Current campaigns – act now

On Tuesday 5 December, court papers in a legal challenge were served on the Department for Work and Pensions over its introduction of the Access to Work cap, a measure which limits the amount of support that individuals can be awarded by the once flagship disability employment scheme.

Links and updated from our joint Stop Changes to Access to Work “Barriers to Work” report launch

We have now received a letter in response to our concerns from the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt. As requested by the Secretary of State we are sharing this letter with all co-signatories. We will be monitoring how the review takes place and supporting Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations to respond.

The implementation of Section 1 of the Equality Act 2010 would add an important protection against further regression of Disabled people’s rights. Urge your MP to support the commencement and enforcement of the Socio-Economic Duty.

Current independent living campaigns need to consider refocusing their messages to capture what has become a central issue, the increasing threat of institutionalisation for anyone needing care; we must not only be critical of cuts to services but also the availability of institutionalised services. Guest blog from Simone Aspis.

Every year thousands of people unnecessarily die from cold homes. On the 21st November, the eve of the release of the latest excess winter deaths statistics, Fuel Poverty Action and a wide range of disability and poverty organisations delivered a letter to Ofgem about their proposed “safeguard” cap on energy tariffs.

A Disabled person with support from Inclusion London and other Disability charities is bringing a challenge to the unfair and discriminatory way those with psychological distress are treated by the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) rules.

Take stock of the key barriers to independent living that Disabled people who use adult social care services face. The day will aim to assess how far the situation has deteriorated in the last year and also to explore a shared vision for an independent living support system that can truly uphold our rights.

Please send us your experience of the ESA or PIP assessment or your experience of waiting for an assessment by the 8 November. Suggestions to improve the assessment process are also welcome.   

Guardian article about Kamil Ahmad, a Disabled asylum seeker who was murdered in 2016. “Last year, the UN accused the government of “systematic” violations of disabled people’s rights. In August this year, a UN representative described the situation as a “human catastrophe”. Kamil’s death is one horrific part of this bigger picture.”