Taking Charge - a new guide to living with a disability or health condition

If you have a physical or mental health condition, have just been given a life-changing diagnosis or your health is starting to worsen in later life, then a new publication called 'Taking Charge' may be for you.

Published this April, 'Taking Charge', explains your rights to a decent life, with choice and control, and provides information on what you have a right to expect from services, education and employment. It also gives guidance on what to do if you don’t get what you are entitled to.

The first part of the book deals with planning and managing your life, for instance after an accident or diagnosis, or as life changes. The remaining sections cover personal health and social care, technology and equipment, managing at home and with family, travel and mobility, leisure and sport, and learning, working and contributing. The guide also gives advice for situations when you don’t get what you need or feel you have been subject to discrimination. The guide complements the 40th edition of the Disability Rights Handbook, due end May, which provides step-by-step information about disability benefits, independent living and how to claim what you are entitled to.

Taking Charge costs £13.99. If you receive benefits, DRUK have a combined offer of Taking Charge, Disability Rights Handbook and regular updates for £31.99 if you place your order before the end of April.