Latest News for Parents & Carers

Up until now, fitness content on social media always seemed to revolve around young, non-disabled, white women stretching and talking about cheat days. TikTok has made it far easier to find the disabled women who are making it their business to show us that fitness really can be inclusive. According to disability charity Scope, one in three people see disabled people as less productive than non-disabled people, and as the largest minority group in the UK, those living with disabilities are often not represented in the fitness and wellbeing industry.

A powerlifter with Down’s Syndrome whose parents were told he would never make a “valuable contribution to society” has been crowned British champion. Dan McGauley, 31, from Colchester was born with a heart condition, and he is also partially deaf and has autism. Dan took up the sport more than 10 years ago and is now a regular on the powerlifting circuit.

Getting it right for Disabled apprentices details the experiences of Disabled people during their apprenticeship. The report looks at the barriers Disabled people face on joining and being part of an apprenticeship scheme, and the best way for employers and training providers to provide the support they need for them to get the most out of their apprenticeship. The new report is published by the Disabled Apprentice Network, which is run by Disability Rights UK.

Channel 4 has announced an entire all-star disabled presenting team for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, a global first for a broadcaster at a world-class sporting event. Channel 4’s Director of Programmes Ian Katz said, “Channel 4 is incredibly proud to announce a stellar presenting team and – in a first for any broadcaster around the world – an entire presenting team who are disabled. This is testament to the brilliant disabled presenting talent we have in the UK and underlines our commitment to providing opportunities for people with disabilities and making our output truly representative of the entire population.

The government has joined with disability charity Scope to develop a new Disabled Persons Passenger Charter for bus, coach, taxi, private hire vehicle and rail. The charter aims to “provide a straightforward explanation of disabled peoples’ rights, providing them with easier travel and bringing confidence to use the public transport network.