Building a national voice for INDEPENDENT LIVING

All disabled having the same choice, control and freedom, as any other citizen – at home, at work, and as members of the community. This does not necessarily mean disabled people ‘doing everything for themselves’, but it does mean any practical assistance disabled people need should be based on their own choices and aspirations

Disability Rights Commission 2002

Defining Independent Living

12 pillars of independent living

Full access to our environment / a fully accessible transport system / technical aids – equipment / accessible adapted housing / personal assistance / inclusive education and training / an adequate income / equal opportunities for employment / appropriate and accessible information / advocacy / counselling / appropriate and accessible health care provision

Our priority issues

• Social security benefits

• Personalisation

• Promoting independent living

• Challenging the scrounger rhetoric

Social security benefits

•Personal independence payments – the nationwide roll out has been put back, we need information from recipients to inform our work

•PIP guide and information – information on our website

•The mobility descriptor – the 20/50 metres ham consultation

•Bedroom tax – challenge on human rights grounds

Personalisation

•Crisis in social care – arguing about 15 minutes of care is not the answer, we need choice and control

•Closure of the ILF – how we respond to get the best deal of existing recipients

•Promoting personal health budgets – making sure we all know about them and raising the demand

•Integration – integrating support funding streams will maximise our opportunities

Promoting independent living

• The implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities article 19 – contributing to the UN committee’s review of UK expected to begin in 2014

•Launch of Just Fair Coalition report on IL in parliament 26th novemeber

•Legislation to bring right to independent living into UK law

•Review the 2008 Independent Living Strategy – as the Government won’t do it we will

Challenging the scrounger rhetoric

•There are lies, damned lies, statistics and governments

•Hard to challenge negativity which has a tendency to stick around for a long time

•Avoid falling into the trap of inviting the public just to feel sorry for us

•WE DO MORE THAN YOU THINK WE DO – what do you think?

LET OUR VOICE BE HEARD!