PHIL FRIEND

How disabled people are turned from citizens into burdens—and why that matters. When I first read Jeremy Clarkson’s suggestion that people receiving benefits should send weekly thank-you messages to taxpayers, I thought it was another deliberately outrageous column. The idea was that a claimant should be given the email address of someone who gets up and goes to work each day, so that they could express their gratitude. It was offensive, certainly. But it was also easy to dis

Ever tried using a parcel return point from a wheelchair? I did recently — or rather, I tried to. What followed was a lesson in how clever ideas can become barriers when inclusion isn’t part of the plan. At my local Morrisons, there’s a shiny new self-service parcel drop-off point tucked away at the back of the garage forecourt. There’s no dedicated parking for it, so the only option is to stop in the forecourt itself. The service road leading to the supermarket is on a bend,