tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84613237312482048162024-03-13T08:23:11.809-07:00My Disability Studies BlackboardSamuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.comBlogger415125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-5093709296477366402023-12-22T09:25:00.000-08:002023-12-22T09:25:28.027-08:00A Personal Message from Disability Rights UK this ChristmasIn solidarity with you, our movement together is stronger
As we come to the end of the year, I want to express my solidarity with you all. I know that this year has been a difficult one for so many in our community. Your lived experience and voices continue to be the force behind our collective efforts. We have a rich history as a movement of coming together and challenging the injustice and inequality.
The cost-of-living crisis is leaving many of us without heated homes this winter, a scandal beyond words. All of our communities, up and down the UK, are experiencing harsher living conditions as a result – and unsurprisingly, Disabled people are being hit the hardest. We should never be forced to choose between lifesaving and affirming treatments, and having food, heating or social care.
All of us at Disability Rights UK are committed to the fight for better, for equal rights and with you this will never waiver. Your voice behind our collective demands is important, I hope you will stay in touch and join us.
As we close the year, module 2 of the Covid-19 Inquiry has just closed. We are proud of our contributions to the Inquiry. Our lawyers penetrating questions helped to lay bare the Government’s dismissal of our lives as Disabled people throughout the pandemic. We won’t stop until there is justice and accountability. This can never happen again.
This year in response to the attack on our rights Disabled People’s Organisations from across England worked together to create a Disabled People’s Manifesto. It is packed full of radical reforms and transformative policies to improve the lives of everyone in the UK – an inclusive society works for everyone. The manifesto was launched at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, with Disabled activists and organisers across generations. The wealth of knowledge, history and passion was inspiring.
Thank you for your continued support of Disability Rights UK and for being such an important part of this movement. I look forward to the coming year and working together for change.
A final note from me: we know Christmas can be an especially difficult or lonely time of the year for some of us. As DR UK closes from December 22nd to January 2nd, I wanted to let you know of some support services and helplines available throughout this time:
Age UK
Advice Line open 8am-7pm, every day of the year. Call them on 0800 678 1602
Trussell Trust
Their Help through Hardship line is open 5 days a week, 9am-5pm. They will be closed on Christmas public holidays. Call them on 0808 208 2138
Switchboard
Their helpline for LGBT people is open 10am-10pm, every day of the year. Call them on 0800 0119 100
Samaritans
Their helpline is open 24/7, every day of the year. You can call them on 116 123, or for their Welsh language line, 0808 164 123.
The Silver Line
Provides support for anyone over the age of 55 who may feel lonely or isolated. Their helpline is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. Call them on 0800 4 70 80 90
Beat
Their eating disorder helpline is open every day of the year, 1pm-9pm on weekdays and 5pm-9pm on weekends and bank holidays. You can call them on 0808 801 0677 if you're in England, or 0808 801 0433 in Wales.
Mind
Their helplines are open every weekday from 10am-6pm. They are closed on 25th and 26th of December and 1st of January.
You can find out the numbers and more information about different organisations and helplines from Mind's webpage.
Disability Rights UK's helplines will be closed the week beginning the 25th December, until January 2nd.
From the whole team at Disability Rights UK, we send you our festive wishes, our solidarity, and our commitment to keep fighting for a world where we have justice and rights as Disabled people.
Kind regards,
Kamran Mallick signature
Kamran Mallick
CEO, Disability Rights UKSamuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-16378131281186860732023-04-18T18:43:00.000-07:002023-04-18T18:43:11.124-07:00The Tory government is acting as pimps: The link between benefit sanctions and prostitutionThere is evidence that suggests a link between benefit sanctions and prostitution. For example, a report from the English Collective of Prostitutes documented how cuts to single mothers' benefits have had an impact on the rise in prostitution ³. Additionally, MPs launched an inquiry into "survival sex" where benefit claimants impoverished by universal credit or sanctions have turned to prostitution to pay rent or feed their families ².
Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/18/2023
(1) SUBMISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON EXTREME POVERTY .... https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/EPoverty/UnitedKingdom/2018/NGOS/English_CollectiveofProstitutes.pdf.
(2) MPs to launch inquiry into ‘survival sex’ by benefit claimants. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/19/mps-to-launch-inquiry-into-survival-sex-by-benefit-claimants.
(3) The Impacts of Benefit Sanctions: A Scoping Review of the Quantitative .... https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-social-policy/article/impacts-of-benefit-sanctions-a-scoping-review-of-the-quantitative-research-evidence/9272BC857236795930DCD6AB7B8E04A1.
(4) Criminalize vs. Decriminalize Sex Work: The Debate Continues. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-day-slavery/202207/criminalize-vs-decriminalize-sex-work-the-debate-continues.
Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-61353104266500386712023-04-16T16:46:00.002-07:002023-04-16T16:46:43.079-07:00An AI composes a sonnet blaming successive Tory governments in the UK for benefit sanction deaths<b>Oh, Tories, how you've caused such needless pain,
With policies that hurt the poor and weak,
Your cuts and sanctions, each one more insane,
Have caused so many tears and so much bleak.
The benefit system, once a source of aid,
Has become a tool to punish and shame,
For those who need it most, it's now a raid,
A game that's rigged and stacked in your own name.
You claim to care for all, but that's a lie,
For those who suffer most, you turn away,
Your hearts are cold, your conscience will not pry,
You let them die, and then you look away.
Oh Tories, how you've caused such needless grief,
May history judge you harshly, beyond belief.</b>Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-46627422598842127942023-04-14T08:56:00.003-07:002023-04-14T08:56:58.092-07:00Why sanctioning sick and disabled benefit claimants during a pandemic, recession, and banking crisis can be considered immoralSanctioning sick and disabled benefit claimants during a pandemic, recession, and banking crisis can be considered immoral for several reasons.
Firstly, benefit sanctions are punishment fines whereby claimants’ benefits are docked for at least a month for supposed infringements¹. This can have a negative effect on claimants’ health and finances¹. In fact, DWP staff have admitted to inflicting psychological harm on claimants².
Secondly, there is no evidence that benefit sanctions incentivize people to get work¹. A report by the National Audit Office in 2016 found that there was no evidence that sanctions work or that the system is saving the taxpayer money⁵.
Thirdly, during a pandemic, recession, and banking crisis, people are already facing financial difficulties. Sanctioning their benefits would only add to their hardship.
In conclusion, sanctioning sick and disabled benefit claimants during a pandemic, recession, and banking crisis can be considered immoral because it can harm their health and finances without any evidence of effectiveness.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/14/2023
(1) DWP ordered to release ‘sensitive’ research into effects of benefit .... https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/mar/14/dwp-ordered-to-release-sensitive-research-into-effects-of-benefit-sanctions.
(2) DWP staff admit inflicting ‘psychological harm’ on claimants during .... https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-staff-admit-inflicting-psychological-harm-on-claimants-during-coalition-years/.
(3) Benefit sanctions are punishing disabled people for the sake of it. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/20/sanctions-disabled-people-claimants-tough-love.
(4) Disabled people denied benefit uplift during pandemic because it would .... https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/disability-benefit-uplift-universal-credit-dwp-it-system-b1724260.html.
