Features

Nic's formula for success

As the brother of motor racing star Lewis, Nic finds that having the name Hamilton has both an up and a down side. But as he doesn’t put his talent on show on the Formula 1 circuit, he’s happy to take the rough with the smooth

Meet the future: Young campaigners on show

In the 1990s disabled people, largely organised by Direct Action Network (DAN), hit the headlines as they chained themselves to buses and buildings to highlight the inequality disabled people faced. These protests influenced the Disability Discrimination Act, which in turn has led to improvements in equality, access and attitudes. But the fight for equality is far from over and whilst DAN no longer exists on the scale it did in the 1990s the spirit of fighting for your rights goes on in a new generation of young campaigners. The five young people profiled here by Emma Bowler have an impressive tally of campaigning achievements and their message is loud and clear – they are not giving up the fight for equality until it is won.

The unrepentant Pragmatist

Since his first Parliamentary demo, he’s been at the heart of the battle for disability rights. Yet there’s always been a tension between Sir Bert Massie and some other activists. Looking back, he remains unapologetic in standing by his approach

When a house is not a home

Chancellor George Osborne recently announced the revitalisation of the Tories’ holy grail of housing, the Right to Buy scheme. But, as Ruth Patrick reports, this is unlikely to bring much benefit to those disabled people for whom an existing dearth of social housing is just one of the barriers to finding a suitable place to live

Poetry politics pride

He’s the new professor of Poetry and Creative Writing at Brunel University. But he graduated from a very different type of university. Benjamin Zephaniah talks to Ian Macrae about his poetic and political awakenings

Bionics: Wrong answer to the wrong questions

It has been hailed as the first real alternative to the wheelchair in over 500 years. Its developers at California-based Berkeley Bionics say it enables those with spinal cord injuries to stand for the first time since their injury. But, asks Annie Makoff, is the world’s first bionic exoskeleton really the life-changing technological development its creators would have us believe?

What's the story Kim Tserkezie?

It might seem a long way for a disabled woman from the streets of Gateshead to the idyllic and idealistic world of children’s TV’s Balamory. But it’s a journey, says Ian Macrae, on which Kim Tserkezie seems to have remained constantly cheery

Double time: stories from behind bars

A disabled person guilty of committing a crime should be subject to the same degree of retribution as anyone else. But, as Annie Makoff discovers, some disabled prisoners may be getting twice the punishment

Looking back, looking forward

As Disability Now goes to press, England’s progress at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand is uncertain. But as they talk ahead of the tournament, Sunil Peck discovers that Matt Hampson is as optimistic about this as about everything

Come in... if you can get in

Members of Parliament are disproportionately likely to be white, male, middle-class and privately educated. In particular, there is a notable absence of disabled parliamentarians. Ruth Patrick looks at some of the reasons why and what might be done to bring about change

Gerard: A voice of his own

Current work includes one TV and one radio soap – both institutions – a serialisation of a gothic classic and what is probably the biggest radio drama project of this century so far. Gerard McDermott talks to us about why he’s happier being someone else

Sex: Talking for ourselves

A recent newspaper survey found that 70 per cent of respondents would not have a sexual relationship with a disabled person. And this would seem to confirm the generally held pessimistic view that most disabled people stand little chance of “getting it”. But Annie Makoff has been speaking to people who dispute that view and these findings: they say success in sex and relationships is all down to confidence

Public person private mum

On camera and in public, Cerrie Burnell is a bringer of songs and stories to pre-school children. She is also known as a holder of strong views on women’s and disabled people’s rights.

Fitness: getting right to the core

A whopping 78% of disabled people in this country remain inactive compared to 50% of non-disabled people. But, asks Emma Bowler, just how easy is it to get fit, find accessible fitness centres or use what’s available in the home?

