Accessibility should not be an afterthought

Certitude joined over 30 social care organisations today to sign a joint letter to the Department of Work and Pensions regarding the lack of accessible information available for 'The Pathways to Work' Green Paper consultation.

Whilst the consultation states that "We are keen to hear views from a wide group of people, in particular disabled people and people with health conditions and disability organisations" it does not yet have any information in an accessible format, only saying that this will be available at a later date.

The joint letter calls for an immediate update to the consultation and for accessible formats to be included.

“Ensuring people’s voices are heard is extremely important to us, and it’s especially important that people who draw on support are able to contribute their thoughts and feelings alongside everyone else.” Emma Main, Executive Director of Quality and Operations, Certitude

More information on the consultation and how to take part is available here.

Read the joint letter in full below:

Dear Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,

The Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper to reform health and disability benefits should be an opportunity for the government to hear from those directly affected.

It is essential that those most affected by these proposed changes have time to process and share their views. But there is no information provided in accessible formats at the point of launching this important consultation.

The consultation is only running for 12 weeks and whilst the consultation page indicates that accessible information will be available ‘in due course’, we are concerned that this excludes people who the Government should be listening to from the start.

Inclusion and accessibility are a basic baseline for employers to be disability confident and the Department for Work and Pensions should be a leading example of this.

We are calling for an immediate update to the consultation and accessible formats be included, simply extending the deadline implies accessibility for disabled people is an afterthought when the essence of welfare reform should focus on ensuring people get the support they need.

Signatories

Guy Van Dichele, Interim CEO, United Response

Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG)

Aisling Duffy, Chief Executive, Certitude

Sarah Maguire, Chief Executive, Choice Support

Rachael Dodgson, Chief Executive, Dimensions

Sarah Burslem, CEO, MacIntyre

Samantha Clark, Chief Executive, LDE

David Coe, Chief Executive, AFK

Jo Land, Chief Executive, Avenues Group

Ruth Gorman, Chief Executive, Imagine Act and Succeed

Stephen Veevers, Chief Executive, Hft

Richard Franklin, Chief Executive, Kisharon Langdon

Craig Crowley, Chief Executive, Action Deafness

Robert Shanahan, Chief Executive, Aspens

Ru Watkins, Chief Executive, Hamelin

Anna O’Mahony, Chief Executive, Hollybank Trust

Angela Murphy, Chief Executive, Fitzroy

Holly Spiers, Chief Executive, Walsingham Support

Anna McEwen, Chief Executive, Bromley Mencap

Sue Livett, Chief Executive, Aldingbourne Trust

Rachel Law, Chief Executive, PossAbilities

Gill Bryant, Chief Executive, Aurora Nexus

Jim Kane, Chief Executive, Community Integrated Care

Julie Bass, Chief Executive, Turning Point

Professor Vic Rayner OBE, CEO, National Care Forum

Lisa Hopkins, Chief Executive, SeeAbility

Katie Ghose, Chief Executive, Kids

Sarah Butcher, Chief Executive, Autism at Kingwood

Maria Mills, Chief Executive, Active Prospects

Kerry Dearden, Chief Executive, Affinity Trust

James Watson-O’Neill, Chief Executive, Sense

Thank you to our More than a Provider partners, United Response, for leading on the joint letter and gathering the signatories.