Uber has taken headlines by storm since it launched in 2012 with many in the taxi industry claiming that Uber is not being subjected to the same licensing rules as black cabs. This has led to numerous protests on the streets of London. 

This time Uber are in the headlines for a different reason, as they launch a new initiative - UberASSIST, a scheme aimed at improving disabled passengers access to ride-hailing service. 

Launched at the end of October it afford passengers with access needs the opportunity to request specially trained drivers who have completed a disability equality course from Transport For All and Inclusion London. Passengers simply have to enter the code - ASSISTUK into the promotion screen on the Uber app.

Uber claim that the service, which will cost the same as a normal fare is "an important step towards making our platform even more accessible for all London's riders" 

Read the full story here. 

A debate which is receiving a lot of attention of late, is whether disabled people can be "inspirational" for doing everyday things - or if the tag is condescending. 

Two big Super Bowl advertisements have reignited this debate. During the American football festivities earlier this month, Paralympian Amy Purdy (picture curtesy of Getty images) ran, snowboarded and danced for Toyota, while Microsoft showed off how its technology helps a six-year old boy with prosthetic legs.  

Trending radio recently brought together two disabled bloggers to debate the adjective. Is it OK to be "inspired" by disabled people - and is the "inspiring" tag encouraging or offensive? You can read their responses here. 

Places that are not yet marked have a grey tag and can be quickly and easily marked by everyone. The crowdsourced information is free, easy to understand and can be shared with everyone.  Read more here 

Access – or the lack of it – is a topic that just keeps coming back. Every time you think that the battle for reasonable access to the facilities that everybody wants or needs to use has been won, you hear another story where it’s been missed by a mile. 

These frustrating situations seem to be an everyday part of life, not just in London, but in towns and cities across the country. Exactly the sort of routine access problems that the DDA, and then the Equality Act, were supposed to solve. Any business that doesn’t make “reasonable adjustments” so that people with a disability can use their services are breaking the law, which you would think might make them pause for reflection, even if they aren’t bothered about all the business they are losing by turning away so many potential customers. But apparently, high profile chains including Costa Coffee, Caffe Nero, Eat, Itsu, Chipotle and the Post Office think that a bland apology, and a statement that they are rectifying things now, is sufficient.

To read the rest of this article click here 

In the first case of its kind an overweight British man has won a landmark discrimination case against his employers. This is after a High Court judge ruled the effects of obesity can be classed as a disability. 

John Walker, 49, weighed more than 21 stone when he was dismissed from his post as an IT manager at Sita Information Networking Computing UK. 

He was sacked after spending seven years off work with health problems linked to his size such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue and knee problems.

For the full story and more information on the impact that this will have click here. 

Last Week at the Footwear Health Tech Conference in Eindhoven, the Netherlands a very exciting product was introduced to the world. 

A new mobility aid named Path which helps people who have trouble walking – simply by being fitted to their shoes.

Lise Pape, an engineer at InnovationRCA at the Royal College of Art in London, was inspired to build the system by her father, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease more than 10 years ago. Like many people with Parkinson's, he falls occasionally and experiences freezing of gait, the temporary impression that his feet are glued to the ground.

For more information on this upcoming product, read the full article here. 

Ben Holt who has cerebral palsy, bids to visit all 270 London Underground stations to highlight system’s accessibility problems and set new world record. This challenge is made all that harder with only 24% of the underground stations being fully accessible. Ben is attempting to break the current record of 16 hours and 20 minutes, however he would become the first disabled person to complete this challenge should he find his way to his final stop at Epping Station. Read more here and good luck Ben!

Today marks the 12th anniversary of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. This article by the International Business Times outlines some of the most recent technological breakthroughs aimed at improving the living standards of those affected by a disability. 

This recent article by the Telegraph on the "20 most accessible tourist attractions"  highlights the success that businesses can enjoy when they provide complete disabled access. 

There are eleven million people with a disability in Britain and they and their families have a spending power of over £200bn. This is a large potential market to be restricting your business from through lack of appropriate disabled access.