Andy Walker talking up life

As Emmerdale’s controversial storyline on assisted suicide ramps up the negatives on disability, the show’s other wheelchair-user, Andy Walker tells Annie Makoff he’s doing all he can to bring his positive life view to the screen

Harry Potter and the world of difference

With the final film based on J K Rowling’s massively successful series of children’s books about to hit cinema screens, writer and children’s book expert, Penelope Friday looks at attitudes towards difference and those who don’t fit in this most different of worlds

Governing in prose

Ahead of publication of the third volume of his uncut Downing Street Diaries, Alastair Campbell, the man dubbed Tony Blair’s king of spin talks to Ian Macrae about the privilege and pressures of being inside Number 10

Public image: Disability on show

Could you make money from your disability? That is exactly what some disabled people did several hundred years ago. Their stories, told for the first time in a groundbreaking exhibition shown at the Royal College of Physicians until July, juxtaposes their histories with the opinions of contemporary disabled people and explores how attitudes towards disability have changed, if at all. Annie Makoff reports

Donna's radio days

For many actors, a return booking to play a part they’ve made their own would look like they’d made it. But Sunil Peck discovers that Donna Lavin hopes it’s only just the first step on the road to stardom

Organised chaos: Cuts leave lives in crisis

It's s a tale of hidden and not-so-secret closures, jobs axed or not filled and service users left without the support they rely on. Annie Makoff investigates the hidden agenda behind the Government’s mental health strategy

Peter's Hollyoaks High

When a car crash ended what promised to be a successful football career, Peter Mitchell could be forgiven for thinking his shot at stardom had gone off target. But as one door closed, another flew wide open

Questions of Identity - Coming out as disabled

Having to "come out". Being called "abnormal". Or described as "queer". All of these phrases are regularly used as descriptions of non-straight sexualities, yet they work equally well as definitions of disability. But, asks Penelope Friday, what is it like "coming out" in two different ways - being disabled and gay/lesbian/ bi/pansexual? And which is the most difficult for others to acknowledge?

Rathband's unfinished business

PC David Rathband of Northumbria police was left blind after being shot by a fugitive gunman. Nigel Green meets the man who reveals his fears and frustrations, as well as his hopes of returning to the police

The unkindest cut... Homing in on res care

The announcement by Minister for Disabled People Maria Miller that the Government was to cut the mobility component from the Disability Living allowance paid to people in residential care has been seen by many as not only heartless but fundamentally misguided. Paul Carter and Sunil Peck assess its impact and reaction to it

Hard choices - birth and termination

It may be the hardest choice of all. The 20 week scan indicates your baby is disabled. One thing’s for certain. No one else can or should tell you what to do. Three women tell Annie Makoff about how they made and lived with their choices

Extreme force

In an uncompromising and unflinching interview, Jody McIntyre gives Paul Carter his views on the incident that made him the overnight face of resistance, and how he feels disabled people should come together to fight the Government’s cuts agenda

PIP replacement

Following the Government's announcement of a consultation on reform and replacement of Disability Living Allowance, Paul Carter and Sunil Peck analyse the extent of reform and gauge the fears and concerns it's prompted

Young Nelson sailing to screen success

Sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll may not always be the best route to success, but for Wesley Nelson, playing the young Ian Dury in the recent bio-pic was just one more twinkle in an already sparkling career.

The great government take-away

With the coalition Government's spending cuts being branded an attack on disabled people, Paul Carter looks at the implications and reactions to two of the Government's major decisions

Scouse in the house

He's officially the funniest blind man out of Liverpool; he's just won a prestigious Channel 4 talent trawl but, as he tells Sunil Peck, Chris McCausland is the same "mummy's boy" off-stage as on

Direct action! Life on the streets

Are people once more about to break out the handcuffs, the chains, the padlocks, the cans of red paint? With spending cuts apparently putting disabled people and government once more on a collision course, Sunil Peck asks what did the direct actions of the 1990s achieve and should we expect a return to those times of militancy

Trisha talking the talk

Trisha Goddard has proved herself to be the talk show host who's not afraid to speak out. As Kelly Mullan discovers, she's also a veteran mental health campaigner with almost 25 years of awareness-raising under her designer belt

Not so happy hour: ups and downs on the town

They may be young, they may be single, but are they free to go out and have a good time on equal terms? As Cathy Reay discovers, many disabled young adults still have to work harder than most to be where it's all happening

The face of 2012

Paralympian, TV presenter, actor; Ade Adepitan is one of the country's most recognisable disabled people. He talks to Paul Carter about his life, from his early days growing up, to being the figurehead of Channel 4's groundbreaking coverage of the Paralympics in 2012

