GMCDP News

From Disability News Service

The head of the judiciary has blamed the parliamentary logjam caused by Brexit for preventing the introduction of vital new laws that would make it easier for disability hate crime to be punished with stricter sentences.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, who retired last month, told the chief executive of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Nick Folland, that he agreed that too few disability hate crimes were being met with increased sentences.

From Disability News Service

Scores of disabled people and welfare advisers have told a Commons inquiry that disability benefit assessment reports completed on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions are filled with “lies and misinformation”.

The work and pensions select committee is carrying out an inquiry into the assessment process for both personal independence payment (PIP) and employment and support allowance (ESA).

From Disability News Service

A disabled access expert has questioned why 10 Downing Street – which has one of the most iconically-inaccessible front doors on the planet – has been presented with a high-profile access award.

Images of the front entrance to the prime minister’s home and offices – with its two steps to the front door – are shown every day all over the world.

From Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance:

Independent Living Campaigns Conference

Idea is to explore many current problems with adult social care, look at alternative models and explore our vision for what an independent living support system that is capable of upholding our Article 19 rights would look like and how we can fight for it.
 

25th November 2017

Venue: 336

336 Brixton Rd

London

SW9 7AA

From the Daily Mirror

Thousands of disabled people will be given higher benefits after winning a legal victory over the Tory government.

Ministers have been forced to rewrite Personal Independence Payment (PIP) rules following the defeat at a top-level court.

People will now get £70 to £90 a week extra backdated to the day of the Upper Tribunal, which includes a High Court judge on its panel, in March.

The government believes around 10,000 people will benefit by 2022.

Inclusion London is involved in a piece of research being carried out by a student at the University of Essex into the impact of conditionality and sanctions on Disabled people in the Employment and Support Alliance (ESA) Work Related Activity Group (WRAG). With the Government about to roll out proposals that will extend conditionality to Disabled people in the support group we think it is all the more important that research and evaluation is carried out into the impacts of this approach to welfare.

From EHRC

Could you be a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s new Disability Advisory Committee?

We are looking for a number of people with disability expertise to join the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s new Disability Advisory Committee.

Upcoming Access All Areas sessions at Z Arts

Sunday November 5th (next session -

10am – 3pm

Free Event, booking required.

This is a BSL integrated event.

From Z Arts:

Watch a film from the event

Every month we host family fun days for children and families with disabilities, with a different theme every month. This November we’ll be taking over Z-arts with fantastic fairytale activities before the festive fun day in December. 

Hosted by Nick Knowles, Who Dares Wins is the Saturday night quiz show where two teams of complete strangers put their general knowledge and nerve to the ultimate test. The teams battle to outbid each other on their skill and knowledge in a series of lists: who will be able to name the most films starring Bruce Willis or the most properties on a London Monopoly board? The first pair to win two lists eliminates their opponents and gets to play for up to £50,000. And it doesn't end there because on Who Dares Wins, if they keep winning, they can keep on adding to their prize fund!

From Disability News Service

The number of disability hate crimes recorded by the police rose by more than 50 per cent last year, according to new figures released by the Home Office.

The rise in recorded disability hate crimes (53 per cent) was larger than for any other strand, with race hate crimes rising by more than a quarter (27 per cent), those motivated by sexual orientation also increasing by 27 per cent, and religion-based hate crime rising by 35 per cent.