Latest news with #disability
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Sara Weller: I don't want to be the one disabled director in a thousand
Leading businesswoman Sara Weller is calling on boards to end discrimination and appoint people with disabilities to top positions. Weller, 63, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, sits on the board of telecoms giant BT, which is on the FTSE 100 index of the biggest firms listed in the UK. In her high-flying career, she has been the boss of Argos and a director of Virgin Money, Lloyds Banking Group and United Utilities. However, she believes that she is the only one out of about a thousand board directors of firms in the blue-chip Footsie share index to have a known disability. She said: 'Most of all, I would not like to be the one in a thousand. By this time next year, I would like to see 25 in a thousand, not one.' Weller was speaking at the House of Lords last week at the launch of a report by ActionAble 2025, an initiative she co-founded, which aims to help disabled people reach their full potential at work. She said: 'Approaching 450 of the thousand or so director positions on FTSE 100 boards are held by women and around 190 by individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds. But only one is held by a person with a disability, and that's me.' Many people, she believes, try to hide their disabilities because they fear it will damage their careers. 'Action is urgently needed,' she added. 'Because there are no role models and no one talking about the issue, we have cast a veil of secrecy. 'It is not about businesses being nice to people – they are missing out on talent and on insight into growth opportunities. Two in five customers with disabilities say they can't get the products and services they need.' Weller is calling on big firms to be transparent about their targets and progress on disability, to make sure their recruitment processes are fair and for boards to listen to disabled employees.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
They don't need Medicaid. But their kids do.
Stacy Staggs's 11-year-old daughter will never eat or breathe on her own. Five times a day, Staggs or a nurse feeds her daughter, Emma Staggs, doctor-prescribed formula through a feeding tube at home. The formula comes at $25 per bottle, amounting to $125 per day. The formula is covered through Medicaid, a program jointly funded by the federal government and states, which faces severe cuts through President Donald Trump's Republican-backed and recently passed reconciliation package. The law directly impacts nondisabled adults who must get a job or qualify for an exemption in order to maintain Medicaid coverage. But advocates are worried about how vulnerable populations might be harmed as states manage funding shortfalls due to other provisions in the law. Emma Staggs has bilateral vocal cord paralysis that prohibits her from swallowing or sounding out words, chronic lung disease, developmental delays and other daily health struggles. She survived the first months of her life in the intensive care unit after she was born at 1 pound, 9 ounces. In addition to the formula she needs to survive, Medicaid covers a pulse oximeter, oxygen concentrator, oxygen tanks for travel and a heap of other medical equipment in her North Carolina bedroom. The program also pays for in-home health nurses who help her eat and breathe and occupational therapy at a farm that helps her gain strength and dexterity to be able to use her hands. It covered horseback-riding physical therapy that helped her climb stairs this year. The Staggs are on edge. For them, it's no question that the new law could put their ability to cover the cost of their daughter's care in jeopardy. The law slashes the amount of federal money given to states to fund their Medicaid programs, so now states will have to decide which programs to cut. The North Carolina program that funds Emma Staggs's formula, medical equipment, health nurses and occupational therapy is called the Katie Beckett waiver or the Community Alternatives Program for Children. It's a Medicaid waiver that helps families of children who have complex needs and long-term disabilities receive and sustain at-home care so their children do not need to be cared for in an institution. Stacy Staggs is worried that it could end up on the chopping block. 'We would have to take out loans, sell the house and move in with my mom,' Staggs said. 'We would go into medical bankruptcy to keep Emma alive.' Officials from North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services have not said whether the waiver will be cut due to reduced Medicaid revenue. James Werner, a spokesperson for the department, said in an email to USA TODAY officials are "reviewing the final legislation to determine its full impact on the state and its residents." "These cuts not only impact the people that rely on them directly but also strain the systems and communities that hold us all together," Werner said. Millions of children and adults with disabilities enrolled in Medicaid rely on the medications, equipment and staff the program covers to stay healthy, survive and be active members in their communities. Without in-home help, and sometimes even with it, family caregivers − frequently mothers − often pick up the slack, switching jobs or leaving their careers behind to care for their kids with special needs. The cuts to Medicaid could exacerbate that reality. For the Staggs family, it's a matter of life and death. "If we get to a place where we're no longer eligible, I can start a timer on how much longer Emma will be alive," Stacy Staggs said. "That's the end of it. It's not abstract. It's not hyperbole. It's the only thing that she can eat. There isn't any substitute." What is Medicaid, who uses it and what's changed? Some states have opted to expand Medicaid to help families pay for items their children with disabilities need that other health insurance companies might not cover, like wheelchairs, car seats and communication devices. There's no other program that comes close to the support Medicaid provides for recipients and their families, said Sara Rosenbaum, a professor of health law and policy at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health. 