Welfare Reform on the Web (November 2002): Services for the Disabled - UK
DISABLED FOR LIFE? ATTITUDES TOWARDS, AND EXPERIENCES OF, DISABILITY IN BRITAIN
I. Grewal and others
London: Department for Work and Pensions, 2002 (Research report; no. 173).
Report aims to examine disabled people's experiences of discrimination and prejudice. It presents accounts of people who lead rich and varying lives in spite of barriers to inclusion. Research shows that some disabled people still experience prejudice, discrimination and social exclusion. However the vast majority of respondents felt that the position of disabled people had improved over the past 20 years.
GUIDANCE, AT LAST.
G. Loosemore-Reppen
Community Care, Aug. 8th-14th 2002, p. 38-39
Introduces new practice guidelines for social workers who deal with deaf children and their families. They represent a consensus between leading voluntary and statutory organisations. They should help to prevent families receiving conflicting advice or an inconsistent level of service provision.
STILL MISSING OUT?
N. Sharma
Ilford: Barnardo's, 2002
Report, based on interviews with 17 families, claims that parents of disabled children are struggling to pay for basic necessities such as bedding. Calls on government to set a minimum income standard to help families, to make the benefits system more accessible, and to review its housing policy as many disabled people are placed in housing unsuitable for wheelchairs. It also says that the government needs to provide suitable childcare and support to help parents of disabled children to find work.