Archive

There can be no doubt that 2013 is already proving to be another tough year for many disabled people. Welfare and social care reforms continue to gain momentum and we’re already seeing an impact on quality of life for many families and individuals. We are particularly concerned that disabled people are being overlooked in the discussions about changes to the social care system and are part of a major campaign across the disability sector to address this.

In 2013, with the economy in recession, unemployment levels still high and wages flat-lining, times are tough for everyone. But disabled people in particular are struggling to make ends meet and the way ahead is hazardous and foreboding.

I'm not sure if I am going abseiling as I have turned into a bit of a blog tart and wanted something exciting to write about..!

Scope has been inundated with support from across the country for our campaign for better local services for disabled children and their families.

The Sun has published a story with the headline ‘See your Dogtor: Mutts who save lives and provide therapy’ - it’s a round-up of some of the great work that medical assistance dogs do. The centre piece is the story of Alice Boardman, her son Alex, six, and brother Tom, seven, and the impact Labrador-Retriever cross Lucie had when she joined the family. They live in Chorley, Lancs, with Alice’s engineer husband Dave.

The research team here at Scope has been working with the Equalities National Council (ENC) – a charity run by and working with black and minority ethnic (BME) disabled people – to find out about the lives of BME disabled people, and to find ways they can be better supported.

Our research findings - published last year - were shocking:

The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics created an unprecedented wave of public enthusiasm for sport and fitness as people watched in their millions, cheering on Bradley Wiggins, Ellie Simmonds and many more elite athletes who are now household names. Politicians and commentators alike spoke of the event inspiring a nation.

It's been a long wait, but the much anticipated report by the Bill of Rights Commission has finally seen the light of the day.

This has been a tough year for many. Half of all disabled people can't find work, and of those who are employed, one in two work in low-paid, short-term and part-time roles. In a typical job, a disabled man's annual earnings are £1,700 less than his non-disabled counterpart. For a disabled woman, the gap is more like £5,000. Disabled people are twice as likely to live below the poverty line as everyone else.