(5) Opinion | Disabled Americans Are Losing a Lifeline - New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/opinion/supplemental-security-income-ssa-disability.html.Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-35416666120879974642023-03-20T13:26:00.000-07:002023-03-20T13:26:58.679-07:0017 March 2023 Budget announcement - what it means for DWP membersWednesday’s Budget announcement means bad news for DWP members and bad news for
the people they provide vital services for. There is no mention of more pay in
the budget for hard-pressed PCS members working in the DWP but the Budget
statement signals a major ramping-up of a punitive sanctions regime for
claimants. At the same time doing this the government are providing tax relief
on pensions for some of the wealthiest in society. Pay The budget fails
completely to address the concerns over poverty pay for PCS members working in
DWP and across the Civil Service. This hugely disappointing omission is despite
the days of targeted and all out strike action taken by members. Because the
government is refusing to listen to our reasonable demands on pay we have no
choice to begin re-balloting members for further strike action from Monday 20
March. It is crucial we renew our mandate to ramp up the pressure on this
government. Attacks on claimants and Jobcentre staff PCS completely opposes
statement in the Budget that says: “The government will strengthen the way the
UC sanctions regime is applied in Great Britain by automating parts of the
process to reduce error rates, and additional training for Work Coaches to apply
sanctions more effectively, including for claimants who do not look for or take
up employment.” This is a massive attack on claimants that suggests there will
be a huge increase in sanctioning activity unnecessarily forcing many already
desperate claimants into deeper poverty to serve the failed and discredited idea
that sanctioning people helps get them into work. The automation of decision
making for sanctions suggests a “computer says no” culture, which means that the
individual circumstances of claimants will be ignored. Particularly worrying in
this statement is the implication that Work Coaches will be making sanctions
decisions for claimants. Currently these decisions are made by remote
decision-makers who are trained specifically to make complex decisions. Putting
the onus for decision-making onto Work Coaches will destroy relationships
between them and the claimants they support; sewing division, with the
inevitable consequence that there will be more violent incidents in Jobcentres
as claimants express their frustration with the excessively hostile environment
that the government seem hell bent on creating. There is also a clear indication
in the budget statement that the government and the DWP intend to extend
significantly the “Jobcentre Innovation Pilot” forcing groups of claimants to
attend interviews 10 times per fortnight and divisively incentivise staff in 30%
of Jobcentres with insulting bonuses. The Budget statement also includes attacks
on parents, in-work claimants and disabled people. The government seem intent on
attacking the majority of citizens in this country. PCS demands a supportive
social security system PCS will continue to negotiate and campaign for a fairer
social security system. We will demand that the system allows our members to
support and not punish people who need a social security system. Our demand is
for a massive increase in staff to process benefits and support claimants in
Jobcentres. PCS negotiators will press for these demands and for mitigation
against the worst aspects of the government’s welfare strategy, particularly
where they will result in compromising member safety. We will use all means at
our disposal to fight for members safety and for a fairer social security
system.
Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-40321351437498889382022-11-24T10:01:00.000-08:002022-11-24T10:01:01.630-08:00Care Quality Commission - Tell Us About Your CareDisability Rights UK
Disabled people, those living with a long-term health condition and their families now have the opportunity to help shape the future of services in England by sharing their experiences of the NHS and the care system with the regulator for the NHS in England – The Care Quality Commission (CQC). We've received outstanding responses to previous requests for feedback to the CQC, and would like to take the opportunity to give those unable to respond at the time the chance to share their experiences of the NHS and care services.
The CQC are asking that you share with them, in confidence, your experiences through their Tell Us About Your Care programme. It allows you to provide the CQC first-hand with your experiences – during hospital stays, GP and dental visits, accessing care services, etc. You can also do so anonymously. The simple to complete questionnaire will ask you for details of the establishment and to describe your experiences as a user of their services.
The Tell Us About Your Care page can be located via this link. Once you have completed the questionnaire, we ask that you share this email with your family and friends so that they too can offer their own experience.
If you are unable to complete the survey online, please call us Monday – Friday on 0330 995 0400 and choose Option 1 (afternoons are quietest) and we can complete the survey for you and send your response to the CQC on your behalf.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be a key provider of evidence to help shape the future of your care.
Kind regards
Disability Rights UK
0330 995 0400
enquiries@disabilityrightsuk.org
Disability Rights UK
Plexal
14 East Bay Lane
Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Stratford, London E20 3BS
United Kingdom
0330 995 0400
www.disabilityrightsuk.org
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Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-7826116926273300842021-10-22T15:59:00.000-07:002021-10-22T15:59:13.164-07:00<p> <span><strong>Get Involved</strong></span>
</p><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_-8924554014897811187vb-outer" id="m_-8924554014897811187ko_textBlock_6" style="background-color: white; width: 100%px;">
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<div class="m_-8924554014897811187oldwebkit" style="max-width: 570px;">
<table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="18" class="m_-8924554014897811187vb-container m_-8924554014897811187fullpad" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 18px; max-width: 570px; padding-left: 0; padding-right: 0; width: 570px;">
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<td align="left" class="m_-8924554014897811187long-text m_-8924554014897811187links-color" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><strong></strong></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><strong></strong></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><strong>Are the rights of Disabled people being upheld?</strong></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><strong>UN CRDP Capacity-building and Consultation Meeting</strong></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Date: 17th November 2021</p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Time: 18:00 - 20:00</p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Location: Zoom (Online)</p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Since
its adoption by the
UN General Assembly on 13 December 2006, the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of Disabled People (CRDP) has been a major global catalyst
for the progression of disabled people’s rights.</p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;">The
CRDP became one of the most quickly supported international human
rights treaties in history and it now has 163 signatories. Governments
who ratify the CRDP agree to be examined every few years to check how
far the rights of Deaf and Disabled people set out in the treaty are
being fulfilled. Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DPPOs) play a
key role in the examination process, submitting “shadow” reports to the
UN Committee responsible for the CRPD.</p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;">This
meeting will give
an over-view of the CRDP and the shadow reporting process. Participants
will also help shape the next shadow report as DDPOs prepare for the
next examination of the UK under the CRDP.</p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Access provision information: BSL & Palantypist (Speech to text) available.</p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Registration details: Please register at this link:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin: 1em 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u%3D61598%26qid%3D10137488&source=gmail&ust=1635029687870000&usg=AFQjCNEexlmZ20ZqVWD1W-NEpAO1-Iyn7w" href="https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=61598&qid=10137488" style="color: #3f3f3f; color: #4f81bd; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">https://us02web.zoom.us/<wbr></wbr>meeting/register/tZYsc-<wbr></wbr>yqqjstG9BzgrQ3BlOPGwZ379qaMG6Q</a><wbr></wbr>. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email
