Disability Now. Our voice, our lives.
A new initiative for funding academic research seeks to tap directly into the lives and experiences of disabled people, says Ruth Patrick. Members of the disabled people’s movement have long campaigned under the banner of ‘nothing about us without us’. This powerful and simple slogan speaks to disabled people’s desire for self-determination and for a …
Continue reading “DRILL: funding the future of disability studies”
Following the announcement by the new secretary of state for Work and Pensions that people with on-going health conditions or impairments which will only get worse will no longer have to go through repeat assessments for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Ruth Patrick reflects on the mixed impact of this welcome change. The man now …
Continue reading “End of repeat assessments brings hope and uncertainty”
As Theresa May’s government continues to bed in, commentators suggest that her approach to social security may be different from the Cameron/Osborne slash and burn approach. But what will take its place and what difference will it make to disabled people? Ruth Patrick reports. Standing on the steps of 10 Downing Street, newly appointed Prime …
Continue reading “Who may benefit from May’s benefit rethink?”
The arrival of Penny Mordaunt as Minister for Disabled People at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been greeted with more trepidation than joy, says Ruth Patrick. After her seamless if sudden arrival at No 10 Downing Street, we can perhaps forgive Theresa May for taking a little time to finalise her cabinet …
Continue reading “It’s wait and see as Mordaunt beds in as minister”
Whether it’s in, out, leave or remain, Ruth Patrick says that disabled people’s voices and our issues have been largely missing from the arguments either way. Nestled between a pile of takeaway menus and a reminder about an overdue library book, today’s postal offerings included a missive from Jeremy Corbyn asking me to vote remain …
As the new Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb sets out his stall on benefits and welfare, Ruth Patrick finds that he has a lot to do to if he’s to court approval from disabled people. For six long years, Iain Duncan Smith ran the show at the Department for Work and Pensions, zealously seeking …
As the Government’s migration of disabled people from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with Personal Independence Payments (PIP) picks up pace, Ruth Patrick talks to members of the network which is determined to reveal Department for Work and Pensions’ hidden intentions. Replacing DLA to PIP was always about saving money. While it has been presented as …
Continue reading “Spartacus report unmasks PIP hidden agenda”
Government estimates put the number of homes affected by fuel poverty at more than 2 million but Ruth Patrick finds out why disabled people are more likely to be affected financially and physically. Last winter, there were 43,900 excess winter deaths in England and Wales: the highest figure since 1999. On the day that these …
Ruth Patrick has identified some encouraging signs with more positive attitudes and perception of mental health, but under-funding and ongoing cuts to services shed a less positive light. For years, describing mental health as the ‘Cinderella’ of NHS provision was commonplace, an easy shorthand for the chronic under-funding and poor levels of mental health care. …
Continue reading “Raised profile of mental health points up flaws in system in crisis”
In making cuts to out of work disability benefits George Osborne makes wrong assumptions based on flawed ideology, says Ruth Patrick. Perhaps it could have been a lot worse. In the run-up to George Osborne’s much trailed Emergency Budget there were lots of whispers and hints that disabled people might find their social security support …
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