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Ahead of The Queen’s Speech this Wednesday [18 May 2016], national deafblind charity, Sense, is calling on the Government to set out concrete plans to improve life chances and build opportunities for people with disabilities.
Sense, a charity which supports deafblind people and those with complex needs, considers that the Queen’s Speech is a strong opportunity to deliver on the Government’s ambitious vision to break down barriers and increase opportunities for disabled people across the country.
Key areas of focus should be on ensuring that deafblind people and those with complex needs can access employment, and that disabled children can benefit from vital developmental opportunities through play.
Richard Kramer, Deputy Chief Executive for deafblind charity Sense, said:
“Disabled people and the organisations that represent them have been on the backfoot in recent months campaigning to protect benefits and enable people to live with dignity. Now is the chance to look forward and think how a less siloed approach by government could help people play a more active role in society. This means dismantling the barriers to opportunities that face disabled people at every stage of life, be it accessing play as a child or finding meaningful employment as an adult.
In recent months, the Government has made a number of pledges aimed at embracing inclusion and levelling the playing field for disabled people, however there is still much headway that needs to be made before the Government can realise their ambitions.
Sense’s recent Play Inquiry highlighted that nine of ten disabled children under the age of 5 do not have equal access to the play opportunities that are vital to their educational and social development. As a result we have been campaigning for increased investment in play as part of early years funding.
Sense is also currently campaigning for the Government to deliver on its ambition to halve the disability employment gap by dismantling the real barriers that prevent disabled people from finding a job, such as negative attitudes from employers, inaccessible transport and work support programmes not geared to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
With the Government due to publish its ‘Life Chances Strategy’ at the end of the month, it is now the time to turn these pledges into action. At Sense, we hope the Queen’s Speech will provide a platform for the Government to realise their aspirations and confirm their intention to increase life chances for disabled people, including those with complex needs.”