Breaking the circle: racism and mental health

Following five years of delivery of a race equality initiative in the mental health system, do black service-users feel any more confident in the system? Kelly Mullan investigates

Shannon Murray: model and more

Actress, model, rights activist, would-be legal eagle and the face of Debenhams' fashion. Shannon Murray shares her ambition and enthusiasm with Cathy Reay

Osborne: opening Pandora's box

"Afraid." "Anxious." "Frightened." "Scared." These are just some of the words used by readers of Disability Now to describe their feelings over the proposed reform of Disability Living Allowance. Paul Carter reports

Baroness Campbell: your disabled legend

We asked you to vote for Disability Now's Disabled Legend in our readers' poll. The 50 candidates, all disabled, were drawn from people from past and present. Now we publish the result of your vote

On the buses

After a surprisingly affirmative experience boarding a bus on her scooter, Emma Bowler asks whether we're headed towards more accessible public transport. It's a journey on which she also encounters something of a paradox

Friend of the earth

From childhood birdwatcher to global eco-campaigner, Dr Stuart Butchart has been on quite a journey. He talks to Sunil Peck about his battle to keep the planet and things which live on it alive

Questions of Balance: Work and mental health

As the charity Mind launches “Taking Care of Business” a new campaign promoting mental health in the workplace, Kelly Mullan ponders some of the issues involved in finding ways forward for people who juggle their job and a mental health condition

Warwick: I'm calling the shots

At 40 years of age, Warwick Davis already has a CV that would make most British actors green with envy. Now, having just completed his autobiography, he tells Paul Carter that the pace of his career shows no sign of abating

Screening out prejudice

There’s been a concerted campaign in recent months – including on the pages of Disability Now – to get more disabled people onto the small screen. But how has that pressure translated into increasing numbers in off-screen production roles? Paul Carter reports

Genevieve raises the Barr

Despite landing her first big part purely by chance, at 23 years of age Genevieve Barr is already hurtling towards the career as an actress she’s always dreamed of. Cathy Reay tears the Yorkshire lass momentarily away from her new whirlwind life to see if she’s enjoying the ride

It's time to choose! Who is your Disabled Legend?

Who’s the person who’s done most as a disabled thinker, performer, activist, entertainer or sports star who you think deserves the status of LEGEND? Which of our 50 contenders, historical and contemporary, has done most to shape the way disabled people are viewed and treated? Which of them has done most to raise the profile or improve the standing of our community? YOU TELL US!

Taking back our lives

Attacked, afraid, abused but not alone: twice as many disabled women in the UK experience domestic abuse compared to non-disabled women. It’s time to start talking about it. Cathy Reay meets four women that never imagined they would be made to be afraid to stay at home

Getting voting rights

People have fought and died for it. Governments constantly tell us it’s a right we should exercise. So why is voting so difficult for so many disabled people. Paul Carter investigates

Mali's musical marriage

They’ve been championed by luminaries, but their own brand of exuberant African pop remains outside mainstream radio playlists. Sunil Peck talks to Amadou et Mariam, the Blind Couple from Mali about life and music

Virgin voters: who has the X factor?

With the country already in pre-election fever, Sunil Peck talks to eight disabled first-time voters to find out what issues will influence their choice at the ballot and which party ticks their boxes

Kiruna: hitting the big time

From playing feisty Carrie in Cast Offs, to breaking boundaries by being cast in a non-disabled soap role, Kiruna Stamell has packed more flavours into her CV than there are in a bag of Skittles. But, she tells Cathy Reay, she’s only just begun to taste the rainbow

Loan danger - students on the breadline

Re-organisation of the system which processes additional funding vital to study appears to have left it, and the disabled students who rely on it, close to crisis. Cathy Reay reports

Getting into a whole new fight

Inspiration may not be every disabled person’s favourite word, but Major Phil Packer doesn’t shrink from it. He tells Sunil Peck about how he’s channelling his new-found positive energy into finding ways to empower and inspire young disabled people

Rapid recovery

Paul Carter hears the story of a disabled Cockermouth resident who explains that despite the sheer physical scale of the flooding, the community spirit of the town provided all the support she and her husband needed.

You're having a laugh!

