In the current issue

Saba Salman: Disabled people in line of fire as benefits cut

Opinion

Labour’s benefits crackdown will harm disabled people

In brief

In brief

Benefit cuts are dreaded and social care remains a low priority

DWP misled over reform rationale

Welfare rights

The government broke the law by presenting changes to benefit assessments as a way to support disabled people into work rather than primarily to cut costs. Charlie Callanan reports

Risks of hospital neglect revealed

Features

A man became ill as he was unable to call for help after his carer died – then poor care in hospital hastened his own death. And risks remain at the hospital, a coroner found. George Julian reports

Care proceedings breached rights

Law

A local authority issued care proceedings that were unlawful and unnecessary – and required family members to leave the family home while these took place. This significantly breached a child’s human rights, writes Saba Salman

Mary O’Hara: the fragility of hard-won progress is all too clear

Opinion

Policies to improve inclusion in the US have been scrapped at the stroke of a presidential pen. The UK could follow suit, with disabled people easy targets

Clear contact in emergency care

Features

A doctor has written a toolkit – the first of its kind – to help clinicians in hospital emergency departments to understand and communicate with learning disabled people. Saba Salman reports

Reality check

Features

Rachel Wallace checks on the quality of support services. She tells Saba Salman about offering constructive feedback and why it’s great to work

Chris Hatton: repeated assessments serve only to ration and humiliate

Opinion

Being relentlessly reassessed for benefits is traumatic, with assessors seen as dismissive, patronising and holding all the power. The system needs more than tweaking – it is rotten to the core

Nurses on your side in hospital

Features

Acute liaison nurses are there to help learning disabled patients and teach other staff in the hospital. Jayne Leeson and Anne Marie Glasby describe the way this works and how the approach is to be extended and standardised across the country

Shalim Ali: people need to know just how much social care involves

Opinion

Social care isn’t seen as a great career option but, if people knew the variety of what it covered, this would change. The government should start by raising awareness of this

Life in their own words

Features

Everyone can be heard and share their stories in the Peter and Friends books. The team want to hear about your life experiences – no matter your age – for the next one, says Steve Hardy

Creative challenge on climate

Arts

Is climate change a disability issue? An exhibition by Open Story Tellers, a Somerset-based collective of artists with learning disabilities, explored these, writes Saba Salman.

Comic tale of research together

Features

Presenting research in the form of a comic may seem unorthodox but it has proved to be an excellent way to display findings and send a message about who research is for, says Melissa Kirby

Funny and fiendish

Arts

Fancy a comedy challenge with devilish rules? Then a monthly podcast for ‘anyone who likes comedy who thinks a bit differently’ may be for you. Simon Jarrett tunes in

Land with no asylums

History

Franco Basaglia, who had been interned by the Fascist regime, thought asylums were like prison camps – as did Italy’s health minister. Susanna Shapland describes how they were shut down

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