ILiS and many more in the Independent Living Movement, believe social care should be free at the point of delivery because society values disabled people and their equal rights to maximize their own potential and to freedom and wellbeing; as well as the contribution they make to social, economic and civic life.
Read more here.
Inclusion Scotland launched their human rights toolkit on the 7th of December at the Scottish Parliament.
The toolkit has been developed in consultation with disabled people from around Scotland. Its key purpose is to provide disabled people and their advocates with the tools they need to realise their human right to live independently. It will be freely available from Inclusion Scotland’s website and is also attached.
Download the Toolkit here
If anyone has any questions on the toolkit please contact Pauline Nolan: pauline@inclusionscotland.org or telephone 0141 221 7589
Many thanks and best wishes,
Information:
Inclusion Scotland, Unit 219, Pentagon Centre, 36-38 Washington Street, Glasgow, G3 8AZ
Tel: 0141 221 7589
E-mail: information@inclusionscotland.org
Visit our website at http://www.inclusionscotland.org
Please visit us on Facebook (don't forget to 'like' us): http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Inclusion-Scotland/175462779144914
As you know the Disability Strategy discussion document 'Fulfilling Potential' was launched on 1st December. Stakeholders have three months to take part in this public discussion, to help shape the new Disability Strategy. A facilitation guide has been produced to help organisations run their own engagement activities.
This guide is now live on the ODI website. To view the guide click here
There is some money available to support events. This can be used to meet travel costs, hire a venue or cover the cost of personal assistants or interpreters. We can also help by providing speakers or printed copies of the Easy Read document.
Why is it important?
We want to encourage as many different people as possible to take part in the discussion, so that the Disability Strategy captures the lived experience of disabled people and the expertise of people that support them.
We will be announcing the launch of the guide to our stakeholders and we would like you to let your stakeholder contacts know that this is now live on the website and encourage them to apply.
Applications for this fund must be made by 20 January to fulfilling.potential@dwp.gsi.gov.uk - full details on how to apply are in the links above.
Read more at the BBC website by clicking here
Read the press release by clicking here
Disabled People's Organisations and their allies have unanimously condemned the Government's plans to introduce PIP (please see consultation responses by clicking here or briefings by clicking here). In response to this, Minister for disabled People, Maria Miller has said 'support [for disabled people] in the short term should be met from the existing, mainly means-tested, support mechanisms with Personal Independence Payment kicking in at a stage when additional costs become burdensome'. Read the Minister's full letter of response click here.
In late autumn, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) will be consulting on the future of ILF. In advance of this consultation, we want to reach everyone who will be affected by the outcome of this process to have the opportunity to become more aware of what is being discussed, what our views are and how the can make their voices heard.
We would very much appreciate if you would circulate this letter here and this proposal here as widely as possible.
Your feedback would be much appreciated and any support that you feel your organisation could lend to our campaign.
Thanks.
The Economic crisis in the EU is having devastating effects on the economic, political and social structures that have been built in our societies over the last decades. Despite the fact that European Union’s “Europe 2020” strategy has made social inclusion 1 of the 3 pillars bringing Europe out the crisis, we denounce that current economic, social and political policies adopted by Member States and the EU may lead to an increase in the numbers so of people experiencing social exclusion in Europe.
The European Disability Forum (EDF) has created a monitoring tool: the EDF observatory on the impact of the economic crisis on the rights of persons with disabilities. This will monitor, through the collection of adequate examples by EDF members, the measures taken by EU member states, European Union institutions and International financial institutions.
† ¢ Answer the crisis survey before 3 September 2011 by clicking here
† ¢ Download EDF Crisis Resolution by clicking here
† ¢ Get involved in your country
Contact us and have EDF support in your country.
EDF has been concerned about the economic crisis from the very beginning:
† ¢ EDF position on the economic crisis 2007 download here
† ¢ EDF emergency resolution on economic crisis 2010 download here
Contact: Simona Giarratano | T +32 503 12 27 | simona.giarratano@edf-feph.org
MPs who make up the Work and Pensions committee are unhappy with Atos who carry out the medical test for employment and support allowance. They are also unhappy with the way that many claimants are portrayed by some elements of the press when the government releases statistics.
In an unusual move, Anne Begg has written to the Minister for Employment, Chris Grayling to raise concerns about this. To read the open letter prepared by Anne or the full report written by the Work and Pensions committee, please click here to go to the Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS) webiste for more information.
The Independent Living Fund has announced that the Fund will be closed to new applicants with immediate effect. At the same time, it has confirmed that exisitng users funding will only be protected for the length of the current Parliament, i.e. untill 2015 at the latest. These measures are said to result from ILF's need to manage within a capped budget.
The Fund awards payments directly to disabled people to support the cost of their personal care and or domestic assistance. It is sometimes used to top up packages of support from local authorities, which themselves are being affected by cuts to services. For many disabled people, care and support is a crucial part of life and for those disabled people who can and want to work, it can make the difference between employment and unemployment. However, with the changes to the ILF criteria, many disabled people who want to contribute to society and earn an income will be limited to life and limb services rather than opportunities for employment.
See the Disability Now website for more information.
If you are a disabled person, the United Nations Convention on the rights of People with Disabilities (the Convention) is for you. The Equality and Human Rights Commission have produced a guide to the convention and is availble to download in word, pdf and easyread formats. For more information, visit the EHRC website.
The Convention is a new international human rights agreement that:
It was created because often our human rights are not respected and we face many barriers to inclusion in society. It is not just a paper ‘declaration’ without any teeth. It requires government to take action to remove barriers and give disabled people real freedom, dignity and equality. We can use it in lots of different ways to make sure our rights are respected and to support independent living.
If you are a disabled person, the United Nations Convention on the rights of People with Disabilities (the Convention) is for you. The Equality and Human Rights Commission have produced a guide to the convention and is availble to download in word, pdf and easyread formats. For more information, visit the EHRC website.
The Convention is a new international human rights agreement that:
It was created because often our human rights are not respected and we face many barriers to inclusion in society. It is not just a paper ‘declaration’ without any teeth. It requires government to take action to remove barriers and give disabled people real freedom, dignity and equality. We can use it in lots of different ways to make sure our rights are respected and to support independent living.
On the International Day for Disabled People - 3rd December 2009 - the Equality and Human Rights Commission announced that it would be conducting a Formal Inquiry into disability related harassment to look at what public authorities are doing about it.
Between June 2010 - April 2011, the EHRC asked for evidence for this inquiry. They aim to publish a report and recommendations by autumn 2011.
Find out more about the Disability Harassment Inquiry and how to provide evidence from the Commission's website.
On the International Day for Disabled People - 3rd December 2009 - the Equality and Human Rights Commission announced that it would be conducting a Formal Inquiry into disability related harassment to look at what public authorities are doing about it.
Between June 2010 - April 2011, the EHRC asked for evidence for this inquiry. They aim to publish a report and recommendations by autumn 2011.
Find out more about the Disability Harassment Inquiry and how to provide evidence from the Commission's website.
In December 2009 disabled people linked up with the Scottish Government and COSLA when the Convenor of the Independent Living in Scotland Steering Group, Jim Elder Woodward, jointly sign up to a shared vision for independent living in Scotland, at Victoria Quay in Edinburgh. You can read more about the Vision and download copies here
Read more at the TES website by clicking here