While there are organizations that are constantly working to make the world a better living place for disabled people, there is always the danger of not having enough funds to run the programs that provide rehabilitation for these people and offer them a better way of life. Keeping up with the latest developments in the economic conditions and the government’s policies is a crucial part of the work that rehabilitation centre’s do for disabled people. After all these policies are directly affecting the different programs for disabled people in one way or another and it is from these policies that the future can be predicted more accurately. Some of the latest developments regarding this particular field have been discussed here in detail.
Second Disabled Dame in House of Commons
Anne McGuire is a disabled member of the Labour Party and has formerly worked in the ministry for disabled people. She was recently given the honour of being a dame in the House of Commons after being recognized for her services in the government. She is the second disabled member of the House of Commons who has been awarded this position, the previous being another Labour Party member Dame Anne Begg. McGuire has a long-term illness and she has been chairing the all-party disability group in the parliament, a position she will be retiring from in the coming general elections. McGuire has been quite active in her work for the disabled which started from the 1980s when she opened a housing scheme in Cumbernauld, her hometown, for people with learning difficulties. McGuire has done great work while holding the position of chair in the ministry and all the organizations and people in the disabled community showed a great reaction towards her newly pronounced dame hood. She says that she has always tried to go the extra mile in understanding the views of people and helping them out. We can only hope to see that her replacement in the ministry will show the same level of dedication.
ODI Future uncertain
In recent developments it has been found that the future of the Office for Disability Issues may be in jeopardy as the DWP has refused to calculate the budget that would be allocated to ODI on the grounds that it may be too expensive to calculate these figures. The responsibility of ODI is quite vast and diverse as this office not only helps the minister in handling cross-government roles, it also helps in the devising of the strategy of the government on the issues regarding disabled people. In addition to that, the office also oversees the implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which is a part of the UN Convention. However, recent developments indicate that the importance of this office has been decreased and the result could be a failure of the department. In conclusion London’s CEO Tracey Lazard said that there is a possibility that ODI might no longer be seen after the elections which would be an “extremely concerning” situation. The questions regarding the future funding of the Office for Disability Issues must be addressed immediately and the office should be reinstated to its original position.
Youngsters disallowed from using advanced chairs
People with disabilities use wheelchairs all the time and with the advancements in technology, it is become possible to make the wheelchair more advanced too. However, the law has been preventing a lot of youngsters from being able to use them simply because they are not old enough. The law is implemented on the weight of the chair and also any person who is below the age of 14 is disallowed from using an advanced chair completely. Even for those over that age, they can only have a chair that weighs less than 150kg. Any chair above that is to be treated as a car and would require a license to drive around in.
With batteries and other heavy equipment being installed, the weight tends to get more and more and this rule is causing problems for a lot of children who want to use the advanced chairs. Clearly it is time for the government to bring some amendments to the law to accommodate these chairs and recognize the potential of these products. A lot of companies and organizations have also raised their voice against the outdated law regarding this matter and it is yet to be seen what the government’s response would be.