NORTH Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson set out the government's national disability strategy to help millions of disabled people benefit from more accessible housing, easier commuting, and better job prospects.

Containing 100 immediate commitments and supported by £1.6 billion of funding, the strategy is focused on improving inclusion in the workplace, tackling the disability employment gap and making sure children with special educational needs and disabilities are at the heart of the strategy.

The strategy includes consulting on introducing workforce reporting for businesses with more than 250 staff on the number of disabled people.

This move is designed to improve inclusive practice across the UK’s biggest employers and builds on existing gender reporting requirements - Increasing the number of disabled people employed by MI5, MI6, GCHQ, the Reservists and the civilian military by 2030. MI6 has set an interim target of 9% by 2025.

The government will be launching a new online advice hub available to both disabled people and employers, which provides information and advice on disability discrimination in the workplace, flexible working and rights and obligations around reasonable adjustments. For the first time, the one stop shop will make it easier for disabled people to navigate the workplace.

It will pilot an Access to Work Adjustments Passport to help smooth the transition into employment and support people changing jobs. Pilots will be taking place this year focussing on young people leaving education and veterans leaving the armed forces. The Adjustments Passport will capture the in-work support needs of the individual and empower them to have confident discussions about adjustments with employers. It will also set an expectation with the employer that specialist aids and appliances move when their employee progresses in work or moves post.

The government will be investing £300 million to create places, improve existing provision in schools and make accessibility adaptations for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

In addition to this, to make sure disabled people can live in homes adapted to their needs the government is taking action to:

- Raise the accessibility requirements for new homes and adapt existing homes using the £573 million Disabled Facilities Grant to make changes like widening doors, installing ramps, fitting stair lifts or installing a downstairs bathroom. - Mandating that 10% of homes built through the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 will be for supported housing, boosting availability of good homes for those with additional needs. This target is designed to make more homes available to people with additional needs.

The strategy outlines new technology making rail journeys easier and more accessible, including enabling disabled passengers to contact staff from their seat on the train with the new support in place by end of March 2022. The Department Of Transport is also supporting innovative projects that will improve communication for disabled passengers and others with reduced mobility on rail services. Projects will be supported with between £50k and £400k and will use new technology to make using the railways easier and more accessible.

To create the strategy, the DWP conducted a listening exercise, which saw 14,000 people take part in a survey, alongside roundtable meetings and workshops with charities and stakeholders across the country. This engagement with disabled people has given a vital insight into their needs and wishes - which has helped to enrich and shape the strategy.

The Disability Strategy also covers a range of other areas including access to justice, culture and the arts. It marks the first cross-government endeavour to improve disabled people’s everyday lives with legislation, policy and funding from across all corners of government.

The strategy builds on the Disability Discrimination Act which enshrined protections for disabled people when it comes to employment, transport, education and provision of goods and services.

All commitments are backed by the personal drive of the UK government department’s Ministerial Disability Champion and progress will be reported on every 12 months.

 

Mr Tomlinson said: “For the first time, we have real cross-government focus, with clearly set out priorities and aims.

"We are absolutely committed to putting disabled people at the heart of government policy making and service delivery.

"Their voices, insights and experiences are central to this strategy and our future approach. By engaging disabled people, their families, carers and organisations, collectively we will deliver real and lasting change.

"That’s empowered us to focus on the things disabled people tell us are most important to them, and crucially they’ll be able to hold us to account as we deliver real and lasting change.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Just as our talented Paralympians are set to take the stage in Tokyo next month, at home we are harnessing that same ambition and spirit, to build a better and fairer life for all disabled people living in the UK.

"Our new National Disability Strategy is a clear plan – from giving disabled people the best start in school to unlocking equal job opportunities, this strategy sets us on a path to improve their everyday lives.”

Work and Pensions Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey said: “The result of an unprecedented endeavour across government, this national strategy will help level up opportunity and improve the everyday experience of disabled people, whether that is at home; travelling on public transport; using the local high street or going online; enjoying culture, the arts or the great outdoors; and exercising civic roles like jury service and voting.

"It sets out the practical actions we will take now, alongside clear accountability for delivering them, as well as renewing our ambition to do even more as we build back fairer.”