John Pring's Disability News Round Up - 29th June 2012

7/03/2012 12:36:00 pm BenefitScroungingScum 0 Comments

• Serious concerns have been raised over the government’s specialist disability employment programme, after new figures suggested it has helped only a few hundred disabled people with high support needs into jobs.
• Coalition cuts to disability living allowance could cost the economy £650 million a year and lose the government £80 million in taxes, because of the impact on the car industry, says a new report.
• Britain’s doctors have voted to “demand” an end to the government’s controversial “fitness for work” tests, and to work with disability charities to campaign for it to be scrapped.
• Channel 4 has been criticised for its “absurd” and “very disappointing” decision to choose five non-disabled people – and not a single disabled person – to take part in the London 2012 Paralympic torch relay.
• A disabled peer has re-introduced a bill that would allow disabled people to retain their council-funded support when they relocate to a different part of the country.
• The proportion of disabled people playing sport regularly has increased by more than a fifth since London won the right to stage the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to new figures.
• Outraged disabled activists are boycotting next week’s Pride London gay rights parade because they believe organisers have failed to tackle major access problems faced at last year’s event.
• Two of the country’s leading disabled people’s organisations have been unable to say whether they would continue to back the closure of 36 Remploy factories if they lead to disabled workers becoming unemployed.
• Leading self-advocates have called once again for government action to improve care standards for people with learning difficulties, but say they are not surprised by a report highlighting how many services are failing national standards.
• Campaigners are seeking support for a project that will create the world’s first collection and archive of the work of disabled artists.