Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Keeping you abreast of disability related stories

Accused hacker Ryan Cleary has Asperger's syndrome

Last weekend it was revealed that Essex teenager Ryan Cleary, accused of hacking into systems at the Serious Organised Crime Agency, was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome while in custody. Parallels have been drawn between his case and that of Scottish hacker , who is currently fighting extradition to the US after being accused of hacking into NASA.

on Monday, the day the 19 year old was released on bail, His mother Rita told that they knew Ryan already had ADHD, agrophobia and Emotional Behaviour Disorder.

She said her son is obsessed with the internet and that he had threatened to take his own life when she had previously tried to confiscate his computer.

Ryan's bail conditions include a strict curfew and a ban from using any device which has the ability to connect to the internet; something we can reasonably assume is likely to cause him great difficulty.

Katie Price stands up for her disabled son Harvey.

Last night, , was broadcast on Sky Living. It was described by the Mirror as "a frank account of the stigma and discrimination that goes with raising a disabled child".

The article goes on to quote from the documentary, as the glamour model mum discusses everything from her wish to keep Harvey at home rather than in residential care, his medication regime and her hopes for his future.

In the documentary, which will be repeated on Sunday, Katie and Harvey also spend time with other families with disabled children, sharing their experiences.

They invite controversial comedian Frankie Boyle to a meeting in the hope he apologises to them both for jokes he made about Harvey's disabilities, which received 500 complaints after they were aired on Channel Four. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that Frankie wasn't overjoyed with the idea.

The cost of Social Care:

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ reports that next week an independent review will recommend an overhaul of the support given to the elderly and adults with disabilities.

Head of the review, Andrew Dilnot, said that Ministers in England must not shy away from coughing up more money to fix the "broken" social care system.

According to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ health correspondent Nick Triggle, Dilnot "is widely expected to recommend a cap - perhaps as much as Β£50,000 - on the amount the individual pays so that those who face extremely high costs do not end up losing everything.

He said: "At the moment, the support provided by councils is means-tested so that anyone with assets over Β£23,250 has to pay for all the costs of their care."

Elsewhere in the news this week:

•A case taken by a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers alleging he was discriminated against on the grounds of disability, has been dismissed.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ reports that during hearings, e-mails sent between partners at the firm discussing Colin Tenner's absence due to mental stress and depression were read out. One of them said: "real partners don't get sick".

The tribunal judged that some senior partners "were clearly at the end of the queue when tact and sensitivity were being handed out", but added that it did not believe Mr Tenner had been treated any differently than someone who didn't have a disability.

•Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Politics reported this week on a scheme set up by the advocacy organisation RADAR, which aims to smooth the access to dialogue with a member of parliament, by their constituents with disabilities.

The article says: "with so many disabled people worried about looming welfare reforms, there has probably never been a better time for a scheme that aims to get more of them face-to-face with their elected representatives."

A mother of a man with learning difficulties explains it is important for disabled peple to have the opportunity to visit their MP, as many issues will affect them differently to the general public.

•From the Guardian's Comment is Free section yesterday, wheelchair user opines on the case of 12 year old Declan Spencer. Declan is the boy with muscular dystrophy who hit the headlines this week when Ezyjet refused to fly him to a family holiday in Cyprus because his 90 KG powerchair cannot be dismantled.

Declan is about to have spinal surgery which, the reports, will mean that he will most likely never travel by air again.