containing information about joining the meeting.</p></td>
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<span><strong><br /></strong></span>Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-49893366245768743662021-10-16T07:57:00.000-07:002021-10-16T07:57:31.878-07:00<p> </p><div class="col-md-8">
<div style="font-size: 17px; padding-top: 7px;">
<p><strong>The Future of Work</strong></p>
<p><strong>Session 1 of the Future of the World Global Policy Dialogues</strong></p>
<p><em>Wednesday, 15 September 2021, 8:30-10:00 a.m. EDT</em></p>
<p>This session, the first in a six-part series from UN DESA and UNDP
looking at “The Future of the World,” aims to consider the
ramifications of the changing nature of work and lifelong learning, and
what we need to do now in order to be better prepared for the future of
work.</p>
<p>Speakers also will debate crucial issues such as economic
insecurity, the gig economy, informal work, fair wages, the role of
artificial intelligence and policies to support workers. Across all
issues, special attention will be paid to the needs of vulnerable
groups, such as women, youth, older persons, indigenous persons and
persons with disabilities.</p>
<ul type="disc"><li><a class="alink" href="https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hlZyN6xlSPqSchUMn2V9SQ">Register here by 15 September.</a></li><li><a class="alink" href="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/programme-future_of_work-sept_2021.pdf">Programme</a></li><li><a class="alink" href="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/speaker_bios-future_of_work-sept_2021.pdf">Speakers' biographies</a></li></ul>
</div>
</div>Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-25155650302472878262020-05-24T08:03:00.000-07:002020-05-24T08:05:55.649-07:00Disabled always isolated (Letter to the National Post newspaper)<b>Re: Pandemic benefits and support</b><br />
<br />
<br />
I am a Lyme disease patient who's been disabled due to the damage from this illness, especially because it took two years to be diagnosed.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
My monthly gross earnings from CPP [Canada Pension Plan] is barely over $1,000, which is essentially half of the emergency response benefit. So many Canadians on disability struggle to make ends meet on such a limited income, and we also have to deal with chronic health issues, which often come with increased medical expenses. For the sake of space I won't touch on the mental-health aspects of living with chronic illness, which makes all of this harder.<br />
<br />
Canadians living at home with disabilities are also isolated on a regular basis. When life gets back to normal for most people, we will be forgotten. We will still be at home, where we have always been.<br />
<br />
Prior to the pandemic I reached out to my MP and MPP [Legislative Assembly of Ontario] about chronic illness and Lyme disease in our area and neither of them have even bothered to respond. I can't begin to describe how disheartening this is.<br />
<br />
Aside from the further fear for our health and well-being that the coronavirus has inflicted among everyone, many people living with chronic illness have a higher risk of susceptibility to the virus.<br />
<br />
It makes me incredibly sad to speak/write out loud that our disabled lives probably won't change. Things will go back to normal for everyone else and we will still be struggling: physically, emotionally, mentally and financially.<br />
<br />
It is so upsetting to watch our prime minister come on TV every day and say "we hear you, we know you're scared. We are here for you and we're going to help you" and feel like he is talking to every Canadian except those of us at home, on disability, unable to work.<br />
<br />
Having the government offer twice as much money—in the form of the emergency response benefit—to other Canadians, essentially makes me feel unimportant, undignified, unworthy and even more isolated.<br />
<i>Sara</i> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-26448460012303351742020-05-03T08:31:00.001-07:002020-05-03T08:35:06.784-07:00Eavan Boland on Faith<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>“I remember driving down the Dublin roads, where the laburnum and lilac
filled the verges with yellow and violet, and listening to my car radio.
Something seemed to have happened that was not faith, and could not be
called religion; that was short of hysteria and yet by no means
rational,” wrote Eavan Boland in her January 12th, 1995 essay <a href="https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1995/01/12/when-the-spirit-moves/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Saturday%20Longread%20When%20the%20Spirit%20Moves&utm_content=Saturday%20Longread%20When%20the%20Spirit%20Moves+CID_5b34e5ce95a7762d805ac256787bd574&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_term=When%20the%20Spirit%20Moves" target="_blank">When the Sprit Moves. </a></i><br />
<br />
<div class="m_-4289171378769238708size-18" lang="x-size-18" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 20px;">
Boland described the summer of 1985, when a statue of the Virgin Mary appeared to move, and how an
outpouring of belief challenged her preconceived notions of intellect. </div>
<div class="m_-4289171378769238708size-18" lang="x-size-18" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 20px;">
Eavan
Boland died this week at age 75, a great loss to the world of poetry
and letters. We’ll be sharing her essay throughout the month of May and
we hope you will too.</div>
<img alt="" class="CToWUd" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/72vXLQG4EMJQp_imccCFak5tZA2aBTIHRkF4atRZavHNOORk8hucS3UVq8WYJWa8lsvNYoUqDHupa7bteVZjmZRQ0Z4ho4NnvDVb4REDi7OFEbRF6cPR8fES87i21udLp8xGL-eO8Owqocl2NDWT4RcNl2jTpKU=s0-d-e1-ft#http://i2.cmail19.com/ei/y/C2/CA6/5CA/063910/csfinal/800px-White_Hill_Boardwalk-990000079e04513c.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 800px; width: 100%;" width="560" />Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-90122713275214264092020-02-28T19:13:00.001-08:002020-02-28T19:13:57.156-08:00Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies:<br />
<br />
Volume 14, Issue 1<br />
<br />
<br />
Special Issue: Disability and the Emotions <br />
<br />
JLCDS is available from Liverpool University Press, online and in print,
to institutional and individual subscribers; it is also part of the
Project MUSE collection to which the links below point. <br />
<br />
Articles<br />
<br />
Introduction: Disability and the Emotions<br />
David Bolt<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748210&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNGhRijIu3rkGU1KLrGKV9b5oLB73g" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748210" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48210</a><br />
<br />
Chronic Pain as Emotion<br />
Emma Sheppard<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748211&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNGfmjjj_uNiQeaPxDPFmzRlsUPiBQ" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748211" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48211</a><br />
<br />
Reconsidering the Role of Pity in Oscar Wilde's "The Star-Child"<br />
Chris Foss <br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748212&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNEyjUIRYC3qEkxl9pXe41u9dCycyQ" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748212" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48212</a><br />
<br />
Embracing Disorientation in the Disability Studies Classroom<br />
Ryan C. Parrey<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748213&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNFRzeq3S5JJJKvTgb1Im3zkv31Eng" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748213" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48213</a><br />
<br />
Reflections on the Boom of Graphic Pathography: The Effects and Affects of Narrating Disability and Illness in Comics<br />
Gesine Wegner<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748214&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNGbIz9GszHAz225Yasr44BZKeQ8bA" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748214" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48214</a><br />
<br />
Crip Feelings/Feeling Crip<br />
Brady James Forrest<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748215&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNFVHHTfKDl3Abf7v8t7H_F-in_QZw" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748215" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48215</a><br />
<br />
Demanding Money with Menaces: Fear and Loathing in the Archipelago of Confinement<br />
Owen Barden<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748216&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNEFcH4yJkdh2gW6z2fzCqnS1ur0qw" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748216" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48216</a><br />
