INFORMATION BULLETIN

FEBRUARY 2008

The United Kingdom's Disabled People's Council

Litchurch Plaza, Litchurch Lane, Derby.  DE24 8AA

Telephone: 01332 295551  Fax: 01332 295580

Minicom: 01332 295581 Email: [email protected]

Website: www.uksdpc.org

               

 

EDITORIAL

Hello members,

I hope you enjoyed last month’s New look UKDPC’s Information Bulletin and I hope that you will find this month’s both interesting and useful to you and your members.

You have plenty of opportunity to become involved with UKDPC’s Campaign work particularly regarding our Disability Hate Crime Campaign.

The Alliance for Inclusive Education would also like your help with their campaign, and if you are keen to improve the rights of Disabled People  we will be pleased if you would sign the Number 10 E-Petition.

We have also been asked for your views by a couple of other organisations so we hope you will take up the opportunity to feed into their consultations.

We are shortly putting together our next Activate Newsletter so if you wish to contribute to this could you please let me have your articles as soon as possible, you can email me on:

[email protected]

Jan Turner

Membership and Services Manager.

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CAMPAIGNS INFORMATION

Disability Hate Crime

It’s been another busy month as UKDPC increases pressure on the Government to recognise inciting hatred against disabled people as a criminal offence.   UKDPC has now met with Maria Eagle, the Minister for Justice, who is in charge of overseeing the passage of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill through Parliament.   During the meeting Maria Eagle understood that some of our examples:disabled people with learning difficulties who have been targeted for criminal activity, campaigns against homes for disabled people with a mental health condition and gang activity may well be considered as inciting hatred against disabled people.

Maria Eagle and UKDPC need your help to make sure that disabled people have the same rights as others when criminal activity arises from hating disabled people.  We need the following:

·        Any leaflets which seem to be encouraging others to hate disabled people.  If any of you can get hold of any leaflets including those produced by any political party including the British National Party (BNP) and it looks like what they say would encourage hating disabled people then send them to me as soon as possible via the UKDPC’s head office.   If you can email me directly or send the link to [email protected] – all the better.

·        Any evidence of disabled people being targeted as a group.  So do you know for an example a group in a residential care home or a service which is used by disabled people who are being  abused or treated very badly.

·        Any incidents of gangs who are targeting disabled people as a group of people regardless where they are.

·        Anyone who is encouraging others to hate disabled people, we also want to hear about.

We need this information as soon as possible as the Bill is going through Parliament.  Please send it to: [email protected]

UKDPC are aiming to set up a national network of disabled people and their member organisations who want to get the police to recognise and deal with disability hate crime appropriately.  For further information contact Anne Novis through UKDPC’s head office.  A fuller report on Hate crimes will appear in our next Activate.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The UN Convention Campaign Coalition  has just been set up with the aim to pressure the Government to ratify the UN Disability Convention without reservations.  Saying that you can only implement some rights and not others makes a nonsense of their commitment to equality and rights for disabled people by 2025.   Bill Albert, who is the UKDPC’s representative on the Coalition will be writing something for March’s campaign’s update.

This is your news bulletin.  It would be great to hear about the campaigns you are working on. It can be on any issue, locally, regional or national.

An online Disability Hate Crime network has been formed for organisations and individuals working on this issue. They are looking for more organisations to join the network. If you are interested contact Robin Vandenhende at: [email protected]

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Education and Skills Bill – Update

The Education and Skills Bill has just been through its 2^nd Reading with no real opposition. This is of course disappointing for those of us who are concerned about how little there is in the Bill to strengthen the right to an inclusive education for disabled learners.

Despite the Government’s claims that the Bill will revolutionise the education system, it does very little to address the inflexibility of the current system or disablist behaviours of many education providers. The Alliance for Inclusive Education believes the Bill is much more likely to be a cynical move, by the Government, to address the large numbers of disabled young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs), rather than genuinely wanting to support disabled young people to learn new skills and feel empowered to have choice and control over their lives.

We are told that the Government is keen to make education a positive experience for all 16 to 18 year olds. Yet, in giving governing bodies the power to direct young people to attend anywhere outside the school in order to receive educational provision which is intended to improve the ‘behaviour’ of the young person (Clause 133), the Bill appears to do the opposite.  This potentially sends more of our young people out of the system before the age of 16, effectively sanctions unofficial (illegal) exclusions and provides no appeal system.

The Alliance is calling for changes to the Bill that would create a new legal framework that give more enforceable rights to ‘person-centred’ and inclusive support across all aspects of post 16 learning.

The Government also needs to radically rethink the way in which young people have their educational outcomes tested or accredited. Currently testing and assessment systems are all set to a non disabled standard which has meant that many disabled young people, particularly those with learning differences, have been denied the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and learning in a way that is equally valued. This has resulted in these young people being thrown on the ‘NEET’ scrapheap.

