Equalities 2025

Press release

Local disabled people can influence government

Simone has been working to achieve equality for disabled people both locally/nationally/internationally for several years. She has recently been appointed as a member of a new cross-government advisory body – Equality 2025 – the United Kingdom Advisory Network on Disability Equality, which was launched by the Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire on 7 December 2006.

Equality 2025 will be working closely with government to find a way for all disabled people’s views and experiences to be heard. This is so that future policies and services are designed to give disabled people the services they want when they need them.

Simone said ” I am delighted to be on the Equality 2025.  I am hoping that this will be a real opportunity for disabled people to set a challenging agenda so that disabled people can achieve true equality by 2025.”

Equality 2025 currently has 21 members who are all disabled people. They have a range of skills and experiences and will make sure that they and government talk with disabled people who are currently without a political voice or who are most marginalised in society including disabled children and young people.

Its aims are to:

• Work with Government to help it achieve the aim of equality for disabled people by 2025.
• Provide advice and information from disabled people based upon the values underpinning the work of the Network and the views and experiences of disabled people.
• Advise government departments on how they can engage effectively and meaningfully with disabled people.
• Assist Government in raising awareness of disabled people and their rights, improving attitudes towards them and challenging negative stereotypes in the media and the wider community.
• Help ensure that public bodies are meeting their legal duties under the DDA in relation to the Disability Equality Duty.
• Advise Government on the implementation and maintenance of international treaties and conventions within the UK.

Initially members can be contacted through the Office for Disability. You can email them at: office-for-disability@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Notes to Editors

1. The Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit published their report ‘Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People’ in January 2005. The report sets out the Government’s vision for disabled people: ‘By 2025, disabled people in Britain should have full opportunities and choices to improve their quality of life and will be respected and included as equal members of society’. It includes some sixty recommendations for improving disabled people’s lives.
2. A key recommendation of the Life Chances report was the establishment of a ‘national forum of organisations for disabled people’ to create an effective channel of communication between disabled people and Government.
3. An Advisory Group of 13 disabled people advised Ministers about the role remit and design of the new body.  They published their report with all their recommendations in December 2006. The Government has published their response to these recommendations.
4. Equality 2025 is an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body.  Secretariat support is provided by the Office for Disability Issues.
5. The Minister for Disabled People hopes to agree a work plan with Equality 2025 in the spring of 2007.
6. Recruitment for a member from Northern Ireland will take place early in the New Year.  The posts are public appointments and the recruitment exercise will follow standards of the Office for the Commissioner of Public Appointments.
7. Capita Resources is handling the recruitment for the Office for Disability Issues.  The closing date for applications is Friday 7 February 2007 at  5pm.
8. The Office for Disability Issues was launched on 1 December 2005 and provides a cross-government focus on disability issues. It is directed by a Ministerial steering group composed of representatives from six key departments: Department for Education and Skills, Department of Health, Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Transport, Department of Trade & Industry and the Department for Work and Pensions.  Its website address is www.officefordisability.gov.uk
9. A full copy of the ‘Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People’ report is on the Strategy Unit’s website: http://www.strategy.gov.uk/work_areas/disability/

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