A new book brought together research from the field of disability studies, including readings across a wide range of policy arenas such as education, housing, employment, health, social care, leisure, and recreation.
Source: Nick Watson (ed.), Disability: Major themes in health and social welfare, Routledge (01264 343071)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Dec
An official advisory body on disability equality published its annual report for 2007. It said that 'important progress' was already being made towards the government's goal of equality for disabled people by 2025.
Source: Working Towards Disability Equality: Annual Report 2007, Office for Disability Issues (office-for-disability-issues@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Report | DWP press release
Date: 2007-Dec
A study found that the annual cost of autism was £28 billion – 90 per cent of which related to adults with the condition, largely due to the high costs of residential care, supported accommodation, and hospital.
Source: Martin Knapp, Renee Romeo and Jennifer Beecham, Economic Consequences of Autism in the UK, Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities (020 7802 0300)
Links: Report | FPLD press release | LSE press release | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Nov
An article examined recent developments in government policy for disabled people. Although much had been achieved by disability activism, there was still a long way to go if the language of inclusion were to became more than empty rhetoric.
Source: Colin Barnes, 'Disability activism and the struggle for change', Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, Volume 2 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Nov
The government reportedly said that the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill (given a second reading in October 2007) would be amended to make it illegal to incite hatred against gay, lesbian, transgender, and disabled people.
Source: The Guardian, 6 November 2007
Links: Guardian report | TUC press release | Mayor of London press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Nov
The first of an annual series of reports provided an in-depth examination of life for disabled people. 49 per cent of disabled people had no savings, compared to just 12 per cent of the general population. 38 per cent said their teachers had lower expectations of them because they were disabled. 41 per cent of disabled workers reported that they had experienced discrimination or prejudice at work.
Source: Annette Laidler with Caroline Greenhalgh, Guy Parckar, Joanne Foster, Mary Hough and John Knight, Disability Review 2007, Leonard Cheshire (020 7802 8204)
Links: Report | Leonard Cheshire press release | Personnel Today report
Date: 2007-Nov
A report examined household characteristics of disabled people and carers. Disabled people were more likely to live alone and less likely to be a parent of dependent children. Disabled people also tended to be older as a group then non-disabled people. Children were least likely to be reported as disabled if they were living with a married couple, compared to those living with cohabiting couples or lone parents. Over 40 per cent of disabled lone parents reported having a disabled child.
Source: Stephen McKay and Adele Atkinson, Disability and Caring Among Families with Children: Family employment and poverty characteristics, Research Report 460, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Links: Report | Summary | DWP press release | Bristol University press release
Date: 2007-Oct
A report examined the relationships between health, disability, caring, and employment in families with children. Similar proportions of working and non-working parents reported long-standing health conditions among children: but those who were not working were more likely to describe the condition as limiting.
Source: Adele Atkinson, Andrea Finney and Stephen McKay, Health, Disability, Caring and Employment Longitudinal analysis, Research Report 461, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Links: Report | Summary | DWP press release | Bristol University press release
Date: 2007-Oct
The outgoing disability rights watchdog reviewed its own impact on the lives of disabled people.
Source: Celebrating the Journey: Impact report 2000-2007, Disability Rights Commission (08457 622633)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Oct
The disability rights watchdog examined the relevance of the key priorities outlined in its 'Disability Agenda' (2006) in relation to the experience and self-identified needs of Scotland?s black and minority ethnic communities.
Source: Creating an Alternative Future: What Does It Mean for Scotland?s Black and Minority Ethnic Communities?, Disability Rights Commission (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Jul
The disability rights watchdog published its annual report for 2006-07.
Source: Annual Report and Accounts 2006-07, HC 864, Disability Rights Commission, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | DWP press release
Date: 2007-Jul
The disability rights watchdog said that the government's own response to new disability legislation was 'patchy'. An assessment of the 15 government departmental schemes found that, although there was much to praise, a new approach was needed in many areas if the potential of the duty were to be realized.
Source: Up To The Mark? How have government departments responded to the new disability equality duty?, Disability Rights Commission (08457 622633)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Jun
A report said that adults with restricted growth, or 'dwarfism', were far more disabled by social barriers and by medical problems than had previously been realized.
