Wheelchair users David Slater and Anna Alston travel from Trafalgar Square in central London to the Olympic Park in Stratford using only public transport Laurence Topham Mustafa Khalili
As a group of disabled people’s organisations, run by and for disabled people, we – together with other individuals and
32-year-old is greeted by crowds of supporters as she becomes first to finish marathon in bionic suit A paralysed woman has become the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic suit. Claire Lomas finished the London Marathon 16 days after the race began. The 32-year-old said she was “over the moon” as she completed the 26.2-mile route, which she started on 22 April with 36,000 other participants
Unite is offering legal, debt and benefits advice for out of work people in their local communities to win new followers to its cause When a visitor enters the Casa Bar in central
Ten of the UK’s biggest private outsourcing companies have been shortlisted to deliver controversial Personal Independence Payment health assessments – with one notable exception Who will deliver a 20% cut to the disability living allowance benefits bill? We now know the contracts will be shared among 10 private companies, including the controversial French firm Atos Origin, which has come under fire over its handling of incapacity benefit tests , known as the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). The shortlisted companies are effectively in the frame to compete for at least four regional contracts to assess people’s eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – a new benefit which will replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in April 2013
Hundreds join demonstrations in London and Sheffield, accusing government of betraying disabled workers Protesters opposed to plans to close dozens of Remploy factories have accused the government of betraying disabled workers. Hundreds of Remploy workers held demonstrations outside government offices in London and Sheffield. Unions have criticised the planned closure of 36 of the 54 Remploy sites this summer, saying more than 1,700 staff face compulsory redundancy, including 1,500 disabled employees
Wheelchair users chain themselves together in latest in a series of direct action protests against welfare cuts Disability activists blocked one of central London’s busiest road junctions on Wednesday with a line of wheelchair users chaining themselves together in the latest in a series of direct action protests against welfare cuts. The protesters used metal chains and security locks to block two junctions around Trafalgar Square bringing traffic to a standstill for more than two hours. The demonstration was organised by Disabled People Against the Cuts (Dpac) which has taken the lead in several direct action anti-cuts protests over the past two months
A computer questionnaire now helps determine who is fit for work and who is eligible for benefits. But it is causing misery, with thousands of unwell people locked in a chaotic system of appeals How sick or disabled do you need to be to qualify for state support? Is it enough to be blind or do you also need to be deaf?
Retirement communities can be an attractive option for older people. But does the model work as well for those with disabilities? Judi Gerrard sweeps her mobility scooter into the bustling coffee shop at the Lovat Fields retirement village in Milton Keynes
Members of Disabled People Against Cuts and UK Uncut demonstrate against government cuts Disability campaigners have blocked one of central London’s busiest road junctions with a line of wheelchair users chained together in the first of a series of protests against government welfare cuts. The demonstration – which brought much of Oxford Circus to a standstill for more than two hours – was the result of an alliance between disabled groups and UK Uncut, which has staged similar protests against corporations accused of avoiding tax.
