Disability and Health News Europe and UK 15 Oct 2008

Under a new European law, disabled people and other people with reduced mobility have legal rights to assistance when travelling by air.

The new EU Directive (see below) that was introduced on the 26th of July 2008, states that only airport operators (Not airlines as before) are allowed to organise assistance for passengers.

Apparently this had come about because in December 2004, a disabled passenger sued Ryanair for charging for wheelchair assistance.   As a result of this, the EU passed an all-encompassing directive. Now thanks to the EU, passengers will have to rely on the competence, or not, of the local airport staff to get them on and off the aircraft. EU Airport Mobility Rights

For as long as it has existed, the prenatal test for Down's syndrome has stirred ethical controversy. As its main purpose is to allow women to decide whether to proceed with affected pregnancies, it has become a battleground in the abortion debate. About 750 babies with Down's syndrome are born in UK ever year, 60 per cent diagnosed before birth. Ante-natal testing for Down's Syndrome

Currently there are 2.6 million people in the UK on benefits for illness or disability. In October 2008 the benefits system comes under new ruling whereby Government focus is aimed at getting the sick and disabled back to work under their new Employment and Support Allowance benefit. This new bill will force numerous people to take any type of work that they are medically capable of undertaking.

The Employers' Forum on Disability (EFD) has welcomed government plans to help people with mental health problems stay in work. Work and pensions secretary James Purnell last week announced an increase in funding for the Access to Work programme, to test new ways of helping people with mental health issues stay in work and off benefits.

Scotland - SIX points of action have been identified to help the city's disabled community. The council believes following the six points would help improve the quality of life enjoyed by disabled people in the Capital. Personalising budgets to offer more choice of equipment and support; making transport more flexible; and improving public awareness of various disabilities would all have a positive impact on lives, the Our Lives Our Way project has said. Also highlighted were better access to buildings, improved use of existing resources and offering carers short breaks as ways of moving things forward. Council leader Jenny Dawe said: "A range of priorities for people with physical and complex disabilities in the city has been outlined."

Ireland - Figures released show that just under a third of the 3,052 children under the age of five with disabilities, who have completed applications for legally entitled assessments of their health and educational needs, have yet to be assessed. Figures released by Fine Gael last week showed that 33 per cent (256) of 804 applications, received in the first six months of the leglislation, were not completed within the obligatory six-month timeframe. Furthermore only 325 service statements were issued in the first year to assessed applicants.

The world's largest ever longitudinal study of households launched Monday. The £15.5m government-funded study will allow social scientists to research vital issues facing communities in Britain. Researchers will use data obtained from annual questionnaires of 40,000 British households to study issues such as education, health, income earnings, employment, caring responsibilities and satisfaction with life. It will collect information from 100,000 individuals, across 40,000 households from across the country, from Lands End to the Highlands and islands of Scotland.

Health and Disability News for Seniors:

Senior citizens who meet income qualifications will be able to get a one-time $500 grant from the state this winter to help pay for heating. Many seniors are already eligible for state heating assistance, ranging from $455 to $925, through two existing state aid programs and through Operation Fuel, a nonprofit network of fuel banks that receives some state funding. The new program is a fourth assistance program designed specifically for a population that Gov. M. Jodi Rell said stands to suffer most from the cold. Further information about the program for seniors is available by calling Operation Fuel at 860-243-2345 or visiting www.operationfuel.org

Coming Events:

People with disabilities, their caretakers, families, friends and the public are invited to the Somerset County Disability Providers Expo on Tuesday, from 3 to 7 p.m. The free event will be held in Conference Room 1 of the Somerset County Human Services Building at 27 Warren St. in Somerville. Light refreshments will be served. "This event will bring providers and consumers together in an exhibition setting to increase awareness of resources available to people with disabilities in Somerset County," said Freeholder Deputy Director Rick Fontana, Office for the Disabled liaison. "Somerset County strives to improve the lives of its residents and providing information about available services is essential." For more information, contact Office for the Disabled Coordinator Mark Malone at (908) 704-6334 or malone@co.somerset.nj.us