'There's no health system recovery from a destroyed Medicaid program,' Rosenbaum said. How Trump's tax bill Could cut Medicaid for millions of Americans Nearly half of the 78 million people who were enrolled in Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs at the start of the year were children, according to the federal government. One in 5 children in the United States has special health care needs, and about half of those kids have coverage through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, according to Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Children and Families. The Trump administration's Medicaid cuts will leave nearly 12 million people uninsured by 2034, according to a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. Another estimate from the Senate Joint Economic Committee Minority says it's closer to 20 million people. The new law increases Medicaid eligibility checks from once a year to twice a year, leading to more paperwork and potentially delayed funding for already overwhelmed families like the Staggs. This goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2027. States with robust Medicaid expansion programs, also known as "optional" enrollments, will also have to roll back supports because they'll receive less money from the federal government to fund them. Medicaid's opponents 'just don't understand the program,' said Kim Musheno, senior director of Medicaid for the disability advocacy group The Arc. 'They just see a price tag,' Rosenbaum said. 'And the price tag is for people they consider wholly undesirable.' 'Attack on rural America' Kentucky governor hits Medicaid cuts in Trump's megabill Supporters of the GOP's plan, including Speaker Mike Johnson, said the federal government needs to slash funding and that Medicaid needs to be more efficient. He also said able-bodied people who don't work and undocumented immigrants should be barred from receiving medical assistance in an interview with CBS News in May. Those who don't work are 'taking advantage of the system,' he said. 'What we're doing is working on fraud, waste and abuse,' Johnson said. In-home help is essential for caregiver parents Lindsay Latham, a mother in Virginia, doesn't want to quit the job she loves as director of operations for a lighting company. But she'll likely have to if Medicaid cuts strip her 11-year-old son of in-home care. Her son, Calvin Latham, was born with a brain malformation. Doctors told them he might never walk or talk, and that he'd likely develop epilepsy. He's progressed a lot since then, Latham said, but he still needs help eating, drinking, bathing and getting dressed. Latham said she thought their family's health insurance would cover her son's medical needs. But it didn't cover all of it. Medicaid has picked up the rest of the tab to cover things her and her husband's insurance won't, including his car seat, an adaptive stroller, a speech device, anticonvulsant medications and in-home attendant care to help him get out of bed and ready for school in the mornings, and bathed and back in bed at night. It wasn't easy, Latham said. Her son's Medicaid application was rejected three times before he was enrolled through the Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus Waiver. She's bracing for more red tape with the new requirements that involve more frequent eligibility checks. 'To make it harder for people who are working to fill out paperwork to maintain their medical coverage,' Latham said. 'It's cruel.' More pressing, Latham is worried the state will reduce or cut her son's attendant and respite care if the reduced federal match can't support the hours he needs. The state's Medicaid budget is already strapped, she said, and her son receives minimal hours through his Medicaid wavier. Her son is on a waitlist for the state's Developmental Disability Community Living Waiver, also funded through Medicaid, which provides in-home care. It's a long list, she said, and she's been told he might not get off it until he's 30. She's terrified the state will cut or shrink the program even more. "This isn't just an immediate effect on Calvin's life," she said. "This is going to be lifelong." Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office did not respond to USA TODAY's inquiry about what programs will be eliminated or reduced due to the federal Medicaid cuts. If Medicaid no longer covers her son's attendant care, especially during the summer months when he's out of school, Latham said all of his caregiving duties will fall to her and she'd become a stay-at-home mom. As the breadwinner of the family, she said, that would mean the Lathams won't be able to afford updating their home as their son grows up and starts to need a wheelchair and wheelchair-accessible entryways. 'We're not on this because we're trying to play the system,' Latham said. 'We're on it because we need it. He needs it. He deserves to have a fulfilling, rich life in his community.' 'Really a lot at stake' Doctors told Mary Caruso the chances of her having a child with Friedreich's ataxia, a rare genetic disorder that affects the nervous system, were 25%. She didn't have one child with the disease. She had two. 