UK Disability News

Health and disability news updates and coming events from England and the U.K. of interest to senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

In the U.K. Directgov offers disabled people information on independent living, financial support, health and social services, employment and travel.

The U.K. Disability Discrimination Act - The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 aims to end the discrimination that many disabled people still face today.

This Act has been significantly extended, including by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. It now gives disabled people rights in the areas of:

* Employment
* Education
* Access to goods, facilities and services, including larger private clubs and transport services
* Buying or renting land or property, including making it easier for disabled people to rent property and for tenants to make disability-related adaptations
* Accessing everyday goods and services like shops, cafes, banks, cinemas and places of worship
* Accessing or becoming a member of a larger private club (25 or more members)
* Accessing the functions of public bodies, like the issuing of licenses for example

The Act requires public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. It also allows the government to set minimum standards so that disabled people can use public transport easily.

U.K. Seniors - Employers in England will no longer be able to force workers to retire before 65, unless they can justify it. The government has announced that firms will be barred from 2006 from imposing arbitrary retirement ages. Under age discrimination proposals from the Department of Trade and Industry workers are allowed to work on till 70 if they wish. Many retired people in the U.K. do not claim all the benefits that they are entitled to. Benefit rules are not needlessly generous so if you qualify for any help you should take up your entitlement. There are two main types of benefits: means tested and non means tested.

Further Information Regarding UK Disability News

Government Decides Not to Scrap Disability Living Allowance
WRVS also supports government's decision not to scrap the disability living allowance. This supports the wellbeing of 1.6 million pensioners who currently receive it.

Miriam Margolyes Disabled Living Foundation Appeal
On Sunday 4 October 2009, actress Miriam Margolyes will present the BBC Radio 4 Appeal supporting the Disabled Living Foundation (DLF), a national charity that provides impartial advice and information about independent living.

Gary McKinnon: Petition and Appeal to President Barack Obama
Autism campaigners Ivan Corea of the UK Autism Foundation and Kevin Healey Chairman of the Staffordshire Adults Autistic Society (who has Asperger's Syndrome) have issued a joint appeal on Gary McKinnon to President Barack Obama at the White House.

Survival Rates for Cancer Rise Across Ireland
Survival rates for cancer are continuing to rise even though the number of cases being diagnosed is increasing, an all-Ireland report launched today reveals.

Colleague's Deafness Inspires Marathon Runner
A colleague and friend who has been partially deaf in one ear for most of her life, and is likely to become more severely deaf with time, has inspired a London man to run the marathon for Deafness Research UK. Johan Fourie from Wandsworth has always wanted to run the marathon and decided that this year he was physically and mentally ready to do it.

UKAF appeal to Chancellor Alistair Darling
The UK Autism Foundation has appealed to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling to reach out to families with autism who are below the poverty line.

Businesses Join with Grenoble Ecole De Management to Meet Challenges of Disability
Only 12% of disabled people in France have a higher-education degree. Further to this, businesses find it difficult, despite their desire, to respect the French law which requires businesses to have at least 6% of disabled people in their total workforce.

Mum's Memory Inspires Bedfordshire Marathon Runner
Her mother's profound deafness has inspired Maxine Marshall of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire to run the London Marathon for Deafness Research UK. After two failed attempts to enter the marathon previously, Maxine decided that this year she would enter and run for Deafness Research UK, who had provided some support during her mum's life.

Disabled Students Achieve Potential with Government's Home Access Pilot
Through the Home Access pilot, iansyst and XMA are now able to supply assistive technologies appropriately tailored to the individual needs of disabled students and provide the support they require to make good use of them.

New Law to Strengthen Protection of Vulnerable People UK
Some of the most vulnerable people in society will be better protected against abuse and poor care as a result of new legislation coming into force today. People who lack capacity in hospitals and care homes will now be protected by a new law known as the "Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards".

World Autism Awareness Day - Stand Up for Autism
Twenty autism charities are uniting on World Autism Awareness Day (2 April 2009) to call on people across the UK to Stand Up for Autism.

