The Welsh Government’s plan to turn ‘disability’ into ‘ability’
Nina Holmes and Tara Swaminathan take a look at the Welsh Government's plan to promote independent living, which could significantly boost the disability movement in Wales.
The ‘Action on Disability: The Right to Independent Living’ framework was officially launched on 18 September 2019, following extensive engagement with disabled people and the organisations who represent them. The framework aims to promote the disabled community’s vision of the world, where ‘people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference’.
The framework’s main objectives are to:
- improve access to help, advice and services for disabled people in Wales
- promote equality of opportunity
- enable disabled people to access responses and mainstream services more easily and readily
- focus on the key issues identified by disabled people and set out what the Welsh Government can do to remove the barriers they face
Opportunities within society should be accessible for all, irrespective of their disability. Disabled people represent 26% of the Welsh population. Yet, ingrained poverty and challenges continue to exist for disabled individuals when accessing essential services, which inadvertently introduces needless barriers and public ignorance. Therefore, it is hoped that this framework will encourage action and ensure that inequalities and exclusions are acknowledged, with negative attitudes towards them are effectively challenged.