Laugh and the world laughs with you, they say. But if you’re disabled, it’s more likely to be laughing at you. So, what’s so funny about us? And who’s allowed to make or laugh at jokes? And, asks Ian Macrae, is there such a thing as disability comedy

What Katie did next

Recognised first for her beauty, second for her brains, Katie Piper thought she had everything going for her. But when, late last year, her boyfriend raped her and then hired a hitman to pour acid on the model’s face, Katie lost the world she knew.

Liz Jackson: going great guns

She’s recently been one of Channel 4’s Secret Millionaires, she’s ambitious, successful and fulfilled as a mother. And, she tells Sunil Peck, she’s as comfortable in Basingstoke as she is with herself and her blindness

Missing - disabled characters in children's fiction

“Alas for Tiny Tim, he bore a little crutch, and had his limbs supported by an iron frame!” For more than one and a half centuries, poor crippled Tiny Tim has had to stand – or rather sit – as a lonely and tragic symbol of disability in fiction. Cathy Reay discovers that when it comes to children’s books, there's still plenty to be grumpy about

In it to win it

Disabled people with political aspirations are as likely as anyone else to have their eye on the main prize, a seat in Parliament. But what barriers, physical and attitudinal, do they face in getting there? Sunil Peck investigates

Jamie's game

As a child, Jamie Beddard imagined running his team from a soccer pitch touchline. Now, as Cathy Reay discovers, he’s deploying his own talents in a whole other theatre of dreams

Lodging protests

As Kelly Mullan finds out, while author David Lodge is not deaf to the arguments and knows much about disability from his own and his son’s experience, he stops short of fully embracing the politics

The naked truth

Naturism and its devotees have been the butt of many a Carry-On gag, saucy seaside postcard, and sniggering tabloid headline. But as Emma Bowler finds out, there’s not a single nudge or wink as she asks what life in the raw has to offer for disabled people

Football results - disabled fans on how grounds match up

With less than a month to go until the start of the new football season, chicken balti pies, flasks of Bovril and cold Tuesday nights in the snow will all soon be back on the agenda. However, as Paul Carter discovers, many disabled supporters still face problems in watching the beautiful game

Pride of the Square

It doesn’t get much bigger than this in soapland. A new regular character on London’s most famous square. And he’s disabled. Cathy Reay meets David Proud between scenes

Running man – Pistorius is back!

Following a brush with near death in a boating accident, Oscar Pistorius talks to Paul Carter about getting his life and career back on track

Open to abuse

The publication of a report on abuse of people with dementia has raised questions about levels of abuse affecting disabled people, across the impairment spectrum, living in the social care system. Cathy Reay investigates

T4: Hitler's holocaust rehearsal

As Resistance, a new touring installation, prepares to hit the road, its creators and performers, along with historians and activists, look back with Kelly Mullan at T4, the Nazi killing programme on which it reflects, and asks what lessons can be learned today

Fernandez: In and out of The Office

Having twice flirted with TV stardom, Sunil Peck finds Julie Fernandez wondering why she’s recognised in the street but not as a campaigner by disabled people in her own community

Automatic for the people

Robots are used to rescue people from earthquakes, the military use them to bomb targets. They have appeared on the catwalk as fashion models and a robot scientist has made a discovery which could pave the way for the eradication of some diseases. But could this robot power be harnessed to bring about more independence for disabled people asks Sunil Peck and will robots ever be sophisticated enough to guide blind people or lift people in and out of a wheelchair?

Cohen: Breaking not making news

When Benjamin Cohen was appointed to the business and technology desk at Channel 4 News, he became the youngest correspondent in the programme’s history at just 23 years old.