<br />
Comment from the Field<br />
<br />
Disability and the Emotions, Seminar Series, Phase One, Centre for Culture and Disability Studies<br />
Holly Lightburn<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748217&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNHRrTJP48NBTKZ5TKKmbBhfrp8tlA" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748217" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48217</a><br />
<br />
Disability and the Emotions, Seminar Series, Phase Two, Centre for Culture and Disability Studies, Liverpool Hope University<br />
Amy Redhead<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748218&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNFdYDvT64WiE3ezcLruU_q3SWlKsQ" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748218" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48218</a><br />
<br />
Book Reviews<br />
<br />
Autistic Disturbances: Theorizing Autism Poetics from the DSM to Robinson Crusoe by Julia Miele Rodas (review)<br />
Rachael Nebraska Lynch<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748220&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNGoZbNgCdlbepp86tPNZR4cNX-fkQ" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748220" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48220</a><br />
<br />
Cultural Disability Studies in Education: Interdisciplinary Navigations of the Normative Divide by David Bolt (review)<br />
Lauren Beard<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748209&source=gmail&ust=1583031902176000&usg=AFQjCNHG_ZLhE5LCjlmKL8rpqJwfnHi5QQ" href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/748209" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://muse.jhu.edu/article/7<wbr></wbr>48209</a><br />
<br />
<br />Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-4169124609159592732020-01-09T20:19:00.000-08:002020-01-09T20:19:50.197-08:00The role of risk in relation to Special Educational Needs and DisabilityMs Sharon Smith, University of Birmingham <br />
<br />
Date: 5 February 2020<br />
Time: 2.00–3.30pm<br />
Place: EDEN Arbour room, Liverpool Hope University, UK<br />
<br />
Since the 1990s, there has been an increased focus within education on
keeping pupils safe, and anticipating risks of problems, such as
negative outcomes or future underachievement, resulting in the ‘at risk’
label being applied to some students, who then require greater
observation and protection. Students with disabilities are often seen as
more vulnerable than the general school population, subject to even
greater monitoring and risk management than their peers. This seminar
argues that the move within education towards risk management is
problematic as students’ futures are calculated and managed and they are
exposed to disciplinary power over their future outcomes. Yet the
future of the other is not something that should be comprehended in the
present, nor should there be any attempt to contain it. The future of
others is not ours to control and should remain a mystery. This
therefore requires the welcoming, rather than management, of risk in
education.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sharon Smith is a PhD student at the University of Birmingham, where she
is researching the subjectivity of parents of children labelled with
Special Educational Needs/Disability (SEND) and the impact of this
subjectivity on inclusion. <br />
<br />
This seminar is part of the Disability Futurity series organised by the
CCDS in collaboration with Carleton University’s Disability Research
Group, Canada:<br />
• 27.02.19 Reading Down syndrome: past, present, future?, Helen Davies, Hope.<br />
• 27.03.19 Art Education and Disability Futurity: Subjects on the Edge, Claire Penketh, Hope.<br />
• 05.06.19 Disabled people and subjugated knowledges: new
understandings and strategies developed by people living with chronic
conditions, Ana Bê, Hope.<br />
• 20.11.19 Living as if we already know what ‘human’ will be:
exploring the anticipated futures of visual/deaf humanity and how they
shape the present, Mike Gulliver, Hope.<br />
• 22.01.20 Representations of Disability Experience in Live Theatre, seeley quest, Carleton.<br />
• 05.02.20 The role of risk in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disability, Sharon Smith, Hope.<br />
• 18.03.20 Exploring Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Time: Life,
death, and futurity in rehabilitation, Thomas Abrams, Carleton.<br />
• 08.04.20 Spectral Risk and the Future of Disability, Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire, Carleton.<br />
• 22.06.20 Disability Histories and Futures of the Nation, Gildas Bregain, Beth Robertson, and Paul van Trigt, Carleton.Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-27135712909118607542019-04-07T16:44:00.000-07:002019-04-07T16:46:36.554-07:00Disabled people and subjugated knowledges: new understandings and strategies developed by people living with chronic conditions<br />
Dr Ana Bê, Liverpool Hope University<br />
<br />
Date: Wednesday 5 June, 2019<br />
Time: 2.00–3.30pm<br />
Place: Conference Rooms 1 & 2, Liverpool Hope University, UK<br />
<br />
<br />
This seminar provides a contribution to our understanding of the
knowledges and strategies developed by people living with chronic
illnesses, based on an empirical study conducted in England and
Portugal. Disability studies has historically (and rightly) focused on
mapping out and understanding disablism. The way disabled people relate
to their bodyminds has only recently featured in the literature. Adding
to this work, Dr Bê argues that disabled people constantly have to
negotiate codes about the body, based on normative notions, which she
terms normative corporality. The knowledges and strategies developed by
disabled people are often unnoticed, or devalued, as we tend to value
knowledges of the body that come from established systems of knowledge,
or from the bodies our society deems normative. The concern is that the
subjugated knowledges of disabled people are in danger of being
unacknowledged in futurity.<br />
<br />
Ana Bê is Lecturer in the Department of Disability and Education and a
core member of the Centre for Culture and Disability Studies at
Liverpool Hope University. She has published in Alter, Disability &
Society, and The Routledge Handbook of Disability Studies.<br />
<br />
This seminar is part of the Disability Futurity series organised by the
CCDS in collaboration with Carleton University’s Disability Research
Group, Canada. <br />
<br />
For further information please contact Prof David Bolt: <label class="staffLabel grid_3" for="emailAddress">Email:</label><span class="staffSpan grid_9" id="emailAddress" name="emailAddress"><a href="mailto:boltd@hope.ac.uk">boltd@hope.ac.uk</a></span>
Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-26546465807369440102018-07-21T19:26:00.000-07:002018-07-21T19:27:52.905-07:00The latest evidence suggests that the DWP are stitching-up benefit claimants<div class="nH">
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Ms. Kerry-Anne Mendoza</div>
<div>
Editor-in-Chief</div>
<div>
The Canary</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Just
a short note to commend you and The Canary for your superlative work in
exposing the misdeeds of the DWP in various pieces, including this
particular instance (The DWP was just caught red-handed 'fiddling' benefit sanctions figures | The Canary <a href="https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/07/19/the-dwp-was-just-caught-red-handed-fiddling-benefit-sanctions-figures/">https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/07/19/the-dwp-was-just-caught-red-handed-fiddling-benefit-sanctions-figures/</a>). But I would argue that the DWP aren't merely
'fiddling' benefit sanctions figures; I contend that they are continuing
the nefarious practice of egregiously stitching-up benefit
claimants—accusations of this sort were first made by whistle-blowers
years ago (see references below) but there's an urgent need for them to
resurface now, in view of your 'fiddling' piece and this latest
Disability News Service story: DWP is asked why ‘not fit for work’
universal credit claimants are being sanctioned (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-is-asked-why-not-fit-for-work-universal-credit-claimants-are-being-sanctioned/&source=gmail&ust=1532312006743000&usg=AFQjCNF_TLqC9rBIq7Ne6ArVt82nfV3J-g" href="https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-is-asked-why-not-fit-for-work-universal-credit-claimants-are-being-sanctioned/" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-<wbr></wbr>is-asked-why-not-fit-for-work-<wbr></wbr>universal-credit-claimants-<wbr></wbr>are-being-sanctioned/</a>). In 2015, when Esther McVey was employment minister, she blamed front-line Jobcentre staff for unfair benefit sanctioning
practices instead of taking responsibility for the sanctioning regime and culture at jobcentres that she had
created. She claimed that
sanctions targets did not exist and that sanctions were only imposed as a “last resort”.
