An independent inquiry has called for more to be done to keep offenders with mental health conditions and learning difficulties out of the prison system. Lord Bradley, in his review of people with mental health problems and learning difficulties in the criminal justice system, said: “While public protection remains the priority, there is a growing [...]

MPs have called on the government to do more through its new equality bill to monitor how the public sector combats disability discrimination. The work and pensions select committee said current disability equality schemes were often merely “tick box exercises”, and called for research on their effectiveness. It also called for councils to use the [...]

The government’s new equality bill will play a “significant part” in reaching its goal of equality for disabled people by 2025, according to the minister for disabled people. Jonathan Shaw was speaking after the government published the bill, which streamlines a “thicket” of equality laws in areas such as gender, race and disability, including nine [...]

Campaigners and charities have successfully united to mark World Autism Awareness Day in the UK. In the lead-up to the day (2 April), 20 autism charities called on people across the UK to raise awareness of the condition and “stand up for autism”. They also called for an end to discrimination against people with autism, [...]

British cycling Paralympian Darren Kenny has been selected as one of the top six disabled sportspeople of the year. Kenny, who returned from last year’s Beijing Paralympics with four gold medals and a silver in track and road cycling, has been nominated in the disability category of the Laureus World Sports Awards 2009. Kenny was [...]