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A Down’s syndrome charity has said it can keep its cafe open after a successful fundraising drive. Sunshine and Smiles in Leeds had been at risk of having to cut services and shut the cafe, which employs 10 young people with the condition.

Dr Helen Care says we have to start looking at the wider picture and ask what schools are for, Helen Kinsey says it is a false economy not to be supporting the most vulnerable.

A disabled man has said he was “unfairly removed” from a music event in London, after venue staff mistook his medical condition for being drunk. Matthew Parrott, 48, from Oxford took his wife, Beth, to London to watch Glass Animals at The O2 Arena on 7 November but missed the headline act when he was removed after suffering a fall.

The chairman of a talking newspaper for the visually impaired has said more volunteers are needed to secure the future of the service, which a listener has described as irreplaceable. The Stafford & Stone audio publication sends memory sticks of local news to more than 100 subscribers, free of charge.

England’s special education system is failing, causing thousands of children to have their development put back by months or even years, according to a damning report by the local government ombudsman. Amerdeep Somal, the local government and social care ombudsman, said her caseload was now dominated by complaints from families involving special educational needs (Sen) provision and schools, with more than 90% of complaints being upheld.