Now, as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, she and her DWP ministers have the authority to crack down on
this type of malfeasance, but have chosen not to do so because it's
being committed at their behest. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Disclosure:
I am a 62 year old Disability Studies specialist—from Montreal,
Canada—who since 2012 has been campaigning daily on Twitter, and
communicating frequently with the UN's human rights office, in Geneva,
on the welfare crisis impacting U.K.'s sick and disabled.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>References</u>: Stitching-up claimants is all part of the job, says Jobcentre insider - Ros Wynne Jones - Mirror Online <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/stitching-up-claimants-part-job-says-3537051&source=gmail&ust=1532312006743000&usg=AFQjCNFmvPCfVeE1NL8FfTPinjrkXS4fTg" href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/stitching-up-claimants-part-job-says-3537051" target="_blank">https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/<wbr></wbr>uk-news/stitching-up-<wbr></wbr>claimants-part-job-says-<wbr></wbr>3537051</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sanctions: staff pressured to penalise benefit claimants, says union | Society | The Guardian<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.theguardian.com/society/patrick-butler-cuts-blog/2015/feb/03/sanctions-staff-pressured-to-penalise-benefit-claimants-says-union&source=gmail&ust=1532312006743000&usg=AFQjCNE9bFgB2g_L3fkSy197afNU_gCn0Q" href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/patrick-butler-cuts-blog/2015/feb/03/sanctions-staff-pressured-to-penalise-benefit-claimants-says-union" target="_blank"> https://www.theguardian.com/<wbr></wbr>society/patrick-butler-cuts-<wbr></wbr>blog/2015/feb/03/sanctions-<wbr></wbr>staff-pressured-to-penalise-<wbr></wbr>benefit-claimants-says-union </a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was my job to impose cruel benefit sanctions – that the DWP can’t justify | Angela Neville | Opinion | The Guardian <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/30/cruel-benefits-sanctions-dwp-job-advisers-evidence-work&source=gmail&ust=1532312006743000&usg=AFQjCNEUs_0oJ8LHhyg_vxCPXVLtfNDL3w" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/30/cruel-benefits-sanctions-dwp-job-advisers-evidence-work" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/<wbr></wbr>commentisfree/2016/nov/30/<wbr></wbr>cruel-benefits-sanctions-dwp-<wbr></wbr>job-advisers-evidence-work</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Benefit sanctions: Britain's secret penal system | Centre for Crime and Justice Studies <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/resources/benefit-sanctions-britains-secret-penal-system&source=gmail&ust=1532312006743000&usg=AFQjCNF0ZGuwqCtEGtJNI8O9cgMvpsM-jg" href="https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/resources/benefit-sanctions-britains-secret-penal-system" target="_blank">https://www.crimeandjustice.<wbr></wbr>org.uk/resources/benefit-<wbr></wbr>sanctions-britains-secret-<wbr></wbr>penal-system</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Benefit sanctions have failed: a Comprehensive Review is needed | British Politics and Policy at LSE <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/benefit-sanctions-have-failed-a-comprehensive-review-is-needed/&source=gmail&ust=1532312006743000&usg=AFQjCNFO7856le8I8qsrDIh4IHnMTnk2ng" href="http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/benefit-sanctions-have-failed-a-comprehensive-review-is-needed/" target="_blank">http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/<wbr></wbr>politicsandpolicy/benefit-<wbr></wbr>sanctions-have-failed-a-<wbr></wbr>comprehensive-review-is-<wbr></wbr>needed/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
[July 19, 2018] DWP is asked why ‘not fit for work’ universal credit claimants are being sanctioned <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-is-asked-why-not-fit-for-work-universal-credit-claimants-are-being-sanctioned/&source=gmail&ust=1532312006743000&usg=AFQjCNF_TLqC9rBIq7Ne6ArVt82nfV3J-g" href="https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-is-asked-why-not-fit-for-work-universal-credit-claimants-are-being-sanctioned/" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-<wbr></wbr>is-asked-why-not-fit-for-work-<wbr></wbr>universal-credit-claimants-<wbr></wbr>are-being-sanctioned/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yours very truly,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Samuel Miller</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-21065674789698951452017-11-23T16:17:00.000-08:002017-11-23T16:30:35.749-08:00Statement from Canadian Samuel Miller on the ESA WRAG cuts and 'wrongful' welfare reform deaths in the UK<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
The ESA WRAG cuts have been in effect since April 3rd; the failure of
the Guardian (which publishes articles on disability on an almost daily
basis) and the British press to investigate how these new chronically
ill and disabled claimants are faring as they struggle to survive on a
below subsistence, JSA-level benefit, is a serious dereliction of duty.<br />
<br />
If
the media blackout on the ESA WRAG cuts persists much longer, the
danger is that the DWP ministers will conclude that these vulnerable
claimants are adequately coping on a reduced benefit and they'll promote
that false narrative in the right-wing press.<br />
<br />
Once the complete
details of the personal support package (PSP) are obtained from the DWP,
I will ask the UN CRPD and the Work and Pensions Select Committee to
rule on whether the PSP a) fully mitigates the ESA WRAG cuts; and b)
meets the subsistence needs of sick and disabled.<br />
<br />
I intend to hold
the DWP and its ministers accountable for 'wrongful' welfare reform
deaths by facilitating a crowdfunded human rights lawsuit supported by
UN reports, coroners, and the testimony of the Work and Pensions Select
Committee. (I am a lifelong Canadian citizen and resident; I cannot sue
your government directly, but I can lend my support in helping to
arrange either a crowdfunded judicial review or lawsuit against the
DWP).<br />
<br />
Since 2012, I've been reporting voluntarily to the UN on the welfare crisis impacting Britain's sick and disabled.Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-34630096924622549702017-10-05T09:26:00.000-07:002017-10-05T09:27:13.970-07:00Centre for Culture & Disability Studies Seminar: Sorrowless Lamentation by Prof Lennard J. DavisSorrowless Lamentation:<br />
Viewers' Emotional Response to the Disabled Poor in Art<br />
<br />
Prof Lennard J. Davis, University of Illinois at Chicago<br />
<br />
Date: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_347913357" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Wednesday 15 November, 2017</span></span><br />
Time: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_347913358" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">2.00pm–3.30pm</span></span><br />
Place: EDEN 109, Liverpool Hope University, UK<br />
<br />
This seminar reviews the history of the disabled poor in Western Art and<br />
considers what the viewers' emotional response to such depictions would<br />
be. Prof Davis is interested in the repeated tropes of disability and<br />
poverty over time and how the viewers' responses might have changed.<br />
<br />
Lennard Davis is Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at<br />
the University of Illinois at Chicago in the departments of Disability<br />
and Human Development, English, and Medical Education. He has written or<br />
edited over 20 books, some of which are the most influential in the<br />
field. He has been an active member of the JLCDS board since its<br />
inauguration in 2006 and he contributed to the previous CCDS seminar<br />
series in 2015.<br />
<br />
<br />
This seminar is part of the CCDS series, Disability and the Emotions.<br />
Other dates include:<br />
<br />
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_347913359" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">31 Jan 2018</span></span>, Embracing Disorientation in the Disability Studies<br />
Classroom, Ryan Parrey.<br />
<br />
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_347913360" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">07 Mar 2018</span></span>, Affective/Effective Images? The Aesthetics of Representing<br />
Disability Experiences in Comics, Gesine Wegner.<br />
<br />
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_347913361" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">18 Apr 2018</span></span>, Crip Feelings/Feeling Crip, Brady Forrest.<br />
<br />
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_347913362" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">23 May 2018</span></span>, Remembering the Great War through Bodies and Emotions: The<br />
Experience of Disabled Ex Servicemen between the Two World Wars, Ugo<br />
Pavan Dalla Torre.<br />
<br />
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_347913363" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">04 Jul 2018</span></span>, Demanding Money with Menaces: Fear and Loathing in the<br />
Archipelago of Confinement, Owen Barden.<br />
<br />
<br />
For further information please contact Dr David Bolt: <span class="gD" data-hovercard-id="dbsw@hope.ac.uk" name="Dr. David Bolt"> Dr. David Bolt</span> <span class="go">dbsw@hope.ac.uk</span>Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-5576244201482199832017-03-26T16:38:00.001-07:002018-07-21T19:27:15.274-07:00Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-11831485530586329132017-01-17T10:28:00.000-08:002017-01-17T10:28:46.868-08:00A Prayer For Sue Jones, British Disability Campaigner, Who Is In Hospital May the One who was a source of blessing for our ancestors, bring blessings
of healing upon Sue Jones, a healing of body and a healing of spirit. May those
in whose care she is entrusted, be gifted with wisdom and skill, and those who
surround her, be gifted with love and trust, openness and support in her care.
