Regaining momentum on our rights
Getting rights in practice in the next decade
A decade of rights
• 2000 a Commission• 2001 New duties in education• 2004 Premises and physical features• 2005 Positive duties, wider coverage• 2010 Pre-employment health questions
We achieved a lot through joint working: Rights Now, formal and informal coalitions, allies
Some headway?• Employment gap between disabled and non-
disabled people is down by over 10% since 1998 – but still 30% (2 million people)
• Disabled people who report transport difficulties - down by 5%
• More disabled people now go to university• Good practice in some companies • Independent living accepted in principle by all
parties• And the Paralympic effect
Across the world - Russia
BUT…Power and lack ofpower• Disabled people only now speaking up
about Savile allegations: Caroline Moore, Stoke Mandeville, Stephen George, Broadmoor
• Winterbourne View. Panorama 2012 noted if someone is in a restrictive and hostile environment, it can affect their behaviour, so the restrictions increase
• Our objective: to mobilise disabled people’s leadership and control
But… Poverty• Disabled people are twice as likely to live in
poverty as non-disabled people• Less likely to be able to afford fruit and
vegetables• More likely to say cost is a barrier to leisure,
transport • And that is before major benefit reductions• Our objective: to break the link between
disability and poverty• Apprenticeships. Employment opportunities and
support. A fair system of benefits
Access to Work
• We wrote to the Minister Nov 2012: numbers down last 2 years from 37,000 to 30,000, all regions except North/mid Wales
• Urging action: concerted marketing, remove list of restrictions, reduce bureaucracy, cover all work experience and internships
But…Freedom to live independently?• ‘I am a woman who lives independently in the
community in social housing employing enablers…I keep my postman electrician gasman binman local shop chip shop takeaway petrol station supermarket bank delivery men and women employed…My local authority say if my needs are over £500 a week I will be put in a care home. I am becoming more disabled by society than ever before – it’s a crime against disabled people’s human rights and there isn’t a darned thing I can do about it’ (response to blog)
Source: NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care (2012) Inpatients formally detained in hospitals under the mental Health Act 1983, and patients subject to supervised community treatment, Annual figures, England, 2011/12, Health and Social Care Information Centre
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-201238000
40000
42000
44000
46000
48000
50000
52000
54000
44093 4454346600 46348
48631
2134
4107 3834
4220
Total number of uses of the 1983 Mental Health Act 2007-2009(compulsory detentions in hospital and supervised community
treatment orders issued)
Number of Supervised Community Treatment Orders Issued
Number of detentions in hospital under the Mental Health Act
44093
46677
50707 50182
52851
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-20120
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
15181 16073 16622 16647 17503
17553325 4291
4764
Number of people compulsorily detained in hospital or subject to Supervised Community Treatment Orders at March 31st
Number of people sub-ject to Supervised Community Treatment Orders at 31st March
Number of people de-tained in hospital under the Mental Health Act at 31st March
1518117828
19947 20938 22267
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-20120
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
2134
41073834
4220
Number of Community Treatment Orders Issued
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-201241000
43000
45000
47000
49000
51000
44093 44543
46600 46348
48631
Number of detentions in hospital under the Mental Health Act 2007 - 2012
Note: Supervised Community Treatment Orders only in operation for 5 months of 2008-9
2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-20120
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
18000
63877538
8759
12300
1439915240
Number of uses of Place of Safety Orders (s136 and s135)
Source: NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care (2012) Inpatients formally detained in hospitals under the mental Health Act 1983, and patients subject to supervised community treatment, Annual figures, England, 2011/12, Health and Social Care Information Centre
Aspire: spinal cord injured adults in care homes
‘To keep me in this place, weekly costs £800 and for what for what? Look at how I’m living. No quality of life now whatsoever’.(Lawrence)
‘I am a prisoner here. I’m a prisoner in my body, but that’s not what I’m upset about; that’s accepted. It’s the care home system holds me prisoner. But I’ve done nothing wrong!’ (Harry)
‘It’s easier for them [care home staff] to just leave me lying in bed. But I insist every day and tell them, ‘What time are you getting me up?’ Sometimes they might say, ‘We can’t get you up today; we’re short staffed’, and then I have to accept that. I’ve no control even over the very basics like getting up in the morning’. (Phillip)
Our objective: independent living in practice. Personal budgets in health, education, employment , sport….Better use of resources
What we have done so far• Worked with members – strategy, regional
events, surveys, joint projects • Half a million people use our advice and
information – on PIP, ESA, independent living, employment, sport, IT…….
• 6,600 get specialist advice• Projects with DPOs to test new approaches to
personal budgets, apprenticeships, leadership• Influence: secured a trial period for PIP,
portability of social care/support, access to work
• Over 5,000 involved in campaigns so far
Using a range of methods