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The Campaign For A Fair
Society
If you are worried about coalition government cuts to services for disabled people, we invite you to join The Campaign For A Fair Society
To Download a word Document with much more info on this important campaign please click here.
To visit the campaign website please click
here.
Early Day Motion EDM 341 on the Independent Living Fund
Please ask your MP to support this motion. The Independent Living Fund currently provides vital support for over 21,000 disabled people but due to the rising cost of care the fund has had to close to new applicants for the remainder of the financial year; This Early Day Motion will be coming up, in parliament, soon. It “calls on the Government to increase the funding to the Independent Living Fund to allow it to continue providing support to all who require it.” If you support the good work that this fund has achieved so far and want the funding to be increased so that it can be available to all the disabled people who need it, then Please ask your MP to support this important motion.
To download an article with more information on this important issue, please click here
Here is a link to the motion it's self
To find out who your MP is please click here.
Access to Work
TUDA is working with trade unions and disabled people's organisations to defend the Access to Work scheme which meets disability-related costs for disabled workers. On 1 October 2006 the Government removed entitlement to the scheme from central government workers, arguing that costs should be met by the departments which employ them. The Government has also discussed eventually removing Access to Work entitlement for all public sector workers.
We are demanding:
Click here to read a full briefing about the campaign, and watch this space for updates. Click here to read the speech that Phil Madelin from the Public and Civil Services Union (PCS) gave to the TUDA annual general meeting (AGM) in May 2007.
Trade Union Charter for Disability Equality
On 25 May 2006 TUDA launched the Trade Union Charter for Disability Equality at the TUC Disabled Members' Conference. First to sign up were the Communications Workers Union and the broadcasting union Bectu, followed by the NASWT and NAPO. Speaking on behalf of the Disability Rights Commission, Bob Niven said: "We think the Charter is a good piece of work and agree that it will be of great help to trade unions in their role in ensuring disability equality. We wish the Charter well."
The Charter spells out the actions that trade unions are expected to take to support disabled members under the Disability Discrimination Act, within a Social Model of Disability context. We have also produced a briefing document, giving the background to each clause and in particular how it fits into the legislation, with examples and other information taken directly from the The Disability Discrimination Act Code of Practice for Trade Organisations and Qualifications Bodies.
Both the Charter and the Briefing are available on this website. We are encouraging all trade unions and disability organisations to link to these from their own websites; you do not need further permission in order to do so.
Click here to read the report of the TUDA fringe meeting, 'People in Glass Houses', at the TUC Disability Conference on 25 May 2005.
Responses to Government documents
TUDA has responded to the Government consultation on how to improve protection against disability discrimination by revising the law to take account of legal decisions that have weakened the existing legislation. Click here to read our response in full.
TUDA has responded to the Home Office consultation 'Managing Protest Around Parliament'. We point out that many disabled people’s equality isues have been raised through peaceful direct action and protests outside Parliament where MPs and the media can see us. We, TUDA, claim the freedom to assemble without prior notification or permission - and this is not open to negotiation. Click here to read our response in full.
TUDA has responded to the Government's consultation on the reform of anti-discrimination legislation, the Green Paper on a single Equality Act. We point out that the current proposals represent a wasted opportunity. Click here to read a briefing about the Government's proposals, originally published in the August 2007 edition of our newsletter.
TUDA has responded to the Government's consultation on the future of Incapacity Benefit. In our response to the Green Paper, we focus on the Government's plans to reform Incapcity Benefit. In our submission to the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee’s inquiry into reform of Incapacity Benefit and ‘Pathways to Work’, we point out the many barriers to work that disabled unemployed people face and call on the Government to tackle these multiple factors rather than cutting benefit levels.
TUDA has responded to the Government's consultation on the future of education for disabled young people. We point out the benefits of an education system that is genuinely inclusive of all pupils. Click here to read our response in full.
TUDA has responded to the Government's Green Paper on social care, Independence, Well Being and Choice, pointing out the difficulties that disabled workers face because of inadequate and inappropriate social care provision. Click here to read our response in full. Trade unions may also find this document helpful in understanding the current social care system and the impact which it has on their disabled members, both employed and unemployed.
We have also responded to the Government's proposed long-term disability strategy, Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People: click here to read our response in full. We are asking all trade unions and the TUC to join our campaign to strengthen this strategy.
TUDA has also responded to Consultation on a New Code of Practice (The Duty to Promote Disability Equality). The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has been amended by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 to place a duty on all public sector authorities to promote disability equality. The duty on the public sector will have a significant impact on the way in which all public services are run and on improving the lives of disabled people. Click here to read TUDA's response.
Civil Rights
TUDA was founded specifically to campaign for full civil rights for disabled people. We are still fighting to achieve this goal. Over the years the specific battles in this overarching campaign have varied.
In the first years of our existence we were part of the coalition campaigning for a law to protect disabled people from the wide-spread discrimination in society (Rights Now). As a result of this campaign the Conservative Government passed the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in 1995. This was a weak and watered down version of the law for which we had been campaigning.
Since 1995 TUDA has been campaigning for full, effective and comprehensive civil rights. In 1997 the Labour Government established the Disability Rights Taskforce and Caroline Gooding sat on this Taskforce representing TUDA. The Taskforce reported in 1999, making more than 100 recommendations for changes to the law, strengthening and extending the DDA.
As a result the Disability Rights Commission was established in 2000, and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act extended protection against discrimination to education services, which the original DDA excluded. The recent Disability Bill has extended protection against discrimination in transport services and introduced a positive duty on public authority to promote disability equality. This completes nearly all of the Taskforce recommendations.
But we know that we still will not have full and effective civil rights. TUDA’s submission to the Disability Bill spells out some of the weaknesses and need for change. Key of these is the need for the disability discrimination law to have a social model definition of disability.
We have also called for protection against genetic discrimination and responded to the Human Genetics Commission Consultation.
We have argued the need for a comprehensive European law against disability discrimination. This is now TUC and Labour part policy, in part thanks to TUDA’s campaigning.
TUDA has participated in the debates about the direction of broad equality laws. We have opposed a one size fits all, cost-cutting Single Equality Commission. However, we support full and effective legal protection for all oppressed groups in our society (and of course disabled people come from all parts of society, and may often experience more than one form of discrimination).
We know that more is needed than ending discrimination, however broadly this is defined. Disabled people need a right to independent living and we will work with key organisations such as the National Centre for Independent Living to achieve this. Part of this struggle is the fight to secure a decent income, on dignified terms. We campaign for a decent and adequate system of state benefits, without coercion.
We will go on campaigning for changes to the law until the social barriers and prejudices which prevent disabled people from participating fully in society are dismantled.
But we know that passing laws does not by itself bring liberation. As active participants in the trade union and disability movements, we fight to make a reality out of abstract legal rights.
TUDA has since its inception been an active member of the British Council of Disabled People (BCODP) and is represented on their national committee.
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