News

Great news for Individual Employers and their Personal Assistants (PAs) across England! Independent Lives has been awarded funding from Skills for Care to provide fully-funded training courses and workbooks for those who employ their own PAs. This will run from 11th July 2025 until 31st March 2026, subject to availability. If funding runs out before 31st

Today, staff from Independent Lives joined fellow voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) learning disability providers, care workers, and people who use social care services outside Chichester County Hall to demand an appropriate fee uplift in the face of rising costs and financial pressures on the sector. The demonstration, organised by the Sussex Learning Disability

In our latest story of Independent Lives, we spoke to Neeraj. Neeraj lives in Southampton with his family and has been a PA since 2019. While working in America as a dentist, Neeraj met his wife, and had planned to live with her in America once they had married, but when he met her family,

In her latest post, our comms volunteer Sarah explores the history of the Paralympics, the impact the games have had on societal issues towards disability and disabled people, and the challenges they still face. There is good news on the horizon for sports fans as the Paralympics begin on 28 August bringing another chance to

In our latest blog article, our comms volunteer Sarah looks at the plan proposed by ADASS (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services) to address the current issues facing the UK’s health and social care system Now there is a new Government in power, many of us will be wondering what their plans are to

Jilesh Kunnumpurath, a PHD student from the University of Birmingham, is carrying out research on how effective Direct Payments are for individuals in Black and Minority Ethnic communities. Direct Payments have been in place for over twenty years, and in that time, they have become a cornerstone of personalised care. Giving thousands of disabled people

In our latest story of Independent Lives, we spoke to Jay. Jay is a 36-year-old man living in East Sussex with cystic fibrosis. Despite the challenges posed by his condition, Jay leads an active and engaging life, supported by his personal assistant, Dawn, through a Direct Payment facilitated by Independent Lives. Cystic fibrosis is a

It’s now July, which brings with it a celebration that many may not be aware of. July is Disability Pride Month, an event that began in America over 30 years ago and is celebrated in many other countries, including the UK. So how did it all start? The origins of Disability Pride Month Disability Pride

Do you claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or are you a carer for someone who does? Would you like to share your views on the government’s latest proposals to ‘modernise’ the benefit system? The latest health and disability green paper proposes significant changes to the disability benefit PIP. A green paper is a type of

People always ask me, ‘Well don’t you get your prescriptions free because of your impairment?’.  The answer is ‘no’. Unfortunately a lot of chronic health conditions do not meet the criteria for a medical exemption card as it is a surprisingly short list. So, it is important to know that there is another option. With