Features

A disabled children’s charity will publish a damning report today exposing major and unlawful failings surrounding the provision of specialist equipment to some of the UK’s most vulnerable children.  

Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children is urgently calling on the government to help those children whose lives are at risk because they don’t have the specialist equipment they need. 

In its report, Equipment Crisis for Disabled Children, launched today at the House of Commons, the charity highlights why children are being deprived of specialist equipment like walking frames, specialist car seats and beds, and has published a practical four-point-plan to fix it.  

Brain injury charity Headway support people in the community following head traumas. Here, we speak to Headway’s James Coxon about the charity’s ID cards which can help aid communication between the brain injury survivor and people they meet in everyday life… 

Could you tell us a little about the Headway charity and its work? 

Headway, the brain injury association, supports people affected by acquired brain injury through a wide range of services including rehabilitation programmes, carer support, social re-integration, community outreach and respite care. 

Tragically, suicide has been established as the leading cause of death among young people between 15 and 24 years of age, as a result, mental health is now becoming a massive focus across higher education facilities.

Education professionals are having to adapt their working methods to not only provide the best care and education possible in the classroom, but the best standard of care for their students whilst they are outside of the classroom too.

Duty of care to students is becoming a larger demand on the time and resources of schools and universities and this is a good thing!

In the last year, the number of students reporting mental health problems has risen by an astonishing 390%.

Members of Arden House, asupported living service in Brighton, have volunteered their help to make sure celebration-goers stay hydrated at this weekend’s Disability Pride event.

Staff members and four people who live at Arden House in Preston Park, which supports people with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs, will be greeting visitors and running a watering station at the event at Hove Lawns on July 14.

The celebrations will include live music, acts, performances, and speeches from disabled people; work from disabled artists; and stalls from local support organisations.

Chris Woolgar, manager of Arden House, said:

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that many people living with a disability have to deal with misconceptions and stigma on a daily basis. From ignorance and prejudice, to barriers to work and education, the effects of these misconceptions can have profound and wide-ranging effects on the lives of disabled people.

UKS Mobility recently talked to 18 bloggers about their experiences and the misconceptions that those living with a disability face. Here, we take a closer look at the most common misconceptions they mentioned. We hope this will help raise awareness and reduce the stigma and improve conversation around disability.  

1.        All people with disabilities use wheelchairs

The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) broadly welcomes the Government’s ambition to see more disabled people in work, but is hugely disappointed that it has not taken the opportunity to explore tax reliefs and other changes to tax rules and practice that could help support more disabled people into work and help those already in work to stay in work.

The Government’s plan to transform disability employment over the next ten years was launched recently. Measures include widening ‘fit note’ certification, providing dedicated training for work coaches to support people with mental health conditions and reforming Statutory Sick Pay.1

In true Vale tradition Aylesbury’s Stoke Mandeville Stadium is set to play host to the Paralympic Heritage Flame Lighting Ceremony, in the run up to the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea.

On Friday 2 March 2018 the Stadium will be lit up to bring Paralympic sport to the fore in a day of sporting demonstrations, talks and events.

The joy of Woodlarks is that everyone involved is a volunteer. The disabled people who come here have all sorts of disabilities. They rely on volunteer helpers to enable them to join in all that Woodlarks has to offer. 

 As one camper said, ‘A new experience every day.’

The summer half term week, and every week through July and August, urgently needs active helpers to engage for a week.

As soon as bookings open in January, camp leaders are flooded with applications from disabled people who want to attend their week.  Sadly, they have to put many on a waiting list until they can be sure that they have enough helpers.