A new book examined the relationships between modern sport, disability, and other aspects of wider society.
Source: Nigel Thomas and Andy Smith, Disability, Sport and Society, Routledge (01264 343071)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Dec
The Crown Prosecution Service said that it would not prosecute the parents and a family friend for assisting the death of a young man who was paralyzed. It said that a prosecution would not be in the public interest – the first instance where a prosecution had been ruled out on the grounds of public interest alone.
Source: Press release 9 December 2008, Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000)
Links: CPS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Dec
A private member's Bill was published, designed to ensure that disabled persons enjoyed the same 'choice, freedom, dignity, control, and substantive opportunities' as people who were not disabled – at home, at work, and as members of the community.
Source: Disabled Persons (Independent Living) Bill [HL], Lord Ashley, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Bill
Date: 2008-Dec
The government announced (following consultation) plans for involving disabled people in the implementation and monitoring of the five-year, cross-government 'Independent Living Strategy', including setting up an Independent Living Scrutiny Group.
Source: Involving Disabled People: Government response to the consultation on implementation and monitoring of the Independent Living Strategy, Office for Disability Issues (office-for-disability-issues@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Report | DWP press release
Date: 2008-Nov
The government began consultation on a proposal to adopt the concept of indirect discrimination for disability within the Equality Bill. It said that this would provide improved protection for disabled people, by ensuring that the legislation re-established an appropriate balance between the rights of disabled people and the interest of duty holders. It would also improve consistency within the Bill between the disability provisions and the provisions for people who had the other protected characteristics, and ensure compliance with the anticipated requirements of European anti-discrimination legislation.
Source: Improving Protection from Disability Discrimination, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7962 8176)
Links: Consultation document | Hansard
Date: 2008-Nov
A new book examined philosophical and ethical issues in disability studies. Separate sections covered definitions and theories of disability; disabled people in society; and applied ethics.
Source: Kristjana Kristiansen, Simo Vehmas and Tom Shakespeare (eds.), Arguing About Disability: Philosophical Perspectives, Taylor and Francis (020 7583 9855)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Oct
A report examined disabled people's experiences of hate crime. Widespread casual and institutional 'disablism' created the conditions where disability hate crime could flourish without being recognized or challenged.
Source: Katharine Quarmby, Getting Away with Murder: Disabled people's experiences of hate crime in the UK, Scope (020 7619 7341)
Links: Report | Scope press release
Date: 2008-Aug
An article examined the implications of the 'well-being' agenda for disabled people. The agenda was unlikely to contribute to the analysis and understanding of disablement in society. This was because of the emphasis on 'biologism', personality, and character traits; and a policy prognosis that revolved around self-help and therapy, or 'individuated actions and (self) responsibilities'.
Source: Claire Edwards and Rob Imrie, 'Disability and the implications of the wellbeing agenda: some reflections from the United Kingdom', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 37 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jul
A survey found that disabled people were less likely to socialize in pubs, clubs, and bars than non-disabled people; and that 19 per cent of non-disabled people had never encountered a disabled person in a social situation.
Source: Up Close and Personal: A report into disabled and non disabled people's attitudes and experiences of relationships in the UK, Leonard Cheshire (020 3242 0200)
Links: Leonard Cheshire press release
Date: 2008-Jul
Researchers examined the lives of nearly 2,000 disabled people, reporting their views on a range of the issues, including employment, education, transport, health, and discrimination. 9 out of10 working disabled people believed that their job had a positive impact on their life: but just over one-quarter felt more could have been done to help them stay in work.
Source: Bridget Williams, Phil Copestake, John Eversley and Bruce Stafford, Experiences and Expectations of Disabled People, Office for Disability Issues (office-for-disability-issues@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Report | Summary | DWP press release | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jul
A report by a committee of MSPs examined the Scottish Government's implementation of a previous report on equality for disabled people.
Source: Removing Barriers and Creating Opportunities: Review of Progress, 2nd Report 2008, SP Paper 130, Scottish Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | SP press release
Date: 2008-Jun
A new book examined the dominant assumptions about disability and impairment, and their historical and cultural contexts; documented the challenges to such presumptions generated by disabled people themselves; and explored the implications of such challenges for professional policy and practice.
Source: John Swain and Sally French (eds.), Disability on Equal Terms, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Apr
A new book examined and challenged the dominant assumptions about disability and impairment; documented the challenges to such presumptions generated by disabled people themselves; and explored the implications of such challenges for professional policy and practice.
Source: Sally French and John Swain (eds.), Disability on Equal Terms, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Mar
A report analyzed trends in awareness of the Disability Discrimination Act. It highlighted the extent of reported difficulty obtaining goods and services; how experience of accessing goods and services had changed since 1996; and the extent to which there was reported difficulty with accessing goods and services, relating particularly to accommodation and travel. There had been 'good progress' in improving the rights of disabled people and removing the barriers that they faced: but there were still areas which could be improved, with some groups faring worse than others.
Source: Nicola Smith and Richard Keyte, The Disability Discrimination Act: Analysis of data from the ONS Omnibus Survey 1996-2006, Research Report 001, Office for Disability Issues (office-for-disability-issues@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Report | Summary | DWP press release | EFD press release
Date: 2008-Feb
An official advisory body on disability issues published its annual report for 2007.
Source: Annual Report 2007, Office for Disability Issues (office-for-disability-issues@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Report | Annex 1 | Annex 2
Date: 2008-Jan
The Scottish Government announced that it would support proposals put forward by an MSP to extend the law on hate crime to include disabled people and those from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered communities.
Source: Press release 15 January 2008, Scottish Government (0131 556 8400)
Links: SG press release | EHRC press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jan
An article said that there were only limited survey data on the lives of disabled people. A number of national surveys included questions on disability: but many offered only limited coverage. There was a tendency to focus on the medical aspects of disability, and a failure to clearly distinguish disability from other health issues. Moreover, disability definitions varied, and sample sizes were often too small to compare differences by age, gender, ethnicity, or locality.
Source: Kingsley Purdam, Reza Afkhami, Wendy Olsen and Patricia Thornton, 'Disability in the UK: measuring equality', Disability & Society, Volume 23 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jan