Latest News for Parents & Carers

More than half of government departments have ignored new legislation that was supposed to boost the use of British Sign Language (BSL) in their communications, a new report has revealed. The report shows how often each department offered a British Sign Language (BSL) version of government publications and announcements or a BSL interpreter for press conferences in the first year of the new British Sign Language (BSL) Act.

With a seven-fold rise in diagnoses of autism in the past 20 years in the UK, studies showing one in 36 children could be on the spectrum and waiting lists for help and support at record highs, awareness of neurodiversity has never been so high. Now, key voices are arguing that some autistic people could no longer be considered as having a disability at all. Instead, their autism could be regarded as part of their personality.

Millie Hough has Alström Syndrome, a complex medical condition which affects her vision and hearing. The 16-year-old was loaned a shipping container and gifted many of the artisan products to sell from her home in St Agnes with the help of her parents. Watch Millie’s story.

A government-backed programme to close most ticket offices across the country will lead to a significant fall in the number of staff available to support disabled passengers, analysis of consultation documents has shown. Several of the documents published last week by train companies make it impossible to assess the impact of the closure programme on staffing levels at rail stations.

Zebby, a two-year-old black and white cat from Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, was named Cats Protection’s National Cat of the Year. He supports his owner Genevieve Moss, 66, by tapping her to alert her to noises like the phone or doorbell ringing. Ms Moss said she “can’t imagine life without Zebby” and is “over the moon”.