Hard times getting harder

Being the director of a Disabled People's Organisation (DPO) is challenging according to a recent report from the Disability LIB Alliance. But, says Tara Flood, in the last 6 months it feels like things have got a whole heap worse

With the new Government giving a green light to reducing funding nationally and locally, whatever the cost to disabled individuals and our organisations, there is no doubt that as disabled people we appear, yet again, to be in the firing line. It goes without saying then that our organisations – those run and controlled by disabled people – will be at the sharp end of sweeping cuts to contracts and funding agreements. This can only mean a reduction in our capacity and in some cases ultimately closure.

Given that many of the people already employed in DPOs are themselves disabled, this doesn’t help the Government target of getting more disabled people into paid employment – it does the reverse in fact.

At the Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) we are proud of our long history of successful campaigning for change in the education system, but that success appears to mean nothing in a climate where cheapest is best and competitiveness is everything.

As with many other DPOs we also have a long history of struggling to get funding because our work is focussed on social change as opposed to service delivery.

Both are important and have led to real change in disabled people’s lives, but campaigning for social change seems to have dropped off the list of priorities for many of our organisations. This is not a criticism but an observation of DPOs having to make impossible choices between taking local authority service contracts and the wish to agitate for change.

The coalition Government and Maria Miller, the new Minister for Disabled People, have clearly stated that “the ‘big society’ is inclusive of disabled people”; Miller has also indicated how important disabled people’s organisations are in the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – GREAT! But valuing the role disabled people’s organisations play must come with resources to support our work.

I find it interesting but somewhat depressing that the Government’s new “big society” fund, which has monies available to support the voluntary sector to be more effective, excludes all those organisations who have a turnover of less than half a million pounds – my guess is that cut-off point excludes the vast majority of DPOs. It certainly excludes ALLFIE!

So disabled people and our organisations are facing extremely challenging times ahead. The optimist in me tells me that there will be a funder just around the corner who gets inclusive education and has lots of money to help ALLFIE make inclusive education a reality for all disabled learners. The realist in me reminds me that the struggle for equality and inclusion is not an easy struggle and finding money to support that struggle will never be easy either – anyone know of a cheap, out of work fund-raiser who loves a challenge?

• Tara Flood is Director of the Alliance for Inclusive Education. allfie.org.uk