The UK is at risk of breaching UN guidelines on the rights of disabled people to live independently, according to a government report published today. A report from the joint committee on human rights said the government needs to implement freestanding legislation to protect the right to independent living and explore the ways the current benefit reforms affect the ability of disabled people to live an independent life. ‘While we recognise the exceptional economic circumstances facing the UK, we conclude that there is a risk of retrogression of the UK’s obligations as a result of the cumulative impact of spending cuts and reforms,’ it said.

The MPs on the committee found that reductions in funding for local authorities, changes to disability living allowance under the Welfare Reform Bill, caps on housing benefit and the closure of the independent living fund risk leaving disabled people without the support they need to live independently. The report said that some people fear that ‘the cumulative impact of these changes will force them out of their homes and local communities and into residential care’.

Source: Inside Housing
Link: http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/care/uk-risks-breaching-guidelines-on-disabled-rights/6520731.article

1 March 2012

The government fought off a fresh challenge to its controversial Welfare Reform bill on 17^th January, when peers rejected a proposal to delay the full introduction of slashed new disability payments after ministers offered concessions.As the cabinet hardened its tactics by agreeing to overturn a series of defeats in the House of Lords last week, a cross-party group of peers failed to introduce a pilot scheme before a new regime for disability allowances can be fully introduced.

Peers voted by 229 to 213, a government majority of 16, to reject an amendment tabled by Lady Grey-Thompson, one of Britain’s most successful disabled athletes, after the government warned her plan would cost £1.4bn. The government is planning to replace the working age disability living allowance (DLA) with a new personal independent payment (PIP) which will involve a more rigorous assessment system. The government aims to cut costs by 20%.

Lord Freud, the welfare reform minister, promised to test the operational processes of the new payment system. He said the government would hold two biennial independent reviews in the first four years of the new PIP system. The failure to amend the bill is likely to embolden the cabinet which agreed at its weekly meeting on Monday to overturn the triple defeat it suffered last week, when peers rejected plans on proposed benefit cuts in the welfare reform bill. Only two Liberal Democrat peers have now rebelled.

 Source: Guardian

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jan/17/welfare-reform-bill-amendment-blocked

18^th January 2012

One Voice was involved along with many disabled people, in putting forward suggestions to make the new bus station less of a barrier for disabled people.

The project was called The Interchange Project – because it was supposed to enable passengers to easily change from bus to train to metro (if the Metro ever gets the funding to extend).

On the day the bus station opened, many passengers found that their bused no longer stopped at the bus station – there was no interchange at all – just a chaos of buses outside the Art Gallery. So now, many people have to go much further to get to the train station than before. Perhaps the project should have been called the ignoring-the-passengers project.

Not content with making this change, the bus company decided to changes the numbers and routes of most buses. There was a leaflet about these changes that came out 2 weeks before – so people had some notice. The leaflet though, was not called “changes to bus service” it was called “a fresh start”, so most bus users didn’t pick it up. The changes in number and service have been condusing to every passenger we have met on buses.

Now we have the passenger-unfriendly situation of more buses stopping or waiting in Lichfield street than there is room for. So some stop away from the bus stop, or change which end of the bus shelter they stop at, because of lack of space – this makes it much more difficult for blind and visually impaired and mobility impaired people to use the bus – it is also very stressful for all bus users. Sometimes, a bus will stop in the right place, and the driver will get out and passengers have to wait for a new driver.

This isn’t a fresh start, it is a fresh hell, and it seems to have been done without any consultation with passengers. It has made huge new barriers to using the bus service for many disabled people and others.

It is not the way to make sustainable change.

From London Disabled People’s Advisory committee

The Supreme Court has ruled in support of Kensington and Chelsea council’s withdrawal of overnight care to Elaine McDonald to save money. This will mean she will have no choice but to wear pads, although this is undignified and against her express wishes. Male judges are undermining a woman’s right to choose how she is helped with personal care.

The ruling has accepted that reviewing care plans can be treated as a reassessment of need. Therefore any contact with social services, even a phone call, could lead to detrimental changes to a disabled person’s care package.

