called for improved wheelchair services. The report includes a string of examples of disabled people who have had problems obtaining the right wheelchair. Burstow, who attended the launch of the report, said he had been left “in no doubt that wheelchair services is an area that really does require improvement”, while there needed to be “real improvement in extending personalisation to wheelchair services”. He said it was common for people to wait months for a wheelchair, and not uncommon for them to wait years for a powered wheelchair, with an “unacceptable” degree of regional variation in the standard of services. Burstow added: “The majority of wheelchair services are provided by the National Health Service, and should be subject to consistent, national standards, applied by local commissioners to the needs of individual populations.” And he said his jaw “nearly hit the floor” when he discovered that 57 per cent of wheelchair budgets were eaten up by administration costs. He said that two pilot projects in the east and south-west of England – announced by the Labour government in March – would “sow the seeds for best practice to take root across the whole NHS”. The pilots were the latest in a series of efforts by the Labour government to improve wheelchair services. In 2002, it launched a “Wheelchair Services Collaborative”, a partnership between the Department of Health and the NHS Modernisation Agency that aimed to “support significant improvements in NHS wheelchair services”. And in 2006, prime minister Tony Blair announced that a Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services programme would aim to find a new way of delivering equipment, with a bigger role for charities. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=103 A high-profile court case has been put on hold after a council agreed to work with disability organisations on its plans for a controversial “shared streets” development in London’s tourist heartland. The charity Guide Dogs had raised serious concerns – backed by 30 disability organisations – over the development of Exhibition Road by Kensington and Chelsea council. Shared streets designs usually remove kerbs so motorists and pedestrians can share the street space, but users of the space have to make eye contact to establish right of way. Campaigners say the need for eye contact and the absence of kerbs, which people with guide dogs and long canes use to navigate, puts visually-impaired people at risk. Exhibition Road is used by an estimated 19 million pedestrians a year and runs from Hyde Park past the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Guide Dogs won the right in March in the high court to challenge the council’s plans through a judicial review. But the court case has now been put on hold after the charity reached an agreement with the council. As part of the agreement, Kensington and Chelsea said it hoped to obtain permission from the Department for Transport for a new shared streets traffic sign that would give pedestrians right of way. Guide Dogs and other disability organisations will also work with the council on “real world trials” to test the “corduroy paving” markings that will separate the pedestrian and traffic zones. Guide Dogs and other members of the scheme’s access group will be “fully consulted” on how the trials are carried out, and how the results are evaluated. If the trials show the tactile paving is not “sufficiently detectable”, the council has promised that its cabinet will reconsider the designs. Richard Leaman, chief executive of Guide Dogs, said the charity was “delighted” with the agreement, and said he hoped it could “herald a new approach to the development of street design in the UK”. He added: “Blind and partially sighted people have told us that, for them, shared surfaces are ambiguous and distressing environments which can stop them from enjoying the independence and freedom that the rest of us take for granted. “By working together, we should be able to ensure that Exhibition Road meets the needs of everyone – so being truly fit for the 21st century.” Inclusion London welcomed the council’s decision to work with Guide Dogs and disabled people on the trials “and amend the plans if trials reveal barriers to disabled people”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=102 Almost half of doctors – and more than a third of nurses – believe people with learning difficulties receive poorer healthcare than the rest of the population, according to a new survey. Similar numbers have seen a patient with a learning difficulty being treated with neglect or lack of dignity or receive poor care, while nearly four out of ten doctors and a third of nurses believe people with learning difficulties face discrimination in the NHS. The online survey of more than 1,000 doctors and nurses for the charity Mencap also found that more than half of doctors and more than two thirds of nurses admitted they needed guidance on how treatment should be adjusted to meet the needs of patients with learning difficulties. The results come two weeks after Andrew Lee, director of People First (Self Advocacy), said people with learning difficulties still faced a two-tier health system. Lee told Disability News Service that he and other people with learning difficulties faced a “lottery” on whether they were taken seriously by healthcare staff when seeking treatment. Three years ago, Mencap’s Death by Indifference report highlighted the cases of six people with learning difficulties who died unnecessarily in NHS hospitals, and accused the NHS of institutional discrimination. The following year, Sir Jonathan Michael’s inquiry into access to healthcare for people with learning difficulties – set up in response to Death by Indifference –found “convincing evidence” that they had “higher levels of unmet need and receive less effective treatment”. Mencap published the results of the new survey as it launched its Getting It Right campaign, which has been backed by the National Autistic Society. It wants health trusts to sign up to a charter, which explains the adjustments healthcare professionals should make when treating someone with a learning difficulty. Among its demands are: awareness training for all staff; a learning difficulties liaison nurse in every hospital; staff to ensure every person with a learning difficulty can have an annual health check; and information that is accessible to people with learning difficulties. Mark Goldring, Mencap’s chief executive, said the survey showed the need for “urgent action”, while the campaign aims to ensure that “ignorance and discrimination need never be the cause of death of someone with a learning disability”. He said the charter would make health trusts accountable to people with learning difficulties, and their families and carers. A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Improvements have been made in delivering healthcare for people with learning disabilities but there is still much to do. Health remains one of the three priorities for the government’s learning disability strategy.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=101 The proportion of polling stations that reached a basic level of accessibility at May’s general election was only slightly higher than the last election five years ago, according to a new survey. The survey of more than 1,000 polling stations found two thirds (67 per cent) failed to meet at least one of seven basic access criteria, an improvement of just one percentage point since 2005. And just 59 per cent of polling stations had properly-designed level access into the building, down from 60 per cent in 2005. The disability charity Scope, which carried out the survey as part of its long-running Polls Apart campaign, said the number reaching basic levels of access (an increase of just two percentage points since 2001) was “very disappointing”. The access barriers meant many disabled people were unable to cast their vote without assistance and in secret and some were not able to vote at all or could not check their vote had been counted. Almost half of those disabled people who used postal votes also reported at least one significant access barrier. Scope called for new laws that would allow councils to use any public or private accessible buildings as polling stations. It also wants councils to publish a list of the access features of its polling stations before an election, and to carry out annual reviews of polling station access. Among other recommendations, Scope said local disabled people’s organisations should carry out “mystery shopper” access audits on polling stations, while the Electoral Commission should refer serious cases of discrimination to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, or the equivalent bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It also called on the government to carry out pilots of internet voting. Ruth Scott, Scope’s director of policy and campaigns, said: “There is a pressing need for clearer accountability over how elections are delivered, to help improve the accessibility of current voting methods, as well as expanding these to include alternative methods. “Unless this happens disabled people will continue to struggle to exercise their right to vote.” The Electoral Commission said it would “look at the recommendation in Scope’s report, in light of our statutory duties”, which include “supporting electoral administrators so that they can meet their responsibilities to make elections accessible to disabled people”. A spokesman for the commission added: “Our recent report on the problems experienced by some voters on polling day highlights the need for better planning by those that run elections. “Good planning should also, as Scope’s report suggests, include planning to make voting accessible to everyone.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=100 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 legal action against councils, police forces, schools, and bus and train companies which are failing in their legal duties to prevent disability-related harassment. The inquiry is looking at how disabled victims of harassment – ranging from name-calling, offensive graffiti and cyber-bullying to damage to property, financial exploitation, rape and murder – have been supported by public bodies and transport providers across England, Scotland and Wales. It will also ask what public bodies have done to prevent such harassment, and examine its causes. Crown Prosecution Service figures for the two years to March 2009 found on average that more than one person every working day was appearing in court charged with a disability hate crime, while EHRC evidence suggests many more incidents go unreported or are not dealt with properly by public bodies. An EHRC spokeswoman said the 12 per cent cut in the EHRC’s budget demanded by the government would not affect the inquiry. Anne Novis, who leads on hate crime issues for the UK Disabled People’s Council, said she hoped disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) would influence and lead the inquiry and be its “main voice”. She said this would allow disabled people to show how little had been done to prevent harassment and “how little support we get and how hard to is to access justice services due to the barriers we face”. Novis said she hoped the EHRC would identify the guidance and support that public services need “to be proactive” but also “use their powers to penalise those who do nothing to comply with the relevant disability duties”. Mike Smith, the EHRC commissioner leading the inquiry and chair of its disability committee, said harassment was “an everyday part of life for many disabled people”. He said the inquiry would help public bodies “ensure that future tragedies are prevented and transform the way that the people of Britain value and respect disabled people”. Stephen Brookes, coordinator of the National Disability Hate Crime Network, welcomed the launch of the evidence-gathering part of the inquiry. He said too many public bodies used data protection laws as an excuse not to share information with other agencies about disability hate crime. Brookes added: “Too many disabled people do not report acts of hostility for the simple reason they feel they won’t be believed, and our aim is to ensure that this inquiry leads to ways to stop hate crime and make all agencies start taking their responsibility to disabled people more seriously.” Maria Miller MP, the new Conservative minister for disabled people, welcomed the inquiry and urged disabled people and DPOs to submit evidence, both about incidents of harassment and with examples of “positive work being done to tackle disability hate crime”. This “first wave” of evidence will be collected until 10 September, and can be given through the EHRC website, by email or via its helpline. There will also be evidence-gathering events around Britain over the next three months, with 13 already organised. These events will be publicised locally, and disabled people and organisations of and for disabled people will be invited. The commission is also likely to use its legal powers to force public bodies and witnesses to give evidence, with hearings set to take place from September. The EHRC has already written to Hinckley and Bosworth council, asking it for evidence that it is meeting its legal duties, following last year’s inquest into the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her disabled daughter Francecca. The EHRC said it could not say what action resulted from the letter for legal reasons. A council spokeswoman said: “All I can say at the moment is that the council is working with the EHRC to alleviate their concerns.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=99 New research has found that more than three guide dog 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 than three-fifths of the attacking dogs were off their lead at the time. The researchers identified 100 attacks between November 2006 and April 2009. Excluding cross-breeds, almost half of the attacking dogs were bulldogs, mastiffs, bull terriers, pit bulls and Staffordshire bull terriers, even though such breeds make up just six per cent of the UK dog population. More than two-fifths of the guide dogs needed treatment by a vet, and in a fifth of cases, either the guide dog handler or a member of the public was injured. The performance or behaviour of nearly half of the guide dogs attacked was affected, with two dogs no longer able to continue in their work. And in only six cases did the owner of the attacking dog apologise. In eight cases, they left without saying anything, even though many of the handlers were “shocked and distressed”, and unable to see if their dog needed treatment. Most of the attacks took place in public places between 9am and 3pm. The charity Guide Dogs said: “The numbers of dog attacks on guide dogs in the UK is concerning and we fear that many incidents go unreported. “Certainly our research shows that owners do not usually report attacks to the police. “Such incidents cause trauma to both the guide dog and its blind or partially sighted owner, often adversely affecting their partnership and therefore the person’s mobility.” The charity said it had urged police chief constables across England and Wales to “treat all such attacks most seriously”, while dangerous dogs laws in Scotland have already been strengthened. And in Northern Ireland “there has already been a case where an attack on a guide dog was seen as an extension of an attack on its owner”, the charity added. Guide Dogs said aggressive dogs should be kept on a lead “and muzzled if necessary”. 18 June 2010 Robots and avatars ‘are the future of assisted living’ 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 so-called “smart” technology. He was speaking at the Smart Living conference, organised by the charity PhoneAbility, which promotes access to information and communication technology for disabled and older people. Professor Collins said the next generation of hand-held navigation aids would allow people to pinpoint their location to about 10 cm, making it easier for blind people to navigate obstacles. A wheelchair-user’s hand-held electronic device will soon be able to tell a bus to lower its ramp – without needing to ask the driver – while Japanese scientists have developed a robot that can use chopsticks, to help people with arthritis. Professor Collins said sensors attached to the body will soon be able to alter the immediate environment according to a person’s health needs, although he said there was a “really interesting debate going on in Whitehall” about the potential loss of privacy. He also said there was “huge potential” for the internet to deliver “information and conversation” and provide people living alone with “a sense of community”. He even suggested that “avatars” – virtual reality images of people – could soon be providing “social well-being support” in a person’s home. He said: “I think that is a bit scary but it is something we do need to examine.” But he warned that “smart can turn to dumb very easily if you do not design very well-designed systems and well-designed support for those systems”, and said the technology must be “very cheap” so as to make it widely available. Peter Ball, strategic research director for BRE, which carries out research, testing and consultancy on the built environment, told the conference: “We have got to get these products into the mainstream because that will bring down the cost. It’s got to be affordable.” He also pointed to examples of future use of smart technology, such as wallpaper that could be set to influence a person’s mood, and motion sensors that monitor the movements of someone with a long-term health condition. Alex Cowan, a disabled delegate to the conference, said she was both “excited and scared” by some of the technologies discussed. Cowan, a disability equality and inclusive design consultant, said a disabled person must be able to say “no” to a smart device, while the technology must be “impact assessed” for any barriers it might create for disabled people. She said: “It is really important to say, ‘yes, this is fantastic technology, but what are the barriers, who might be the people who cannot use it and how can we include them?’” Any alternative versions must be “on the same level” and not inferior to the original, she added. The conference came days after the government-funded Technology Strategy Board announced a £10 million funding pot for research that would encourage investment in assisted living services and technology. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=98 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 in people’s achievements – through schemes such as RADAR’s leadership programme – was the “best use of public money”, while boosting accessibility and inclusive technology ensures that “scarce resources go further”. Caroline Waters, head of employment policy for BT, which hosted this week’s launch at the BT Tower in London, said the awards would help spread awareness of the best examples of companies and individuals that have promoted inclusion. Riam Dean said winning last year’s young person of the year award had injected her with “a new lease of life” after her successful high profile discrimination case against her former employer Abercrombie & Fitch had left her “crushed” and her confidence “shattered”. She told the launch event that she had been “spreading the word” on social networking websites to other young disabled people about the battle for equality in the workplace. Dean said she had also joined forces with the charity Changing Faces to promote “face equality” in the workplace, and had spoken to many companies about the “need to ride the wave of change”. The awards will be hosted by disabled children’s TV presenter and actress Cerrie Burnell on 29 November at a ceremony in London. This year there are awards for person of the year, young person of the year, care and support, careers and leadership, factual media, fictional media , accessibility provider, technology provider, as well as two new awards, for arts personality and sports personality of the year. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=97 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 that could soon be introduced by the Scottish parliament. The Scottish law would mean bars applying for new licences – as well as existing venues applying for major changes to their licences – would have to provide details of how accessible they were to disabled drinkers. Roy Storey, CBAG’s chair, welcomed the attempt to improve access in Scotland, but said he wanted the law to go further and ban councils from issuing licences to inaccessible venues. In his email to the three MPs, Storey said the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was “being ignored or misrepresented by those who are in a position to make a difference”. He said that only a tenth of pubs and clubs in his local village were accessible to disabled people. Storey said: “It is totally unacceptable. It is time we bit the bullet and said we are letting down the disabled people of the UK.” He has also called on his local council to stop granting licences to inaccessible venues, arguing that doing so was a potential breach of its disability equality duty under the DDA. But councillor David McVicar, Central Bedfordshire Council’s portfolio holder for safer communities and healthier lifestyles, said the law did not allow local authorities to take access into consideration in granting licences. He said the council took its duty to promote the DDA seriously and would be consulting with CBAG on new guidance for licence applicants, which would ensure that they paid “due consideration” to accessibility. Roy Storey is keen to hear from disabled campaigners in other parts of the country who want to campaign for a change in the law. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=95 The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been told by the government to slash its spending this year by nearly 12 per cent. The government has ordered the EHRC to find £7 million in savings from this year’s £60 million budget, as part of efforts to reduce the public sector deficit. The equality and human rights watchdog said it was reviewing its business plan and had implemented an immediate freeze on marketing, advertising and consultancy, and was aiming to cut the number of temporary staff. Most recruitment has been frozen, although its search for a new chief executive will continue as planned and there could still be recruitment in “frontline and business-critical areas”. An EHRC spokesman said its priorities would remain providing advice to individuals and organisations, taking “strategic” legal cases and enforcing equality law. He said: “The overall message is we will continue to ensure the most vulnerable people do not suffer unfairly as the country grapples with the current economic climate.” But he added: “It is going to be tough. We need to ensure it doesn’t hit us too much. “We had obviously been anticipating, like all other public bodies, that there would be cuts in the budget, whoever won the election. “Since the beginning of the year we had been going through a process of looking at the structure of the commission as we come up to our third anniversary.” He said this “strategic review” would ensure the EHRC delivers “the best value for money”, with results expected this autumn. He also stressed that more than £14 million in grants awarded last November to community and voluntary organisations – including several disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) – would be paid as planned as part of its strategic funding and legal grants programme, and added: “They will not be cut.” And he said the cuts would also not impact on the scope of its major inquiry into disability-related harassment, although it could be forced to review its spending on marketing and advertising in connection with the inquiry. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=94 Europe’s leading disabled people’s organisation has raised concerns over the European Commission’s failure to make disability rights a central part of its strategy for the next decade. The European Disability Forum (EDF), which fights for the rights of the European Union’s (EU) 65 million disabled people, wants disability to be a key part of Europe 2020, the EU’s strategy for economic and social development over the next ten years. But EDF said the strategy has so far failed to take the needs of disabled people into account. And it criticised the European Commission – the EU’s executive body – for carrying out frequent consultations with disabled people, but often failing to act on what they say. EDF has called on the commission and member states to make “concrete acts and commitments” on disability, and produce “well-defined targets” for Europe 2020. Among its proposals, EDF wants: a review of EU legislation to check how it is complying with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; effective European anti-discrimination laws; and measures to improve access to transport. It also wants to see targets on the employment of disabled people, inclusive education, and for bringing disabled people out of segregated institutions. EDF said it was concerned that the EU had made no long-term commitment on disability, with its 27 member states instead “developing 27 different national disability action plans”. An EDF spokeswoman said: “Coordination between the European and national actions, and clear and measurable objectives linked to the EU strategy for growth and jobs, is the road to a barrier-free Europe.” The European Commission will launch a new European Disability Strategy in the autumn, which will set out “concrete actions” for the next ten years. But EDF said it was “out of the loop” on the strategy and had not been asked to offer its views on what its priorities should be. An EDF spokeswoman added: “EDF think it would be appropriate to involve persons with disabilities in such an important strategy.” EDF called on the commission and member states to give “new impetus” to the social inclusion of disabled people by signing up to its Disability Pact, a commitment to put disability at the heart of the Europe 2020 strategy and all new EU policies. The EDF spokeswoman added: “The first step is to include persons with disabilities in the policy-making process.” No-one from the European Commission was available to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=93 New government figures show a record number of disabled graduates have been successful in a recruitment scheme that aims to find the future leaders of the Civil Service. The Fast Stream annual report for the year to November 2009 shows that 92 of the 629 candidates offered jobs (nearly 15 per cent) were disabled people, a rise of two percentage points on 2008. In 1998, there were just 12 disabled graduates taken on through Fast Stream, and in 2007 just 33. Liz Sayce, chief executive of RADAR, welcomed the figures. She said: “The numbers recruited have gone up which suggests that they are identifying talented disabled people. “This is great because for so long disabled people have been in the lower echelons of public service and not given the chance to get into the most senior roles.” The report also reveals a slight fall in the total number of applications to Fast Stream from disabled graduates, from 738 in 2008 (5.1 per cent of total applications) to 697 in 2009 (4.7 per cent). A Cabinet Office spokesman said it welcomed the rise in successful disabled applicants, which would help in its efforts to produce a more “diverse and representative workforce”. He said efforts to increase the number of disabled applicants included a Fast Stream summer internship scheme, seen as a stepping stone for those seeking a career in the Civil Service. But he said the Cabinet Office would “as a matter of course” examine why the number of disabled applicants fell slightly last year. He also stressed that the freeze on Civil Service recruitment announced by the new coalition government last month would not apply to the Fast Stream scheme. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=92 Senior civil servants criticised the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for failing to invest enough money in its employment programme for disabled people, it has been claimed. Disability Alliance (DA), the disability poverty charity, said Cabinet Office civil servants believed the failure to spend enough money on the Pathways to Work programme caused its disappointing results. DA’s comments came as a report by the public spending watchdog concluded that Pathways had proved “poor value for money”. Early results from the Pathways pilots that began in 2003 were positive, but the National Audit Office (NAO) said the scheme had had a “limited impact” in reducing the number of people receiving incapacity benefits once it was rolled out across the country. The report concludes that the voluntary aspects of the support offered through Pathways – much of it provided by the private and voluntary sector – appeared to have had “no impact”, with new claimants just as likely to find a job without it. The number of people claiming incapacity benefits – including incapacity benefit, income support on the grounds of disability, and the new employment and support allowance (ESA) – has fallen slightly in recent years, but has remained at more than 2.5 million for over a decade. The NAO report – Support to Incapacity Benefits Claimants through Pathways to Work – says the contribution of Pathways to a fall of 125,000 between February 2005 and August 2009 was probably “modest”. It concludes that it was probably the prospect of compulsory work-focused interviews and earlier medical assessments that caused the fall, while the employment support provided through Pathways appears to have had no impact on the number of disabled people finding work. The report also suggests that the introduction of the new, tougher work capability assessment – set to be gradually rolled out to all old-style incapacity benefit claimants from this autumn – was likely to be a “key instrument” in reducing the number of claimants. The report also concludes that the voluntary and private sector Pathways providers “consistently underperformed” against their targets. The new coalition government is planning to scrap all of Labour’s work programmes – including Pathways – and replace them with one single welfare-to-work programme. But Neil Coyle, director of policy for DA, said it was clear from discussions with the DWP and Cabinet Office that there was a “belief among senior civil servants that Pathways was under-funded”. He said the Cabinet Office believed that if Pathways had been “fully resourced to meet the needs of disabled people...it may have been as successful as the pilots indicated it could be”. Coyle said Pathways had helped disabled people who needed dedicated support to find the right job, and DA was concerned that the criticism of Pathways was not being matched by efforts to provide the support disabled people needed to “level the playing field”. In a prepared statement, the Conservative employment minister Chris Grayling said: “It’s clear that the welfare to work programmes developed by the previous government have failed to deliver real change for people trapped in benefit dependency. “The new administration will develop a national work programme designed to transform welfare-to-work in Britain for all benefit claimants.” When asked whether there had been criticism of the DWP by the Cabinet Office, both the DWP and the Cabinet Office referred Disability News Service to Grayling’s prepared statement. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=91 A tactile map developed by Sheffield Hallam University is being tested in Sheffield. The TacMap, is designed to help visually impaired people navigate around a city. The maps can be found at Winter Gardens and Millennium Galleries in Sheffield. It is claimed by the researchers that they could be produced for a variety of buildings, such as hotels, bus and train stations. The process by which the maps are produced is to print them on normal paper, then produced on reactive paper and placed on a heat machine which makes darker areas rise up to create the tactile lines. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=90 A case between Coleman v Attridge Law has been settled out of court. The case centred on Sharon Coleman who cares for her disabled son. Sharon claimed that disability discrimination by association because she claimed employer said she was lazy and was using her son as an excuse to alter her working conditions after she tries to take time off work to look after him. The European Court of Justice, in 2008, confirmed that Mrs Coleman’s situation was covered by the European Union Framework Directive. The Employment Appeal Tribunal agreed that Sharon Coleman had been discriminated against by Attridge Law. The Advocate General agreed with Mrs Coleman that what is important is that disability, in this case, the disability of her son, was used as the reason for her treatment, and that it is not necessary for the person who is the object of the discrimination to be disabled. The Equality Act 2010 includes a clause relating to discrimination by association. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=89 Leading campaigners have fiercely criticised the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), after new figures showed it has failed to make vital improvements to the number of disabled people who use its website and helplines. In October 2008, at the end of its first year, senior EHRC figures promised to take action to increase the number of people using its national helplines and visiting its website. But more than 18 months on, and more than two-and-a-half years after its launch, new figures obtained from the EHRC by Disability News Service show it is still struggling. The figures show the EHRC’s three helplines have dealt with just 57,120 disability-related queries across England, Scotland and Wales in more than two-and-a-half years. This is a slight improvement on its first year, when there were about 30,000 calls, just in England and across all of the seven equality “strands”. But it still compares dismally with the 104,000 calls on disability made to the Disability Rights Commission’s helpline in just one year. The EHRC also managed to increase the number of “visitor sessions” on its website from about 120,000 a month in its first year to about 150,000 six months later. But a major technical problem in June 2009 meant this plummeted to 13,000 a month, and has now crept back up to about 100,000 a month, many of which will not be disability-related. This compares with the DRC website, which reached an average of 300,000 “visitor sessions” a month in its final full year, all of which would have been disability-related. Some critics have blamed the EHRC’s failure to run prominent campaigns on disability rights or to use its website as a “knowledge bank” on equality, as the DRC did. Neil Coyle, a former DRC policy manager and now director of policy for the charity Disability Alliance, said the figures were “hugely disappointing”. He said: “Disability Alliance is frequently contacted by people who might be better supported by the statutory body responsible for monitoring the Disability Discrimination Act [the EHRC].” He said disabled people, employers, service-providers and carers needed access to information on their rights, good practice guidelines and other resources. He added: “To learn that the EHRC is not providing even the same level of support as the DRC is a massive disappointment.” Marie Pye, former head of public sector delivery at the DRC, questioned why the EHRC seemed to have failed to evaluate the performance of its website and helplines and act on the findings, as would have happened at the DRC. She said: “They need to find out why people are not contacting them, why people aren’t using the web site, and they need to sort it out. They need to get their act together.” An EHRC spokesman said: “We recognise that we would like the figures to be higher and we will be working to improve them.” He said the EHRC realised there was a “serious issue” with how well the website was working, and there were plans to re-launch an improved version. But he said that improving website visitor numbers had not been helped by the “catastrophic failure” in June 2009. He added: “We have now successfully reorganised our helpline in a way that is going to give clients a much better service.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=88 The Department for Transport (DfT) has refused to say whether it has slashed the budget of national schemes to improve access at railway stations. The alleged cuts were first exposed in a letter written before the election to the DfT by the Scottish government’s transport minister, Stewart Stevenson. Stevenson criticised the DFT’s decision to cut spending this year on the “small schemes” part of its Access for All budget from £7.9 million to just £3.9 million. The DfT said previously that it could not comment because of the election. It also refused to say whether the budget for the larger element of the Access for All scheme had also been cut. That part aims to improve access at the busiest stations and is about five times bigger than the small schemes fund. But now the election is over, with a new coalition government, the DfT is still refusing to say whether Access for All has been cut. A DfT spokesman said: “The question relates to a previous administration.” He said “no decision was ever announced” and added: “The current position is we have a new government and all transport is being looked at.” When asked whether the last government cut the Access for All budget, he said: “It is not appropriate to comment on speculation like that.” Faryal Velmi, director of the campaigning accessible transport charity Transport for All, said: “It does seem that disabled people are bearing the brunt of cuts as usual. The rail network desperately needs to be made accessible.” She said there had been some improvements, but added: “There is a lot to be done, especially in London, which is completely inaccessible. “Access for All showed a commitment and if that is going to be subsumed and eaten up that is a big matter of concern.” One announcement by the Labour government several weeks before the election suggests the DfT did slash the Access for All budget. On 1 April, Labour rail minister Chris Mole announced a £2.9 million “funding boost” to improve access at 42 stations across England and Wales through the small schemes fund. Although the announcement did not explicitly state that this was the entire allocation for 2010-2011, if it was, it would suggest – once funding for Northern Ireland and Scotland had been added in – that the budget had been cut to about £3.9 million. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee – the government’s advice body on accessible transport – said it was unable to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=87 New official guidance which makes it clear that people with HIV have the same legal hate crime protection as other disabled people should make it easier for them to report offences, say campaigners. There had been concerns that the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) existing guidance on disability hate crime excluded people living with HIV. But after receiving evidence from the National Aids Trust (NAT), the CPS has issued new guidance which makes it clear that offenders who commit a crime against someone with HIV which is aggravated by hostility towards people with HIV, should face tougher sentences. Campaigner Maurice Hebert, who himself lives with HIV, said the CPS move sends out the signal that people living with HIV were “being taken seriously”, and would help “legitimise” their experiences. He said: “These things take time, but eventually we will see people being a lot more comfortable with stepping forward and reporting HIV-related hate crime.” Hebert said such crimes were “a very important issue” for people with HIV, but many were concerned that their complaints to police would not be dealt with properly, and that their confidentiality would not be respected. He added: “The more we can tackle stigma, the more we will put people at ease to report HIV-related hate crime.” NAT said the “stigmatised nature of HIV” meant it was “vitally important that people living with HIV received the same protections as other disabled people from the moment they are diagnosed”. The charity, which has been campaigning on the issue since 2008 – with support from the Equality and Human Rights Commission – said it “warmly welcomes” the new guidance. Deborah Jack, NAT’s chief executive, said: “The publication of this revised guidance brings to an end the legal disadvantage faced by people living with HIV who are victims of hate crime. “By issuing this statement, the CPS has sent out a clear message that HIV-related hate crime will not be tolerated.” Nadine Tilbury, senior legal advisor for the CPS, said: “Crimes against people living with HIV which are motivated by hostility towards their status have no place in our society and we will prosecute those responsible robustly and, where there is sufficient evidence to do so, we will apply to the court for more severe sentences.” NAT said it would work with organisations that support people living with HIV to ensure that they know about the new guidance and can support those who have been hate crime victims. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=86 A deaf student who accused a university of failing to ensure her degree course was accessible to her has secured an important legal victory. Durham University has agreed to pay £25,000 in compensation to Rosie Watson, who quit her anthropology degree last year after claiming the university repeatedly failed to comply with an assessment of her access needs. Watson, a mature student from Darlington, said: “I just wanted to be treated as a normal student but I didn’t get the support. “Every day there was another attitudinal barrier against me. They just made it impossible for me to continue.” Watson said she hoped her case would draw attention to the problems faced by other deaf students. She knew two deaf students who quit Durham University because of a lack of support. In her witness statement, Watson described a string of examples in which tutorials, lectures and assignments were not made accessible even though she kept asking her tutor for help. Lecturers were not told about her access needs, and frequently failed to supply lesson plans in advance to allow her to plan any assistance she might need. Videos were shown without subtitles – again without any warning – and one tutor refused to arrange a tutorial group in a circle, which would have been more accessible. On one occasion, Watson missed the second half of a session because the lecturer had moved the students to another class without checking she had heard where they were going. Watson also described in her witness statement how she had been exposed to “ridicule and humiliation” in front of fellow students, and that her experiences in the second year of her course had been “completely devastating”. Her case was taken under the education section (part four) of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), and was settled out of court, although the university did not accept liability. She had sought compensation for tuition fees, the cost of student loans, injury to feelings, loss of career opportunities and damage to her mental health. Solicitor Chris Fry, of Wake Smith & Tofields, who represented Watson, said it was the first case he knew of in which a student had successfully taken such a case against a university. Many disabled people were put off by the legal costs they would have to pay if they lost their DDA case, he said. His firm took on Watson’s case on a “no win, no fee” basis, and arranged insurance to cover the university’s costs in case she lost. Fry said: “It’s an important case: a disabled person taking on a large establishment for the benefit of others. “While there has been no formal court judgement, we think there will be a wide response to it across other educational establishments.” Watson was supported throughout her case by Darlington Association on Disability (DAD). Gordon Pybus, chair of DAD, said the case showed the need for disabled people to seek support if they were facing discrimination, and the importance of access to qualifications for disabled people to allow them a better chance to find work. Michael Gilmore, Durham University’s academic registrar, said: “The university has agreed a settlement with Mrs Watson without admission of liability and it would not be appropriate to make any further comment.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=85 The recession has led to a huge increase in discrimination faced both by disabled people in work and those looking for jobs, according to a leading union activist. Diana Holland, an assistant general secretary of Unite, Britain’s biggest union, told the TUC’s annual disability conference that thousands of disabled people would lose jobs as a result of the recession. She said she had seen a “massive increase” in the number of disabled people contacting her with work-related problems since the recession began. Holland told the conference in London that there had been an increase both in discrimination at work, and discrimination faced by those trying to find jobs. Because of the economic situation, many disabled people were “fearful” of stating that they have access requirements at work, while employers were ignorant of the Disability Discrimination Act and reasonable adjustments. Michelle Daley, a consultant and former member of the government’s Equality 2025 advisory network of disabled people, told the conference: “The reality is that the recession should not be – but is – used to discriminate against disabled people.” Billy Blyth, disability employment analysis team leader for the Department for Work and Pensions, said the employment rate for disabled people had “pretty much plateaued” in the last four or five years, with about 47 per cent of disabled people in work. He warned that, because disabled people were more likely to work in public administration, health and education, they would be at greater risk through cuts to public spending. But he said the latest statistics showed disabled people had not so far been “disproportionately” affected by the recession. But Richard Rieser, a leading disabled rights activist and consultant and a member of the National Union of Teachers, fiercely criticised Blyth’s use of the word “disproportionate” and said what should be driving the agenda was the “quite appalling” level of disabled people in work. He said that disabled people shouldn’t have to pay for the financial crisis “because we have been paying all our lives”. Rieser said that if public sector organisations laid off disabled people they would be breaching their disability equality duty – under the Disability Discrimination Act – because their employment of disabled people was already so low. The conference also approved an emergency motion condemning the threatened closure of the University of Bristol’s Centre for Deaf Studies. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=84 Union activists have called on the government to set up a public inquiry into the way the police deal with disability hate crime. Delegates to the TUC’s annual disability conference unanimously backed the motion, proposed by the University and College Union (UCU), which also called on the government to pressure the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to expand its inquiry into disability-related harassment. The motion asked the TUC to write to the new home secretary, demanding a “public acknowledgement” that the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her disabled daughter Francecca Hardwick were a “direct result of disability hate crimes”. An inquest last year heard that Pilkington and her family were subjected to years of sustained harassment and abuse from a gang, much of it targeted at Francecca, who had learning difficulties. Despite 33 calls to the police, the family’s complaints were not taken seriously and the harassment was never treated as potential disability hate crime. An inquest jury concluded that the failures of the police and other public bodies contributed to Pilkington’s decision to kill herself and Francecca in 2007. Sasha Callaghan, from the UCU, told the conference that she and colleagues had been “infuriated” by media references to the deaths being caused by “anti-social behaviour”. She added: “If we have a public inquiry at least it will go some way to making sense of the terrible things that happened to them.” She also criticised the inquiry set up by the EHRC. “The EHRC just talks about disability-related harassment. That’s not the reality. It’s hostility, it’s hatred, it’s fear...to talk just about harassment doesn’t go far enough.” Stephen Brookes, chair of the disabled members’ council of the National Union of Journalists, told the conference that it was the most important motion they would consider. He said: “It is about stopping something that has caused the deaths of 32 disabled people. Support it and act on it.” Brookes said that some magistrates he meets at conferences do not even know about the extra sentencing powers they have to deal with disability hate crime offences. He added: “This is not anti-social behaviour. It is hostility against disabled people.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=83 The fears of inclusive education campaigners have been borne out after the new coalition government pledged to “remove the bias towards inclusion” in disabled children’s education. The government programme for the next five years, published by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition, also pledges to “prevent the unnecessary closure of special schools”. The Conservatives openly campaigned on a policy of reversing progress towards the inclusion of disabled children in mainstream schools, while Liberal Democrat support was contained in a policy paper published last year. The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE), which drew attention to the policy paper last week, said it was “outraged” by the announcement, which it said would “turn the clocks back by 30 years” to a time when disabled children grew up living segregated lives. Simone Aspis, ALLFIE’s campaigns and policy coordinator, said it was an “absolute disgrace” that a coalition that talked about promoting fairness and equality wanted to “remove disabled children’s rights to attend their local mainstream school”. She said: “A generation of disabled children and their non disabled peers have benefited from mainstream education. “Research shows that disabled children who attend mainstream schools are more likely to realise their ambitions and have fulfilled lives.” Andrew Little, chief executive of Inclusion London, also criticised the policy. He said: “At Inclusion London’s election meeting even the Conservative party candidate at the meeting, himself a disabled person, said he’d wished he’d had the opportunity to go to a mainstream school.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=82 The captain of England’s blind football team has criticised a TV advert that features a blind footballer accidentally kicking a cat. More than 400 people complained to the advertising watchdog about the advert for the Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, which features two teams using a ball with a bell inside it. When the ball is kicked out of play, a cat with a bell around its neck runs onto the pitch, and is accidentally kicked into a tree by one of the players. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has now launched an investigation. Some viewers were concerned about the advert’s depiction of blind people, while some complained that it encouraged or condoned animal cruelty. David Clarke, captain of England’s blind football team, who has more than 100 caps for his country, declined to be involved in the advert, which he said was “at best a cheap gag” and “in no way does justice” to the standards and fitness levels of England’s international players. He added: “The people playing the game at the highest level are very, very fit and playing to a very, very high standard. The people on show were not really that athletic.” Although he welcomed the publicity for the sport, he said he would “much rather the advert hadn’t happened”, particularly as the idea of accidentally kicking a cat was “obscene”. Blind footballers across the country were approached individually, and some of those who took part are former England internationals. But a Football Association spokesman said the advert was “not endorsed or supported by The FA or anyone involved with the current England Blind Squad”. Tony Larkin, head coach of the England blind football team, said: “Personally, I hope the advert does not detract from the fact that blind football is a serious game and is both an international and Paralympic sport.” He said that this summer’s world championships – which will take place in England from 14 to 22 August – would demonstrate that blind football is “a highly skilful and competitive” sport. A Paddy Power spokesman said the company had “a long-held reputation” for “breaking the mould and doing things that are new and innovative”, and had “sought the advice and involvement of several blind charities” before making the advert. He said the company had received a “huge amount of positive feedback from the blind or partially sighted community” following the advert. The ASA will now decide whether there was potential for the advert to cause “serious or widespread offence” under its taste and decency clauses, and whether it should be withdrawn. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=81 A new law could force many pubs and clubs in Scotland to provide details of how accessible they are to disabled drinkers. The law would apply to bars applying for new licences as well as existing pubs and clubs applying for major changes to their licensing conditions. Local councils would publish the statements on their websites, so disabled people could check out access at a pub or club before they visit. The new law has been proposed as an amendment to the criminal justice and licensing (Scotland) bill by Labour MSP George Foulkes, and should be discussed within the next month by the full Scottish parliament. Foulkes took up the issue after being approached by wheelchair-user Mark Cooper, from Edinburgh. Cooper launched a successful Facebook campaign – Barred! – after being told by an Edinburgh pub that it had no accessible toilet, even though it had level access. Cooper’s campaign calls for improved access to Edinburgh’s pubs and clubs. His Facebook group now has about 1,100 members. Cooper, now a parliamentary and policy officer with the disability charity Capability Scotland, which has taken up and expanded his campaign, said: “My friends encouraged me to start the campaign because they were sick of me complaining that this was always happening. “I have been contacted by a lot of people through the Facebook group who say they have had similar experiences.” He said he was “very optimistic” that the new amendment would make things easier for disabled people. “The amendment should allow disabled people to enjoy independent living and give them a greater freedom of choice about where to go out. “All I want to do is to go and have a beer in a pub. I think the campaign has been so successful not because of me but because it is such a simple idea.” Last year, a Capability Scotland survey found almost three-quarters of disabled people experienced access barriers when they visited pubs and clubs in Scotland, while 46 per cent wouldn’t know where to find information about accessible bars. The charity is also in discussions with the pub industry about a possible voluntary scheme for bars and clubs to publish access information. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=80 Inclusive education campaigners have warned that the new coalition government looks set to reverse decades of progress towards the inclusion of disabled children in mainstream schools. The Conservatives caused anger and alarm in their election manifesto when they demanded a “moratorium on the ideologically-driven closure of special schools”, and pledged to “end the bias towards the inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream schools”. During the election campaign, the Liberal Democrats criticised the Tory stance, saying it was clear that “some parents are concerned that under the Tories we could lurch back to a policy of only having youngsters in special schools”. The Liberal Democrat manifesto made no mention of the closure of special schools. But the Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) is now pointing to a Liberal Democrat education policy paper, published last year, in which the party pledged to force local authorities to “provide access to suitable places in special schools for those who require this”. And it said it would “end the presumption” in the Labour government’s 2004 special educational needs strategy that “the proportion of children educated in special schools should fall over time”. Simone Aspis, ALLFIE’s campaigns and policy co-ordinator, said: “We are not sure how a ‘big society’ and a ‘fair society’ are going to be created when we have both the Tories and the Liberal Democrats committed to removing the bias towards an inclusive education for disabled children.” She added: “What they are saying is they are going to make it harder for parents and disabled children to access mainstream education. “It is completely outrageous, particularly from the Liberal Democrats.” She said such a policy risked 30 years of progress towards inclusion and could take the country “back to the dinosaurs”. She added: “This is about disablism. We live in 2010 and they want to turn the clocks back. They want to encourage more disablism by segregation. “Disabled children have less rights than any other group of children to access mainstream education, and what they are going to do is to make it harder.” Peter De Oude, community involvement manager for Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People, said disabled people who attended meetings with parliamentary candidates before the election made it clear that “they wanted a society where disabled people were treated as equals”. He said: “Part of that is to include disabled people in mainstream education, which disabled people say they want. “If the coalition is reversing things that have been started in the last 10 years around mainstream education, our members will be concerned about that because they do not want to be segregated and put in ghettos.” No-one from the Liberal Democrats was available to comment. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=79 The government appears to have slashed one of the budgets for improving access at railway stations by more than half. The Department for Transport (DfT) had been intending to spend £7.9 million on improving access at stations across Britain in 2010-11 through the small schemes fund of its Access for All programme. But the DfT has apparently now cut that figure to £3.9 million. It is unclear whether the DfT has also cut the budget of the larger part of the Access for All budget which is aimed at improving access at the busiest stations. That annual budget is usually about five times bigger than the small schemes fund. The DfT was unable to comment this week because of election rules. But its apparent decision to cut the budget of the small schemes fund was attacked in a letter written to the DfT by the Scottish government’s transport minister, Stewart Stevenson. Stevenson said the DFT had intended to allocate £7.9 million to the fund in 2010-11, but had now cut that to just £3.9 million across Britain, with the amount for Scotland reduced to £390,000, also a cut of more than half. A spokesman for Stevenson, a member of the Scottish National Party, said: “How can wasting billions on nuclear weapons possibly be justified, while slashing funding by more than half on an excellent programme to improve access to the rail network for disabled people? “This budget cut must be suspended, so that the issue can be revisited after the UK election.” The Access for All fund was launched with a £370 million government funding pot in 2006, to improve access at train stations across England, Wales and Scotland. Organisations such as councils and regional transport bodies can bid for cash but must match any funding they secure. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=78 Disabled and older people have been waiting up to eight years for their councils to carry out the adaptations they need to live independently at home, according to new figures. The statistics – revealed through Freedom of Information Act requests – show the time taken between an assessment of a request for support, and the adaptation work taking place. Of the 84 English councils that provided information about their longest delays in 2008-09, 47 admitted their longest waits were at least two years, 28 said they were more than three years and 15 had longest waits of more than four years. The investigation into the system of disabled facilities grants (DFGs), which fund improvements such as installing a downstairs bathroom, a ramp, or better lighting, was carried out by the Sunday Telegraph. Staffordshire County Council said its longest delay was eight years, while in the London borough of Barnet it was more than six years, with another seven councils saying their longest delay was more than five years. A Staffordshire council spokesman said the system was “fundamentally flawed”, with county council occupational therapists responsible for assessments, while Staffordshire’s eight district councils administered DFGs. But it said it had halved its backlog since 2007 – following an £800,000 investment – with average waits falling by 28 per cent. A pilot scheme involving one of the districts cut average waits from 80 weeks to 14. The county council is now hoping to roll this scheme out across Staffordshire. Barnet council said its longest wait of more than six years was an exceptional delay caused by a dispute with the applicant, which failed to “accurately portray the experience of residents in the borough”, where average waits are about 26 weeks. But the council was unable to provide details of the next longest wait after six years. Dexter Hanoomansingh, director of Disability Action in the Borough of Barnet (DABB), said six months was still a “disappointing statistic”, while DABB had received reports of lengthy waits just to secure initial assessments. He said: “We hope more can be done to bring down that waiting time and address need in a shorter time frame.” He said he believed such problems were shared by councils “up and down the country”. And he said increasing numbers of disabled people were seeking advice from a solicitor specialising in housing issues – including problems with DFGs – who held a monthly clinic at DABB. In March, the government announced a seven per cent increase – to £167.3 million – in the annual payments it makes to councils in England to help them fund DFGs. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=77 The organisers of London 2012 have signed up the supermarket giant Sainsbury’s as a headline sponsor of the Paralympics. LOCOG, the 2012 organising committee, said the deal to become a “tier one partner” was the “largest sponsorship ever” of a Paralympics, although it would not reveal how much the retailer had paid. Sainsbury’s is the first “partner” to sponsor just the 2012 Paralympics, rather than the London Olympics and Paralympics as a whole. Sainsbury’s said it would use its network of 850 stores to promote the Paralympics in the run-up to 2012, and would sell merchandise linked to both the event and the ParalympicsGB team. It will also run a media campaign in 2012 to support the Paralympics, and will be one of two sponsors to have their names on athletes’ shirts. Sainsbury’s said it would also work with LOCOG’s education team to develop “opportunities” around its own Active Kids programme, which provides sports equipment and coaching to children. But a Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said it was too early to say how else they might use the opportunity to promote equality for disabled people. Phil Lane, chief executive of ParalympicsGB, said: “It is a testament not just to the growth of the Paralympic movement but also to the success of the British Paralympic team that a sponsor of the size and profile of Sainsbury’s has signed up.” Sir Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee, said: “With such a well-known company becoming an exclusive partner, this will set new promotional opportunities for the Paralympic Games and the movement, leaving a powerful legacy in communities across the UK.” And Lord [Seb] Coe, chair of LOCOG, said: “The support for the Paralympic Games in the UK is incredible and I’m thrilled that we are now in a position to confirm our first stand-alone Paralympics sponsor.” Justin King, Sainsbury’s chief executive, said the Paralympics would complement his company’s “commitment to promote a healthy, fitter lifestyle across all ages and abilities”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=76 The hopes of the leading British contenders in both the men’s and women’s wheelchair races in the 2010 Virgin London Marathon were dashed by punctures. David Weir was several minutes clear of the field and heading for a record-breaking fifth London victory when he suffered two punctures, first to his front tyre after 15 miles, and then to a back tyre about five miles later. Shelly Woods, who won the race in 2007, was in the leading pack of four in the women’s race when she had a puncture after 21 miles. Weir eventually finished third, behind the winner, Josh Cassidy from Canada, and Marcel Hug from Switzerland. Britain’s Mark Telford came tenth, 13 minutes behind the winner. Weir said: “I tried my hardest but it was like doing another 20 miles on top when I got two punctures.” Weir said he felt he was back to peat fitness following the problems with glandular fever that hindered his preparations for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. He said: “As soon as your back tyres go, it’s a struggle to go very far. I was in great shape this year and felt back to normal after my illness, but it’s obviously disappointing.” Woods also completed her race despite her puncture and eventually came in sixth, more than 50 minutes behind the winner, Tsuchida Wakako, from Japan, who had won the Boston marathon the previous week. Britain’s Nikki Emmerson came fourth and Sarah Piercy fifth. Woods said: “There’s nothing like racing at home and at the London Marathon. It’s just a shame I couldn’t show my sprint finish, but I will be back.” Woods is now looking ahead to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October, and the IPC Athletics World Championship in New Zealand next January. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=74 A local authority is facing formal complaints over the way it suddenly reintroduced financial assessments of disabled people who receive care services. Greenwich council in London and the Pension Service have both apologised for causing “uncertainty or distress” after letters warning of the changes were sent out on photocopied Pension Service headed paper, with no council contact details. The letters were sent out by the Pension Service, which is working jointly on the assessments with the council. But many disabled people who received the letters feared they were the victims of a scam. And at least two of them were warned on the phone that they would have to pay full care charges if they did not cooperate. Campaigners said the letters caused fear, anxiety and confusion among many disabled people in the borough. They believe the purpose of the letters was to increase revenue in a climate where councils across the country are facing financial pressures. The council also failed to notify key members of its own social services department that the letters were being sent out. Fred Williams, one of the disabled people who received the letter, said the process had been “shabby and totally unprofessional” and had caused people “a great deal of stress, anxiety and fear”. He accused the council of forcing the assessments upon people in “the most barbaric manner”. The council’s director of adults’ and older people’s services has now ordered a review of the letter and its contents. A council spokesman said: “We are concerned to hear about the way in which some of the calls were handled and that is being investigated.” He said the joint team was reassessing people’s contributions to charges for care services, although the charges themselves had been “frozen” for the second year running and previous assessments had led to more than half of service-users not making any contribution. All 1,400 users of home care services in Greenwich will face financial reassessments over the next two years. Greenwich Association of Disabled People (GADP) said the problems caused by the letters and the reassessments were “upsetting”. GADP said there should have been a consultation on the changes because it had been “a good number of years” since the council had carried out such assessments. Joanne Munn, director of GADP, said: “We are also concerned to hear the way in which our members have been spoken to concerning these financial assessments.” She called for improved staff disability equality training, and added: “If there is any expression of anxiety at all by the disabled person the call should be stopped – threatening that a person will have to pay full cost if they don’t agree to be assessed is not appropriate.” A council spokesman added: “The intention of the re-assessment is just to make sure everything is in order by ensuring that people receive the maximum amount of benefits and allowances they are entitled to whilst also making sure they are contributing, if necessary, what they need to.” He said there was “no relationship between the re-assessments and the current economic situation”. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=73 A disabled woman was today set to ask a court to prevent a council cutting the support she needs to maintain her dignity, in a case with vital human rights implications for disabled people receiving care. Elaine McDonald says Kensington and Chelsea council’s decision to cut her care package from more than £700 to £450 per week, reducing her nighttime support, would breach her right to be treated with dignity. Douglas Joy, a senior solicitor with Disability Law Service, which is conducting McDonald’s case with funding from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said the court would decide whether she has a right to dignity under the Human Rights Act. McDonald, a former principal ballerina with the Scottish Ballet, became disabled following a stroke in 1999 and needs support because of problems with strength, mobility, vision and spatial awareness. She had been provided with a weekly package of 22.5 hours of daytime support and another 10 hours of care four nights a week, worth a total of £703.59 per week. Her council needs assessment found that nighttime care was essential to provide supervision to prevent her falling while using the commode during the night, due to a bladder condition. But in December 2008, the council said it would cut her care package, saying she could be given incontinence pads instead of an overnight care worker, even though she is not incontinent. In March 2009, a high court judge refused McDonald permission for a judicial review of the council’s decision, ruling that the issue was one of safety, and that incontinence pads would safeguard her from risk by ensuring she did not have to repeatedly use a commode during the night. But following a successful appeal, McDonald was given permission for a judicial review of the council’s decision at the court of appeal, with Lord Justice Laws stating the case was “arguable and important”. Her full support package has been maintained until her case is resolved. Joy said: “We have come across other local authorities that have relied on the original high court case and cottoned on to this [argument] that all you need to do is safeguard. Hopefully, if we are successful it will right the wrong.” McDonald’s lawyers were set to argue that the council’s decision to cut her nighttime support would breach her right to respect for her private life under article eight of the Human Rights Act. They were also set to argue that her need under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act is for assistance to use the commode at night, rather than an underlying need to be “kept safe”. And they were expected to say that McDonald has been discriminated against under the Disability Discrimination Act. A council spokesman said: “When the judgement comes out we will be in the best position to comment.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=72 Nationwide has been criticised following reports that the building society will stop some customers from making withdrawals of less than £100 over the counter. Customers with its Cash Card accounts will have to withdraw smaller amounts from cash points, starting 7th June 2010.Campaigners have argued, that this will disproportionately affect some customers. Vera Cottrell, from the consumer advisory service Which?, said: ‘We are surprised and very disappointed at this, because it makes life more difficult for people on lower incomes and the vulnerable – groups that Nationwide has been good with in the past.’ A spokesperson for AGE UK, said: ‘Many older people prefer to withdraw small amounts for security and budgeting reasons, and would feel uncomfortable taking out £100 in one transaction. Cash machines are absolutely fine for many older people. But some people do find them difficult to use and would much prefer to go into the bank.’ Nationwide has defended its decision, saying that it would reduce queuing times for the majority of customers. In a written statement if also confirmed that if a branch does not have a cash machine, if the case machine is out of order, or if ‘the customer has a disability which prevents them from using the cash machine’, withdrawals from the counter would still be permitted. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=71 The Royal National Institute of Deaf People (RNID) has launched a new iPhone application. The application is the latest version of RNID's popular Hearing Check, which, according to the charity, has been used so far by over half a million people, and measures a person's ability to hear someone speaking when there is background noise. The Hearing Check application for the iPhone and iPod Touch will allow users to check their hearing for free. RNID's Chief Executive, Jackie Ballard, said: ‘This is a fantastic new way to encourage people to value their hearing and check it regularly. The Hearing Check application offers quick results and confidential advice from anywhere with a decent phone signal.’ Download the app for free from ITunes http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=70 The charity Guide Dogs has been given permission to proceed with a judicial review over the development at Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, which will feature a shared surface scheme, and is now awaiting a court date. In support of its campaign, Guide Dogs has also released research into the impact of shared surface streets on blind and visually impaired people. According to the survey of over 500 blind and partially sighted people, it was revealed that nine-out-of-ten participants interviewed said that they had concerns about using shared surface streets, with six-out-of-ten avoiding these streets or very reluctant to use them. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=69 The Court of Appeal has ruled that a housing association was not guilty of disability discrimination when it sought to evict a mentally ill tenant who kept a dog in contravention of her tenancy agreement. Thomas-Ashley v Drum Housing Association Ltd, Dee Thomas-Ashley, who has bipolar mood disorder, claims the presence of the dog was crucial to her health. The housing association told her that the dog would have to leave; when this did not happen the association took proceedings for possession in the Southampton County Court. At this hearing, Judge Murphy held Thomas-Ashley had no answer to the claim, as the appellant had an assured short-hold tenancy and the appropriate notice had been served under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. Thomas-Ashley appealed on the grounds that she could not enjoy the premises without the dog and that the housing association was in breach of its duty under section 24A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in maintaining the ‘no dogs’ provision in the tenancy agreement. Expert witness evidence supported her claim that the dog promoted her mental health and wellbeing to a marked degree. The Court of Appeal judge, Sir Scott Baker said the ‘no animals’ term did not make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for the appellant to enjoy the premises. He went on to say ‘It seems to me that the right to enjoy the premises is dictated by the terms of the lease itself. That right cannot exceed what the letting entitles the tenant do.’ It was also pointed out by the judge: • the appellant paid no particular attention to the nature of the agreement and its particular terms • she asked permission to have a dog, was refused, and went on to take a risk by having it without permission • the dog she owns is not the type of dog for which the head lessors will give consent, hence if he stays forfeiture proceedings, against which there is no defence, are inevitable The judge found that if Thomas-Ashley did not have her disability and was not allowed to keep a dog, it would still be impossible or unreasonably difficult to enjoy the premises, because it was the companionship of the dog that was enjoyed and not the premises, there was also a further problem in that the head lessor would not countenance the dog on the premises. The judge concluded: ‘This is not a case where the interpretation of the legislation can be stretched in order to assist her. Its meaning is clear. In my judgment the appellant fails on the facts found by the judge both to show that the "no animals" term discriminated against her on the grounds of her disability and that if it did there was nothing the respondents could reasonably have done about it.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=68 In the legal case of City of Edinburgh Council v Dickson it underlines the importance for employers to conduct a thorough investigation before dismissing employees who have claimed their disability as a reason for transgressing behavioural codes. Under the DDA95, Alistair Dickson, who has Type 1 diabetes, is seen as being disabled. After a complaint that Dickson had been seen viewing pornographic material on his computer in 2007, he was suspended by City of Edinburgh Council. At a hearing, Dickson said he had no memory of viewing the images and his conduct was caused by a hypoglycaemic episode relating to his type-1 diabetes. This argument was rejected by the council, he was dismissed for gross misconduct. A claim for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination was issued by Dickson. At an employment tribunal it was seen that the council had failed to “engage” with Dickson’s defence and properly consider the arguments, if it had done so it would have accepted the decision of the council. The tribunal ordered the Dickson be reinstated and be paid £25,000 in compensation. The council appealed, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) agreed that Dickson's dismissal had been unfair and that his reinstatement was appropriate. The tribunal held that the council had failed to take proper steps to understand Dickson's explanation or the medical evidence available in support of that explanation. However, applying the House of Lord's decision in Lewisham v Malcolm, the tribunal overturned the tribunal's decision that Dickson's dismissal amounted to disability discrimination. The EAT held that the council's rejection of Dickson's explanation was not due to the fact that he was disabled, or for a reason related to his disability, but was because they did not believe him. The EAT said that it was necessary that the disability should be at least part of the reason for that rejection for it to amount to discrimination. According to Chris Bains, solicitor at Thomas Eggar, the case demonstrates that while ignoring a disability-related explanation does not necessarily mean that the dismissal is discriminatory, it is likely to make the dismissal unfair. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=67 Telephone helplines staffed by voting rights experts will help disabled people who risk losing their right to vote at the general election. Staff working on the Electoral Commission’s national helplines on election day will be ready to help disabled people who are blocked from voting because of access barriers at their local polling station. Since the last general election in 2005, new laws say local authorities should make sure their polling stations do not put disabled people at a disadvantage. The disability charity Scope – through its Polls Apart campaign – has worked with the Electoral Commission to draw up an online guide to disabled people’s voting rights. The guide includes information on the legal rights to request assistance to mark the ballot paper, view a large-print version of the ballot paper and gain assistance if they cannot enter the polling station. It advises anyone who has problems voting on election day to contact their local authority. But if that doesn’t work, staff on the helpline will try to enable them to make their vote count. Abigail Lock, Scope’s head of advocacy and campaigns, said she hoped the helpline would “raise confidence” among disabled people preparing to vote. She said: “It is something a number of disabled people have said they have wanted in the past, an extra avenue of support, and support gives confidence. That’s why I think it will be really important.” But she added: “We are hoping that improved access will mean few people will need to resort to calling the helpline. “Local authorities are more aware now because they have to review their polling stations for access and because of the awareness we have raised through Polls Apart.” Scope is hoping disabled people will post their views about their voting experiences on the Polls Apart website, and fill out a Polls Apart survey form. Lock added: “It’s really important that as many disabled people as possible fill out the survey so we can get a clearer picture of what has happened since the last general election. “We do need to identify those local authorities that are breaching their duties. If we have to name and shame, that’s what we will do.” The Electoral Commission helplines are: 020 7271 0592 and 020 7271 0728. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=66 A disabled woman who secured a ground-breaking discrimination ruling from the House of Lords is to receive £125,000 in compensation. Elizabeth Boyle, from Warrenpoint, County Down, Northern Ireland, had alleged disability and sex discrimination, victimisation and unfair selection for redundancy against her former employer, SCA Packaging. A vital ruling in the case by the House of Lords last July also meant that more disabled people with fluctuating conditions would be protected by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). The DDA says that someone with a condition that does not currently have a substantial effect on them but varies in severity should still be viewed as disabled if they are “likely” to become substantially affected again in the future. But the Law Lords ruled that this use of “likely” meant “could well happen”, rather than the previously accepted definition of “more probable than not”. Boyle had worked for SCA Packaging for 32 years. She had developed vocal nodules, which she helped to manage by speaking quietly, limiting the use of her voice, and other measures. But her employer decided to remove partitions near her desk, even though it meant she would have to speak more loudly and risk her condition returning. In October 2001, she began proceedings under the DDA, alleging she was being discriminated against through her employer’s failure to make reasonable adjustments. Seven months later, she was made redundant and brought further claims, including victimisation under the DDA. The company argued Boyle was not disabled as her condition no longer had an adverse effect on her life. But after ruling in Boyle’s favour last July, and finding that she was a disabled person under the DDA, the Law Lords referred the case back to an industrial tribunal. Boyle and SCA Packaging then agreed on the financial settlement without the case needing to be heard, although the company did not admit liability. Boyle said: “This has been a nine year battle that caused so much stress to me and my family. “However, because of the ruling made in my case, other disabled people can benefit too.” Eileen Lavery, head of strategic enforcement for the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, said the case had “broadened the protection” to disabled people under the DDA. She said the Lords ruling was “particularly important” for people with conditions that can be controlled by treatment, or fluctuating conditions that have temporarily ceased to have an effect but are likely to recur, such as arthritis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=65 A new report has called for major changes to make it easier for disabled people to enforce their rights to access goods and services. The Rights and Reality report by Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD) says improving access is a “vital step” towards achieving equality for disabled people, while poor access is a “key contributing factor” to disability poverty. The report says the “major block” to change is the difficulty disabled people face in enforcing their rights under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and challenging discrimination. Two in five of those questioned in a survey of nearly 1,100 disabled people had experienced problems accessing goods and services in the last year. But one in five had never heard of the DDA, while another 51 per cent knew little or nothing about it The survey also found that more than a quarter of disabled people who had experienced difficulty accessing goods and services had taken action to challenge it, such as a formal complaint or not returning to a shop. But only one per cent had taken legal action. And less than a tenth of those who took action said the organisation had made any improvements. Among the report’s recommendations, it calls for a review of the effectiveness of the law and work to raise awareness of disabled people’s legal rights. It says the government, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and other bodies should examine how to improve support for disabled people to take legal cases. It also calls for a pilot scheme to test out a new system – possibly a form of arbitration hearings – that would be midway between making a complaint to a service provider and taking them to court. And the report says that the development of the rules and regulations to accompany the new Equality Act – which will replace the DDA – provides an opportunity to tackle some of the problems. But it also calls on the government to consider setting up equality tribunals to hear legal cases on accessibility. Guy Parckar, public policy manager for LCD, said that inaccessible goods and services “can contribute directly to the chances of a disabled person living in poverty through barriers to employment, education and other opportunities”. He added: “Our report demonstrates that only a tiny minority are tackling the issue through legal action. “The new Equality Act is a golden opportunity to make sure that the law works better for disabled people.” http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=64 Shared Surfaces: In a survey of 500 blind or partially sighted people, 9 out of 10 participants said they had concerns about shared surfaces and a further 6 out of 10 either avoiding or reluctant to use these streets. Shared surfaces are a real problem but local authorities appear to see them as an answer to pedestrian and traffic problems. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=63 The Department of Transport is currently asking for people’s views on the use of mobility vehicles, with a view to changing the law. This consultation is different from that started on the 5th January 2010 that looked at one person electric vehicles for use on roads and cycle tracks and pedal cycles, this is looking at mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs. Classes 1 , 2 and 3. Consultation started on the 3rd March and finishes 28th May 2010. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=62 Workplace Law has published this briefing, which considers the question of ‘reasonable adjustments’. The paper cites the disability discrimination case of The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and others v. Wilson, in which the Employment Appeal Tribunal held that the Employment Tribunal had adopted the wrong approach on the question of reasonable adjustments. The correct approach was first to consider whether making the adjustment would overcome the disadvantage suffered by the disabled person and then to consider the other factors. Authors Karen Plumbley-Jones and Rachel Jones of Bond Pearce LLP look at the disability discrimination claim and examine how far employers have to go to meet their requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=61 The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published this British Standard, which is an updated version of BS 5395-1:2000. BS 5395-1 is a code of practice that gives recommendations for the design of stairs with straight flights, including landings and winders for all types of building and industrial walkways. In the UK, there are over 500 deaths each year from stair related accidents in the home, and it is estimated that a further 250,000 non-fatal accidents take place on stairs in the home each year. In addition, there are approximately 100,000 accidents on stairs in leisure environments and more than 1,000 in the workplace each year. The most important aspects of stair design affecting the safety of users are the tread dimensions. If a going is too small to easily place a significant proportion of the foot upon, it increases the likelihood of an overstep. Research suggests that large oversteps, coupled with the type of material on the stair nosing, can lead to a slip in descent. If there are no suitable handrails, or the person cannot reach them in time, this slip can lead to a serious incident. To buy the publication, visit the BSI website http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=60 The Department for Transport (DfT) has released a document for consultation which outlines and seeks views on proposals for improving the Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Scheme. Among other things, the proposals concern: improving the enforcement regime for the Blue Badge Scheme extending the eligibility criteria funding to help local authorities to establish independent medical assessments The DfT will consult on other aspects of the reform programme later in 2010 and in 2011, including proposals for redesigning the Badge and extending the eligibility criteria further. Following responses to a previous consultation in 2008, it was decided that the administration and enforcement of the Blue Badge Scheme should remain with local government, and that the time period for the yellow-line concession in England should be unchanged. To view the consultation document and submit responses, visit the DfT website http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=59 A list of people killed or injured in scooter incidents was presented by campaigners to the House of Commons Transport Committee. It was explained by Norfolk Police that under current legislation drivers of scooters do not take a test and cannot be prosecuted. It was pointed out that if a person is drunk whilst in charge of a scooter, they would be charged under an 1872 Act of “being in charge of a carriage”, this needs to be updated. Campaigners calling for updates to the legislation governing mobility scooters, and better training for drivers have presented members of the Commons Transport Committee with a list of people killed or injured in scooter incidents. Norfolk Police explained that, under current laws, drivers of mobility scooters do not take a test and cannot be prosecuted, while Disability Essex told the committee that there was an extensive list of fatal or dangerous incidents involving drivers. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=58 The Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 2010 were laid before Parliament on 25 February 2010. These Regulations replace the Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 1998, and they will come into force on 1st April 2010. These changes allow local authorities in England and Wales to set their own charges based on a full recovery of their costs for carrying out their functions relating to Building Control to a scheme. For improvements to access a local authority may not fix or recover any charges to a disabled person’s living space or to public buildings when the work is only for improving/providing access/egress for disabled people. This also includes providing accommodation, facilities for disabled people. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=57 There are five categories with the following winners:- Reader’s Choice venue: Winner: the Eden Project, Cornwall Best Family venue: Winner: the Science Museum, London Highly commended: Legoland Windsor, South Devon Railway and Totnes Rare Breeds Farm, Devon, Eden Project, Cornwall, and Alnwick Garden, Northumberland Best Active venue: Winner: Cairngorm Funicular Railway and Ski Centre, Scotland Highly commended: Cairngorm Sled-Dog Centre, Scotland, Manchester Velodrome, Wicken Fen Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire and Pedalabikeaway Cycle Centre, Gloucestershire hBest Heritage venue: Winner: Brunel's SS Great Britain, Bristol Highly commended: Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, London, Tate Britain, London and Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Inverness Best Free venue: Winner: Locomotion: National Railway Museum, York Highly commended: the National Gallery, London, Horniman Museum and Gardens, London and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=56 Last year saw the completion of the crossing in Oxford Circus, plans for a redevelopment have been revealed at a cost of £14million and approved by Westminster Council. The redevelopment will aim to remove the railings at the junction to make it more pedestrian friendly. The controlled crossing at St Jame’s Square/Pall Mall will be replaced with a zebra crossing and two-way streets along Piccadilly, St James’s Street and Pall Mall. The development should also benefit the Olympics and Paralympics. Work should start in November and take a couple of months. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=55 The above foundation was launched in March by Baroness Rasalie Wilkins in association with Age Concern and Help the Aged, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR), the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) and Habinteg Housing Association. The Foundation is to promote the Lifetimes Homes Standard. This standard sets the design details for homes that are suitable for people of all ages and can be adapted to suit different requirements. The Foundation will challenge delays in the commitment of the government to the Standard and push to change the long-term effects of the housing and ageing population. Andrew Shipley, Lifetime Homes Coordinator, said: ‘The current population of 10 million disabled people and increasing numbers of over 65s, reaching 16 million by 2031, simply won’t forgive us if we pass the buck to future generations.’ He went on to say ‘We have to find new ways of doing things. The Foundation will act as a waypoint towards developing new approaches and practices.’ The Foundation has made a pledge asking the government for action in ensuring accessible, inclusive, adaptable, well-designed and fit-for purpose homes and neighbourhoods. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=54 A type of advertising sign in Sheffield has been condemned as dangerous for visually impaired people. Sheffield resident Graham Marshall told Sheffield City Council that the flat boards mounted on a narrow base, often located in the middle of the pavement, were difficult for cane or guide dog users to detect. The council has since stopped using that style of sign, which are manufactured by advertising firm JCDeceux, but more than 300 remain on the city's streets. Mr Marshall said: ‘Anybody who is visually impaired and uses a long cane to navigate would walk straight into one of these signs, and that's exactly what's happened.’ Another resident, Trina Brown, said her guide dog passed by the narrow part of the signs causing her to hit her shoulder on the upper part. Colin Ross of the city council said only advertising boards of a uniform width were now used. However, he said that JCDeceux were responsible for replacing the old signs. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=53 The 16 Lifetime Homes criteria are currently being revised. The revision comes two years after the launch of the Government strategy Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods: A national strategy for housing in an ageing society, which committed to making Lifetime Homes a mandatory part of the Code for Sustainable Homes, and which also committed to ensure that all new publicly funded housing is built to Lifetime Homes standards by 2011. The proposed revisions have been derived partly from evidence gained from a technical forum hosted by Habinteg Housing Association, and ongoing research carried out by Habinteg. The revisions are described as having been introduced to achieve a higher level of practicability for volume developers in meeting the requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes. They are also intended to facilitate the adoption of Lifetime Homes design as a requirement for all future publicly funded housing developments. This consultation closes on 15th March 2010. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=52 The flight operator Air France has announced that it will offer obese passengers a free second seat, should they wish one. Currently overweight passengers can buy an additional seat at a 25 per cent discount, but from February onwards their money will be refunded if the flight is not full. The airline said that if an overweight person turned up without having booked an extra seat, the check-in staff would not intervene. The passenger would board the plane, where the airline said 'in 99 per cent of cases' on-board staff would be able to position him/her next to an empty seat, as planes were rarely completely full. Other non-overweight passengers could also book a second seat for a 25 per cent discount, but they would not get the refund if the plane was not full when it took off, Air France said. However, like other airlines Air France also confirmed that, for evacuation reasons, an obese passenger could be prevented from flying, at the captain’s discretion. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=51 Eurostar mistakenly charged a disabled passenger £113 extra to travel to Paris after he was told that the only wheelchair accessible area was in a first class carriage. The train company later acknowledged the mistake, although only following intervention by the travel agent who had booked the trip for the passenger, Alan Sage. Mr Sage and his wife were travelling with two friends; all four have now been granted first class travel as ‘a gesture of goodwill’ from Eurostar. Mr Sage said that Eurostar had informed the group they would have to pay extra because the wheelchair accessible area was in first class. He said: ‘They wanted an extra £113 and the couple we were going with had to pay an extra £300. To charge people extra for being in first class when you can’t go anywhere else is not on.’ A spokesman for Eurostar put the extra charges down to a mistake with one of their own travel agents. He said the accessible spaces were located in first class because there were more staff and the doors were wider. ‘If you have a wheelchair you may sit there, with one companion, at no added cost,’ he said. ‘In this incident, because of a mix-up, the client was told he would have to pay more.