And may she be healed along with all those who are in need. Blessed are You,
Source of healing. Amen.Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-51434738735142040002016-10-15T13:15:00.005-07:002017-01-17T10:29:09.782-08:00Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-1913933993134068302016-10-15T13:15:00.000-07:002016-10-15T13:37:58.546-07:00My Letter To Iain Duncan Smith <div class="ii gt adP adO" id=":1n3" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Dear Mr. Duncan Smith,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">You
have stated that you resigned from cabinet over George Osborne's
disability cuts, among other reasons. Bank of England's Governor Mark
Carney is now warning that life will "get difficult" for the most
vulnerable people in Britain as
inflation rises in the coming months due to the sharp depreciation of
sterling in the wake of the Brexit vote.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">The Department for Work and Pensions says that it is scraping
retesting for people with severe, lifelong conditions at the same time
that there has been a sharp drop in Support Group awards and a sharp
increase in people placed in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG).
Charities report that 45% of people who put in a claim for Employment
Support Allowance (ESA), and had Parkinson’s, Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple
Sclerosis, or Rheumatoid Arthritis, were placed in the WRAG. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Unless rescinded, from April 2017, anyone put in
the work-related activity group (WRAG) of employment and support
allowance (ESA) will receive the same benefit rate as jobseeker’s
allowance (JSA), a loss of £30 a week. They will surely struggle to
survive.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">I would be most grateful if you would advise Work and Pensions secretary, Damian Green, and
Chancellor Philip Hammond *not* to proceed with Osborne's
life-threatening ESA WRAG cuts. A public statement against these pernicious cuts would also be appreciated.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Thanking you in advance for your assistance.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Samuel Miller </span></div>
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Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-47284423650168411902016-09-23T09:38:00.002-07:002017-01-17T10:29:09.778-08:00Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-32426493150080396132016-09-23T09:38:00.001-07:002016-09-23T09:40:31.446-07:00‘Regressing’ UK Government Fails To Meet 81 of 85 UN Human Rights Recommendations; Note from Samuel<h2 class="module_detail_title" style="text-align: justify;">
<span id="ctl00_ctl00_CorePlaceHolder_DisplayPagePlaceHolder_ctl00_NewsCatalog1_ctl00_ctl00_lblTitle"></span></h2>
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<b><span id="ctl00_ctl00_CorePlaceHolder_DisplayPagePlaceHolder_ctl00_NewsCatalog1_ctl00_ctl00_lblSource"></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Recommendations on the UK’s human rights record have not been
implemented since 2012, a new report from the British Institute of Human
Rights (BIHR) has said.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The BIHR’s analysis shows that the UK government has failed to fully
meet 81 out of 85 recommendations made by the United Nations (UN) in
2012 to improve domestic human rights protections.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Areas covered include poverty, welfare and adequate standard of
living, about which the BIHR warned: “Recent policy and legislative
changes <a href="http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/News/un-seriously-concerned-about-human-rights-impact-of-austerity/144077">have seen a regression in standards of living</a>
and the welfare system’s ability to tackle poverty, homelessness and
worklessness. This is having a negative impact on vulnerable social
groups.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The report said that the Welfare Reform Act 2012 will have a negative
effect on vulnerable groups, including 100,000 disabled children losing
up to £28 a week and up to 20% of families <a href="http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/News/bedroom-tax-leaving-social-tenants-unwell-depressed-and-hungry/100802">affected by the ‘bedroom tax’</a> being unable to pay the higher rate of rent.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Other welfare reforms which the report highlights include the <a href="http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/News/8400-affected-by-500-a-week-benefit-cap/60894">household benefit cap</a>, which the Supreme Court has ruled violates the UN Human Rights Convention, and the increased use of <a href="http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/News/committee-urges-review-of-dwp-benefit-sanctions/101512">benefit sanctions</a>, which it says have been linked to destitution and not proven to encourage people back into work.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It warned that new measures introduced by the government also fall short of helping the most vulnerable.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <a href="http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/News/risk-of-crunch-point-in-encouraging-national-living-wage-increase/148829">national living wage</a>, for example, does not apply to under-25s and is not set in accordance with recommendations from the Living Wage Foundation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 raises concerns for freezing working-age benefits for four years from April 2017, removing <a href="http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/News/un-to-investigate-tax-credit-cap-after-mp-raises-alarm-over-rape-clause/140966">child tax credit entitlement</a>
for families of more than three children, and abolishing the Child
Poverty Act 2010, which mandates statutory targets on child poverty.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The report also highlighted <a href="http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Search/housing%20crisis">the housing crisis</a> and <a href="http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Search/homelessness">rising homelessness rates</a> as a human rights concern.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
By 2031, England will have 2.5 million fewer homes than needed.
