AchieveAbility. The representative organisation of persons with disabilities in Europe. Left Out In The Cold - PRESS RELEASE. “We don’t want to be ‘Left Out In The Cold’ ”, say Britain’s disabled people. On the eve of the second reading of the government’s controversial Welfare Reform Bill on 9th March, a stark image of disabled campaigner Kaliya Franklin aims to convey how vulnerable some of the bills proposals will leave sick and disabled people across the UK. The photograph depicts a naked Franklin lying on the sand on a wintry beach, next to her empty wheelchair. Just like Franklin’s wheelchair in the image, social care and support will be left out of reach for many of those most in need if these reforms go ahead, literally leaving many “Left Out in the Cold.” “We decided to use one thought provoking image to make our point,” explains Franklin. “Sick and disabled people are often left voiceless in society, so we hoped using a single image might reflect this.”
Says Franklin, “It’s vital we all remember we are just an accident or illness away from becoming disabled. Notes for editors 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. DPAC. United Kingdom Disabled People's Council. Call for Evidence. Call for evidence now closed The call for evidence in the Inquiry into disability-related harassment is now closed. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Inquiry for their time and input. If you have already contacted us to let us know you wish to submit evidence to the Inquiry prior to the extended deadline of the 17 September, we will accept this evidence in to the Inquiry. During the next phase of the Inquiry we will begin to analyse the evidence we have received, and talk to public bodies and transport operators about what the evidence tells us with the aim of making recommendations in our final report which is due to be published in Spring 2011.
The information below has been retained for archive purposes. In this section: Individuals who have experienced harassment If you have been harassed because of your disability, or someone close to you has been affected, we want to hear about your experience. Organisations and interested parties We are seeking responses from:
Mental Health. Diabetes. Equipment. Access to Work Contacts. Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for: a grant to help pay for practical support with your work support with managing your mental health at work money to pay for communication support at job interviews Practical support with your work Access to Work could give you a grant to help pay for things like: specialist equipment and assistive software support workers, like a BSL interpreter, a job coach or a travel buddy costs of travelling to work, if you cannot use public transport adaptations to your vehicle so you can get to work physical changes to your workplace Your workplace can include your home if you work from there some or all of the time.
If you get an Access to Work grant, it will not affect any other benefits you get and you will not have to pay it back. How to apply Mental health support What Access to Work will not pay for. Access to Work Advice. Access to Learning Fund: extra help if you need it : Directgov - ADP - The Association of Disabled Professionals. Disabled people : Directgov. Dial UK. Diversus. Epilepsy Action. Disability Issues and Services. RNIB. Mind - Portsmouth. Ouch! (disability) - Features, Blogs, Podcast, News, Talk. The decision to speak or to sign is loaded with significance for deaf people, says BBC producer William Mager.
He describes how he came to make his own choice. I appeared on BBC Breakfast News last Saturday to discuss a video of a woman whose cochlear implant was switched on for the first time - it was a very emotional clip and quickly went round the world. Joanne Milne herself speaks with a Geordie accent, which is audible in the video. She either had good residual hearing or is deafened, meaning she had enough hearing to pick up colloquial speech patterns. This in turn made the various headlines about Joanne "hearing for the first time" a bit misleading. This is not my cue to contribute 1,000 words to the cochlear implant debate. Find out more See Hear is broadcast on BBC Two at 10:30 BST on Wednesdays - or catch up on BBC iPlayer After the interview aired, my phone went mad with messages - text, Facebook, Twitter, email and more.
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