If you want to support the Alliance’s campaign for changes to the Education and Skills Bill, please contact Tara Flood at the Alliance for Inclusive Education.  Tara can be contacted on telephone: 020 7735 5277 or email: [email protected]

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 INFORMATION

New from the Social Care Institute for Excellence

The SCIE has published two new knowledge reviews on involvement and sustainable change with the social care sector. Improving social and health care services identifies the most effective processes that bring about service improvement-including employee and stakeholder involvement, an understanding of resistance to change and meaningful evaluation. Developing social care: service users driving culture change explores how people who use services and user-led organisations have influenced and improved the work of service providers. It also looks at what support and resources are needed to achieve service user involvement in social care.

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SUMMARY OF STATE OF HEALTHCARE REPORT 2007

To download a copy of the full report visit:-

www.healthcarecommission.org.uk

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DIGITAL TV: FINDING EASY TO USE PRODUCTS

The big switchover from Analogue TV to Digital TV has already begun and by 2012 Every household in the UK will be able to watch Digital TV, there is a free helpline for disabled people and people over the age of 75 phone 0800 519 2021 or visit the Digital UK website at:-www.digitaluk.co.uk

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TfL’s free ride

Dial-a-Ride’s door-to-door services for older and disabled Londoners is now free.

TfL has also been awarded an independent Living Award by national disabled rights organisation, Breakthrough UK, for its work to make public transport accessible for all. The accolade recognises the introduction of low-floor, wheelchair accessible buses across the entire London fleet at the start of 2006-10 years ahead of legal requirements.

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DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (DEAC)

Annual Report  01 August 2006 to 31 July 2007

DEAC has had a very productive year. The report records the hard work which the committee has done to support DWP Ministers towards their target of helping an increased number of disabled people to find and retain jobs.

DEAC members have worked on a wide range of disability employment issues throughout the year, including project work on Employers Engagement, the Public Accounts Committee report –“Gaining and Retaining a Job: DWP’s support for Disabled People”, Improving Employment Opportunities for People with Mental Health Problems, Residential Training and DEAC’s ongoing work on the Freud Report and the Green Paper-In Work Better Off, and also the City Strategy.

The full report can be viewed at www.deac.org.uk

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PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Working Families Network has recently sent a newsletter to the office.  The network is engaged in improving the rights of parents who have a child with disabilities and who wish to work.  If you are a parent with a child with a disability and want to become involved you can contact Janet Mearns: 020 7017 0072   [email protected], Working Families, 1-3 Berry Street, London, EC1V 0AA.

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WHAT’S ON

Victoria & Albert Museum – London

Gallery Talk

Friday 28^th March 11.00 am – 12.30 pm

Thomas Hope is key figure in the history of British design. This exhibition will look at Hope’s design theory and his ideas about design reform.

For tickets contact Victoria & Albert Museum on 0207 942 2529 or email [email protected]

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THE INDEPENDENT LIVING SHOW – EXCEL - LONDON - 17^TH & 18^TH SEPTEMBER 2008

This is a comprehensive exhibition of products and services that could assist disabled people.

For more details and to register go to:www.nolimitsshow.co.uk

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COMMUNITY TRANSPORT ROADSHOW’S

Roadshow’s will be held on:

4^th March – Preston

7^th March – Exeter

13^th March – Nottingham

3^rd April – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

10^th April – Cambridge

For more information go to: www.ctauk.org 

Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0870 774 3586

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ENABLED DAYS AT WOLVERHAMPTON RACECOURSE

Wolverhampton Racecourse is offering free entry to the races on 28 March 2008 for all disabled persons and their carers.

Any enquiries regarding the race days please contact Wolverhampton Racecourse on 0870 220 2442 or by email at:-

[email protected]

DO IT FOR CHARITY.COM 5 KM RUN SERIES 2008.

Skyline is delighted to announce a brand new series of nationwide 5km running events giving ALL UK charities the opportunity to benefit from this highly popular method of fundraising.

Locations and Dates as follows:-

Birmingham Cannon Hill Park 27 April

London Regents Park 11 May

Manchester Heaton Park 8 June

Reserve your places now by phoning 0870 345 7788 or visiting the website at:-

www.doitforcharity.com or  www.skylinecharity.co.uk

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FUNDRAISING

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) will be launching a new programme of one and half-day training workshops for charities from April to July 2008. For Further information:

Email: [email protected] or by calling the events team on 01732 520 074 to register your interest.

 

SUPPORTING THE RIGHTS OF DISABLED PEOPLE

A petition calling for the ratification of the UN convention has been posted on the Number 10 website please sign this petition to support improved human rights for Disabled People.

You can do this by going to:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ratifyconvention/

(Information received  from Dr Richard Light)

 

CONSULTATION

The Ministry of Justice is seeking members’ views on secondary legislation relating to the Tribunals Courts an Enforcement Act 2007.

The consultation ends on 16^th April 2008, so if you wish to submit your views you can do this on their website:

www.justice.gov.uk   then follows these links:

About Us

Publications

Consultations

Administration and Enforcement Restriction Orders

Questionnaire

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CONSULTATION ON THE BLUE BADGE SCHEME

On Thursday 24 January a consultation on the future of the Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Scheme was announced.

An electronic version of the consultation is available at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/bluebadgereformstrategy/

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DISCLAIMER

All information contained in this Bulletin has either come into the office or has been contributed by our members therefore; UKDPC cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information and may not necessarily agree with the viewpoint of the contributor.