The UKs Favourite Disability Magazine
news
Scientists link PTSD with Dementia Risk
Sep 2nd
Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a greater risk of dementia than veterans without the condition, even if they experienced traumatic injuries during combat, according to a new study by US scientists.
A study reported in the September issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that veterans with PSTD resulting from exposure to life-threatening events, are twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia.
Report co-author Mark Kunik MD MPH, a psychiatrist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Texas, said: “Although we cannot at this time determine the cause for this increased risk, it is essential to determine whether the risk of dementia can be reduced by effectively treating PTSD. This could have enormous implications for veterans now returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.” More >
Disabled People at Risk of Becoming Increasingly ‘Invisible’ in Modern Britain
Sep 1st
Disabled people risk being increasingly marginalised on the edges of society by proposed Government cuts, according to national disability charity Scope.
New research by the charity has found that disabled people are already ‘invisible’ to large parts of the society, with nearly two in five (40%) of non-disabled people (who do not have a disabled relative) not knowing any disabled people.
The survey found that, while the vast majority (91%) of non-disabled people believe that disabled people should have the same opportunities as everyone, only one in 10 had ever welcomed a disabled person into their house for a social occasion. Only a fifth (21%) had ever had the chance to work with a disabled colleague. More >
Mobility Aids Buyers Beware Rogue Traders
Sep 1st
Elderly and vulnerable people are being increasingly bullied into handing over thousands of pounds for overpriced mobility aids by rogue traders, according to the Local Government Association.
Some are even posing as social care workers to make sales. In one case, an 80-year-old was bullied into buying a £5,000 motor scooter, even though he already had one.
But now trading standards officers are recovering hundreds of thousands of pounds paid out for over-priced home equipment such as mobility scooters, stair lifts and walk-in baths. More >
JK Rowling Gives £10m for Edinburgh MS Centre
Aug 31st
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has donated £10m to the University of Edinburgh to set up a Multiple Sclerosis research clinic.
The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, named after the writer’s mother, who died from the disease aged 45, said the funds were to help attract top researchers to seek a cure for MS.
Work at the new clinic will also focus on other degenerative neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Motor Neurone Disease.
Source: BBC News
Public Urged to Take Part in Benefits Survey
Aug 31st
The Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) is urging the public to take part in a new survey which aims to find out more about disabled people’s experiences of claiming benefits.
The online survey can be accessed at www.surveymonkey.com/s/dbcsurvey and takes no more than 15 minutes to complete.
The Survey includes questions about what people think about work, and if they have ever claimed Employment and Support Allowance – the new benefit for people who cannot work due to ill health or disability. More >
Charities Fear Multimillion Pound Hit to Clothing Donations
Aug 31st
UK charities are concerned that media reports of charity clothing collection scams is reducing people’s willingness to donate items, and could cost them millions in lost income.
Bogus collectors have recently used the names of the Down’s Syndrome Association and the RNLI, and a BBC report this month exposed a company that claimed to collect for Breakthrough Breast Cancer in Kent.
David Moir, head of policy at the Association of Charity Shops, said the reports of scams could damage public trust. “It is highly possible that these bogus collectors could harm the public’s confidence in giving clothes to charitable collections, and that will have a damaging affect on charities’ stock levels,” he said.
Source: Third Sector
Ministers Call on Business to Improve Access Ahead of 2012 London Games
Aug 30th
Mandeville, official mascot of the 2012 London Paralympic Games
With less than two years until the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Government Ministers are urging companies to see improving disability access as a way of becoming more profitable, as well as more socially responsible.
One million disabled visitors are expected to come to London for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, bringing with them millions of pounds in potential business. The Government believes now is the time for British businesses to start preparing for these customers, to be part of the Paralympic Games.
To encourage businesses to become more accessible the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) commissioned a report setting out the opportunities that disabled customers bring.
Amputee Pianist Wows China’s Got Talent
Aug 27th
An armless Chinese man amazed TV audiences with a flawless piano performance – using only his toes.
Liu Wei, 23, appeared on China’s Got Talent and stunned viewers with a faultless recital of the classic Mariage D’amour.
Wei lost both arms when he was 10 after he touched a high-voltage wire during a game of hide-and-seek. He insisted it had been his “destiny” to perform on the show. More >
EHRC Says Fairness Must be at the Heart of Budget Decisions
Aug 26th
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has called on the Government to ensure it meets its legal obligations to consider the effect of any Budget cuts on vulnerable groups.
