John Hawkes: ‘To be a good actor, I need to be invisible’
John Hawkes has no interest in money, being famous or giving interviews. Sadly for him, the success of Winter's Bone and his latest role as a disabled man trying to lose his virginity mean he'd better get used to all three If you haven't heard of John Hawkes , or don't recognise him from...
Disability claimants pushed to the brink by ‘faceless’ benefits system
Charities express anger at near-continuous work assessments that patients with incurable conditions are forced to endure Fourteen years ago, Christian Dalley sustained serious brain damage in a motorbike accident and had to undergo two emergency lobotomies in the days after the crash. Although in some ways his recovery has been remarkable, the injuries to...
Ben Lewin on The Sessions: ‘You can reach women without brute force’
When the film director read about the relationship between a man in an iron lung and a sex worker, it touched him to the core.
Disabled man takes government to court over benefit test
Atos 'acted unlawfully' by not taping interview of ex-social worker found fit to work despite him leaving job due to brain surgery A disabled man who was incorrectly found fit for work under the government's disability benefit assessment is launching a legal action against the government and Atos, the private company performing the tests....
Work capability assessment reform too slow, says independent review
Professor Malcolm Harrington calls for improvements to eligibility assessments for sickness benefit to be implemented more swiftly Too many people still find the process of undergoing eligibility assessments for sickness benefit "more challenging than it should be", the government has acknowledged, responding to an independent review of the system that calls for improvements to...
Car review: Porsche Boxster
Who better to test drive the new Porsche Boxster than a 13-year-old with a passion for roller coasters? Price from £37,589 MPG up to 34.4 Top speed 164mph Kitty is a pretty 13-year-old with a winning smile and long blonde plaits. She also has cerebral palsy and finds it very difficult to speak, but...
Disability in film: is cinema finally moving with the times?
With worldwide hits such as Untouchable and Rust and Bone, French cinema is changing the way disabled people are portrayed on screen This year's Paralympics in London did an extraordinary amount to change attitudes to disabled people . But cinema has been doing its bit too
Disability charities welcome increase in award of unconditional benefits
Twice as many disabled people are getting Employment and Support Allowance as in May 2010, government figures show Disability charities have given a cautious welcome to a government announcement that more claimants are receiving maximum, unconditional disability benefit payments, the apparent result of ongoing improvements to the testing system. The percentage of new claimants...
