Welcome to 2009 and a happy new year to everyone reading this as well as to all our clients…here is our January 2009 disability update…remember to keep coming back each month for a regular review of all things Inclusion, OT, DDA and disability related!!

We have again mainly continued closely working with the KCC Occupational Therapy Adult and Paediatric Departments for the past few months helping them remove their OT waiting lists but we have also been fortunate enough to work with the following other clients on both private Occupational Therapy & DDA audit related work:

• Blackheath Halls (DDA Audit)
• Brentwood Council – King George Playing Fields (DDA Audit)
• Kynixa (Private OT assessments)
• First Assist (Private OT assessments)
• Creaseys (DDA Audit)
• Mind (DDA Audit)

General News:
Harper slams Government for its ‘wasted years’

Shadow minister for disabled people, Mark Harper says that reports published by 11 secretaries of state show a government that is “letting down” disabled people.
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/news-focus/harper-slams-government-for-its-wasted-years

Dream on…

Alistair Darling’s Pre-Budget Report contained some good news for disabled people, but it could have been so much better, says Ruth Patrick
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/campaigns/dream-on/

Holding the line

Jonathan Shaw, the new minister for disabled people, says he wants to be judged on what he does, not on what he’s done in the past. Sunil Peck starts the judging
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/living/features/holding-the-line

Fervour education

The schools that activists now condemn may have been the very places that gave birth to the disability movement they now belong to. Paul Carter asks three leading activists about the role of special schools
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/living/features/fervour-education

Winners and losers in Paralympic funding

The governing body for British Paralympic sport has had its funding slashed in the build-up to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/living/sport/winners-and-losers-in-paralympic-funding

New product review website from Ricability

Ricability, a national research charity that provides independent information to disabled and older consumers, has launched an online product review service. Website users are encouraged to offer their views and tips on what to look for  and what to avoid  in the ever-expanding area of assistive technology equipment and assistive products.

In order to build the website into a valuable resource, users are asked to submit their views on:

• everyday products, such as cars, washing machines, television and video
• equipment and microwave ovens
• assistive technology equipment, such as wheelchairs, hoists, stairlifts and communication aids adapted products, such as wheelchair-accessible vehicles

Visit the Ricability Product Reviews website at www.product-reviews.org.uk

Government’s disability equality reports

The Government has published 11 reports from the Secretaries of State, outlining the progress their departments are making towards disability equality. These reports aim to help further the Government’s vision of equality for disabled people by 2025, as set out in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit Report Improving Life Chances of Disabled People. They describe how disabled people are being actively involved in the decision-making process as early as possible. They also highlight the areas in which improvements still need to be made. By adopting this approach to disability equality, the Government hopes to tackle negative public perceptions, and change the culture that still exists within many public and private organisations.

A summary of the reports, which extracts the key points from each one, has been published by the Office for Disability Issues (ODI). Download this from the ODI’s website http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/docs/sos-summary.pdf

Appraisal of the Disability Equality Duty

The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) has published an in-depth examination of the implementation of the Disability Equality Duty in England, collating the findings from a seven-month study. It draws from a selection of case studies across 35 public authorities, looking at seven policy areas: criminal justice, culture, education, environment, health, housing and transport. The research explores how their Disability Equality Schemes were implemented, and how these have helped to improve equality for disabled people. The report goes on to provide examples of good practice for public authorities, so that they can improve disability equality in their policies and practices.

The report, entitled Implementation of the Disability Equality Duty in England, and a summary of the key findings, can be downloaded from the ODI’s website www.officefordisability.gov.uk/research/odipublications.asp#ded

Independent Living Strategy: involving disabled people

The Government has announced plans concerning how it will involve disabled people in the implementation and monitoring of the five-year Independent Living Strategy. This was launched in March 2008 following a consultation exercise that sought views on how best to involve disabled people in measuring its progress. The Strategy aims to promote greater access to housing, transport, health, employment and leisure opportunities for all disabled people.