Source: Tom Shakespeare, Michael Wright and Sue Thompson, A Small Matter of Equality: Living with restricted growth, Restricted Growth Association (01935 841364)
Links: Report | Newcastle University press release
Date: 2007-May
A new book reviewed and compared the conflicting perspectives on disability and chronic illness found in disability studies and medical sociology. It outlined the historical development of both these approaches, and examined the overlaps and divergences between them.
Source: Carol Thomas, Sociologies of Disability and Illness: Contested ideas in disability studies and medical sociology, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Apr
The United Kingdom signed the new United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, covering aspects such as disabled people's rights to education, employment, and participation in political and public life.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 29 March 2007, column 140WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | DWP press release | Convention | BBC report | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Mar
A think-tank report on the future needs of disabled people called for the development of more 'needs-led' public services to promote independent living; greater opportunities for social and civic participation; more effort to promote employment opportunities and tackle health inequalities; and the promotion of a better understanding of disability across society.
Source: Rachel Pillai, Jennifer Rankin and Kate Stanley, Disability 2020: Opportunities for the full and equal citizenship of disabled people in Britain in 2020, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Links: Report | Summary | IPPR press release | CPAG press release
Date: 2007-Mar
A report (by an official advisory body) said that only 54 per cent of public authorities had published a disability equality scheme with the involvement of disabled people, as required by law since December 2006.
Source: Ipsos MORI, Public Bodies' Response to the Disability Equality Duty: An audit of compliance with the requirement to publish a disability equality scheme, Office for Disability Issues (office-for-disability-issues@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Report | ODI press release | Personnel Today report
Date: 2007-Mar
A report said that prejudice against people with a disability was just as likely to come from a disabled as a non-disabled person. Not only were disabled people as likely to be prejudiced, there was also a tendency to rank impairments in terms of how undesirable they were.
Source: Mark Deal, Attitudes Of Disabled People Toward Other Disabled People and Impairment Groups, Enham (01264 345 800)
Links: Report | Enham press release | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Mar
An article said that subtle forms of prejudice against disabled people remained, and might be highly damaging to achieving equality. 'Aversive disablists' recognized that disablism was bad, but did not recognize that they themselves were prejudiced.
Source: Mark Deal, 'Aversive disablism: subtle prejudice toward disabled people', Disability & Society, Volume 22 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Feb
A report said that the number of people suffering from dementia would increase by 154 per cent, from 700,000 in 2007 to 1.735 million in 2051. Dementia cost the economy £17 billion a year.
Source: Martin Knapp et al., Dementia UK, Alzheimer's Society (020 7306 0606)
Links: Summary | Alzheimer's Society press release | LSE press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Community Care report | POST briefing
Date: 2007-Feb
The government began a consultation exercise designed to ask disabled people what equality meant to them, and to gain their views on how government could best monitor progress towards equality for disabled people.
Source: Equality for Disabled People: How will we know we are making progress?, Office for Disability Issues/Department for Work and Pensions (office-for-disability-issues@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Consultation document | DWP press release
Date: 2007-Feb
The Crown Prosecution Service published a public policy statement to explain how it would prosecute cases of disability hate crime.
Source: Policy for Prosecuting Cases of Disability Hate Crime, Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000)
Links: Report | CPS press release | DRC press release | FPLD press release
Date: 2007-Feb
An article challenged the practice of denying the right to vote to people with intellectual impairments.
Source: Ludvig Beckman, 'Political equality and the disenfranchisement of people with intellectual impairments', Social Policy and Society, Volume 6 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Jan
A report examined public perspectives on disabled people. Most people (75 per cent) thought that there was prejudice against disabled people: but only 25 per cent thought that there was a lot of prejudice. At the same time, the survey respondents actually expressed views which indicated quite widespread prejudice.
Source: John Rigg, 'Disabling attitudes? Public perspectives on disabled people', British Social Attitudes: The 23rd Report - Perspectives on a changing society, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Natcen press release | DRC press release
Date: 2007-Jan