3 December marked the annual International Day of Disabled Persons. This day has been observed every year since 1992 to promote awareness of the rights of disabled people. This year’s theme set by the UN was “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all.”
Labour is the party of equality and is proud to celebrate the contribution disabled people make to our communities, and champion the rights of disabled people. In 2016 Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions team launched the Disability Equality Roadshow to ensure we developed new policies for government. We engaged with disabled people, their carers, and other stakeholders; committing to the principal of ‘nothing about me, without me’. The views of disabled people were heard at events up and down to country.
Those who were unable to attend events were encouraged to submit their views online through the Labour Policy Forum. This information and evidence was developed into a ‘mini-manifesto’ for the 2017 General Election – “Nothing About You Without You: A Manifesto With And For Disabled People.”
The Manifesto states that the Labour Party is committed to a social model of disability and will enshrine the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities fully into UK law. Other key pledges in the manifesto included:
- To remove the barriers in society that restrict opportunities and choices for disabled people.
- To transform our social security system to be like the NHS – there for us in our time of need, providing security and dignity in retirement, and the basics in life should we become sick or disabled, or fall on hard times.
- To repeal cuts to social security support to disabled people through a new Social Security Bill published in our first year in office.
- To scrap the Work Capability and Personal Independence Payment assessments and replace them with a personalised, holistic assessment process which provides each individual with a tailored plan, building on their strengths and addressing barriers, whether finance, skill, health care, transport or housing related.
- To change the culture of the social security system, from one that demonises sick and disabled people to one that is supporting and enabling.
Yours views
The Manifesto provides pledges across all areas of life including: ensuring adequate standards of living; work and employment; health and social care; education and training; accessible environments; access to justice; and participating fully in political, public and cultural life in the UK.
Moving forward the National Policy Forum is looking to build on the manifesto and develop these policies and pledges, and you can take part in our open and democratic policy-making process. Whether you're a Labour Party member or not, we want to hear your ideas on how the next Labour government should tackle the challenges our country faces, and build a more equal and prosperous Britain.
Use this website to make submissions with your policy ideas throughout the year, join the discussion by commenting on other people’s ideas, or respond to specific policy questions presented by the National Policy Forum (NPF).
Your submissions are sent to the relevant NPF policy commission who will debate your ideas.
Find out more here: https://www.policyforum.labour.org.uk/about
You can read “Nothing About You Without You: A Manifesto With And For Disabled People” here: https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/manifesto-for-disabled-people-1.pdf
You can read our full manifesto here: https://labour.org.uk/manifesto/
