Public Sector Achievements On Disability Equality Celebrated, UK

Main Category: Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 18 Nov 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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RADAR People of the Year Awards 2008 - Winners to be announced 1st December. It is nearly two years since the new duty on the public sector to promote disability equality positively came into force and already the hard work of individuals and organisations in the public sector is making a real difference to the every day lives of disabled people. Individuals and organisations from the public sector short-listed (as below) for the RADAR Awards show the way for others to follow. Together these achievements radically change our world in ways that benefit not only disabled people but all of us and society as a whole.

The winners will be announced at a black tie dinner and presentation ceremony at Evolution, Battersea Park on 1 December. Presenters and speakers include the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions the Rt Hon James Purnell, actor Joseph Mawle, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Trevor Phillips and actor Matthew Goode.

Half of all disabled people are not working and those who are working earn on average 10% less than non-disabled people. Disabled adults are the one group in Britain for whom poverty has increased over the last decade. Our social care and support system is in such need of reform that people cannot even move from one part of the country to another without fear of losing essential personal care to get up in the morning so they can go about their daily business. Hate crimes against disabled people are also all too common.

Despite all these on-going issues, life in the UK has improved in many ways for disabled people over the last 20 years. More go to mainstream schools, more have jobs, there are better legal rights and public attitudes are beginning to shift.

Short-listed nominees for the RADAR Public Sector Award 2008, sponsored by the Office for Disability Issues, are:

- London Borough of Waltham Forest involved a highly diverse group of 200 disabled people - in terms of combination of impairments, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief - in their Disability Equality Scheme. They then took action, from hate crime reporting centres to more accessible toilets.

- Wirral University Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust involved people with learning disabilities in how to improve health and took action across the Trust, ranging from a play presented by people with learning disabilities as part of staff training to use of 'passports' by 5000 people to alert staff to service users' needs.

- Mersey Care NHS Trust involves service users with mental health needs or learning disabilities in decision making: on the Board, in over 2000 staff appointments, evaluating the performance of the Chief Executive and more. Evaluation shows the rights-based approach delivered culture change and raised confidence amongst service users and influenced staff practice.

- NHS Highland with Highland Council and partners set up Love Is, a programme spearheaded by people with learning disabilities, designed to secure rights to relationships, including sexual relationships. A policy to ensure rights is now mandatory for all staff working in the NHS Highland, Highland Council, and all public and voluntary sector organisations that have contracts or service level agreements with either public sector body.

- South West London and St George's NHS Trust actively recruits people with mental health problems, making personal experience a desirable criterion for all posts and offering flexible support to employee and manager where needed. 19% of applicants - and 23% of recruits - have personal mental health experience; the more senior the post, the more likely personal experience becomes (31% of recruits to the most senior roles).

- Merseyside Fire and Rescue aims to reduce house fires, employing disabled and deaf advocates and offering free Home Fire Safety Checks. Results include fitting flashing light smoke alarms for deaf people, flame retardant bedding and sprinkler systems for those with mobility impairments, fire safety support for people with mental health, drug and alcohol problems and culture change amongst staff.

Other public sector organisations and individuals are also nominated in other categories:

Young Person's Award:

- Claire Sunter, Mersey Fire and Rescue Service Claire (28) is deaf and works in fire safety, where she has influenced colleagues to understand that being deaf need not be a fire risk - as for anyone else, with the right alarm fitted risk can be minimized. Claire has promoted deaf and disability awareness in schools, promoted fire safety in the D/deaf community and been promoted to advocate supervisor, supervising deaf and hearing staff.

Person of the Year Award sponsored by Royal Mail:

- Jainab Desai, Royal Bolton Hospital for significantly improving health and dental care access for people with learning disabilities in Bolton

- David Morris, Greater London Authority for inspirational leadership as the London Mayor's senior advisor, leading to significant improvements in accessibility of transport, services and developments for Londoners and visitors.

- Heidi Portrey, West Midlands Police for using her experience as a police officer diagnosed with borderline personality disorder as an opportunity to promote understanding and good practice in disability equality.

Business Award:

- The Shaw Trust with West Midlands Police has taken positive action to increase disabled people's employment, offering one-year contracts as a route into permanent employment (taken up by 60% of participants). Their retention programme has demonstrated financial savings, efficiency gains and reduced grievances.

Chief Executive of RADAR Liz Sayce, comments:

"The RADAR People of the Year Awards celebrate pioneers of difference who together are making Britain a fairer place for everyone living with ill-health, injury or disability. This is a simple matter of social justice. It also makes economic sense - those companies that draw their workers from across all communities as well as seeking as wide a market as possible for their goods and services are best able to withstand economic hard times and come out strong. Those public services that serve the whole community quite simply provide better services for everyone.

RADAR works with partners from all sectors of society to make equality and human rights for all disabled people a reality. We celebrate the achievements of every one of the shortlisted individuals and organisations who this year have helped to bring that vision closer. "

1. RADAR, founded in 1977, is the UK's largest disability campaigning network with over 900 individual and organisational members. RADAR stands for the Royal Association of Disability and Rehabilitation. RADAR is a charity run by and for disabled people that depends on the financial and voluntary support of others including public donations. To find out more please visit our web site http://www.radar.org.uk

2. The RADAR Awards 2008 Judges are:

- Mike Adams, Essex Coalition of Disabled People
- Ben Summerskill, CEO, Stonewall and Equality and Human Rights Commissioner
- Bill Campbell, CEO, Inclusion Scotland
- Dr Paul Darke, academic, writer and broadcaster: Chair of Media Judging Panel
- Mary Fitzpatrick, BBC Editorial Executive of Diversity
- Diane Freeman Sider, film and television producer
- Martin Lucas, television producer
- Andrew O'Connell, factual commissioning editor Sky One
- Susan Scott-Parker OBE, CEO, Employers Forum on Disability
- Edward Stourton, presenter, BBC Today programme
- Peter White, BBC's Disability Affairs Correspondent: Chair of Main Judging Panel

3. Tickets and tables for the RADAR 2008 awards dinner are still available. This exciting black tie event is the perfect opportunity to join leading figures in the disability movement, business and industry peers, Ministers, MPs and people from the arts and media, in celebrating the achievements of organisations and individuals who are making the UK a fairer and more equal place to live. For more information, please email Leonore.Lord@radar.org.uk.

4. More information on the Awards can be found at: http://www.radar.org.uk/awards-2008

RADAR's vision is of a world where human difference is routinely anticipated, expertly accommodated and positively celebrated.

RADAR

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