Currently mental health issues are looked after by a junior Minister who is in charge of care in general. Mental Health issues need to be dealt with separately and the government needs to make sure that people get appropriate care.

Disabled Students Allowance makes University a more accessible experience and is a vital support mechanism for disabled students. These cuts will mean students will go through university without necessary support, and this could lead to higher dropout rates and lower educational attainment for these students. No additional funds have been announced to bridge the gap and the Government are out of touch in their belief that institutions will accept the new responsibilities placed upon them, leaving students unable to get the support they need in order to study. Many Plymouth University students are from widening participation backgrounds and it worries me the impact that these cuts are going to have here in Plymouth, let alone nationally. It is important that these students are able to access higher education and achieve their potential. However, these cuts will put their education in jeopardy. The UK prides itself on equal opportunities and yet these equal opportunities are being endangered in the name of austerity. The work done by previous governments to ensure access to education will have gone to waste, and students with disabilities will be at a serious disadvantage. Can we really pride ourselves on being a fair and forward thinking nation if those in need are not being given the support they require?

Aylan, the toddler who drowned fleeing Syria, was just three years old. His town was under attack by Isis. His five year old brother and his mum also died trying to reach safety. Yet our prime minister said ‘we won't take any more refugees’. He thinks that most of us don't care. But 38 Degrees members do care. We don't want Britain to be the kind of country that turns its back as people drown in their desperation to flee places like Syria. So let's stand up for Britain's long tradition of helping refugees fleeing war. Let's show the Prime Minister that we, the people of the UK, are proud to do our part and provide refuge to people in their hour of need. Please sign and share, or start your own petition for your town or city here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/efforts/refugees-welcome

My disabled Brother has been waiting for well over a year to be re homed in a suitable property. He has multiple disabilities and has to have oxygen almost all the time. He has not been out of his small flat for over a year (except for emergencies) and despite being unable to walk more than a few feet before being exhausted, he remains housed in a third floor flat which is dirty and dangerous. My brother was born with multiple health problems and was not expected to live much beyond his forties. He is now 54, and his health is increasingly worse. The whole family is worried about his safety and he has few, if any visitors. One of his regular visitors, and oldest friends from schooldays, recently died from Cancer. So he is now even more isolated. He has had to have his bed moved in to his front room as it's too difficult for him to get to the bedroom. He cannot reach the bathroom in the night so has to urinate in bottles which he keeps by his bed. He has undergone many serious operations throughout his life and suffered more than most, from being bullied during our school days right through the emotional problems that his poor health has brought with it. Our Mum has had Parkinson's for over 25 years and has recently had to go in to a nursing home. She now has related dementia but nonetheless is constantly asking after my Brother and is always worried about his well being. Despite repeated conversations with Bexley housing service and their acknowledgement that my Brother should be treated as a priority on the grounds of his ill health, he is in the system with everyone else and has had no luck in his search for a property. He doesn't want much, just a ground floor flat, with disabled access so that, perhaps with the aid of a mobility scooter, he could once again be able to get out once in a while. Please sign my petition, I have already tried contacting his M.P. but this achieved nothing. Thanks to all who sign. Kind regards, Mark Walker

RNIB Scotland members all of whom are blind or partially sighted have had no say in this decision despite RNIB being "of" rather than "for" blind people and this strikes at the heart of our organisational democracy. Action for Blind People have no knowledge whatsoever of Scotland, have no presence in Scotland and we fear their takeover will put at risk the excellent services that RNIB Scotland already provide. We are also deeply concerned as blind and partially sighted people that our ability to influence decisions in Scotland will be diminished as it totally ignores the reality of devolution and the increasing focus on the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament as the place to find advantage for blind and partially sighted people in Scotland. We were not consulted. We were not asked. We say STOP! NOW!

Disabled customers should not have to justify their disability to bored customer care staff in a supermarket. Having to produce proof of a disability (as the blue badge will have been left on display in their vehicle) is undignified and demeaning. Having to divulge sensitive and personal information in a public area of a supermarket is unfair and unjust. Forcing customers to struggle back through a shop to the customer care desk in order to avoid being fined when they are wheelchair bound, struggle to walk or are in pain is a disgraceful way to treat a customer. Refusing to accept the validity of a blue badge becuase they are not on a supermarkets database is highly unfair and quite possibly illegal.