'We do play lotto,' Caruso joked. Thirty years later, Caruso said her family has finally settled into a routine that includes a rotation of more than a dozen health attendants covered through Connecticut's Community First Choice program, a Medicaid expansion program through the Affordable Care Act. Both of her children − 35-year-old Alexandria Bode and 38-year-old Sam Bode − have jobs and spend time volunteering and participating in various community events with the help of their staff. 'We have some amazing people here,' Caruso said. 'I don't know, honestly, what we would do without them.' Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont's office did not respond to USA TODAY's inquiry on whether the state will cut or reduce services for those enrolled in the Community First Choice program. If the state opts to reduce expansion programs because of federal Medicaid cuts, and the Bode siblings lose coverage, Caruso said they'll have to leave their jobs. It would fall to Caruso to help them eat, drink, bathe, dress and perform most other daily activities. 'It's hard to really understand how valuable caregivers and these programs are. And you're talking about two people who want to be part of society," Caruso said. 'They have a right to be, and they can't do it alone, physically.' There is 'really a lot at stake,' Caruso said. She won't consider ever putting her children in a facility. She'd care for them herself until she died. 'But it would not be easy,' she said. After working to live on her own, 'Could this mean that I have to move back?' Other family caregivers who recently found respite might find themselves back in a caregiving role if their adult children are kicked off Medicaid. James Rothchild said his daughter was diagnosed with autism when she was 3 years old. It was a 'lengthy process' for her to get ready to live on her own, he said, and he wasn't always convinced it would be possible. But Chloe Rothschild, 32, moved out 2 ½ years ago. To prepare for the move, Chloe Rothschild said she spent more than 10 years practicing various skills like working with her in-home aide staff, staying alone overnight and cooking and cleaning. 'I worked really hard to get here,' she said. 'So, I don't want to go backward.' Rothschild said her direct support providers, who are paid through a Medicaid waiver, come by for one to three hours, four to five days a week, to help her cook, clean, shop and organize. 'I'm really thriving,' she said. 'And I'm continuing to make progress and gain skills. Like just this weekend, I'm going out of town for work. And for the first time ever, no one is going with me.' Dan Tierney, deputy director of media relations from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's office, said the state is "still reviewing the bill for potential impacts." "But we do not anticipate any major cuts in Ohio as a result of the bill's passage," Tierney wrote in an email to USA TODAY. Rothschild isn't convinced. If Medicaid cuts reduce her hours of support or cut them entirely, she's worried it would lead to skill regression and potentially take away her independence. She wonders: 'Could this mean that I have to move back in with my family?' She can't live on her own without in-home help, her father said. 'It would be fairly devastating,' he said. 'It would not be good for our family.' 'More pressure on families' Nearly half of US states are on the brink of a caregiving emergency 'It's going to be those of us with disabilities' Emma Staggs will never be able to live independently. Medicaid has funded nearly $4 million of her life-saving care for nearly 12 years, her mother said. That's only for a portion of the services she needs to survive. Her father's private medical insurance pays for the rest. Staggs said she is furious about what the potential loss of Medicaid could mean for her family and others like them. Their fate is in the hands of the state now. "The goal of all of this is less people going forward, and it's going to be those with disabilities and an inability to work in the workforce," she said. She and her family lobbied in Washington, D.C., in the days before the bill passed. They now plan to target their state lawmakers. In the meantime, Staggs has attempted to ration the formula she gets by diluting it with water. Sometimes she gives her daughter Gatorade instead. And she's made an appointment with her daughter's doctor to see if they can try another feeding option or a backlog supply of the formula while they are guaranteed Medicaid. 'That's the part that has me in real panic,' Staggs said. 'When they're talking about an end date to Medicaid, it's like saying how long they're keeping Emma alive.' Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal Ventures and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Reach Madeline at memitchell@ and @maddiemitch_ on X. Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@ Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caregiving parents fear for disabled kids' lives under Medicaid cuts Solve the daily Crossword
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Two people moved from Cork disability centre ‘for their own safety' after incident with another resident