The idea that privacy and independence can best be facilitated by dispensing with personal assistants or care workers at night was also supported by the Supreme Court. This is contrary to the government’s Independent Living Strategy, and undermines everything we have fought for as a disabled people’s movement for the last forty years. Personal assistance is vital to many disabled people’s independence and safety. Disabled people with complex health and social care needs who cannot move unaided should never be left alone at night in case of a fire or a sudden deterioration in their condition.

Disabled people, family carers, personal assistants, women, pensioners, community activists and trade unionists should come to the lobby to support Elaine and oppose this disgraceful ruling. Elaine’s overnight care should be restored immediately. A defeat for Elaine is a defeat for us all.

Contact ADKC on 0208 960 8888 or at pbsupport@adkc.org.uk

Contact HAFCAC on 07899 752 877 or at hafcac@hotmail.co.uk

Contact DPAC at mail@dpac.uk.net or visit our web site at www.dpac.uk.net

Contact WinVisible on 0207 482 2496 (voice & minicom) or at win@winvisible.org

If you are like me and have to rely on public transport, then you would have probably found it difficult over the Christmas period. At no point did I see on buses or bus stops the Christmas timetables.

I ended up having to wait in the cold on Monday 3^rd January for 30 minutes waiting for a bus, as the service to get me home was on Sunday service for the 6^th time in 9 days. Now I didn’t see any signs up anywhere about services over the holidays, and what’s more when the bus turned up they wouldn’t accept my pass and I then had to pay the inflated prices for this year to get home.
This is obviously what you get for going to see a relative off at the train station (we got a taxi there). That is why I didn’t know about the reduced service until I was trying to get home again.
Also where is the travel information office, because I haven’t seen it anywhere or any signs for it.
With all the money they are spending on the new bus station they should have put up more signs.

Gordon Brown wanted to be “fair” about benefits, but he brought in Employment Support Allowance – the main purpose was to get disabled people off expensive incapacity benefit and into cheap unemployment.
But that isn’t enough un-fairness for the Conservative led coalition government: their new definition of fair seems to be to introduce medical assessments for DLA by doctors who work for the Benefits system – we already have that – benefits doctors go out and visit disabled people and decide they shouldn’t get the benefits. Continue Reading

A British Diplomat praised for her work promoting disability rights as a diplomat in Poland, has had her new posting as Britain’s deputy ambassador to Kazakhstan revoked, after Foreign Officie officials decided that her deafness makes it too expensive for her to work abroad.
The Equality and Human Rights commision is taking up her case.
But this signals an interesting approach by a Government that – in oppositiion, said that disabled people’s equality was safe in their hands.
Overcoming disabling barriers can be expensive, but the Disability Discrimination Act looks at the resources of the organisation when deciding whether the cost of removing barriers or providing aids and adaptations, is prohibitive and can be refused.
It seems a clear indication of the Government’s continued intention for poorer and “less equal” groups to bear the main burden of the Government cuts.
After all, a Government that is still paying MP expenses for TVs, up to £24,222 for rent/housing costs, an annual Communications Allowance of £10,400, and up to £37,281 to each MP for staff costs.
Readers may also remember an item in the news that foreign secretary William Hague was employing 3 Special Advisors, but apparently, paying for the lip speakers that Jane Cordell uses to do the job she was selected for is too expensive.
The EHRC must win this case, or the hard won rights of Disabled people to live and work as equals will have been effectively repealed.

Sri Lankan spin bowler Mutiah Muralitharan has retired from Test cricket after an 8 wicket haul to win the match yesterday, and taske his total test wickets to a record breaking 800! Murali was a wizard with the cricket ball who was accused of throwing by Australian umpires – tests proved this accusation completely unfounded – the Aussie umpires had failed to take account that Murali was born with an impairment in his bowling arm – so a great and wily test bowler who introduced us to the bamboozling dosra ball, overcame poverty, disability, and discrimination, to be the greatest test wicket taker – Murali we salute you!

One Voice member Ann Mathews has a petition of interest to disabled people on the Government petitions website here:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/FreeDisabledSwim/

The petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to extend the
free swim programme to include disabled people.

Disabled people have various kinds of problems that can limit
their mobility, however swimming or simply being in the water
can be enjoyed by everyone. It is a great fitness tool and can
change people’s mood. However it is very expensive which can
stop disabled people from being able to join in, so by
extending the free swim program we can make life a little
easier for disabled people and their carers.

If you agree, go to the link above and sign the petition!