We already have laws in place intended to protect mainly ethnic minorities within society at large, while other often-disadvantaged groups of people can take comfort in there being rules by which prospective employers must abide. The question of gender equality and the LGBT movement also continue to be major talking points, as campaigns such as those seen on this very site and others enjoy increasing momentum. However, one thing that does appear not to have penetrated the public consciousness - quite the opposite - is the situation pertaining to, in particular, many unemployed and disabled people, beyond merely the legislation being passed. Compounding the present climate of savage spending cuts, workplace ambivalence to rights and key government departments' cruel dehumanisation of their core services' users, is the growing groundswell of opinion - perpetuated by small-scale local news sources [1] and internationally-renowned public service broadcasters [2] alike, alongside everything in-between [3] - whereby anyone out of work or known to be claiming any sort of social security is instantly not only marginalised, but in fact openly vilified [4], and blamed for all manner of perceived problems blighting the country. Some writers even set up websites for the sole purpose of baiting those on welfare. [5] Worse still, the overriding premise around which the whole hysteria was intended to revolve, thanks to the 'free' British media, is a purely sensationalist, propaganda-fuelled one that ultimately rings hollow when scrutinised on the grounds of accuracy. [6] From domestic charities [7] to medal-winning athletes [8], bloggers [9] to the research teams of esteemed Universities [10] the length and breadth of the country [11], online publications [12] and even some mainstream news outlets [13], the message is clear: this is irresponsible, vindictive journalism. Of course, even in light of the recent revelations in relation to the practices of the press and the resulting Leveson Inquiry, it seems that the nature of the stories' content itself is something largely being forgotten about, and so the attacks go ahead. Such is the public's apparent willingness to serve as a channel for the outrage emanating primarily from reports peddled by the likes of the Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Express, that we are now seeing innocent claimants abused [14], harassed [15] and even driven to death [16] by those who feel compelled to do their bidding. All this because a tiny minority (less than 1%!) of the DWP's bill are understood to be 'scrounging' off taxpayers' money. Taking vital funding away from those with little else to hold onto is one thing; sitting idly by while the institutions we depend on to inform us fairly and comprehensively instead choose to make these people's lives a complete misery - if not aiding them in doing so - is quite another. The media has no right and no mandate to wilfully turn citizens against each other (regardless of whether the victims can defend themselves any better than is the case here), especially on the basis of misinformation and spin. The buck for the crimes committed against these people (and no doubt many others hounded for a variety of reasons) falls squarely at the feet of those who are moulding ordinary people into vehicles of unfounded hate. This societal cancer needs to be removed at the source. By extending what we already have written in Acts of Parliament, to encompass anyone at risk of being the subject of incitement to ill intent, we can achieve this. [1] http://goo.gl/Sp3YQn [2] http://goo.gl/bMvbz [3] http://goo.gl/ar7Hgh (various links, including top of page 1) [4] http://goo.gl/SO8DPm [5] https://goo.gl/Ti1EK5 [6] http://goo.gl/hKFRrs [7] http://goo.gl/owGMal [8] http://goo.gl/4SwXGH [9] https://goo.gl/c9doFM [10] http://goo.gl/rNbdhv [11] http://goo.gl/9vpRQb [12] http://goo.gl/argS0d [13] http://goo.gl/FfpmZA [14] http://goo.gl/2XgLMn [15] http://goo.gl/EHOxz [16] http://goo.gl/ZHgNhP

Please sign our petition to help us get this issue sorted as soon as possible, we need 250 signatures by July 31st to get this moving, please help us help these children. Hundreds of children are being forced into mainstream schools that have little to no resources to cater to their special needs. There are very few staff members with the correct training to help theses children & the members who do have the training are already overwhelmed with the amount of children with special needs attending the schools.There are specialist units/schools all over Glasgow which are decreasing their intake numbers until they are virtually empty & will be closed. This is unfair to not only the children but also to their families and the overwhelmed staff members at all the mainstream schools. P.A.C.T - Parents And Carers Together For Autism

Like many people I have found myself on the receiving end of ATOS deciding I am fit to work. Despite my GP sending me to the assessment with a supporting letter. My GP knows I am not fit enough to work. And there are thousands of people out there who are the same. Forcing people into situations that they can't cope with will cause more deaths, more illnesses and cost the NHS more in the long run. It's. It through choice I don't work. I am a qualified teacher. And shortly after qualifying was told by a school they didn't think I was capable of 'keeping up'. My health drastically deteriorated and now I can't work. Yet ATOS seem to think me and thousands of others out there are able to work..... and work any job. The whole system needs looking at and revising. How many people need to die before something is done about this.

Because you can't go on letting those of us who are genuinely sick get treated like we are benefit cheats. Of we have medical evidence to back up our claim then the benefits shouled get awarded. My doctor knows I cant get in and out of the bath alone, but an assessor decided I can do it myself after a 60 minute assessment. We can't go on ignoring this!

Deaths of our citizens in a foreign land were enough to secure a minute's silence recently. It's time the government formally acknowledge their complicity in the deaths of the sick and disabled on our own shores by the malicious manipulation and abrogation of the benefits system, when evidence made clear the policy was causing harm.

Broomhill has been a hub in the centre of the community in Gedling, Nottingham for over twenty years. The centre works with people who have enduring and complex mental health problems, helping them to move back to independent living. It is a Nurse-led, 12 bedded inpatient unit. In addition, it supports at least 15 patients in the community who are ex-residents, some of whom have no families or support network. In 2014 the Care Quality Commissioners inspected Broomhill and reported that it is an effective well run service that provides an excellent quality of care. The NHS Trust that Broomhill is part of is planning to close the unit down by October 1st 2015. The in-patients at Broomhill have very difficult needs. They require very skilled help and good therapeutic relationships before they are able to live independently. If Broomhill is closed it is likely one of 3 things will happen to our patients with complex needs: they will be discharged from acute mental health wards into the community and receive an hour or two a week visits from a Community Mental health Team. It’s very likely that this will not be enough to prevent them from relapsing. They will have to stay on the acute hospital wards for a long time. This takes up expensive beds and prevents others from getting a bed and not getting the rehabilitation and recovery work they need The Trust will have to pay for very expensive services from another organisation, often in the private sector, and a long way from the patients’ home. We are all very used to hearing that ‘Cuts are necessary’, but Broomhill is an amazing example of a service that shows excellent quality. Relapse is not just devastating for the patient but in the long term costs dearly and adds pressure to the NHS and other stretched public services. Why break something up that works well and has helped so many patients and their carers? You can read more information about Broomhill on this blog post: https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2015/07/16/save-broomhill-rehabilitation-centre/