Almost 30% of private sector tenants are in substandard housing, and
there has been <a href="http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/News/rough-sleeping-in-england-skyrockets-by-30-in-one-year/132995">a 30% increase in homelessness</a> in the past year.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Major recommendations</b></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The BIHR said the UK government should monitor and review the impact
of welfare reforms on living standards, pause and review its sanctioning
policy, abolish the bedroom tax, and adjust the rate of the living
wage.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In addition, the report said it was “vital” that the government
abandons plans to replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of
Rights and instead strengthens existing human rights protections.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It called on the government to ensure the UK’s exit from the European
Union does not have a negative effect on human rights, and to allow
devolved administrations to report on how they are dealing with human
rights issues.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Other areas of concern raised by the report include violence against
women and girls, with funding for women’s shelters facing 31% cuts,
dangerous conditions in prisons and increasing hate crime reports.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Stephen Bowen, chief executive of BIHR, said: “The UK Government
needs to listen, not just to the United Nations but to the voices of the
huge range of organisations closer to home that have shared their
serious concerns with the British Institute of Human Rights.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“They are troubled the Government is taking the UK towards further
isolationism and disregarding the United Nations, worsening the
situation with welfare and legal aid cuts, and wanting to scrap the
Human Rights Act, weakening its accountability for our rights at home as
well as internationally.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The report is based on evidence from 175 civil society organisations,
including Age UK, Unison and the End Violence Against Women Coalition.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But a government spokesperson said: “The UK is a confident, strong
and dependable partner internationally – true to the universal values
shared by the United Nations.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“As a nation we continue to fully comply to our international human
rights obligations and we continue to take action to tackle any abuse of
these rights. This includes working together with the UN to adapt a
global response to mass migration and reducing the threat from
international terrorism, stamping out modern slavery, championing the
rights of women and girls and abhorring sexual violence in conflict.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note from Samuel: Please read My Disability Studies Blackboard: The UNCRPD is legally unenforceable; Iain Duncan Smith will be let off the hook by the UN <a href="http://mydisabilitystudiesblackboard.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-uncrpd-is-legally-unenforceable.html">http://mydisabilitystudiesblackboard.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-uncrpd-is-legally-unenforceable.html</a>; in particular, the last paragraph:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A verdict of guilty would
embarrass the British government on the world stage, but the UN treaty
repercussions would be relatively minor. I am therefore recommending
that a human rights lawsuit be filed against the DWP in conjunction with
a UN CRPD "grave and systematic" violations finding.</span></i></span> </div>
Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-4499831652426727712016-02-27T07:40:00.001-08:002017-01-17T10:29:09.774-08:00Did Justin Tomlinson, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Disabled People, mislead Daniel Zeichner, Shadow Minister for Transport, to spare himself and the DWP political embarrassment?<br />
<br />
Please read: Personal Independence Payment: Motability: 25 Feb 2016: Hansard Written Answers - TheyWorkForYou <a href="http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-02-22.27713.h&s=disabled#g27713.r0">http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-02-22.27713.h&s=disabled#g27713.r0</a><br />
<br />
Daniel Zeichner: To ask the <a class="glossary" href="http://www.theyworkforyou.com/glossary/?gl=23" title="Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who...">Secretary of State</a> for Work and Pensions, how many <span class="hi">disabled</span> people have had their Mobility Scheme vehicle taken away as a result of personal independence payment replacing <span class="hi">disability</span> living allowance? <br />
<br />
The date of Justin Tomlinson's written response is February 25, 2016; and he claims that the DWP does not hold this information. Yet, on February 3, 2016, the BBC reported that: Nearly 14,000 disabled people have mobility cars taken away - BBC News <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35476904">http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35476904</a>.<br />
<br />
It is reasonable to assume that Mr. Tomlinson knew this figure, but wished to spare himself and the DWP political embarrassment.<br />
<br />
Of the nearly 14,000 disabled people who have had their mobility cars
taken away, only 8,000 have received a £2,000 grant. This is based on
the Motability figure of £16m, quoted in the BBC article.<br />
<br />
There is a urgent need for a Parliamentary debate on the nearly 14,000
disabled people have had their mobility cars taken away. It's a
deplorable situation and a grave and systematic violation of their human
rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (UNCRPD). Up to 200 disabled people every week are losing
their Motability vehicles, their jobs and independence, after being
assessed for the government’s new disability benefit, Personal
Independence Payment (PIP), yet there has been scant attention paid to
their predicament by the mainstream British media.Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-1793996565524241882015-09-24T09:23:00.000-07:002015-09-24T09:23:08.797-07:00Please Support This Urgent Fundraising AppealHi, my name is Mandi. However you came to hear about my blog thank you so much for taking the time to learn about the distressing situation I now find myself in. Like thousands of other people registered as disabled in the UK, I am another victim of the government's cruel and extreme cuts to disability benefits. Benefits desperately needed to make ends meet. I suffer from Multiple sclerosis (MS) which affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of symptoms including problems with muscle movement, balance and vision. There is no cure for this condition, it will only get worse over time. I have worked hard all my life but when the MS struck the symptoms were so debilitating everything became much harder, including my job. I continued working for as long as I could, then my health deteriorated so drastically that working became impossible. Like most people on benefits, I am not a "scrounger" as the government and mainstream media like to label people. Like most people I had lived a regular life and paid my taxes for many decades, but as my MS got worse I needed the welfare system as my safety net, the system I had contributed to for many decades through my working years. While I was working I was able to buy my own one-bedroomed flat, but I am now in the desperate position of having to seriously consider selling my home, a small flat that is adapted to meet my needs as an MS sufferer, and to then rent that same flat back off a company for three times what my mortgage payments have been. I have no other means of supporting myself and I live with the constant fear that my ESA and DLA will be cut back to nothing at all before too long now, for this seems to be the government's agenda. If I lose my home I will be completely at the mercy of the government and could well end up as another homeless disabled person. The dread of that terrifies me and is affecting my mental wellbeing now , so my health problems are compounding as the months go on. I am asking everyone to has kindly read this page if they would consider donating a small amount to help me keep my flat, so that I don't have to sell it, and lose the last bit of security I have. Any amount you can afford to give would be so gratefully appreciated, even £1 would be really helpful. If you aren't in a position to donate any money, you could still help so much by sharing this blog. <br /><br />If I can secure my living accommodation I know my mental wellbeing will improve no end and that will help me manage my MS symptoms much better once again. My ultimate goal is to come off benefits and work from home, proofreading, this will give me a small income to at least meet the bills and eat, without the distress of claiming disability benefits, but my health condition needs to be more under control than it currently is, for me to be able to do that. Thank you so much for reading about my desperate situation. I know many others are suffering and I send my best wishes to all of them and I urge them to try to stay strong, as I am trying to do. I send my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who is able to help me find a way out of the dreadful situation I have found myself in through no fault of my own, I was just unlucky enough to develop MS. Thank you for your time, Mandi<br /><br /><a href="https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/Mandi-Riseman">https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/Mandi-Riseman</a>Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461323731248204816.post-56533155837082334062015-09-01T11:54:00.000-07:002015-09-01T11:54:55.732-07:00The UNCRPD is legally unenforceable; Iain Duncan Smith will be let off the hook by the UN<div style="text-align: justify;">
The United Nation's Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has launched an inquiry into Iain Duncan Smith's welfare reforms to determine if they constitute 'grave and systematic' violations of the human rights of disabled people. Catalina Aguilar, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, will pay a visit to Britain in the next few months as part of the probe.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As most of my readers know, I have been reporting frequently and voluntarily, since January of 2012, to the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on the welfare crisis for Britain's sick and disabled. While I most certainly welcome this inquiry and acknowledge its very critical importance, I regret to inform you that the UNCRPD is unenforceable.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: #333333;">Britain signed
up to this Convention under the last Labour government. On 8 June 2009,
the UK government ratified the Convention, signaling its commitment to
take concrete action to comply with the legal rights and obligations
contained in the Convention. The Government has also ratified the
Convention’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optional_Protocol_to_the_Convention_on_the_Rights_of_Persons_with_Disabilities" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Optional Protocol</span></a>.</span></span><br />
<br />
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a side-agreement to the <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_the_Rights_of_Persons_with_Disabilities" style="color: blue;" target="_blank" title="Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities">Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities</a></span>.
