SCIL joins Campaigners from across Europe on Freedom Drive

Between the 14th and the 17th September, Robert Droy and Michael Grimmett from SCIL joined 440 people from 21 European countries in Strasbourg for the Freedom Drive 2009 to campaign for the rights of Disabled People. 

The Freedom Drive concentrates on Independent Living subjects such as deinstitutionalisation, the right to personal assistance and the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.

 

The Freedom Drivers came up with 8 key demands that they felt the European Parliament should be working on and these demands were handed over to EU Parliament President Jerzy Buzek and to Richard Howitt MEP following a march through the streets of Strasbourg to the Parliament building.  

 

Jerzy Buzek and Richard Howitt said they were committed to fight for the rights of Disabled People and encouraged Freedom Drivers to keep lobbying their national MEPs to promote Independent Living in their countries.

Michael Grimmett from SCIL commented ‘ I found the 2009 Freedom Drive to be an inspiring experience.  To be around other Disabled People, who are fighting for a common goal was uplifting and gave me further impetus to carry on the campaign for independent living and equal rights. ’.

Following a meeting with some of the UK MEPs, Robert Droy pledged that SCIL would invite the MEPs in the South East area to a seminar in early 2010 to continue the dialogue further. More details to follow…..   

Freedom Drive Finalises Its Demands

On 16 Sep 09, 3 delegates from SCIL will join more than 400 Freedom Drivers from more than 20 countries as they march through Strasbourg to the EU Parliament. Regardless of their impairment, they are unified by one goal: Independent Living.

They will hand over the following demands to the President of the EU Parliament. 

1. We call on the European Community to ensure that Independent Living is central in the disability policies of the European Union, as expressed in the EU Disability Strategy, the Disability Action Plan and Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol.

2. We encourage the European Community to continue to assist the development of community-based services to achieve de-institutionalization across Europe.

3. We call for the implementation of our human right to a personal assistance service, fundamental to guarantee the enjoyment of Independent Living.

4. We call for the opportunity to equally enjoy the right to freedom of movement with the portability of personal assistance services.

5. We call for an earmarking of 5% of EU development funding to go to the development of Independent Living programs in developing countries.

6. We call on the European Community to fully ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to sign and ratify its Optional Protocol and for its articles to be implemented in EU legislation and policy. Incumbent in this is the application of pressure by the Institutions and representatives on member states to transpose the convention into law domestically as soon as possible

7. We call for a disability specific directive to uphold and protect the full rights and entitlements of people with disabilities across Europe.

8. Disabled people and our organisations must be decisively involved at all levels of policy-making including planning, producing and implementation.

Whilst in Strasbourg, the Freedom Drive participants will be meeting with many MEPs who have an interest in this area to look at how we can all work together to ensure these demands are taken seriously.

You can read more about the Freedom Drive on our blog over the coming weeks.                                           

 

How do we ensure choice, control and quality is at the heart of a new social care system?

On July 7th, Robert Droy from SCIL was asked to address the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Care. Niall Dixon from the Kings Fund was also speaking.

An audience of around 100 people, including around 30 members of Parliament and Peers from House of Lords fired questions at both Robert and Niall for over an hour.

As well as much speculation about what might or might not be in the green paper some of the key points that were discussed (in no particular order) included:

• Social Care should have an equal footing with Health Care. Lack of investment in social care will cost more in the future. Preventative work is often talked about however ever tighter eligibility criteria leaves increasing numbers of people, particularly older people at risk of developing more serious impairments and higher support needs in the future.

• Everybody, regardless of their age or impairment, should be able to have choice and control over the support they receive.  These are basic human rights, not just about getting up in the morning and going to bed at night but living a full and active life. Human rights cannot be at the whim of the local authorities. Disabled people should have guaranteed minimum entitlements wherever they live in the country. Support must also be portable.

• Over the last 25 years, CILs have been at the forefront of developing the Personalisation agenda, starting with Direct Payments and now moving towards self directed support.

• Many CILs are struggling to compete against some of the bigger non-user led organisations, particularly as many local authorities feel compelled to competitively tender for many support services that are best delivered by CILs.

