Rose Chitseko says her mother was too unwell to inform department of change in circumstance DWP warns carers who appeal against fines could face greater penalties Rose Chitseko’s mother, who is 93 in April, was always meticulous about her money. As a child during the second world war, she learned to hold on to the pennies in her pocket. It was a trait she later held dear as a single mother with bills to pay. “She was the strong, proud woman who had looked after herself and me all her life and managed her finances,” said Chitseko, 62. “It was a matter of pride that she kept on top of everythi ..read more

The pandemic showed that remote learning is effective. It’s absurd that universities are going back to processes that exclude us Rosie Anfilogoff is the winner of the 2024 Hugo Young Award (19-25 age category) recognising young talent in political opinion writing My route to university was never going to be simple. While my friends were flicking through university brochures and choosing Ucas options, I was signing chemotherapy consent forms in the teenage cancer unit at Addenbrooke’s hospital and throwing up in its weirdly tropical island-themed bathrooms. Even before then, my severe chronic ..read more

Seven years after a terrible fall, I teamed up with two other disabled sportsmen to scale Iceland’s highest peak. With each drive of my poles into the snow, I came closer to the man I’d once been The view from the top was breathtaking. It was 2023 and I had just climbed the Hvannadals Peak in Iceland, almost seven years after becoming paralysed from the chest down after a climbing fall. Raging winds had been replaced by crystal clear blue skies. My two teammates and I were on our way to becoming the first all-disabled team to cross Europe’s largest ice cap, the mighty Vatnajökull glacier, unsu ..read more

As his coming-of-age rollercoaster hits the stage, the novelist talks about the boredom of hospitals, how Britain has changed since Buddha – and why shouting at his kids is a great way to write blogs It’s been an unfathomably difficult 18 months for Hanif Kureishi. In 2022, the esteemed British writer went to Rome with his wife for Christmas, where he fainted and fell. When he woke up in a pool of blood he had lost the use of his hands, arms and legs. For more than a year, he was confined to hospital beds, questioned and prodded by doctors and nurses. He couldn’t sit, he couldn’t walk, and he ..read more

Single people with long-term disability that stops them working will be much poorer after rollout, Resolution Foundation says The rollout of universal credit is on course to make thousands of working-age disabled people significantly poorer, according to a report showing that more than 7 million people will be covered by the six-into-one benefit change before the end of the next parliament. A single person with a long-term disability that prevents them from working is £2,800 a year worse off when they transfer to universal credit (UC), the Resolution Foundation said, adding that all single peo ..read more

Hundreds of thousands could lose out in England and Wales under disability benefit reforms after general election Hundreds of thousands fewer disabled people could receive cold weather payments under the Conservatives’ planned post-election disability benefit reforms, according to an internal government report seen by the Observer. The briefing, by civil servants at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), says that under the plans, new applicants for disability benefits in England and Wales would only qualify for cold weather payments if they passed a much harsher assessment than exis ..read more

Stef Reid has accused the sportswear brand of not meeting the inclusivity values it promotes by not selling shoes individually A Paralympian is urging Nike to start selling individual trainers to single-leg amputees after spotting that the sports brand is using mannequins with running blades to promote its products. Stef Reid, a former Paralympian medal-winner who represented both Canada and Great Britain, has accused the sportswear company of failing to live up to the values of diversity and inclusion that it is promoting through its para-athlete models by refusing to sell single shoes ..read more

As calls grow for Labour to reinstate the centres for early years support, we hear from some of those who saw its benefits Baby massage classes, breastfeeding support, early intervention for children with special needs and advice on hair clips for nervous dads were just some of the multiple benefits of Sure Start, according to parents who used the service. “My Sure Start centre had wings and a halo,” is how one grateful parent puts it. “I would have been lost to postnatal depression if it wasn’t for our local centre,” says another. “Sure Start steadied me, held me, kept me from being lonely ..read more

In Paris staff readily help a wheelchair passenger to and from a train, but not in London A friend who uses a wheelchair recently bought a return trip from Paris to London with Eurostar and booked assistance at both ends of his journey. At the Gare du Nord in Paris, he was duly wheeled to the train, but on his arrival in London he was told that Eurostar staff were no longer allowed to push a wheelchair. Passengers must either propel their own chair, or be accompanied by a companion. Eventually, a member of staff asked if they could take his photograph to show their boss in case of any later di ..read more

The government provides nowhere near enough support for people who care for their loved ones, writes Kirsty McHugh of the Carers Trust. Plus a letter from someone who cares for a partner with a mental health condition, and another from Jane Nation on the invisibility of disabled people You’re right to praise Kate Garraway for shining a light on the financial, physical and emotional toll of being an unpaid carer (Editorial, 27 March). The government still provides nowhere near enough support to the millions of people – including one million children – who care, unpaid, for their loved ones ever ..read more