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=50 Figures released by the Student Loan Company (SLC) show that in England almost 12,500 students are yet to receive grants to pay for specialist equipment. Of the 19,006 eligible Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) applications, only 6,507 have been fully processed and approved by the SLC. This means that only 34 per cent of eligible applications have been processed, four months after the start of the academic year. The DSA is available for all UK students with a disability, and can be used to buy specialist computer equipment resources such as Braille paper, or to pay for personal helpers to assist on campus. The claims come following criticism of the SLC for mismanagement of standard student loans. The latest figures show that 16,000 students in England are still waiting for at least some of their loans, while a further 2,000 are still waiting for their first payment. These delays have had a knock-on effect for disabled students, because in England, unlike Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the SLC administers the DSA. The SLC said the application process for DSAs ‘took longer than applications for other types of student finance’. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=49 Supermarkets which impose strict parking time limits have been criticised for failing to make reasonable adjustments to disabled customers. Private firms run some of the car parks belonging to big supermarkets Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, and impose penalty charges for customers who overstay, often identified by automatic number plate recognition. Campaigners have condemned these policies for not making sufficient allowances for disabled people. As part of a BBC Breakfast investigation, 200 large supermarkets from the four main chains were contacted. Of the 124 that imposed parking time limits, about two-thirds said they did not give disabled people any extra time to shop. Neil Coyle, from the charity Disability Alliance, said: ‘Supermarkets need to acknowledge there is a problem, and secondly, very quickly, they need to ensure their car parking procedures conform with the law.’ Keith Doyle from the BBC said that all four supermarket chains have said they will review their policies on disabled parking. He said: ‘If you do need extra time, the advice is to go to customer services in the supermarkets. They have all told us they will make allowances, they will review their policies, so give customer services your registration number and hopefully you won't get a ticket.’ The investigation follows moves to improve the system for designated accessible parking spaces in Scotland and Wales, as reported in the December 2009 and January 2010 Access Newsletters. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=48 Plans to enable step-free access at over 20 London Underground stations have been shelved, drawing strong criticism from campaigners for accessible transport. Former mayor Ken Livingstone had promised that 45 stations would be step-free by 2013. Work will now be deferred at 22 of these, while another two will have only partial improvements. At several stations groundwork for the building of lifts has taken place, and £20 million has been spent on improvements to six stations, but further work will now be put on hold. Transport for London (TfL) blamed the decision on the economic downturn and the collapse of underground maintenance company, Metronet. A spokesman for TfL said: ‘In order to have the money to continue with line upgrades, which will result in a 30 per cent capacity increase for all Londoners, some projects unfortunately could not proceed. The total budget for the six schemes that have been stopped was £92 million and this funding is simply not available.’ TfL has denied that abandoning the works has been a waste of money, claiming that ‘the enabling work started at these stations will not be wasted. It will still be of benefit if funds are available in the future to recommence these works.’ Faryal Velmi, director of Transport for All, which campaigns for accessible transport in London, said the decision shows that the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, does not see accessibility as a priority. She said: ‘We are very disappointed, as we feel that access plans have been the first victim of the economic climate. This is a really regressive move that postpones and delays an accessible Tube system for at least another generation.’ Of the 270 London Underground stations, only 58 offer step-free access from the platform to street level. This is to increase to 65 in time for the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=47 The NRAC Conference will take place in London on 31 March 2010. Further details will be available in due course. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=46 A roadmap has been published by the government on how its departments are working towards disability equality by 2025. It aims to show the government’s progress since ‘Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People’ was published in 2005, and to outline plans for future development. The Roadmap has 14 themes, disabled people have identified the areas that will make the biggest contribution to equality, as set out in the document ‘Equality for disabled people: how will we know we are making progress?’ (2007). The themes also aim to support the commitments that were made in the Life Chances report, the Independent Living Strategy, the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People, and departmental Secretary of State report commitments. The Roadmap aims to help those working in government to: * identify the theme(s) where they can make a difference * look for shared priorities so they can work with other departments to share ideas, gain more support and make a bigger impact * involve disabled people in policymaking and delivery of services to best understand and achieve what will really make a difference to disabled people The Roadmap allows those working outside government to: * identify which government department is responsible for leading on which theme * align their business plans with what’s happening across government * look for shared priorities so they can work with government to focus on the same issue at the same time http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=45 The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has released draft Codes of Practice for the Equality Bill for consultation. The purpose of the Codes of Practice is to explain the new statutory provisions in order to ensure that the law is applied consistently by lower courts and tribunals. This will also help make the law accessible to a wider audience, such as those who have obligations and those who have rights (or their representatives). This public consultation is not only a statutory requirement but it is also an essential part of the drafting process of the Codes. However, as the Bill is still progressing through parliament these draft codes are incomplete in places and will be subject to revisions as the Bill itself is amended, and in response to the results from the public consultation. There are three separate draft guides for consultation: Employment Equal Pay Services, public functions and associations http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=44 The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is to review the Work Capability Assessment test for the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), this was after criticism that the system would lead to many disabled people being unfairly penalised. The ESA is to replace incapacity benefit, and the government had intended to reduce welfare expenditure by reducing recipients for this benefit by one million from its current total of 2.7 million. Over the next three years the Government intends to test all those on incapacity benefit to find out if they are genuinely unable to work. They will then be placed on ESA, which has different payment levels depending on the level of disability. Anyone who fails and is deemed to be fit for work will have their allowance replaced by jobseekers' allowance, which has much lower income. Once all 2.7 million have been tested, incapacity benefit will cease to exist. Figures show a disproportionate number of disabled people in poverty, it was hoped the new system would rectify this. Disability groups have condemned the assessment for not reflecting how an impairment impacts on someone's everyday life or ability to work. Neil Coyle, director of policy at Disability Alliance, said the tests were too rigid. ‘They do not measure ability to perform work functions, for example typing, packing or sweeping, but are based on someone describing their average day and simple tasks like picking up a coin from the floor,’ he said. Evidence from the first tests for ESA showed that many people who needed help were being wrongly judged as fit to seek work. As a result, they were being placed on jobseekers' allowance and denied access to programmes to help them find suitable employment, such as Pathways to Work, which was set up to help those on incapacity benefit. Figures for new claimants for ESA showed that, of the 193,800 people who made a claim between October 2008 and February 2009, 36 per cent were found to be fit for work and therefore not eligible for the higher benefit. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=43 A High Court Case has been won against Liverpool City Council after it refused to license more accessible taxi. Alma Lunt is a wheelchair user wanted the Peugeot E7 which is adapted by Allied Vehicle to be licensed. The problem being that he present London-style taxis prevented Alma Lunt and other disabled users from being properly secured and positioned within the cab. Liverpool Council turned down the request, so along with Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Alma and other campaigners went to the High Court. The court found Liverpool’s decision not only discriminated against disabled people but was flawed and unfair. Susie Uppal, director of the EHRC’s enforcement team, said: ‘For many years, disabled people in cities such as Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff have been able to travel in safe, efficient and convenient E7 taxis. It is only right that the people of Liverpool may now have that same opportunity.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=42 Shared surfaces are receiving a lot of press within the access field and its usually not good, as visually impaired people often feel vunerable. Official reports say that the shared surface scheme in Ashford, in which signs and traffic lights were removed, has not led to any injuries. The scheme was designed to give drivers, cyclists and pedestrians equal priority was finished in November 2008 and cost £15.6million. Many groups including those for visually impaired people have heavily criticised the scheme. However, Ashford's Joint Transportation Board has been told that there have been no personal injury accidents in the first year of the scheme's operation. They also heard that vehicle speeds had been cut from 30mph to an average of 21.5mph since the scheme was introduced. A spokes person of Ashford's Future, a partnership of local councils, government agencies and others from the public and private sector, said it had exceeded all expectations, and went on to say, ‘It has made our town centre attractive and accessible, it's playing a vital role in unlocking the development potential of Ashford and above all it has improved road safety.’ Urban designer Ben Hamilton-Baillie, who was involved in the scheme, said other British towns and cities were now looking to introduce some form of shared space. My own personal opinion is there is a lot more work to be done on shared surfaces, because at the moment they do not work for visually impaired people. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=41 In December the award for the Loo of the Year was made at the National Motorcycle Museum near Birmingham. The competition run by British Toilet Association aims the highlight the best away from home WCs in the UK. More than 1500 entries were received, with 58% of them achieving the top five star award, compared to 42% in 2008. Mc Donald’s restaurants took the Overall UK Winners Trophy. The awards managing director Mike Bone commented: ‘The UK's restaurant and hospitality sectors are placing significantly increasing importance on provision of first class toilets that contain the facilities their customers need and expect when visiting their premises. McDonald's has continued to improve the quality of their customer toilets since winning National Awards in previous years.’ Other winners are:- East Lothian Council for accessible facilities TC Contractors for individual category entries Brighton and Hove City Council for public toilet entries J D Wetherspoon for corporate provider entries South Lanarkshire Council for adult/child changing facilities ASDA for babychange facilities The Camping and Caravanning Club for family friendly facilities http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=40 The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has published three reports presenting the findings from qualitative research to evaluate the Government’s Access to Work scheme. Access to Work provides advice and financial resources to support adaptations for disabled people at work. These studies used interviews with Access to Work customers and a range of stakeholders to evaluate the scheme. The three reports are: * an overall evaluation of Access to Work – the core evaluation * the inclusion of Access to Work within Individual Budget pilot areas * an exploration of the effects of the decision that Ministerial Government Departments (MGD) should pay for their Access to Work adjustments Some key findings from the core evaluation report are as follows: * customers found out about Access to Work from a number of sources but in no systematic way. Awareness was low amongst employers and patchy amongst Jobcentre Plus staff * there were high levels of support for the Access to Work application process and high levels of satisfaction with the assessment process, Business Centres and staff * customers received a broad range of support from Access to Work and customers and employers were happy with the amount and quality of support overall * customers and employers reported a number of positive impacts related to AtW including: reduced levels of sickness and absenteeism, provision of a level playing field, saving customers work-related expense, increased well-being and productivity, and improved staff retention http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=39 The Department for Transport (DfT) has published its Single Equality Scheme. This covers services to the public as well as its obligations as an employer. The Single Equality Scheme cites achievements made so far in improving access to transport such as the following: * 62 per cent of the national bus fleet is now low floor, with a target to increase this to 100 per cent by 2017 * 35 per cent of new rail vehicles are accessible, with a target to increase this to 100 per cent by 2020 * new European legislation to protect people with restricted mobility when travelling by air was fully incorporated into UK law in July 2009 * improvements have been made at 32 priority railway stations. A further 1,000 stations have been offered funding for smaller schemes * the ‘Harrington Hump’ project, which won the Delivery of Customer Service Award at the Civil Service Diversity and Equality Awards 2009. This is a glass reinforced plastic hump installed at stations with low platforms, which raises the platform area to reduce the gap between the platform and the train The Single Equality Scheme also sets out what the DfT intends to do to improve access going forward, including the following: * continue to remove barriers to travel at railway stations through the Access for All programme * increase number of accessible taxis reflecting different needs of people. * improve taxi driver assistance * ensure Rail Franchise Specification and Management cover Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requirements and conform to Disabled People’s Protection Policy * work with DSA and mobility centres to increase the availability of driving instructors able to teach disabled people * provide driving instructors with skills to teach people with a variety of needs and with access to adapted vehicles http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=38 Andy Burnham, Health Secretary introduced the Personal Care at Home Bill in Parliament in December 2009. The Bill aims to guarantee free personal care for 280,000 people and to help around 130,000 people. The Government has called the new proposals the first step towards setting up a National Care Service. For further information on the Bill, and to participate in the consultation on the proposals for the regulations and guidance to be made under the legislation, visit the Department of Health website http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=37 A formal investigation by The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is to be launched into disability-related harassment and the measures public authorities are taking to prevent violence and abuse towards disabled people. The EHRC plans to take appropriate action based on evidence uncovered by their investigations. If it is found that local authorities are not doing enough to protect the rights of disabled people, legal action may be taken to force them.. The evidence will come from disabled people and others who have been affected by disability-related harassment, and the local authorities concerned to see what steps thay are taking to deal with the issue. The inquiry will gather and examine evidence from disabled people and others who have been affected by disability-related harassment and from public authorities on what steps they are taking to tackle the issue. It may be that the work will identify good practice in deal with the issue. The EHRC will shortly publish draft Terms of Reference for the inquiry for consultation. Final Terms of Reference will then be published before the inquiry begins in early 2010, and it will then report its findings within one year. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=36 The Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009, was designed to prevent unauthorised people parking in designated accessible parking spaces. The aim of the Act is to give greater powers to local authorities to designate spaces exclusively for disabled users. Prior to this Act, Scottish local authorities found it was impossible to enforce 85% of the designated space. All the Scottish local authorities will need to identify every existing accessible parking bay in its area, and establish whether it is still required. If it is, the traffic order process must be started by 1 October 2010, making the restriction enforceable. If it is no longer required all signage must be removed. Councils will also be required to negotiate with owners and operators of private car parks, such as supermarkets, to negotiate an agreement to make accessible parking places enforceable. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=35 A report aiming to convey the latest information and provide practical guidance for anyone involved in the commissioning, design and management of the built environment has been published by Workplace Law. It identifies the legal, design and management drivers underpinning many of the issues related to inclusive and accessible environments. This information and practical guidance is for anyone involved in the commissioning, design and management of the built environment. Edited by Keith Bright, Emeritus Professor of Inclusive Environments at the University of Reading and member of the National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC), the report covers a number of different areas. The report covers the following areas:- * recent changes in planning legislation and the introduction of the concept of the Design and Access Statement * guidance on the Approved Document to Part M and BS8300 and how these documents can inform the design and management process * guidance available for the design of health, education and leisure facilities, all of which have their own particular accessibility issues to address * the duties placed on employers, educators and service providers by anti-discrimination legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act * describes how proposed changes in legislation such as the new Equality Bill will broaden such duties * practical guidance on developing strategies to ensure that the opportunities and services available to users are appropriate and, importantly, how they can be maintained in the everyday use of the environment * the complex management issues associated with emergency egress * how general signage, wayfinding, colour and lighting can be used to enhance safe enjoyment of an environment http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=34 Two Dorset cinemas have been accused of neglecting the deaf community for failing to provide subtitled film screenings, this is a claim made by Members of Bournemouth Deaf Club. Club members said they were in ‘despair’ over the lack of accessible films at the Odeon in Bournemouth and Empire Cinema in Poole. Odeon said it had been unable to show subtitled screenings due to an equipment fault, which started on 7 August, which it has so far been unable to fix. A spokesman said: ‘Earlier in the year a fault developed in equipment crucial to subtitled screenings at Odeon Bournemouth. Unfortunately repairs are still ongoing which has forced a halt to subtitled performances whilst this essential maintenance continues. For 26 of the 32 weeks prior to the technical fault, Odeon Bournemouth held subtitled screenings of 22 different films.’ Secretary of Bournemouth Deaf Club, Adam Snook said: ‘I agree they showed regular subtitled screenings prior to the fault. The main question is, why it is taking so long to rectify the problem with the subtitling equipment?’ Empire Cinema in Tower Park, Poole, has recently undergone a £2 million upgrade. A spokesman for Empire Cinemas said: ‘We have just finished the refurbishment of the cinema in the summer and until that point we had been unable to show subtitled films. We have now installed digital screens that can show subtitled films and expect to be able to show a new subtitled film in the coming weeks.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=33 The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted an investigation into an accident which took place in a car park. A group of people from the Aylesbury Day Centre, which is Council run, had been on a trip. The group were boarding the bus by the tail-lift. William Delaney who uses a motorised scooter, was on the lift when his scooter came off the back and William fell to the ground, he later died from head injuries. The investigation found that Mr Delaney’s scooter did not fit on the tail lift. This meant that plates fitted to the lift to prevent the scooter falling off the edge did not lock in to place. A risk assessment for carrying out such operations had not been carried out. Warning had been given by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2005, following a number of fatal accidents across the UK. HSE's investigating inspector Zameer Bhunnoo said: ‘A suitable risk assessment and safe procedure should have been drawn up. Southwark Council failed in its duty by exposing motorised scooter users to such obvious risks.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=32 Muscular Dystrophy Campaign activists between the ages of 16 and 30 are carrying out an undercover survey of cinemas, pubs and stadiums to test accessibility for wheelchair users. ‘Trailblazers’ is the name given to those taking part will be giving start ratings, this will identify best and worst practice, it is due to start in London but will look at facilities across the country. Trailblazer, Aminder Virdee, 20, said: ‘We will be rating leisure facilities in the hope that other young disabled people will know which facilities in their areas have made the most effort to include them.’ Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Chief Executive Philip Butcher said: ‘Many people take for granted the ability to watch a film, to visit a museum or to support their local football team. This simply is not an option to some disabled people if leisure facilities fail to conform to the Disability Discrimination Act.’ The results of the survey, along with its recommendations, will be published on 3 December, the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=31 Access to Volunteering Fund has made available grants of between £250 and £5,000. They are to be used to overcome barriers that stop disabled people from volunteering, the money can be used to provide specific equipment or suitable access. The Fund, which was developed by the Office of the Third Sector as a pilot scheme in Greater London, the West Midlands and the North West, will operate between Autumn 2009 and Spring 2011. The first deadline for applications is 1 December 2009. The pilot will also test different ways to apply, such as face-to-face pitches and video applications. Charities Aid Foundation, RNIB and Digital Public are the consortium who will manage the grants. Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, said: ‘Volunteering is an unbeatable way to build confidence and skills and we want to get as many people as possible volunteering – with or without a disability. We know that there are many barriers stopping disabled people volunteering and this targeted fund aims to overcome these limits.” John Low, CEO of Charities Aid Foundation, which is overseeing the grants, said: ‘Volunteering enriches the lives of volunteers, the work of charities and the wellbeing of our society. Disabled people have knowledge, skills and experience that are invaluable when shared. I look forward to the success of Access to Volunteering and want to encourage as many people as possible to take advantage of the great opportunities it has to offer.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=30 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has lost an appeal against a landmark ruling that it failed to provide adequate access to its services. Legal action was taken against RBS after it failed to provide wheelchair access for one its customers, Mr Allen, at their local branch in Church Street, Sheffield. In January, the bank was ordered to install a platform lift and pay £6,500 damages. The estimated cost of installing the platform lift is £200,000. This set a legal precedent which could have implications for other service providers particularly with multiple outlets. In November the Court of Appeal dismissed the bank's appeal against the ruling and ordered it to carry out the necessary access work. RBS claimed in its Appeal to the Court that it had complied with the Disability Rights Commission's Code of Practice and had provided access at three other near-by branches. The Court dismissed the Appeal and ordered the bank to pay costs. Lord Justice Wall said Mr Allen could not access counter facilities at the bank and a duty ‘plainly thereby arose’ under the Disability Discrimination Act. The judge said the bank could have taken steps to provide access for those suffering from disabilities. He said: ‘The bank did not take those steps, giving as its reason not the disproportionate cost of carrying out the work, but simply the fact that it would lose the use of an interview room.’ After the judgment, Mr Allen, who had previously been forced to conduct banking business in the street, said: ‘I'm glad the bank finally had to apologise in court and acknowledge they treated me badly. They just failed to understand anything about the need for privacy and dignity.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=29 A decision taken by an Employment Tribunal has decided that volunteers without a legally binding contract, nor a 'work placement' as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) do not fall under the DDA. The case centres on a part-time volunteer at CAB, who was asked to no longer attend, the volunteer has HIV and claimed that she had been discriminated against. The Employment Tribunal dismissed her claim, as did the Employment Appeal Tribunal. The Tribunals ruled that she did not have a legally binding contract, nor a 'work placement' as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). The claimant subsequently took the case to the Court of Appeal arguing that her volunteer role was an 'occupation' within the European Framework Employment Directive, and should therefore be covered by the DDA. The Court of Appeal referred the case back to the Employment Appeal Tribunal, which found in favour of CAB. Mr Justice Burton ruled that the term ‘occupation’ did not cover volunteers under the Framework Directive. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=28 Since 1981 the 3rd of December has been International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDfPwD). It may be a long name but it does what it says on the tin. It is internationally a day to recognise the achievements and contributions of disabled people along with celebrating our diverse community. Chelmsford Borough Council and Chelmsford Area Access Group (CAAG) have organised an event at the Chelmsford Sport and Athletic Centre, in Melbourne, Chelmsford from 10am until 4pm (3rd December 2009) in support of ‘Help for Heroes’ - a charity that supports wounded Armed Service personnel and British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association’ (BLESMA) and some of their members will be at the event showing films, giving personal accounts of their experience and their service. The day will also include a Wheelchair Basket Ball Display between III Para and The Essex Outlaws, Musician and Entertainer James Maggs, The Mencap Gateway Dancers, guest speakers as well as many exhibitors and information stands and the chance to meet the heroes of 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. A number of partners are closely involved in supporting the event such as Essex Fire & Rescue, SMP Consultancy, Tactile Signs, Participation Network Forum (PNF)- a stakeholder organisation funded by Essex County Council and POS-COMM. Chelmsford Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Councillor Nicolette Chambers, said: “This event is part of a world-wide celebration of positives towards disability gained at birth or throughout life. The event seeks to highlight the remarkable contribution of our service personnel and their sacrifice for their country.” She added: “We are trying to make sure that their sacrifices and contributions are valued. The message will be empowerment, support and understanding. This is a day for disabled people to be proud of, to wear their colours with pride and for the rest of society to face up to the challenges that face us in ensuring equality and dignity for disabled people who are our family, friends, neighbours and colleagues.” Tickets are free and can be booked by calling the Chelmsford Theatres Box Office on : 01245 606505. We will be holding a grand draw to raise money for Help for Heroes so please give as much as you are able for your event programme, available in advance and on the day. Money from advertising in this programme will also go to the charities so call today to purchase an advert. For more information about the event, or if you wish to volunteer at the event, please contact Chelmsford Borough Council’s Access Officer Paul Houghton on 01245 606328 http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=27 The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) is asking for volunteers to trial a new system which allows registered users to send SMS text messages to the emergency services. Participants can register online or from their mobile phones. If the trials prove successful it is hoped that the SMS text messaging service will be rolled out next year. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=26 The Directgov website has made some improvements to its Blue Badge map, which provides information on accessibility and accessible facilities across the UK. New features include: * a rail map with information on accessibility and disabled facilities for more than 2,000 train stations in the UK * assessments for more than 500 of these train stations * accessibility information for more than 160 major football stadiums * more information on London underground stations * more information on car parking across the UK Former England footballer Danny Wallace is now an ambassador for the National Association for Disabled Supporters (NADS). Danny, who has multiple sclerosis and is a Blue Badge holder himself, said: ‘I was pleased to hear that NADS and Directgov have been working together and sharing their information in this way. The Blue Badge map is an important service and one that should help disabled fans across the UK.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=25 A new survey by Arthritis Care for World Arthritis Day (12 October) has criticised the lack of employer support to help people who experience arthritis stay in work. According to the survey, while 75 per cent of respondents who are still currently in work said that their employers had made reasonable adjustments to help them to stay, only 39 per cent of those now not in work said they had received such adjustments. In addition, 70 per cent of the non-working respondents directly blamed leaving their jobs on arthritis. Of these, although almost two thirds had requested reasonable adjustments, only one in three had got them. Flexible working and an understanding attitude by bosses to arthritis-related absence topped the Arthritis Care survey as the employer support most valued by respondents. Rachel Haynes, Arthritis Care’s director of public affairs, said: ‘Arthritis Care’s poll shows an inescapable link between an employer’s support for someone with arthritis and their ability to stay in work. Arthritis is the UK’s biggest cause of physical disability, and more must be done to enable people with the condition to have a full working life, not existence on disability benefit by default.’ As a result of the survey, Arthritis Care launched an ‘Employers Pledge’ on World Arthritis Day, which urged UK employers to affirm their commitment to improving life at work for people with arthritis. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=24 The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) has welcomed a mandate to develop new regulations for personal music players, set out by the European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs. RNID's Don't Lose the Music campaign has been lobbying the European Commission and manufacturers to raise awareness about the risks of personal music players at high volume levels for long periods of time. The campaign found that 66 per cent of personal music player users listen to music louder than 85 decibels (dB), which according to the World Health Organisation, can cause permanent hearing loss over time. The new standards will make it clear that safe use depends on exposure time and volume levels. The default settings will be limited to 80 dB and exposure should be limited to 40 hours per week. Consumers can choose to override these settings, but will be warned about the risks of hearing damage if they do. Personal music player manufacturers will also be required to include clear on-pack warnings and hearing damage information in product literature, so that listeners know when the music has reached a damaging volume and can take action to protect their hearing. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=23 The Secretary of State for the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), has announced measures to prevent the disproportionate exclusion of disabled children from schools. Local authorities now have new government guidance to deal with the issue and manage behavioural problems early. Among the proposals Ed Balls outlined were: * testing easier ways of assessing pupils with special needs or disabilities * reviewing the number of teachers trained to meet the needs of students with severe learning disabilities * providing new guidance for schools to tackle high exclusions of children with special educational needs Ed Balls said: ‘It is still the case that children with special educational needs are more than eight times as likely to be excluded, that some parents can find it hard to access the right support for their child and that pupils with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties need even more teachers with the right level of expertise. These measures will tackle these concerns’. An inquiry chaired by Brian Lamb, resulted in the measures being drawn up. The inquiry’s final report will be published in October. Toby Salt from the National College for School Leadership has been appointed to review the supply of teachers of pupils with special educational needs, while the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) will run a £550,000 project to develop best practice in certain schools for children with the most complex difficulties. Mr Salt said: ‘This review will help ensure some of the most vulnerable and complex learners in our system have the focus they deserve.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=22 This month the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) launched a new resource, the Independent Living and Older People website. The Centre for Policy on Ageing (CPA) and the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTI), the website was set up following the identification by the government’s Independent Living Strategy of a need to increase choice and control for older disabled people in all areas of their lives. The website is aimed at policy makers and professionals in commissioning roles, and explains what is meant by ‘independent living’ and ‘person-centred services’. The site aims to demonstrate the principles of independent living and how they can inform the creation of new services. It includes practical tips on how to plan, commission and provide appropriate support for older people. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=21 The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has released its proposed building control changes following consultation in March 2008. The document includes: details on the review cycles for Approved Documents proposed methods of inspection and enforcement how dispute resolution will be undertaken means of evaluating compliance levels http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=20 The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has produced some guidance for public authorities that advises on reviewing and republishing their Disability Equality Schemes (DES). All public authorities have a duty to prepare and publish a DES, and must review and publish a revised scheme every three years. Revising a DES is important, as it gives public authorities an opportunity to: set out their new disability priorities for the following three years, taking into account the information they have gathered and any relevant changes to their business produce a new action plan to deliver these priorities ensure that the document is up to date and relevant to their business The information in this guidance document should be used in conjunction with the Disability Equality Duty Code of Practice. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=19 The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) says that of the 100 people who will lose their sight today, support will only be offered to only 8. Lost and Found is the name of the campaign by the RNIB, this has the support of Sue Townsend, a bestselling author. RNIB spokesman Fazilet Hadi criticised the ‘systematic failure in the UK to provide vital support’. The charity has called upon the Health Secretary Andy Burnham to prioritise support services. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=18 A woman who won an employment tribunal case against her employer has had her claim dismissed following an appeal. Kerry-Ann Cumming worked as an Operations Coordinator for Lothian and Borders Police, was suspended from her role as special constable in February last year after failing the medical screening test. Her application to become a full-time officer could progress no further after she failed the standard vision test. Following her complaint that she was a victim of disability discrimination an Edinburgh employment tribunal ruled that her condition amounted to a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the case should go ahead. Ms Cumming, of Edinburgh, has general vision which is above average, has Browns Syndrome since birth, which means she cannot lift her left eye to look directly upwards. Her vision in that eye is also impaired and cannot be corrected by spectacles, contact lenses or surgery, although her right-eye vision is better than normal. At an earlier tribunal she said that she believed her eyesight problem would not affect her ability to perform the duties of a regular police constable. She had received commendations for her performance as a special constable. However, in the employment tribunal appeal Lady Smith questioned the tribunal’s finding that Cumming’s visual impairment was substantial and therefore defined her as disabled under the DDA. She called this ruling ‘perverse’, as Cumming had argued that her impairment would not impact on her work as a police officer. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=17 According to an article in the Times Online, millions of patients with long-term illness have not arranged a care plan with their doctors, campaigners say. The Government has promised to offer personalized care plans to 15 million people with chronic such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease. The policy, outlined in the landmark review of the NHS by Lord Darzi of Denham last year, aims to offer people more choice and control over their treatment, setting goals such as returning to work, living independently or keeping people out of hospital. The survey of 430 patient groups representing more than a million patients across England was carried out, but two thirds of those who replied said that less than 30% of the patients they represent had been offered or given a care plan. Those who did get a plan, only 30% of patients found them to be of benefit, the report found, and many had not been asked what they would like to have gained from the project. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=16 The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has released a DVD for pupils and a resource pack for schools to help them prevent and tackle bullying of disabled children. The DVD, titled ‘Make Them Go Away’, is aimed at students aged 7 to 14 to raise awareness about fellow pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, and to show the effect of bullying on their lives. The DVD also features a supportive comment from Arsenal Football Club captain Cesc Fabregas. Schools minister Vernon Coaker said that the DVD had been produced ‘to raise awareness of the problem with young people and prevent bullying occurring’ and that the resource pack would help teachers ‘stimulate classroom discussion so that pupils understand the damaging impact of bullying on their peers’. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=15 The go-ahead for 2,000 new council homes to be built across England has been given the all clear by Ministers. The project will cover 47 areas and has been called the biggest of its kind in the past 20 years. It comprises of twelve areas. Housing minister John Healey said: ‘We have committed to use the power of government investment to help Britain through the recession. The boost for affordable housing will help build the homes we need and it's also a shot in the arm for the construction industry, creating over 5,000 jobs.’ But the Audit Commission report says there is too much emphasis on new building and that councils could do more to improve health and educational achievement by improving existing stock. For instance, spending £2,000 on adaptations to help an elderly person stay in their home could save £6,000 a year in care costs, it argues. Audit Commission chairman Michael O'Higgins said: "Councils aspire to shape the communities in their area for the better. "In tougher times, it is all the more important that councils think strategically and creatively about housing and take their housing responsibilities seriously." http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=14 The Public Accounts Committee claims that carers are missing out on their benefit entitlement, this is because due to unnecessarily complicated application rules. An estimated £23 billion is the value of care services given by friends and family. 900,000 carers in the UK receive £2 billion in benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), but approximately one fifth of these say they experience difficulties claiming. Committee chairman Edward Leigh said: ‘The value of the service that these unpaid carers provide to society is not reflected in the quality of the DWP's arrangements for providing them with financial and other support.’ He also stated that carers ‘should not have to be jumping through unnecessary hoops to apply for benefits and allowances.’ Meanwhile, a separate survey conducted by ICM has revealed that 82% of respondents were not aware of carers’ legal entitlement to request flexible working arrangements. 35% of those who took part in the survey were carers and therefore eligible to ask their employers. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=13 A student has won a £9,000 payout from Abercrombie & Fitch. This is as a result of unlawful harassment by the company who failed to comply with employment law. Miss Dean has a prosthetic arm, her claim was that she was forced to work in the stock room of the London store after she had been granted permission to wear long sleeves to cover her arm. She was told that this breached company policy as laid out in the company handbook. She worked for five shifts before resigning at the beginning of July 2009. Miss Dean sought damages under the Disability Discrimination Act at an employment tribunal. Miss Dean sought damages for disability discrimination at an employment tribunal in central London. Although the tribunal ruled that she was wrongfully dismissed and unlawfully harassed for a reason that related to her disability, it did not uphold her claim for disability discrimination. It also said that the store failed to comply with its duty to make reasonable adjustments. The ruling stated: ‘The tribunal is satisfied the reason for the claimant's dismissal was her breach of the look policy in wearing a cardigan. Whilst the tribunal is satisfied the claimant's dismissal was a consequence of her unlawful harassment, it cannot be characterised direct disability discrimination.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=12 A case supported by the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has seen the High Court overturn a decision by Liverpool City Council not to grant a licence to a particular type of accessible taxi. The Council refused to licence a Peugeot E7 class taxi. Many wheelchair users prefer this vehicle over the alternative TX2 cab, as the Peugeot is more comfortable and has a safer ride. The E7 is currently licensed to over 400 local authorities. The Council carried out an impact assessment before it came to its final decision but the EHRC argued it was wrong. The High Court agreed stating that it discriminated against disabled people under the Disability Discrimination Act. Accessible transport is fundamental issue for disabled people, especially taxis. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=11 Marks and Spencer has become the first retailer to sign up to the Face Equality at Work campaign run by Changing Faces. Research by the charity has revealed that many people are unconsciously negative towards people with disfigurements. This can mean that people with disfigurements are more likely to be marginalised because little may be expected of them in their private and social life. Face Equality at Work was launched in 2008 to meet the discrimination and prejudice that people with disfigurements can experience, both as employees and customers. Committing to Face Equality at Work requires employers to: * commit to positive thinking about people with disfigurements, which will be reflected in policies and procedures * become aware of the causes and effects of disfiguring conditions * embed new behaviors when meeting someone, especially in interviews and customer service Head of Professional Development at Changing Faces, said: ‘We are thrilled that Marks and Spencer have signed up and taken the lead on the high street. They really recognize the value of each and every customer, which is why they have such an excellent reputation for customer service. Signing up to Face Equality is a great way to celebrate this and will hopefully inspire other retailers to take the same positive steps.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=10 The National Register of Access Consultants is holding a conference in Birmingham on the b 15th October 2009. The venue is Maple House 150 Corporation Street Birmingham B4 6TB Tel: 0121 212 8200 Fax: 0121 212 8201 The cost is £160 for NRAC Members and Affiliates (£180 for non-members) and includes refreshments and lunch. The fee must be paid in full prior to attendance. The programme will provisionally run from 0900-0930 (registration) and will finish at 1645. Program:- BS 9999:2008 – fire guidance in practice - Stephen Mehmet, NRAC Wayfinding and signage for people with cognitive impairments - Steve Maslin, NRAC Sustainability and inclusive design - Ed Cotter, BREEAM Communities Roundtable discussion: design and access statements Changing Places facilities – case studies in Kent, from design to management - Val Markley, NRAC http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=9 Different government departmens of disability, this resunts use different definitiolts in differing statistics on the number of disabled people and misses out certain groups of people who may have rights under the Disability Discrimination Act. The medical model is often used to define disability as opposed to the social model which looks at the social barriers that affect life opportunities. The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) & the Office for National Statistics (ONS)have developed a new draft set of questions to address this problem. This should result in data to be more easily compared across different government departments. ODI commissioned Independent Social Research (ISR) to cognitively test the questions. This assessed how people with a range of impairments understood and responded to the questions and gave recommendations for revision. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=8 The Disability Law Service (DLS) is running a series of training courses in October and November 2009. These will be of particular interest to people who work with or provide advice for disabled people. Most courses are accredited by the Law Society, awarding three CPD points. The courses include the following: * How the Disability Discrimination Act can be used in employment * Enforcement of Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act in the County Courts * Using the Disability Equality Duty to improve disability rights in the public sector http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=7 Following extensive consultation, the long-awaited revision to BS 8300 has finally been released. The publication is entitled BS 8300:2009 Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people – Code of practice, and includes: * amendments to existing guidance, bringing a number of recommendations in line with other standards * completely new guidance, concerning elements such as parking provision and Changing Places facilities * recommendations that allow for greater flexibility in certain situations If you want to know how these changes may affect you please get in touch. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=6 From June, local authorities in England will have more powers to tackle inconsiderate parking. If motorists double park or park at dropped kerbs, councils will be able to issue Penalty Charge Notices, even if these prohibitions have not been indicated by specific road signs or markings. This follows a consultation that showed that most people strongly support this move. Blocking dropped kerbs prevents wheelchair users and people with pushchairs or wheeled luggage from using that location as a crossing point, and sometimes impedes access to residential driveways. Double parking creates problems for passing vehicles, as well as blocking sight lines for motorists and pedestrians. Transport Minister Paul Clark said: ‘The Highway Code is clear that drivers should not stop or park in such places and we believe placing of traffic signs or road markings to indicate these restrictions should not be necessary – as is the case in London. The same rules will apply to double parking – a dangerous activity that causes an unnecessary obstruction of the road, putting all road users at risk.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=5 Disability Now (DN) have reported that seven times more police officers are bringing disability discrimination cases against their forces than five years ago. Between 2003 and 2008, the number of disability discrimination cases rose from 22 to 148. During the same period, race-related claims rose from 43 to 62, and sexual discrimination claims fell from 82 to 79. Although the Disability Discrimination Act has been in force since 1995, the employment duty did not cover the police until 2004, since when there has been a substantial increase in cases, it is thought that this is the reason for the increase. DN report that “Disability discrimination cases also account for more than a third of all tribunals brought against police forces and are estimated to have cost taxpayers more than £3.4 million over the last five years, of which £2 million was accounted for in the last year alone.” Scott Westbrook, President of the National Disabled Police Association, also attributes the rise in claims to modernisation and the increased employment of police officers who have suffered injuries: ‘Forces want to reduce bureaucracy and get more police officers back out on the streets. I have no problem with that, but in some cases, it’s like a witch-hunt to see who they can kick out of the job. They’re not looking at the impact this is having on the workforce. That’s why the number of employment tribunals has gone up.’ However, Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, criticised the fact that settlement payouts are made so quickly without considering how else the issues might be resolved: ‘Senior management of every police force must focus on working with officers who have disabilities, rather than simply trying to buy them off.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=4 A partnership of the Social Exclusion Task Force, the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions have published a cross-government Learning Disability Employment Strategy, called Valuing Employment Now: Real Jobs For People With Learning Disabilities. The aim of the Strategy is to focuses on adults with moderate and severe learning disabilities. It recommends a range of measures to tackle the issue, including the following: * promotion of the fact that people with learning disabilities can work and have careers * increased employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities across the Department for Work and Pensions and in the NHS * Government departments to receive guidance on targeting people with learning disabilities in recruitment campaigns * recruitment of job coaches to offer people with learning disabilities support to find and retain employment Care Services Minister Phil Hope said: ‘Two thirds of people with a learning disability would like to work. Huge progress has been made in getting physically disabled people into employment but more must be done to help people with a learning disability – we’re missing a huge talent pool which employers can tap into. ‘The public sector has an important role to play to deliver the strategy, which is why it commits Government departments and the NHS to increasing the number of jobs they offer to people with learning disabilities.’ http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=3 This article is not about disability we have many clients who fall in to this category some may benefit from this article. Approximately two million tenants of Registered Social Landlords will now be protected by the Human Rights Act, this follows a case in the Court of Appeal. This came about from a case with Mrs Susan Weaver who the London Quadrant Housing Trust had tried to evict. She had lived in her flat since 1993. The claim by the Trust was that she had failed to pay her rent for eight weeks and sought an order to repossess. The lower courts had decided that the Trust had not breached her human rights, this was in respect of allocating, managing and terminating her tenancy, but all are to be seen as a public function. The Appeal Court support the previous court decisions and have effectively ruled that whilst a social landlord may evict a tenant for non-payment of rent, human rights must now be fully considered in making the decision. Registered Social Landlords e.g. charities, companies or co-operatives that provide social housing, will now be treated as public authorities and therefore subject to the Human Rights Act. This means that the landlord will have give regard to a tenant’s human rights i.e. private and family life. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=2 A Northern Ireland ruling in a case brought by Mrs Elizabeth Boyle who claimed she had been discriminated against by her former employer, SCA Packaging. Mrs Boyle developed vocal nodules, with help from speech therapy and by speaking very quietly and occasionally, she was able to control the condition. SCA Packaging had developed plans 9 years previously to remove partitions from around the desk, Mrs Boyle and her medical advisers had argued against the removal of the partitions had these had reduced the occasions when she would have to talk with others, they formed part of her management of the condition. Lord Hope said….. “The case is also important for people who, like Mrs Boyle, are in need of the protection of para 6(1) of Schedule 1. They include those suffering from conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy whose disability is concealed from public view so long as it is controlled by medication. Their disability is insidious. The measures that are taken to treat or correct it, so long as they are effective, enable them to carry on normal day-to-day activities just like everyone else. But the disability is there nevertheless. It lives with them all the time, as does the awareness that the measures that are taken to treat or correct it may not be wholly effective. Doctors do what they can to prescribe appropriate medication, bearing in mind the likely risk of side effects as well as its effectiveness. But it does not always work, and the precautions that people have to take against that eventuality may in themselves be disabling in a way that is often misunderstood: refraining from driving or operating heavy machinery, for example. In Mrs Boyle’s case the management regime which enabled her to live with her voice dysfunction without having further therapy but which an employer might find inconvenient or even irritating was of that character.” Any person with a condition that varies in its severity over time will still be termed disabled if it becomes substantial again in the future. The Northern Ireland Employment Tribunal will now look at the case to see if Mrs Boyle has been subject to unlawful discrimination based on her disability. http://www.aboutaccess.co.uk/article.php?id=1 Ian Streets is the Managing Director of About Access and has 10 years experience in the disability field. How did I get involved in access. This was through a good friend of mine who at the time was a valuation surveyor, he and his business partner were going on a two day training course on how to carryout access audits and I was invited, this goes back to 1999. My late father had a severe heart condition, my mother had remarried and I gained a new family members, including Ann who has learning difficulties and uses a wheelchair, so I thought I had a reasonable understanding around disability, how wrong could I be. But after the course I was hooked on the subject and still am. It is a subject that you never stop learning about. My work has taken me all over the UK from the tip of Scotland, Thurso, down to the Channel Islands, Jersey and across to Northern Ireland and included all building types from new builds to castles and everything in between. My friends think I don’t have a proper job, driving around the country taking pictures of buildings! Given the opportunity I allow my enjoyment of motorcycling to dovetail in to my work. I remember when I had to visit sites in Coatbridge (Glasgow), Inverness and Thurso, all for the same client, I took the opportunity to use my bike, you have to take the opportunity when you can.