The Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) has launched RIDI 100: a directory of recruitment service providers which are committed to the inclusion of disabled jobseekers. The introduction of the resource comes in response to a survey of internal hiring managers which found that 70% of employers struggle to know where to source disabled talent. The same study found that just 11% of HR professionals feel ‘confident’ in knowing where to find candidates with a disability. 

Little over a year ago, the Inventor Prize was launched as part of the Industrial Strategy, in order to find Britain’s grassroots and garden shed inventors. Today innovation foundation Nesta, supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), is announcing 1 overall winner and two recognition awards, from their ten shortlisted finalists. The awardees will receive £50,000, £15,000 and £5,000 respectively, to help get their product to market.

Universal Credit will be rolled out across England and Wales next year, moving claimants’ existing benefits to a single monthly payment which must be applied for online.

Charities and organisations have expressed concern that the most vulnerable of people will be left out of pocket if more support is not given – so where does this leave disabled claimants?

The National Audit Office carried out a report on Universal credit, which was published in July, and said there was no practical alternative to continuing with Universal Credit as proceedings had already begun. It studied some areas included in a pilot scheme. 

As we get a little older, it certainly pays to think about how our bathrooms may need to adapt to changes in circumstance. For those of us reaching retirement age, it is worth seeking out some good independent bathroom ideas, to help you maintain your independence.

Whilst most of us carry on leading happy and healthy lives, your mobility may become restricted simply due to old age or some form of disability. This can mean disruption to your everyday routine, with things like getting in and out of the bath becoming more difficult.

The National Junior Games is just one of WheelPower’s many wheelchair-friendly and inclusive sporting events designed to increase the importance of how sport can play a vital positive role in the wellbeing and mental health of young disabled people across the country.

Latest national research suggests that non-disabled people are twice (46.6%) as likely to play sport than disabled people (24.4%).

The flagship event, aimed at disabled children aged 12-18 years old, provides a superb opportunity to take time out of the classroom and discover sport in a safe, welcoming and friendly environment. This year some 140 participants from across the country are expected to attend.

Researchers at King’s College London are launching the largest ever single study of depression and anxiety. By recruiting at least 40,000 people in England who have experienced either depression or anxiety at some point in their life, the Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) study will make important strides towards better understanding of these disorders and improving the lives of future patients. GLAD will provide a ‘bank’ of potential participants for future studies on the genetic aspects of these two conditions and reduce the time-consuming process of recruiting patients for research.

“The Second Annual LeDeR Report published in May sent shockwaves through the social care sector. Today, Dimensions welcomes the Government’s much-anticipated response. It goes a long way to assuring us that the government recognises the urgent need to stamp out the profound health inequalities that people with learning disabilities experience.

WESTBRIDGE CAPITAL, which typically invests in medium sized enterprises, has backed a management buyout of AJM Mobility Limited (t/a AJM Healthcare), which provides mobility and equipment solutions to the NHS, Local Authority Partners and individuals across the UK.

AJM is a leading integrated wheelchair service provider for the NHS, delivering services to a population of over 2 million, and was the first company in the UK to be granted CECOPS accreditation for integrated wheelchair services, widely acknowledged as the gold standard for quality in the sector. AJM employs over 150 people, ranging from specialised therapists to field service engineers.

New research shows that the significance of sport to the Essex economy is comparable with other industries including burdening creative industries in driving employment growth. Over 11,000 new jobs in sports and leisure could be created, to add to the 21,400 already employed in the sector.

Active Essex, the county sports partnership for Greater Essex, and Creative Sport & Leisure Ltd, specialists in apprenticeships and work-based learning, have unveiled a new Sport Skills Strategy and Action Plan based on new research that identifies the need to develop a highly skilled, dynamic and diverse workforce in the sport and leisure sector.

The construction of a £4.3 million innovative housing development in Radyr, Cardiff, parts of which are designed specifically for the needs of individuals with physical disabilities, will start this autumn. 

Aspects of the bespoke development, being built by Hale Construction in partnership with Taff Housing Association, will be wheelchair-friendly and designed specifically with the needs of disabled users in mind.

The designs of the development for 36 units on De Clare Drive in Radyr were approved in May 2018 – construction of the development is expected to take 62 weeks. 

The development will comprise 18 one-bedroom apartments, 10 two-bedroom apartments and eight three-bedroom homes – four of which will be suitable for wheelchair users. 

Silent epidemic of hearing loss means Brits damaging quality of life, say experts

NEW Styletto by Signia is a revolutionary hearing aid that aims to empower wearers through technology, innovation and stylish design

Friday 7th September 2018. Over half of people might who need a hearing aid aren’t doing so because of discomfort (57%) and embarrassment (56%) according to a recent survey of UK consumers[i]. In light of this, experts are warning that in choosing not to wear a hearing aid, many could be seriously damaging their quality of life.

WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport based at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, today announced the appointment of Rob Wilson as their new Chair of Trustees. Rob succeeds Kevan Baker OBE who retires as Chair after more than 20 years in the role.

Former Member of Parliament for Reading, Rob Wilson has a wealth of experience and joins WheelPower at an exciting time during the 70th anniversary year of the first Stoke Mandeville Games which sparked the Paralympic Movement.

As Cliff Kuang said in Fast Company, “Disability is an engine of innovation”[1].  Yet too often, it produces clinical, functional products. Somehow style gets lost in the design for people with disabilities. And yet, just because we lose our mobility, or hearing, or sight, it doesn’t mean we also lose our style or our desire for an exciting social life. It’s important to have wheelchairs and hearing aids that work, but the next step could be; ones that we actually covet! Design for people with disabilities currently provides for our basic needs, but it needs to respond to our desire for a good night out!

LONDON, England (7th September 2018) – Mindful Little Yogis is a new book to help children with special needs master emotional self-regulation and improve mental wellbeing. As a step-by-step guide to calming strategies for children, the book contains fun, practical mindfulness activities, adaptable for a range of abilities, including autism, ADHD and other special needs. With simple breathing techniques, sensory integration, yoga games, and other activities, children learn to self-regulate and find a sense of calm during times of anxiety and other heightened emotions.

A woman with learning difficulties is wowing house-mates and staff at the residential service where she lives in Kent, with her previously unsuspected horticultural skills. Twenty-five-year-old Alice Hoad never misses a chance to visit the newly-renovated vegetable patch of Rhyme House in Sittingbourne to inspect the fruit and vegetables she has planted herself, and water them or do some essential weeding. 

Before this summer Alice – who has autism and exhibits echolalia - had no experience of gardening since childhood, but staff at Rhyme House correctly identified it as a new hobby that was likely to appeal to her.