Two residents at a Cork city disability centre had to be moved to another house 'for their own safety' after an incident with another resident, the health and safety watchdog has said. The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) published 28 inspection reports on disability services including one on an unannounced visit to Cork City North 13 centre , a facility run by Horizons. It was conducted on March 20th on foot of unsolicited information about the 'quality of care and support provided to residents'. At the time of the inspection, the provider was housing eight residents, a number of whom raised concerns about the behaviour of another resident. READ MORE One resident said this person, admitted in April of last year, was banging on doors throughout the home, which they said was 'frightening'. The resident stayed with a family member for a number of nights because they were 'upset' in response to the incidents. Another resident asked to speak to the inspector privately, telling them they were unhappy living there and did not feel safe there. 'One staff member told the inspector that in response to an incident two weeks before the inspection had taken place, they had to move two residents to another house 'for their safety',' the report notes. Hiqa's inspection also highlighted how the disability centre did not alert the chief inspector of an allegation or confirmed incident of abuse of resident in the centre within three working days. A complaint was made regarding the quality of care and support provided to a resident in the centre in January of last year, the report said. The complainant noted an alleged incident in November of last year where a resident had received marks to their arm which they stated had been caused by another person living in the centre. 'The alleged injury had been reviewed by staff nurses working in the centre where it had been deemed to be as a result of a medical issue,' the report said, adding that this was not reported to the Office of Chief Inspector. A number of incidents were noted pertaining to the impact of one resident's behaviour on others including banging and kicking doors in their home and going into residents' bedrooms and waking them. However, the report said there was no evidence to suggest this had been acknowledged or considered as 'psychological abuse' and had not been reported. The inspectors said residents were not protected from the risk of harm or from all forms of abuse. In the compliance plan submitted to Hiqa, the provider confirmed the resident who was admitted in April of last year was no longer living in the centre. It also outlined plans to improve rostering and address staff shortages.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
DWP reveals deadline for thousands of benefit claimants still owed compensation after court battle
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has provided a new update for tens of thousands of benefit claimants still due a compensation payment this year. The payments are being made to people with disabilities who were moved from 'legacy benefits' such as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) to universal credit in the years before transitional protections were introduced. These claimants were found to have lost the 'Severe Disability Premium' (SDP) in the move, with the DWP not doing enough to ensure their incomes were protected. Most of the 57,000 people affected by the issue have now received their compensation. However, the department has said it is working to clear approximately 13,000 cases which are more complex. Explaining the issue in its annual report, the DWP stated: 'Unfortunately, some underpayments may be owed to customers who no longer have an active ESA claim and restrictions in data make it difficult to identify, assess and correct these errors.' The department said it was working to complete the work on these errors by September. While agents are proactively contacting those eligible for compensation, anyone who thinks they may have been affected to make a claim. The department said it will assess claims on a case-by-case basis based on the evidence given. The repayment scheme follows two rulings by the High Court between 2018 and 2019, which found the government failed to ensure the benefit payments of affected claimants weren't reduced when they transitioned. In 2020, the DWP made a failed attempt to challenge these rulings at the Court of Appeal. It was found that the monthly loss of income in both cases amounted to around £180. Law firm Leigh Day – who brought the cases – estimates that compensation could be worth more than £5,000 per person. The DWP has confirmed that the total cost of the repayment exercise is £452m. A DWP spokesperson said: 'We are fully committed to identifying claimants that are owed arrears and providing the financial support to which they are entitled as quickly as possible, with the majority of these cases having already been resolved. "We are clear that errors like this one should not happen and have already taken action to avoid future errors.' Eligibility To be eligible for compensation, a claimant must be receiving (or had previously received) Universal Credit that includes a transitional SDP, or would have done, had it not been eroded. They must then have met one of three more conditions immediately before their move to Universal Credit: They were entitled to an income-based legacy benefit that included an Enhanced Disability Premium They were entitled to an income-based legacy benefit that included the Disability Premium They were entitled to an income-based legacy benefit that included the Disabled Child Premium, or Child Tax Credit which included the Disabled Child Element (non-severely disabled category) Payment rates There are five possible payment rates, which will be made for each month between the claimant's transition to Universal Credit and when new income protection regulations came into force in February 2024. These back payments will be calculated by giving claimants what they would have been entitled to had the new rules been in place when they transitioned. The monthly rates are:
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
U.K. Government Steps Up Plans To Enhance Air And Rail Accessibility
