Shock and sadness at the death of Sean McGovern
Sean McGovern Disability Rights Campaigner and activist, died 6 May 2020.He chaired the Disabled Members Committee for Unite union for 12yrs, representing disabled workers on the executive committee. He was also co-chair of the Trade Union Congress TUC and Branch Secretary for London’s 5 Remploy factories. He was a well known and highly respected campaigner […]
May you live in interesting times
Have you heard of the curse, “May you live in interesting times”. An old English curse falsely attributed to the Chinese philosopher, Confucius.These are interesting times. Times, when we look back to the Brexit crisis and think of it as the good old days. We could introspectively consider it preparation for the anxiety and uncertainty […]
Love is for All
It’s said that the Eskimo language has a lot of words for “snow”. In some respect they do, words for snow on the ground, falling snow, drifting snow. When it comes to Love, in English we have that one word. The Greeks had many, 4 of which are; eros a sexual or romantic love, philia […]
Brexit, Deaf & Disabled people and our Welfare State
Brexit: What does it mean for Deaf and Disabled people living in the Welfare State? by Michaela Aitken Today I received some disability news that reminded me we are living in unprecedented times; another disability provider has had to close its doors due to funding withdrawal. Its clients and customers now left with a solitary […]
Disabled Persons Railcard
Do you know about the Disabled Persons Railcard? It provides great travel discounts for you and a companion. If you have a disability, for £20 a year you could get yourself a Disabled Persons Railcard. This entitles you to 1/3 off adult rail fares for travel on the National Rail network in Great Britain. It also gets […]
PIP suffers blow on mental health at High Court
UPDATE: The PIP saga rumbles on with the Government now committed to reviewing 1.6 million claims at a cost of £3.7 Billion by 2023. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42862904 It seems to have gone somewhat unnoticed but the much-maligned Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has lost a significant case at the High Court over mental health issues. On the 19th of January they […]
Philip Hammond, Why Blame the Disabled?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Productivity fell this year between March and June by 0.1 per cent despite people working for longer hours, the ONS found. Chancellor Philip Hammond had this to say; “It is almost certainly the case that by increasing participation in the workforce, including far higher levels of participation by marginal groups and very high levels of engagement […]
MidlandsAbility
MidlandsAbility Improving Workplace Opportunity for those with Disabilities Our director Imran Umar had the pleasure of attending the MidlandsAbility Network Launch at KPMG in Birmingham. MidlandsAbility is an exciting new network which aims to increase confidence in recruiting, developing and retaining employees with a disability. MidlandsAbility is made up of a core group of Midlands […]
Mental Illness, the Poor Cousin of Disability.
The welfare state set up to support Britain after the First World War was to ensure our economic success with so many injured and disabled soldiers returning home. Over the years though campaigning, education and focusing on equality and diversity the concession that disabled people had been dealt a cruel hand has started to turn. […]
2017 General Election and Accessibility
The 2017 General Election is fast approaching and the parties have all published their manifestos. So how do they score on accessibility?; Conservative Party: Green Party: Labour Party: Liberal Democrats: UKIP: Scottish National Party: Main presentation: PDF with text and images Main Presentation: Webpage Main Presentation: Webpage Main Presentation: Webpage Main presentation: PDF with […]
4Talent and Equality of Opportunity
appa me would like to congratulate Channel 4 for their recent positive action in ring fencing 50% of their apprenticeships for people with disabilities. In this day and age in a developed Western country disability should not be an issue for anyone. According to official government statistics “Disability Facts and Figures” published in 2014 “There […]
Yes I Can
appa were delighted to see the new ‘Yes I Can’ advert for the Rio Paralympic Games 2016? The advert delivered beautifully to highlight the prospective Paralympians performing with grace, power and skill. Ok, as an allegedly abled bodied person I can assure you I am no threat to the current UK Olympic roster. I can […]
DWP Overlooks SME Advice and pays the cost
Turn a Corner appa were delighted at the recent successful prosecution of Ethel and Paul Neal, founders of Neals Communication. A Croydon based deaf support company purportedly serving S.E. London and local regions. It is one of a group of companies in an interconnected collection of directors, owners and employees forming a conspiracy of fraud. The […]
Public Shaming – Shifting Perspectives
Public Shaming – Shifting Perspectives Is Social Media the best method in which to raise awareness? appa looks into a recent case of mistaken perception and the immediate negative implications it can have for disabled and Deaf people in the wrong hands. You may have seen the news this week when a well-known rapper, ‘50 […]
Universal Credit
Universal Credit Universal credit was introduced in early 2015 (February) and now in May 2016 is being rolled out across the rest of the country. Universal credit, the brain child of the former DWP lead Ian Duncan Smith, merges the following benefits: Income-based Jobseekers Allowances Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance Income Support Child Tax Credit […]
Blog of a Support Worker: Rhys Farrugia
Bus Drivers! When I was at the youthful age of 5, I was asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As bold as brass, ambitiously and confidently, I replied with “Bus Driver!” At the time, I obviously didn’t envisage the unsociable hours; London congestion and faulty Oyster card readers. 20 years […]
Blog of a Support Worker: Robyn Pace
My ambition and dream job in life is to become a Physiotherapy Assistant; I recently completed my degree at University as a Sport Scientist, and with no professional experience behind me appa gave me the opportunity to work with them as a Support Worker. A support worker works along the same lines as a Physio in […]
Iain Duncan Smith and getting people to work
The superficial hue and cry from the headline grabbing hungry press and radical disability activists are condemning Iain Duncan Smith’s changes to sickness benefits. However, the core principles at the heart of the proposal have synergy with appa’s own principles; Give people the right support and they can turn a corner in their own lives […]
