Sheffield Centre For Independent Living

The National Centre for Independent Living , Disability Alliance and the Royal Association for Disability Rights have announced that they will consult with their respective members on a proposal to create one , unified organisation to be known provisionally as the Disability Rights Partnership. Debates will take place at the AGMs of the three organisations to be held during the autumn. Visit the website for further details.

Social Firms UK is a national support organisation for the development of the Social Firm sector in the UK. The ‘Permitted Work’ Guide, published by Social Firms UK is a free guide, designed for people on disability-related benefits. Part-time work can help to build up skills, confidence and a work record to show to future employers. It also raises the self esteem that comes with earning a wage. That’s why ‘Social Firms UK’ has produced a free, interactive tool to guide people on disability-related benefits through the maze. It’s easy to use − just answer yes or no to a series of questions, and it helps to work out how much someone can earn before their benefits are affected. Jobcentre Plus calls this ‘Permitted Work’. Social Firms UK designed the guide after a change in the Housing Benefit rules from the 1st April this year meant that many people on disability-related benefits can now earn and keep up to £93 a week and not have their benefits cut. The guide is also an invaluable tool for managers, support workers and employment advisers when assisting people on relevant benefits. The ‘Permitted Work’ Guide is freely available from the Social Firms UK website, in their Resource Library.

One of the leading high street travel agencies has launched a new tailored service aimed specifically at disabled travellers. ‘The Co-operative Travel’ has launched the service in the wake of a new survey conducted via ‘Tourism for All’, the UK Voice for Accessible Tourism. The results showed that 84% of respondents didn’t believe high street travel agents understood the needs of disabled travellers, and 77% did not think they were catered for by the high street. Despite this, just under two thirds of respondents would still consider booking a holiday with a travel agent. The Co-operative have trained staff from 40 branches UK-wide to ensure that they are up-to-speed with all aspects of holidays for people who require specialist travel. They are also working with tour operators catering for disabled people, such as ‘Can Be Done’, ‘Redpoint Holidays’ and ‘Traveleyes’. They have also ensured that the specialist network of branches is Disability Discrimination Act compliant, with clear access, power assisted doors, portable hearing loops and visual alarms in-store. Moving forward, the intention is to provide training and compliancy across the entire network of 410 branches. For more information, visit the website of Co-operative Travel  

In a special report on surviving the government recent public sector spending cuts, Community Care reporters have sought to examine how councils can save money in social care.To view the report in full go to http://www.communitycare.co.uk/static-pages/articles/social-care-spending-cuts/