Welfare Reform on the Web (October 2005): Services for the Disabled - UK
Campaigners slam plans for changes to care funding at special colleges
M. Ahmed
Community Care, Sept.22nd-28th 2005, p.18-19
Describes reaction to a leaked report from the Learning and Skills Council that proposed transferring responsibility for funding personal care in specialist colleges for disabled people to local councils and primary care trusts.
Disability, work and welfare: challenging the social exclusion of disabled people
C. Barnes and G. Mercer
Work, Employment and Society, vol.19, 2005, p.527-545
Drawing on recent developments from within the disabled people's movement, in particular the concept of independent living and the social model of disability and the associated disability studies literature, article offers a critical evaluation of orthodox sociological theories of work, unemployment and under-employment in relation to disabled people's exclusion from the workplace. It proposes redefining work to include personal self-care and the administrative responsibilities involved in the employment of personal assistants.
Improving local government services
L. Reith
Disability Rights Bulletin, Summer 2005, p.8-11
Author looks at ways in which local authority scrutiny committees can be used to improve services for disabled people. Lists a number of reviews, in a number of different local authorities, of direct relevance to disabled people. The scrutiny process has been used to look at direct payments, benefit take-up, access to services, aids and housing adaptations, and access to childcare for disabled children.
Out of touch: local government and disabled people’s employment needs
L. Piggott, B. Sapey and F. Wilenius
Disability and Society, vol.20, 2005, p.599-611
In October 2003 the authors contracted to undertake a study in two English district council areas on how they could meet their Local Public Service Agreement targets with respect to disabled people returning to work. Research showed that all the local employment organisations were working to an individual model of disability and needed to change their orientation towards removing social barriers to work. This approach was rejected by those funding the study. As a result, at the end of the first year, none of the organisations had succeeded in helping a single disabled person back to work.
Reconsidering citizenship in the light of the concerns of the UK disability movement
A.E. Beckett
Citizenship Studies, vol.9, 2005, p.405-421
Article presents a critical analysis of three accounts of citizenship in relation to the concerns of the UK disability movement: the social-liberal, pluralist and reflexive accounts. Empirical evidence from research sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council is presented in the form of quotations from respondents that demonstrate their views on a number of issues related to citizenship.