Welfare Reform Bill plans could result in thousands losing their incapacity benefit, according to Advice NI. The organisation represents more than 60 organisations which give people help and advice. It has highlighted major changes to contribution based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) time limits proposed in the bill.
As International Paralympic Day takes place in London to celebrate next year's Games, Sir Philip Craven, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, has said he refuses to use the "D-word". Craven believes London 2012 will help to consign it to history.
London's Trafalgar Square will be the venue on Thursday for a full day of sporting demonstrations to celebrate next year's Paralympic Games. International Paralympic Day will allow the public to watch sports like blind football, power-lifting, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball. The official invitation will then be issued to athletes around the world to compete in the 2012 Games. The three-week window for buying tickets opens on Friday. The Paralympics follow the Olympic Games and run from 29 August to 9 September next year.
Wheelchair users in Darlington are taking legal action against a bus company after claims they have been discriminated against. They say Arriva's bus drivers regularly drive past them or do not let them on board despite there being space. Complaints were raised t Darlington Association on Disability (Dad), and now three people are taking Arriva North East to court. Arriva says it is "satisfied" with its services.
Opticians should offer blood sugar checks alongside eye tests to help spot patients with undiagnosed diabetes, experts propose. A simple finger prick blood test in this setting could identify hundreds of thousands of people with type 2 diabetes, according to researchers. A pilot study in northern England found the targeted screening picked up one case for every 100 people tested. This would capture people who do not routinely visit their GP, experts say.
Ministers must learn the lessons of past welfare changes or risk a proposed shake-up of disability support leaving many in poverty, a charity claims. The Papworth Trust said 85% of claimants would have to cut back on basics if plans to replace Disability Living Allowance left them worse off. The poll of 2,000 people also found anxiety over the reassessment process.
