The Group for Solicitors with Disabilities

Abridged April 2008

Standing Counsel (Criminal) recruitment

The Revenue and Customs prosecution office are currently in the process of recruiting Standing Counsel (Criminal) and the AG is keen that the list represents the wealth of diversity within the criminal justice system. As barristers and solicitor advocates with disabilities are currently severely under-represented on the list, they have asked to bring the recruitment drive to your attention. For more information please click here

Disability Concern

(From Law Society Gazette)
Adults with learning difficulties have little confidence in the criminal justice system and are concerned about disability hate crime, a report by the Joint Select Committee on Human Rights said this week. Witnesses told the committee that people with learning disabilities who were accused of crimes were more likely to suffer miscarriages of justice, while prisoners were less likely to qualify for early release.

People using Domiciliary Care research project

The General Social Care Council is currently looking for the views of users of domiciliary care (home care) regarding registration of social care workers. This is an important project and the GSCC is keen to make sure that people who use services are involved in shaping the registration process. Participants will be given a £10 voucher for taking part. More details are available HERE

The Art House

In December 2007, The Bridge, and Abridged editor, visited The Art House, a fully accessible art facility in Yorkshire. The Art House is a unique national membership organisation is an inclusive organisation that believes in enabling all artists to have access to work, training and exhibition opportunities in accessible settings. For more information on this facility, please click here

Disabled tutors experience prejudice, says report

(From Education Guardian)
Disabled people working in further and higher education face discrimination from their employers, and fear of unfair treatment prevents many from disclosing an impairment, according to new research.
A systemic failure to take seriously the needs of disabled staff in lifelong learning has led to widespread institutional discrimination.
This in turn is feeding a culture of low aspiration, says the report by the Commission for Disabled Staff in Lifelong Learning. Hore information available here: http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2262638,00.html

Equality watchdog wants 'spot checks' at work

(From The Telegraph)
Britain's equality watchdog wants tough new powers to tackle employers who fail to hire or promote staff from "disadvantaged" groups.
Under the plans, inspection teams would carry out "spot checks" to ensure that companies were obeying discrimination laws, while public bodies would award contracts only to firms with a good record of employing minority staff. More information available here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/10/nequality110.xml

DisabledGo website

DisabledGo provides free detailed access information for disabled people across the UK. Their detailed access information will empower you to judge the disabled access to venues for yourself.
DisabledGo Access Guides to goods and services have been specially designed to answer the everyday questions of disabled people, their assistants, carers, family and friends.
DisabledGo Education gives detailed access information about campuses to disabled students looking to go to university or into further education.
DisabledGo Jobs provides a wealth of opportunities from inclusive employers to disabled graduates and disabled jobseekers.
For more information, click on http://www.disabledgo.info/

70-year-old re-instated after discrimination appeal

A woman who had been forced to retire at 70 has been re-instated after winning her case against Worthing Borough Council. Celia Powis, a fitness instructor, had been told she was too old to take classes by managers at Worthing Leisure Centre. For more information, click on: http://newsweaver.co.uk/thepeoplebulletin/e_article001047996.cfm?x=bckHC3f,b82dv0Md

International News

David Paterson will become an historic figure this month as the first black governor of New York State and the first legally blind governor in US history.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3542326.ece

And finally…

Has “Neighbours” handled MS well?

A storyline from the popular Australian Soap Opera has given BBC viewers a realistic portrayal of living with MS…or has it?