Danners yesterday hit the Disability Rights Commission Headquarters in
Manchester. Manchester DAN, along with support from
other Danners around the country, decided to hit the DRC because of their
poor track record in campaigning for disabled people's right to independent
living.
Neither the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 nor the Government's new
Disability Bill guarantee the rights of disabled people to accessible
housing, personal assistance or independent advocacy.
Whilst the National Centre for Independent Living and RADAR both state that
the right to independent living should be guaranteed to disabled people, the
Disability Rights Commission has failed to take up these issues and
manchester DAN urged the
Government to include them in its new Disability Bill.
So Danners took a letter to the DRC which they are demanding
that the DRC signs. The letter, which will be sent to Tony Blair and
candidates in the local and European elections, demands that
HOUSING
1. All housing providers should maintain an up-to-date register of
accessible and adapted housing.
2. All new housing should be accessible.
3. Housing providers should not remove major adaptations, e.g. through floor
lifts, ramps, wheel-in showers from their properties.
PERSONAL ASSISTANCE
1. National and local government should abolish "Fair Access to Services"
policies.
2. Local authorities should base their assessments for services on the 7
Needs of Independent Living.
3. Disabled People's needs should not be prioritised according to whether or
not they require assistance with personal 'care.'
ADVOCACY
All local authorities should fund an independent advocacy service run by a
local organisation controlled and managed by disabled people.
If you couldn't get down to the DRC you can support DANNERS carrying out the
action by ringing the DRC on 0161 958 2000 and asking them to sign the
Manchester DAN letter and enquiring what they are going to do to further our
demands
around independent living.
Let us know what response you get when you ring.
Linda Laurie and Mike Higgins
(for MDAN)
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