• Access to Peer Advocacy leading to Self Advocacy are essential to ensure that  ALL users can take full advantage of the personalised agenda. However funding for Advocacy services are thin on the ground.

• Training for Disabled People and Personal Assistants should be available but should not be a barrier to encouraging ‘new’ people to enter the social care workforce.

• Integrating funding streams should not mean people lose their basic entitlement to certain benefits e.g. DLA / AA

• Many Disabled People also experience multiple discrimination because they are lesbian or gay or come from a black / minority ethnic community. The Government needs to listen to their views.

Consultation on the Right to Control

The Office of Disability Issues has just launched a consultation to ask Disabled People how to make choice and control a reality in their lives.

The consultation, launched on 11 June, invites stakeholders to give their views on the best way to deliver the Right to Control.

The ODI encourages responses from Disabled People, their organisations, public bodies, commissioners and service providers.

The consultation runs from 11 June – 30 September 2009.

• Consultation on Right to Control (PDF, 78 pages, 3.71 MB)

• Consultation on Right to Control – Easy Read (PDF, 92 pages, 2.12 MB)

To request a copy of the consultation in Braille, audio CD or BSL DVD email right.control@dwp.gsi.gov.uk or telephone 020 7449 5093.

What is the right to control?

The Right to Control is about shifting the balance of power from the state to the individual and recognising that disabled people are the experts in their own lives.

Why is the right needed?

At the moment, many Disabled People do not have the sort of choice and control over their lives that Non-Disabled people take for granted. The Government is therefore committed to providing greater choice and control over the support they receive from the State.

How will the right be introduced?

From 2010, we will test how the Right to Control will work. We will do this by trying out the Right to Control for Disabled Adults in a number of local authority areas in England. These will be called trailblazer sites.

How does the right fit with the Welfare Reform Bill?

The Welfare Reform Bill currently before Parliament enables the Secretary of State to make regulations to give Disabled People greater choice and control over support provided by the state. The Right to Control is part 2 of the Bill.

The Bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons. There was strong support across the House, with members on both sides warmly welcoming the increased choice and control this policy will deliver. As of June 2009, the Bill is before the House of Lords.

The Hansard page on the Welfare Reform Bill can be found on the Parliament website and includes the full text of the Bill, explanatory notes and reports from the debates.

 

SCIL’s History Project

Get Ready for SCIL’s 25th Anniversary

 

On the 6th November 2009 Southampton Centre for Independent Living celebrates its 25th Birthday.

 

The early 1980’s were momentous times for Disabled People in the UK with the formation of the first organisations which were run and controlled by Disabled People.

 

Southampton CIL developed quickly; enabling Disabled People to collectively gain empowerment and for the first time become a political force to be reckoned with.

 

Ever since, we have sought to support those who wanted a lifestyle that would enable them to attain or restore choice and control over their lives.

 

SCIL is at the early stages of planning events and activities to celebrate this milestone and we want all Disabled People in Southampton & Hampshire to celebrate our collective achievements. More information will be published soon.

 

SCIL Announce Landmark Conference

SCIL are pleased to announce an important conference for Disabled People regarding their human and legal rights.

Date:         Tuesday 28 October 2008

Time:        10.30am – 4.00pm

Venue:      Unity 12, 9-19 Rose Road, Southampton, SO14 6TE

The keynote speaker will be Luke Clements who is a Professor at Cardiff Law School and is renowned for his academic research and litigation work around the rights of people who experience social exclusion such as Disabled People, Carers and Travellers.

Luke Clements

The aims of the conference are to:

• Understand Disabled People’s rights to Independent Living

• Understand the impact of UK & European legislation

• Understand where the new United Nations Convention on the rights of Disabled People might help

 In afternoon workshops you will have an opportunity to:

• Discuss individual issues with Luke Clements

• Discuss how involvement with Skills for Care may assist in the improvement of services (with other service users)

• Discuss how working with SCIL and other organisations run by Disabled People could make our collective voice stronger

The conference for Disabled People ONLY will be held in our new fully accessible conference suite at Unity 12. More information and a booking form are downloadable below but demand for places are expected to be high so please return the booking form as soon as possible.

conference-booking-form1

1 Million Signatures: A Symbol for Change

In 2003, during the European Year of Disability, the Disability Movement tried to get the European Parliament to adopt a Disability Rights Directive, but failed. Now in 2007 (the European Year of Equality), the European Disability Forum has launched a new campaign for a Disability Directive.