Opening up the asylum

When Sectioned by John O’Donoghue landed in the Disability Now office the Editor scratched his chin and thought: “Who do I know who’s mental and Irish?” Kelly Mullan had a jar with the author and discussed labels

The gender agenda

Disabled women tell Disability Now about sexual threats and abuse while in mixed-sex wards in mental health facilities. Cathy Reay asks, is the Government’s thinking and policy muddled on questions of patient safety

Big in the movies

Verne Troyer was the bookies’ favourite on Celebrity Big Brother and is hailed by fellow Hollywood stars as a “great comic actor”. But, he tells Cathy Reay, he’s immune to allegations of cuteness

Doing it for ourselves

With everything from big banks to much-loved high street stores feeling the pinch, Sunil Peck has been taking the economic temperatures of businesses run by disabled entrepreneurs

Dropping off the social radar

The numbers of disabled people seeking asylum in the UK is not known. But, as Sunil Peck reports, what is clear is that those who are here all too often fall between the two stools of social care and asylum support provision

One bubbly soap star

Channel 4’s teen soap Hollyoaks welcomes the latest addition to its roster of characters. Kelly-Marie Stewart is blonde, bubbly and beautiful. And, as she tells Cathy Reay, she’s about to make the most of her break to sell disability into the mainstream

Holding the line

Jonathan Shaw, the new minister for disabled people, says he wants to be judged on what he does, not on what he’s done in the past. Sunil Peck starts the judging

Fervour education

The schools that activists now condemn may have been the very places that gave birth to the disability movement they now belong to. Paul Carter asks three leading activists about the role of special schools

Strictly sign dancing

Deaf performer David Bower played Hugh Grant’s brother in Four Weddings and a Funeral but Kelly Mullan finds he’d rather talk about his dance company and the disability arts movement than gossip about the celebrity connections

Outsiders inside

The prison system is creaking under the unmet needs of thousands of disabled prisoners. Katharine Quarmby investigates

Basket cases

As Christmas looms, have our favourite stores made any strides towards better access? Cathy Reay investigates and talks to three disabled shoppers, while Emma Ryan describes her own experiences of supermarket shopping

The tragedy of Naomi Hill

How should society react to Joanne Hill, who is thought to have been experiencing mental health problems at the time when she took the life of her disabled daughter, Naomi? Katharine Quarmby reports on the case, asks a number of prominent disabled women to comment and includes a harrowing first-person account from a woman who killed her own child when she was experiencing mental health problems

Trescothick's greatest test

Although he faced down hostile fast bowlers and crowds alike, it was anxiety and depression which ultimately forced Marcus Trescothick from the international arena. But, he tells Sunil Peck, he has no regrets

In the firing line

Deaf people are becoming increasingly concerned that they could become victims of the increased use of armed police officers. Paul Carter reports

Commission's birthday blues

It is a year since the Equality and Human Rights Commission took over the fight for rights from the Disability Rights Commission. But all is not well at the new equality watchdog. John Pring investigates

Mikey: I'm a national hero

Big Brother contestant Mikey Hughes tells Kelly Mullan that he’s unashamed about using his blindness to promote the interests of blind people in general – and his own career in particular

Behind closed doors

Disabled women are twice as likely as non-disabled women to experience domestic violence, are less likely to report it and are more likely to experience it for longer before attempting to escape, ground-breaking new research finds. Katharine Quarmby asks what can be done to change this bleak picture

Question time

When politicians such as David Blunkett have proved themselves at the highest levels of political life, why are there still so few disabled people in the Houses of Parliament? Sunil Peck investigates

Opening the inclusion Flood gates

Tara Flood is both a Paralympic champion and an award-winning, 24-7 campaigner. She tells Sunil Peck that her ambition is to lead the fight for a truly inclusive education system

Games without frontiers

With more disabled athletes than ever before competing in this summer’s Olympic Games, Paul Carter investigates the potential impact on the Paralympic movement

Hounded

Disability Now has assembled evidence that Britain’s best-known animal charity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), often prosecutes disabled people for alleged animal welfare offences. Katharine Quarmby reports

A little bit of Stephen Fry

The much-loved writer, actor and TV presenter Stephen Fry helped many other people with bipolar disorder ‘come out’ with a documentary about his condition. He tells Sunil Peck why he believes people with mental health problems should develop a sense of pride

Fighting for a life

Disabled people are finding it harder and harder to secure the support they need to live independent lives. Most campaigners believe the system is in crisis. John Pring investigates

Playing apart

In the 1980s and 90s, actor, playwright and filmmaker Nabil Shaban was in demand in film, TV and theatre. Ten years on, the offers and commissions have dried up. In an outspoken interview with Kelly Mullan, he claims that creeping Nazi attitudes to disability are squeezing disabled people out of mainstream entertainment

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