RADAR Hopes Obama Apology Sincere and Lesson Learned
Anyone can make a mistake when speaking off the cuff, and no one knows this better than politicians. But Barack Obama, as the first black President of the United States, probably knows better than most how hurtful and damaging off the cuff discriminatory remarks can be.

U.K. Blind people to Receive Higher Rate of Mobility Component
The National Federation of the Blind of the United Kingdom welcomes the Government's announcement that they will change the regulations of the Disability Living Allowance to allow Blind people to receive the higher rate of the Mobility Component of the DLA benefit from 2011.

Scots and Irish at Greater Risk of Drink Related Death
Alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales are twice as high among people born in Scotland or Ireland compared with the rest of the population, a study has shown.

RFID Tracking to Revolutionise the UK Medical Industry
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust will begin using RFID technology to track surgical equipment through the decontamination process to ensure that it has been properly sterilised. The RFID tracking system will be fully automated, which means that it will no longer be necessary for medical staff to handle surgical instruments in order to keep tabs on them.

Limiting Access to Disabled Children's Services is Unlawful
Disability charity welcomes legal judgment opening door for more families with disabled children to get services by right. The Council for Disabled Children (CDC) has welcomed a High Court ruling that the use of 'eligibility criteria' by local authorities to limit access to disabled children's services can be unlawful.

First British Blind Soap Actress as Lizzie Lakely
The country's leading disability charity has applauded the decision by Emmerdale bosses to introduce the country's first every blind actress in a British soap. Kitty McGeever' 41, who lost her sight at the age of 33 from a diabetes-related illness, is set to arrive in the village next month, playing blind character Lizzie Lakely.

Charitable Trust Takes Official Receipt of £350k Jumbulance
Today the Jumbulance Trust took official receipt of a brand new Jumbulance, which is part-coach, part-ambulance and will make leisure and holiday travel possible for the disabled, severely ill, elderly and infirm.

U.K. Service Creates Opportunities for People with Learning Disability
A new-style service is helping people with learning disabilities tailor services better to their needs. Community Opportunities, is the new name for day services for people with a learning disability in Leicestershire.

U.K. Care Charges Risk Leading Older and Disabled into Poverty
Rising care charges are putting older and disabled people at risk of not being able to afford to eat, heat their homes, wash or get essential support, says a new report published by the Coalition on Charging. The report is backed by 18 major organizations that form the Coalition - representing disabled people, older people, people with long-term health conditions and carers.

U.K. Disability Equality
The Government has highlighted progress towards achieving its ambition of equality for disabled people by 2025 with the publication of a series of reports from 11 Secretaries of State, the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) annual report and additional research about the Disability Equality Duty.

UK Winter Fuel Payments
While Winter Fuel Payments are directed towards the elderly, the UK Autism Foundation has appealed to the Chancellor Alistair Darling to help all families with autism and Asperger's Syndrome who are in low-income households. There are families with autism who who have had to choose between heating and eating as they struggle to cope with life during the economic crisis.

U.K. Ambulance Service National Stroke Campaign
A leading stroke care campaigner for South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SECAmb) has helped to launch a national campaign to promote public awareness of the life-threatening condition. David Davis, Paramedic and Stroke Lead for SECAmb , has been working closely with the Department of Health and the Stroke Association on the campaign which was launched this week.

Public say Social Care is as Important as NHS
The Leonard Cheshire Disability survey also reveals that nine in ten (86 per cent) adults would support more public money being used to make sure that everybody who needs social care gets it. Only 16% of people believe they would have to pay for their entire social care costs.

Hollyoaks Stars Marathon Effort for Charity
Four of the stars of Channel Four’s teen drama, Hollyoaks, will be swapping their hair straighteners and designer outfits for running vests and trainers as they prepare to take on the Flora London Marathon. John Pickard, Junade Khan, Nicole Barber-Lane and Loui Batley, who play Dom, Ash, Myra and Sarah respectively, will be hoping to raise vital funds with every step of the 26-mile feat for their chosen charities.