In the current issue

Saba Salman: Progress in healthcare is pitifully slow

Opinion

Evidence of inequality stacks up, as do suggestions for action, yet change on the ground is slow.

In Brief

In brief

Michael Baron, influential campaigner and Community Living contributor who has died aged 96, will be remembered for his vital work fighting for the rights of autistic people

Severe conditions set out in law

Welfare rights

People deemed to have lifelong, severe health conditions do not have to be reassessed for benefits. The criteria that define these are to be established in law in April. Charlie Callanan reports

Consent with a caveat

Law

A woman who had been the victim of a forced marriage is able to consent to sex and marry but will need support to ensure her decisions are not made under duress. Mark Smulian reports

Managing SEND: a chronic issue

Law

A family’s case has highlighted specific flaws in a council’s process for education, health and care plans – and it’s just one of numerous complaints made to the authority. Saba Salman reports

Parents reject verdict on death

Law

A verdict of natural causes was given because a coroner could not ascertain why a young man died after being unable to undergo medical tests and sent home from hospital. George Julian reports

Mary O’Hara: a level of cruelty that no leader should impose

Opinion

Although specialist education in the US has won a reprieve for now, provision for disabled children remains under threat from government goals

A dive into the real world of work

Features

Young people are getting work and tailored study opportunities through supported internships. Saba Salman explains how these can lead to paid employment and pay for themselves – and describes how it’s all going swimmingly for a former intern

Ian Goldsworthy: anxiety rises as we plan for my son to flee the nest

Opinion

Neither myself nor my son are ready for him to leave home. Rather than feeling excitement and hope, I worry about his future happiness and making the right choices for him

Jan Walmsley: resilient historians of their personal experiences

Opinion

In a peer-to-peer history project, people with learning disabilities describe systems that failed them as well as stories of belonging, independence and self-expression

Visions of our world

Features

The creativity and observation skills of people with Down syndrome are clear in a global photography contest. Saba Salman looks through the lens

‘I got a chance to share my story’

Features

The best bit about taking part in Our Life Stories oral history project is talking to people and asking lots of questions – and it’s helped my paid work as a quality checker, says Dorothy

Wonder of weaving

Features

Handweaving has many strands, promoting creativity, wellbeing and independence, and is helping to return textile production to its local roots, says Jade Ogden

When parent blame is ingrained

Books

Policy and practice by social welfare institutions lead to parents of disabled children being routinely blamed rather than supported. An anthology by family members and those working with them examines these tensions, their effects and the potential for change

Labels are for luggage, not people

Books

What do we call ‘them’? Labels applied to people are used to decide who gets what. What if the emphasis was on the individual, not what a label dictates they deserve? asks Bryony Shannon

Out of the box

Features

Art should be judged and exhibited on its own merits, not viewed as outsider work. Simon Jarrett finds some advice

Packing a punch

Arts

A spectacular exhibition puts disabled people at the centre, with a rare exploration of design in learning disability culture, says Simon Jarrett

Russia’s incurious tsar

History

Ivan Alexeivich became unexpectedly in next in line to the throne but showed no interest in power – unlike his younger half-brother. Susanna Shapland looks at Russian family power struggles

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Meader's view

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Featured

"It comes back to moral leadership. You’ve got to have someone who is challenging the system"

Laughing Boy: story on the stage

History of Community Living

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