In order to continue involvement with disabled people so that progress can be made with the Strategy, the Government has decided to implement the following steps:

• establish an Independent Living Scrutiny Group to review progress on implementing the Strategy work with Equality 2025 to determine how best to use and develop existing networks to form a ‘network of networks’, creating a two-way channel of communication between the Government and disabled people
• examine some of the options suggested by consultation respondents for building leadership capacity
• work to help disabled people’s organisations benefit more from new opportunities to build the capacity of the third sector
• develop a web-based and print resource to support disabled people’s involvement in Local Strategic Partnership Boards

The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) has published a document entitled Involving disabled people: Government response to the consultation on implementation and monitoring of the Independent Living Strategy. Download this from the ODI’s website www.officefordisability.gov.uk/working/independentlivingstrategy.asp

Indirect discrimination and the Equality Bill

The Government is proposing to replace the concept of disability-related discrimination with that of indirect discrimination in the impending Equality Bill. This is in response to the House of Lords judgement in the case of Lewisham v Malcolm, which made it more difficult for a disabled person to show they have been discriminated against for a reason relating to their disability. The Government is currently considering whether the legislation should take a different approach to give disabled people more protection under similar circumstances.

The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) has released a consultation document on this topic entitled Improving Protection From Disability Discrimination, which sets out the Government’s proposals for the Equality Bill. The ODI is seeking the views of disabled people, advisers, anyone who has duties under the disability legislation as well as any other interested parties. The consultation deadline is 6 January 2009.
Visit the ODI’s website to download the consultation document www.officefordisability.gov.uk/docs/indirect-discrimination.pdf

Strategy to reduce long-term sick leave

The Government has published a document entitled Improving health and work: changing lives, responding to Dame Carol Black’s groundbreaking report on the health of Britain’s working-age population, which was published in March 2008. It outlines how the Government plans to help people stay in work rather than going on extended sick leave. It addresses how disabled people or those who become ill will be supported to stay in work, or to return to work following sick leave.

New measures announced in the report include:

• proposals to replace the paper-based ’sick note’ with an electronic ‘fit note’
• pilots for ‘Fit for Work’ services, which will support people on a period of sickness absence to return to work
• establishment of a National Centre for Working-Age Health and Wellbeing, an independent, authoritative body providing a range of core functions related to the health and wellbeing of working-age people
• use of Health, Work and Wellbeing Coordinators, who will offer advice and support to help local partnerships and encourage engagement with smaller businesses
• a pilot of an occupational health helpline for smaller businesses, which will support smaller businesses by providing professional occupational health advice on individual employee health issues

Dame Carol Black, the National Director for Health and Work, said: “I believe the measures unveiled by the Government will help make our society a healthier and happier one, where everyone recognises the link between good health and good work. But to ensure it happens we need to work together to change attitudes and behaviours. The Government has taken this first important step, but we need to work in partnership, with business leaders, employers and individuals all having a role to play.”

The full Government response to Dame Carol Black’s report can be downloaded from the Health, Work and Wellbeing website www.workingforhealth.gov.uk/Government%2DResponse/

Inclusion by design: guidance from CABE

The Commission for Equality and the Built Environment (CABE) has released a publication called Inclusion by design: equality, diversity and the built environment. This document aims to take design beyond considering basic accessibility, and highlights the need to consider other aspects such as cultural and economic access. It emphasises that badly designed environments may exclude a wide range of people for many reasons other than accessibility. On the other hand, thoughtful and informed design decisions can result in environments that are
inclusive to all members of society.

CABE uses the publication to persuade local authorities and built environment professionals to look again at the different ways in which people experience buildings and places. The document illustrates how they can move their designs from being merely accessible to being inclusive to everyone. It also presents a number of case studies to reinforce the points made throughout the guidance.

Download the publication from CABE’s website
www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=2886

CABE’s recently updated Equality SchemeandActionPlanare also available for download www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=2891

Inclusion are based around London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and cover the whole of the south of the UK. We also cover up to the midlands and over towards the south west of the country – please contact us for further details or for free support and advice around any DDA or Occupational Therapy issues.