----- Original Message -----
From: "Ian Loynes" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 2:37 PM
Subject: Whose Life is it anyway
Ian Loynes
Co-ordinator
Southampton Centre for Independent Living
PRESS RELEASE Monday 17th
October 2005
For immediate release:
Disabled People to lobby the LGA/Social Services annual conference in
Birmingham.
On Wednesday 19th October 2005, Disabled People from all over the UK will be
travelling to the NEC in Birmingham to coincide with the Local Government
Association/Social Services Conference "Changing Lives - Building Futures"
to draw attention to the growing crisis in Social Care which is undermining
their wish to live independently and the Government's stated aim to support
and encourage people to live independently. Disabled People are calling
their event "Whose Life is it Anyway?"
Disabled People, together with organisations of Disabled People will be
lobbying delegates of the LGA conference about their concerns and will then
be attending a 'parallel' conference of their own to debate their concerns
and agree a series of demands which they will present to the ADSS
(Association of Directors of Social Services) and the end of the LGA
conference on Friday 21st October 2005.
The following text provides more information:
"Whose life is it anyway?" Conference.
Organised by organisations run and controlled by Disabled People to debate
the future of Independent Living and the rapid demise of Centres for
Independent Living (CIL's)
Venue: Wednesday 19th October, 11am: NEC Concourse Suite 28
Independent Living is in CRISIS: Fact
Independent Living is good for Disabled People and good for society; This
has been recognized in the recent "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled
People" report from the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, Direct Payments
legislation and many other influential policy documents.
However, ever more restrictive eligibility criteria operated by Social
Services Departments are devastating the ability of Disabled People to live
independently. More and more Disabled People are reduced to simply existing,
effectively institutionalized in their own homes.
CIL's, recognised as critical to successful Independent Living schemes, are
having their funding removed by Local Authorities who are increasingly
tendering their work to 'cheaper' organisations who do not understand the
issues. CIL's are being forced to close across the UK.
This is not what the Government wants, more importantly this is not what
Disabled People want!
Now is the time for Disabled People to rise up and demand the right to live
independently and for CIL's to be actively supported and encouraged.
Our parallel conference will be debating these issues and agreeing a set of
demands which will be presented to the ADSS on Friday 21st October.
Historical notes:
The history of Disabled People is one of segregation, discrimination and
oppression: devoid of human and civil rights. But, when they have nothing to
lose, a people oppressed will rise against their oppressors and seek
redress: the last civil rights movement?
Since the seventies Disabled People have fought for the right to live
independently and to define what that means for us: choice and control.
Disabled People have built accountable self-help organisations, in
particular CIL's: campaigning and providing peer led support services.
Many concessions have been won, many improvements made and, for many
individual Disabled People, life chances enhanced. But:
Ø nothing has been won without the sweat, blood and tears of Disabled
campaigners;
Ø many initiatives have proved to be nothing more than false promises,
others short-lived political expediencies;
Ø our inalienable right to equality has not yet been won because our
rights remain dependent on good will and surplus budgets.
There is much rhetoric about our rights, about Independent Living and about
our quality of life. However, at every turn, hard won concessions are whitt
led away. Individuals see their care packages slashed. The notion of care
in the community (meaning access to personal, domestic and social support
that enables an individual to participate in the life of their community as
an equal) has been reduced to the minimum support to survive often in
hostile environments. Peer support services created by organisations of
Disabled People are under threat because, in spite of all the political
reference to consultation and the involvement of Disabled People in matters
which directly affect us, there is no political will to make it mandatory.
Local authorities are going to the lowest bidders and there's plenty in the
care industry willing to make a buck at our expense, especially charities
that are happy to espouse the 'talk' without taking the 'walk': Rights not
Charity.
We may have been lulled into a false sense of security, but the reality does
not live up to our expectations.
Your conference, whilst purporting to discuss our lives is yet again doing
so with a marked absence of our voice: Nothing About Us Without Us.
We are holding an alternative conference to have our say and bring our
demands to the attention of delegates and to initiate a national campaign to
secure our continuing right to Independent Living as defined by us and peer
support through our own organisations.
As Disabled People continue to experience segregation, discrimination and
oppression they will continue to fight against it.
Press Release ends:
Contact for enquiries:
Ian Loynes, Co-ordinator, Southampton Centre for Independent Living, 9-19
Rose Road, Southampton. SO14 6TE
Telephone: 023 8033 0982
Mobile: 07966 415 168
After hours: 023 8065 2312
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