Latest News for Parents & Carers

A coroner has issued a damning report against an NHS hospital trust following the entirely preventable death of a 31-year-old autistic man with learning disabilities, branding the attitude of doctors “dismissive and complacent”.

Born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, Fats Timbo documents her experiences of being – as she describes it – ‘a little person,’ and after first appearing on our TV screens in The Undateables back in 2018, last year she was part of Channel 4’s team bringing us the Paralympics coverage from Paris.

The TV presenter and autism advocacy campaigner, Christine McGuinness, is mother of three autistic children, and she received an autism diagnosis herself as an adult. She is highlighting new research from Barrett Redrow which found that half of parents of children with disabilities surveyed said their child is excluded from play due to playgrounds being inaccessible to them. Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

Sixteen-year-old Lucas Vezza‑O’Brien, who uses an electric wheelchair, was forced to stay alone on the upper floor of his school during a recent fire. First responders lacked the equipment, such as evacuation chairs, to bring him down safely. Traumatised by the experience, Lucas has now launched a campaign urging schools to improve safety planning for disabled students by ensuring properly equipped evacuation procedures are in place.

Disabled people are facing long waits for driving lessons due to a lack of instructors with suitable cars. According to the Association of Disability Driving Instructors (ADDI), less than 1% of the 39,500 driving instructors in the UK have specially adapted vehicles which can be used by those with additional needs.