Disability Equality Policy and Practice Issues facing people with learning difficulties and ideas about how to make the situation better

What I am going to talk about I am going to talk about two key issues that are currently affecting people with learning difficulties and they both impact on equality of opportunity: Independent living Localism I will then share my ideas about how we can try to make the situation better

Independent Living Key Issues: People with learning difficulties still have a limited choice People are often only given support at a time of crisis and not before With cuts, support hours are being reduced, meaning that people with learning difficulties are not reaching their full potential

Independent Living (2) Personalised Independent Payments (PIP) This is a new scheme that is supposed to lead to more independent living for people with a disability, however: PIP is not understood by disabled people or by local authorities, there is a big communication problem The assessment process: council budget vs. support need

Independent Living (3) What needs to be done to improve the lives of people with learning difficulties People need good information about PIP’s and other support options available, by people I mean policy makers; local authorities; service providers; and people with learning difficulties People need good support to put in place PIP or to live independently. This needs to be independent support (e.g. an independent advocate) so that people with learning difficulties can make the right decisions for themselves

Localism: “Divide and conquer” There is a movement by central government towards localism, which means that decisions are now being made at a local level rather than a national level. It is affecting people with learning difficulties in many ways.

Localism: “Divide and conquer” (2) Decisions about funding for services are being made at a local level, so that it is now harder to campaign at a national level People with learning difficulties and the people that support them do not know who their local decision makers are in order to make complaints or campaign Example: Norfolk GP

Localism: “Divide and conquer” (3) Funding for local user led groups which would usually support people to speak up or keep people informed are having their funding cut by local councils There is little awareness in local authorities of the how to and the need to properly consult people with learning difficulties on changes being made. This leaves people with learning difficulties in the dark

Localism: “Divide and conquer” (4) What needs to be done to improve the lives of people with learning difficulties: Local disabled people against cuts groups need a platform to be able to talk about and campaign against cuts that are having a negative impact in their area Local disabled people must find a way to continue to meet even if their local group is no longer funded to arrange campaigning events/ sit-ins etc.

Localism: “Divide and conquer” (5) What needs to be done to improve the lives of people with learning difficulties: National organisations must find ways of gaining information about local experiences as a result of cuts to inform national policy and campaign on behalf of local people and local groups

A campaign manifesto in a hostile environment Groups to get together to write a manifesto: This will show what disabled people want in the financial climate that we are in We have to agree what the most important things are and campaign together on these issues

Thank you for listening Does anyone have any questions?