It was adopted on 13 December 2006, and entered into force at the same
time as its parent Convention on 3 May 2008. As of July 2015, it has 92
signatories and 87 state parties.<br />
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB">The
Optional Protocol (OP-CRPD) to the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) allows for individual complaints to
be submitted to the CRPD Committee by individuals and groups of
individuals, or by a third party</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8461323731248204816#sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a></span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
on behalf of individuals and groups of individuals, alleging that
their rights have been violated under the CRPD. Complaints may only
be communicated against a State party that has ratified or acceded to
the OP and only upon the exhaustion of all available and effective
domestic remedies. If the CRPD Committee makes a finding that the
State has failed in its obligations under the CRPD, it will issue a
decision requiring that the violation be remedied and for the State
party to provide follow up information.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB">As
of 8 May 2013, 76 States have ratified or acceded to the OP-CRPD, and
91 States are signatories. To date, the CRPD Committee has adopted
views on three individual communications, finding violations in two
of them and declaring one inadmissible.</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8461323731248204816#sdfootnote2sym" name="sdfootnote2anc"><sup>2</sup></a></span></span></sup></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB">The
OP-CRPD is one of the communications mechanisms of the UN treaty
bodies.</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8461323731248204816#sdfootnote3sym" name="sdfootnote3anc"><sup>3</sup></a></span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
Other treaty bodies which have similar complaints mechanisms include:
the Human Rights Committee, the Committee against Torture, the
Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the
Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The
OP to the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the
Convention on the Protection of all Migrant Workers also have
complaints mechanisms which are not yet in force, while the
individual complaint procedure of the Convention the Protection of
all Persons from Enforced Disappearances came into force in December
2010. In June 2011, the final draft Optional Protocol establishing a
communications procedure for violations of rights under the
Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the Human Rights
Council, and is now awaiting discussion and adoption by the General
Assembly’s Third Committee.</span></span></div>
<div id="sdfootnote1">
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8461323731248204816#sdfootnote1anc" name="sdfootnote1sym">1</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">
See OHCHR Fact sheet and Guidelines on the procedure for submitting
communications to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities under the OP-CRPD, available in </span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/CRPD.C.5.2.Rev.1_en.doc"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">English</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
</span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/CRPD.C.5.2.Rev.1_fr.doc"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">French</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
</span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/CRPD.C.5.2.Rev.1_ru.doc"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">Russian</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
</span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/CRPD.C.5.2.Rev.1_sp.doc"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">Spanish</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
</span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/CRPD.C.5.2.Rev.1_ar.doc"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">Arabic</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">
and </span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/CRPD.C.5.2.Rev.1_ch.doc"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">Chinese</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">.</span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote2">
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a class="sdfootnotesym" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8461323731248204816#sdfootnote2anc" name="sdfootnote2sym">2</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">
Violations were found by the Committee in: </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB"><i>HM
v Sweden</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
Communication no 3/2011, </span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/Jurisprudence.aspx"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">CRPD/C/7/D/3/2011</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
19 April 2012, and </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB"><i>Szilvia
Nyusti & Péter Takács v Hungary</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
Communication no 1/2010, </span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/Jurisprudence/CRPD-C-9-D-1-2010_en.doc"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">CRPD/C/9/D/1/2010</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
16 April 2013. The Committee declared </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB"><i>Kenneth
McAlpine v The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
Communication no 6/2011, </span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/CRPD.C.8.D.6.2011_en.doc"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">CRPD/C/8/D/6/2011</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">,
28 September 2012, inadmissible </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB"><i>ratione
temporis</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">
under article 2(f) of the Optional Protocol, on account that the
alleged violations took place before the entry into force for the
State Party of the Convention and the Optional Protocol which do not
have retroactive effect. See the </span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/Jurisprudence.aspx"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">CRPD
Committee’s website dedicated to its jurisprudence</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-GB">.
IDA case summaries of the Committee’s views are available at
</span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/en/crpd-committee-views-communications"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-US">www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/en/crpd-committee-views-communications</span></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-US">.</span></span></span></div>
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The term “treaty bodies” in this text will exclusively refer to
the UN treaty monitoring bodies.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Like other treaty bodies equipped with
complaints mechanisms, the CRPD Committee is NOT (emphasis mine) a court with
judicial powers; the OP-CRPD provides a quasi-judicial procedure in
which the resultant decisions of the CRPD Committee are not legally
enforceable such as domestic court judgments, or some other
regional judicial mechanisms (e.g. European Court of Human Rights).
If a violation is found, the views of the Committee are transmitted
to the State party and constitute recommendations that need to be
implemented by the State party and reported on back to the Committee
within six months. While technically they may not be legally
binding, the decisions of the CRPD Committee will be authoritative
interpretations of the CRPD, and beyond the realm of application
within the State party involved in a complaint, decisions will be of
great value in the exercise of implementing provisions on the ground
in all States parties to the CRPD.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Ultimately, the effectiveness of the
communications mechanism depends on the political will of the State
party to recognise the competence of the Committee and to abide by
their decisions. Yet initially, the use of communications procedure
will depend on sufficient awareness of the instrument and the
capacity of individuals, organisations of persons with disabilities
(DPOs) and NGOs to identify victims, recognise violations and to
lodge complaints to the CRPD Committee in accordance with the
provisions of the OP-CRPD. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Eight months ago, I wrote that I expected the UN to "</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">eventually determine the UK government guilty of “grave or systemic
violations” of the rights of disabled people, and possibly other
thematic categories of human rights violations. The most serious penalty
levied would be a downgrade to "B" of Britain's "A-list" human rights
status. Institutions accredited by the UN with "A-list" status enjoy
much greater access to UN human rights treaty bodies and other organs.
They can participate fully in the international and regional work and
meetings of national institutions, as voting members. They are also able
to participate in sessions of the Human Rights Council and take the
floor under any agenda item, submit documentation and take up separate
seating.If reduced to "B" status, they participate as observers. They
may not take the floor under agenda items or submit documentation to the
Human Rights Council. Countries with human rights organisations on the
A-list include nearly all western European nations as well as Azerbaijan
and Indonesia. Those with "B-list" status include Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka
and Congo-Brazzaville."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A verdict of guilty would embarrass the British government on the world stage, but the UN treaty repercussions would be relatively minor. I am therefore recommending that a human rights lawsuit be filed against the DWP in conjunction with a UN CRPD "grave and systematic" violations finding.</span>
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Samuel Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02686449963558402772noreply@blogger.com2