Young man in a wheelchair with luggage at the airport closeup These past couple of weeks have been significant for travellers with disabilities living in the U.K., with important announcements impacting both air and rail travel coming to the fore. When it comes to taking to the skies, yesterday saw the publication of the eagerly anticipated Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group report. The independent consumer expert group, chaired by former Paralympian and disability rights campaigner Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, was tasked by the U.K. government last year with setting out recommendations for making air travel in the country a more accessible and equitable experience for flyers with disabilities. Among the key recommendations is enhanced disability awareness training, shaped by input from disabled passengers, across all aviation roles, including airline crew, ground services, assistance providers and security staff. Another central plank of the new guidelines revolves around transparency and access to critical information, without which, flyers with disabilities can experience significant anxiety at the airport and during the days leading up to their flight. The areas where enhanced transparency is called for by the group include the booking of assistance, clearer information on how mobility aids such as wheelchairs and scooters will be transported and how to locate and identify support services at the airport itself. Finally, there was confirmation that the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority should build on its existing role when it comes to rating the compliance of individual airports with legal mandates around passenger access. Commenting on the report, Baroness Grey-Thompson said, 'This report is the next critical step in making air travel more inclusive for disabled people. I'm grateful for the commitment the industry has shown to making change and breaking down barriers in aviation for everyone, bringing freedom to travel, whether for leisure or work, and to connect with friends and family. We know there's more work to be done, and I look forward to seeing these recommendations turned into action, which truly put accessibility at the heart of aviation.' Meanwhile, television presenter, disability rights advocate, and full-time wheelchair user Sophie Morgan has also reacted to the report. Morgan maintains a special interest and expertise in the subject as one of the key founders of the Rights on Flights campaign, some two years ago. She is also part of the Aviation Accessibility Task & Finish Group. On publication of the report, Morgan said, "We've been here before — reports, working groups, and good intentions that, without the backing of legislation, may never result in lasting protection or meaningful progress. 'What's truly needed now is the one thing that could make a real difference — enforceable rights. In the 'Way Forward' section of today's report, the group reached a consensus: the government must consider revising existing legislation. Without it, these recommendations risk becoming just another set of promises with no accountability. Disabled passengers continue to face serious challenges, including damaged mobility equipment, being left stranded on planes, and missing flights due to broken systems. This is no longer an issue of awareness; it's one of will and urgency. That's why the Assisted Air Travel Bill is so critical. It would give substance to these recommendations by embedding them into law, ensuring that when things go wrong, there are consequences, not just apologies.' Accessible rail journeys What Morgan appears to be demanding is something with real teeth rather than just good intentions. Along similar lines, rail passengers with disabilities in the U.K. should welcome the recent announcement from the Office of Road and Rail expressing its intention to rate and benchmark the country's multiple rail operators based on how well they are providing passenger assistance services. Operators will be marked and ranked on important parameters related to delivery and training. ORR's first report will be published this autumn. Following the latest announcement, Stephanie Tobyn, ORR's Director of Strategy, Policy & Reform, said, 'We know that, in some instances, assistance failures can leave passengers feeling powerless and frustrated. This new rating system will help us target our efforts and use resources effectively, focusing on working with those operators where improvement is most needed to deliver better outcomes for passengers.' Ultimately, the stakes and experiences for passengers with disabilities travelling by both air and rail tend to be somewhat different. Due to the secure and centralized nature of airports, human assistance is at least usually at hand. Sadly, this is not always the case on Britain's vast and sprawling rail network, where a combination of many unmanned stations and on-board staff who are not always contactable can leave wheelchair users, in particular, at times stranded and having to rely on the goodwill of the public when they should be receiving professional and dignified assistance from trained staff. Whereas, at the airport, it's often that very requirement to be separated from their wheelchair or mobility scooter, wherein lies the greatest risk as all too often these can be damaged in transit by staff who are ill-equipped to handle such equipment. This can at best ruin a trip abroad and at worst result in serious health complications. Surely, the uniting principle behind making both these forms of transport more accessible is the establishment of laws that carry genuine consequences when they are broken, as well as an enhanced public spotlight on operators who choose not to prioritize following them.