The Director General of the EHRC, Neil Kinghan, said: “Under equality legislation, the Treasury, like all public bodies, has a legal duty to pay ‘due regard’ to equality and consider any disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups when making decisions, including decisions about the Budget. This legislation is not designed to prevent reductions in public expenditure. Its role, and the Commission’s role, is to ensure fairness is at the heart of decisions. More >
Use Your iPhone to Monitor Powerchair Performance
Aug 26th
A New Zealand company has created a device allowing iPhones and iPods to monitor an electric wheelchair’s performance.
The iPortal is a powerchair accessory that connects to an iPhone or iPod touch to display wheelchair information in real time, and can be used to monitor speed, or even detect a fault. According to Christchurch-based Dynamic Controls, it is possibly the first medical device to make use of an iPhone.
Chief executive Charlotte Walshe said: “It makes the iPhone work like an virtual dashboard for your wheelchair. The iPortal was already selling well globally and the plan would be to expand its functionality with updates through Apple’s online apps store.”
The system is compatible with Dynamic Controls Shark, DX, and DX2 control systems and operates with Apple iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPod touch V2.0 and 3.0.
More: www.dynamiccontrols.com
Source: www.stuff.co.nz
New Short Film Marks Two Years Until Opening of London 2012 Paralympic Games
Aug 26th
The Foreign Office has marked the two years stage before the start of the London 2012 London Paralymic Games by launching a short film featuring one of the UK’s most successful Paralympians, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson.
In the short film, ‘See Britain’, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson – who won 11 Paralympic Gold medals and the London Wheelchair marathon six times – comments on how far the UK has come in 35 years in terms of the provision of disabled facilities and access, and how the UK today demonstrates what an inclusive society can look like.
She hopes the 2012 Games will be used as a platform to showcase to the world what is possible to achieve both on and off the track.
Disabled Families Hit Hardest by Economic Crisis
Aug 26th
Disabled parents and families with disabled children are being hit hardest by the current economic crisis according to a new report by the multi-agency partnership, Parenting across Scotland (PAS).
More than half (53%) of disabled parents and nearly two thirds (64%) of parents with a disabled child, said that they have found it more difficult to pay their bills in the last year, according to a survey of more than 1,000 families.
The report also found that disabled families were more likely to miss out on holidays and day trips, toys, books, DVDs and computer games, out-of-school activities and even domestic energy as the purse-strings were tightened. More >
Budget Hits Poorest Hardest, says IFS
Aug 25th
The Coalition Government’s first Budget will hit poor families – including disabled people – hardest, according to a leading economic think tank.The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) described the measures announced in June’s Emergency Budget as “regressive”, and said that low income families with children are set to lose the most – about 5% of net income – due to benefit cuts.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg defended the Budget, insisting the IFS report was “by definition partial” and failed to consider the policies to get more people off benefits and into work.
Guy Parckar, Leonard Cheshire Disability Acting Director of Policy and Campaigns, said: “The analysis suggesting that the measures in the June Budget will hit poorest families the hardest will be of great concern to many disabled people. More >
New Trains to Improve Access in Northern Ireland
Aug 25th
Photo: Belfast Telegraph
Access to Northern Ireland’s rail network will be improved by 20 state-of-the-art trains costing £105 million, which have been ordered by the Province’s integrated bus and rail public transport company Translink.
The first stage of building the Class 4000 trains by Construcciones y Auxillar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) in Zaragoza, Spain has been completed and will now have their interiors and equipment fitted.
Once finished the trains will have to undergo 2,000 miles of fault-free testing before they are put into service, which could be as early as summer 2011. The new Class 4000 trains will replace nine Class 450 and four Class 80 trains that are still currently in service and are at least 20 years old. More >
APC protein ‘linked to Learning Difficulties’
Aug 25th
A protein called APC holds a clue to the causes of learning disabilities, according to a new study.
According to neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, US, APC plays a key role in synapse maturation. The synapse is the tiny intercellular junction that rapidly transfers information from one neuron to the next.
APC dysfunction prevents the synapse function required for typical learning and memory, says the research, which is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Source: Craegmoor