What has changed? In 2003 the European Commission argued that they had their work cut out in implementing the European Equal Employment Directive. A Directive that would force the UK Government to strengthen Equal Employment legislation and force all employers not to discriminate in recruitment, promotion or training on grounds of disability, age, sexuality or religion.  

In December 2006 the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, which contains comprehensive measures to develop full equality for disabled people in all areas of life. This is already adopted in certain aspects by the European Commission and 22 of the 27 EU members, but with no common Convention how can the EU claim to have a unified market with social measures?

The European Union has between 50 and 100 million disabled citizens depending on how they are counted. At present there is no unified definition or method of enumerating and a unified directive would ensure such agreements. Already the EU has demonstrated the benefit of a European-wide legislation for disabled people in the UK, through such things as The Equal Employment Directive – extending the coverage of the DDA, and The Air Passenger Directive – ensuring equal treatment of disabled people by airlines across Europe. Trans-European train, bus, coach and ferries directives are also in the pipeline. None of these things are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act.   

The UN Convention covers all aspects of life, including the development of an inclusive education system, the need to get more disabled people into work, women and children’s rights and the right to supported decision making for all rather than guardianship. However, disabled people and their allies will have to struggle to get these things into British Law, but a really effective way is to get them into a legally binding European Directive.  

Support the campaign, sign the petition and make a change. 

The UK is lagging far behind other countries in collecting signatures. So far over 250,000 have been collected across Europe, but only 5,000 in the UK so please do all you can to get signatures online at  www.1Million4disability.eu

Thanks to Richard Rieser, UK Council for Disability Rights in Europe representative on the European Disability Forum, for this information.

Disabled People Show Support for Independent Living Bill

On June 18, more than a hundred Disabled People gathered outside Downing Street to show support for the Disabled Persons (Independent Living) Bill which was being debated in the House of Lords.

The rally was organised by Our Lives, Our Choices which is a consortium of disability organisations including NCIL.  The rally was addressed by Lord Ashley of Stoke and Roger Berry MP who are sponsoring the bill.

A small delegation which included Sue Bott from NCIL and Robert Droy from SCIL were then allowed to deliver a banner with testimony from many Disabled People to the door of 10 Downing Street.

Roger Berry then hosted a reception at Portcullis House for many of the rally participants where there were further speeches of support from the Equal Opportunities Commission, Carers UK, and the National Pensioners Forum. Baroness Jane Campbell of Surbiton also gave a rousing speech to her fellow ‘freedom fighters’ to carry on the campaign.  

A successful day was tinged with sadness following the news that Roy Webb from NCIL who had been instrumental in organising the Our Lives, Our Choices campaign had died on June 15.

Our Lives, Our Choices National Rally

Our Lives, Our Choices is the campaign for the right to independent living. The campaign is being supported by many organisations such as NCIL, as well as trade unions, MPs and Peers. As part of the campaign, a National Rally is being held on 18 June between 12 and 2pm at 10 Downing Street in London.  

At the rally, stories of Disabled People who are struggling to live independently will be presented to the Prime Minister. Disabled People will be demanding legislation that guarantees their right to the support they need to live free and equal lives. 

The Disabled People’s (Independent Living) Bill is a private member’s bill sponsored by Lord Ashley of Stoke and Roger Berry MP. If passed, the Bill would give Disabled and Older People clear legal rights to the services and support needed to control their own lives and participate in society.  

Even if you cannot come to the rally, you can still support the campaign. You can request a ‘Our Lives, Our Choices’ campaign pack which will tell you everything you need to know about the Independent Living Bill. It also contains model letters that you can send to your MPs and local authority and tips on how to get the local media to talk about the campaign.

For more information email policy@ncil.org.uk or look on the website www.ncil.org.uk