The [UK] Guardian presents a special package of news and commentary linked to the upcoming event Beyond Boundaries Live 2009, scheduled for July 4 and 5 in Hampshire. Inspired by a reality TV show featuring people with disabilities, the event is billed as “the UK’s largest lifestyle event for people with disabilities.”

Featured activities include beep baseball, wheelchair customization, adapted SCUBA diving, a fashion show, functional electrical stimulation, adapted skiing, and more.

Among the Guardian’s stories:

The quest for equality By Ben Furner. Significant steps have been made in the past 15 years to create a genuine state of equality in which disabled people can thrive. But this is no time to be complacent.

The future: in whose hands? By Ian Cook. One in five UK adults has a disability — meaning the disabled voice is becoming ever more varied. But are policymakers listening?

A sporting chance By Mark Gould. Too many disabled people are denied the chance to keep fit by poor facilities and a lack of support from their peers. How can this be remedied?

Individual thinking By Emma Bowler. Independent care for disabled people has evolved as far as it can in its current guise. But are providers ready to take the next step?

Willing and able By Emma Bowler. The disabled population’s desire to work is not matched by the number of jobs available. What is being done to redress the balance?

This entry was posted on Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 10:50 am and is filed under elderly, employment/jobs, exercise/sports, independent living, intellectual/developmental disabilities, international, learning disabilities, NOT2BEMISSED, physical disabilities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.