Monthly Archives: April 2013

Autism-Friendly Panto Performance Confirmed

April 4, 2013   autism, Carers, Norfolk, special needs

Theatregoers with special needs and their families are getting the chance to attend a special performance of the pantomime.
 
Producers of this year’s Norwich Theatre Royal festive spectacular Cinderella have given the green light to a relaxed performance at 5.30pm on Wednesday January 15 next year.
 
While the show itself will be the same as the rest of the performances, there will be a number of special facilities specifically for theatre-goers with autism, their families and friends, and anyone else who prefers to attend a more relaxed show.
 
These include:

  • A more relaxed atmosphere meaning patrons can move around, and enter and leave as they wish through the show.
  • A break-out room where patrons can take a break from the show.
  • The auditorium lights will remain on a low-level throughout the performance
  • A specially-extended interval of 30 minutes
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My fight to save my son’s care

April 4, 2013   Blind, Carers, cerebral palsy, learning difficulties, ukcuts

My fight to save my son’s care

 

2:00pm Thursday 4th April 2013 in News By Melanie Vass

 

BRAVE: Lorraine Zavadil from Throop with her severely disabled son Tarik BRAVE: Lorraine Zavadil from Throop with her severely disabled son Tarik

A BOURNEMOUTH mother, who cares full-time for her severely disabled son, has been invited to the House of Commons to share her experiences with MPs.

Lorraine Zavadil will tell politicians how she was forced to take legal action against Bournemouth council after it tried to slash her son’s care package.

She also hopes to describe the “insurmountable” pressure she and other parents of disabled children are under

The 53-year-old is one of around 50 people invited to the Right to Care? event.

The event will be attended by Esther McVey, Minister for Disabled People, and Edward Timpson, Minister for Chil-dren and Families, and it has been organised by campaigner Rosa Monckton and Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, who help-ed Lorraine win her 18-month battle with Bournemouth council.

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The sick and carers fear the benefit changes

April 4, 2013   Carers, disability, ukcuts

Change to disability benefits appeals process could leave people penniless

A double whammy of a revised appeals process and the abolition of legal aid threatens to deny benefits to vulnerable claimants

 

Disability campaigners fear that jobcentre staff will be ill-equipped to make judgments about people’s work capability.

Amid the avalanche of welfare reforms being implemented by a government intent on reducing the benefits bill by £18bn, one controversial measure that seems to have fallen below the radar is a change to the appeals process for welfare benefit claimants.

There are fears that the change, which will deny people the right to appeal decisions about sickness and disability benefits until the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has first reconsidered their case, could leave claimants penniless. Moreover, its introduction, just as legal aid is abolished for many welfare benefit cases, could leave thousands of vulnerable people unable to access the law to secure the income they are entitled to. The double whammy has been attacked as “a disgrace and a scandal”.

The revised appeals process, called “mandatory reconsideration”, will be applied to anyone who, from October, fails the controversial work capability assessment (WCA) and wants to challenge the decision to deny them sickness benefits.

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