Right time for rights strategy

The Government’s Office for Disability Issues has launched a consultation on a strategy for disability. But, Sunil Peck asks, does a strategy without money attached add up to much

Disabled people’s views will shape policies to improve equality as part of a new disability strategy, the Government has told Disability Now.

The Office for Disability Issues has published a consultation document, Fulfilling Potential, which it says is an important step in a process to eliminate barriers to greater equality in areas like education, employment and independent living.

Launching the disability strategy, the minister for disabled people Maria Miller said: ”The Government is committed to enabling disabled people to fulfil their potential and have the opportunity to play a full role in their community.

“Some of the barriers in society which stop that happening have been removed over the past 40 years but there is far more to do, even at a time when the country’s finances are under great pressure.”

Speaking to Disability Now, Jeremy Moore, Director of Independent Living at the Office for Disability Issues, said that defining the strategy or what detail it might eventually contain is tricky because the intention is to co-produce it with disabled people.

“We take the view that there’s some thinking and action to be taken around aspiration, education and employment independence and control and attitudes. They are broad headings and I want the widest debate and it goes wherever disabled people want to take that debate.”

The latest strategy, he says, will build on the Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People, the Independent Living Strategy and the Roadmap 2025, programmes produced by the previous Government.

“We need to bring all those strategies together. On the back of the United Nations convention promoting disability rights and the fact that we’ve got equalities legislation in place. But also we’ve got the context of a very very difficult next five years or so. How do we make things work better in a period of austerity?”

The cuts to benefits including Disability Living Allowance, and spending cuts which have left many people unable to access the legal and social care systems, have created a feeling that disability rights are already being eroded at an alarming rate. But Jeremy Moore disagrees.

“I don’t think things are going backwards. I think we’ve got some challenges and we’ve got some strong legislation. I think we should have a debate about enforcement and information. But I don’t see how rights are going backwards.”

He appears to suggest that whatever form the strategy takes, it won’t be backed with much if any government money.

“It will depend on what we think the priorities are that people come up with. A lot of this is about making best use of programmes that already exist.”

There’s a high level of scepticism among thousands of disabled people who responded to the Government’s consultation on the future of Disability Living Allowance about the Government’s willingness to listen to public opinion.

But Jude Stephenson, Community Engagement and Development Manager at the Lancashire Centre for Independent Living, welcomes the strategy and says that it’s still important for disabled people to respond to the consultation in order that central and local government remain aware of the impact their financial decisions can have on disabled people.

She said: “We facilitate a hub of user-led and disabled people’s organizations to support people to take control of their lives with personal budgets and direct payments. In Lancashire they have restricted criteria to people who are in substantial or critical need so we want to make sure that the strategy reflects the reality of disabled and old people’s lives in a time of economic austerity.”

Liz Sayce, chief executive of Disability Rights UK added that the strategy was important given the change to the support and services disabled people rely on.

She said: “One unified disability strategy from Government would be very welcome to shape the changes and help measure success.  Disability Rights UK very much encourages disabled people and disability organizations to be involved in co-producing the final strategy.”

Richard Hawkes, chief executive of Scope, (the charity which publishes Disability Now) said that it was the right time for government to launch a disability strategy because the social and economic situation disabled people are facing is so bleak.

He said: “This discussion needs to lead to a robust disability strategy that clearly maps out the Government’s plans to improve the opportunities for disabled people. Disabled people need a clear and concise plan that lets them hold the Government to account.”

Jeremy Moore insists that the strategy will do that and that it is not merely a PR trick aimed at winning over disabled people angry with the Government.

“I can understand why people are feeling angry, not just disabled people but a lot of people are feeling angry. These are really difficult times, the worst times that the country and the economy have faced for a very very long time. But we’ve got to look forward, you’ve got to play what’s in front of you and this is an opportunity to change the terms of the debate, get involved and not walk away.”

The consultation runs until 9 March and the disability strategy is expected later in the Spring. Responses can be emailed or submitted online.

• Fulfilling Potential: a discussion document is available from odi.gov.uk/fulfillingpotential. It is also available in audio, Braille, Easy Read and a summary is available in British Sign Language.