Make your voice heard – 10th January 2012

The Government wants to hear from disabled people, and their families, on what they need to fulfil their potential and play a full role in society. They will use the responses to develop a new disability strategy later in the year.

The questions asked by Government are in a document called Fulfilling Potential and they cover three key areas:

•  Get rid of the barriers that stop disabled people doing the best they can.
• Give disabled people more choice and control in their day-to-day life.
• Change the way people think and act towards disabled people to stop disabled people being treated badly or unfairly.

This is a fantastic opportunity for disabled people and their families to have their say and shape Government policy so it truly reflects their needs and aspirations. The strategy will have a big impact on the lives of disabled people, and those who support them, so it is important that as many people as possible take part.

How to get involved

 Step 1

The first step is to read the consultation document. A copy is available at:

http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/docs/fulfilling-potential/fulfilling-potential-discussion.pdf

A fully accessible copy can be viewed here:

http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/docs/fulfilling-potential/disability-discussion-easy-read.pdf

A British Sign Language version is available on Youtube:

 

Step 2

Think carefully about the questions asked and your experiences. What would have made it easier for you to take more control over decisions you have made? Who has been the most helpful when making important choices such as where to live or whether to go to college? What do you most want to achieve in life and what would help to make that happen?

Step 3

You must tell the Government what you think by 5pm on Friday 9^th of March 2012. You can do this in a number of ways. You can write a letter to the Office for Disability Issues at the address below:

The Office for Disability Issues (Disability Strategy Team)
Ground Floor
Caxton House
6-12 Tothill Street
London SW1H 9NA

You can send your response by email to the address below:

fulfilling.potential@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

You can also fill in an online form by clicking on the link below:

www.odi.gov.uk/fulfillingpotential

Alternatively, you can send us your views at campaigns@livability.org.uk and we will make sure that they are included in our response. If you do decide to respond individually, it would be great to hear from you on what suggestions you have made so we can show our support in our response.