Latest News

Lockdown has seen a “disturbing” rise in the number of blind people experiencing distressing hallucinations, the RNIB charity says. The condition, known as Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS), causes patients to have vivid hallucinations. False images are triggered when the brain tries to fill in the gaps caused by sight loss. The RNIB said calls to its helpline had increased by almost 50% and patients had reported more sinister visions.CBS is thought to affect up to 30% of those with sight loss, although it can sometimes be confused with mental health concerns.

If you’re a younger person with experience using digital mental health services or a parent, carer or guardian of a young person who requires mental health support, they want to hear from you. Find out more about these two services and access the surveys which are now open. If you require these surveys in any other language or a more accessible format, please contact: Tel 01332 868730 Email DDCCG.Enquiries@nhs.net Surveys close 12th March.

The government is keen to hear from disabled people, their carers, friends and family; but views from the wider public are also very welcome. All views will be used to shape the delivery of the plans we set out in the forthcoming Strategy, with those that we receive by 13 February informing the development of the Strategy. The survey will remain open until 23 April.

The Education Policy Institute has suggested that some pupils should be given the opportunity to repeat a year of school, if their parents or carers agree. It has been suggested that certain groups of children and young people, including those with special educational needs and those with limited access to digital devices, may have struggled with learning from home more than their peers. The EPI is asking the government to consider how it will support those pupils and whether they should be able to repeat the school year.

In a global first, the European Space Agency has announced that they are looking to recruit an individual who is professionally qualified to be an astronaut, and has a physical disability. The project aims to provide an astronaut with a physical disability the opportunity to fly to space, for the first time in world history.