Disability justice project hopes to secure support across the country

A disabled people’s organisation is hoping its new disability justice project will draw support from across the country and create change in both government policy and public attitudes, as well as addressing the sense of “inevitability” around disability poverty.

One of Inclusion Barnet’s early targets will be to persuade the new Labour government to scrap proposed changes to personal independence payment that were included in a consultation document by the Conservative government shortly before July’s general election.

Inclusion Barnet says 14 years of austerity have been “disastrous” for disabled people, while the “skiver versus striver” rhetoric promoted by successive governments has been used to justify cuts to disability support and funding.

It hopes its Campaign for Disability Justice – launched today (Thursday) – will convince disabled people and their allies to sign up as supporters on its new website.

Caroline Collier (pictured), Inclusion Barnet’s chief executive, told Disability News Service: “It always astounds me that we are so accepting as a society of disability poverty and bad outcomes for disabled people.”

She pointed to last year’s report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation that suggested there were more than two million disabled people who experienced destitution in 2022.

She said: “There is a really disproportionate number of disabled people living in deep poverty, and there’s just not enough awareness of the issues.

“It should make the headlines.”

She also highlighted the countless deaths of disabled people linked to the actions of the Department for Work and Pensions.

She said: “People are literally dying and still nothing is done.

“It’s almost like people think that there’s an inevitability: that if you’re disabled, it’s sad, but suffering is inevitable.

“It doesn’t have to be that way at all.”

Collier hopes the new campaign – initially funded from Inclusion Barnet’s reserves – will help change public attitudes towards disabled people, end disablist rhetoric, and help to move towards a society where all disabled people enjoy a decent standard of living.

She also hopes it will help to build a society that “respects and values us”, and also support the development of disabled people’s organisations.

The campaign has already secured backing from disabled people’s organisations, allies and networks such as Inclusion London, Inclusion Scotland, National Survivor User Network, Disability Rights UK and Disability Law Service, as well as Learning Disability England, Turn2us, AdviceUK, Association of Mental Health Providers,  Mencap, The Trussell Trust, Scope, and the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action.

One of Collier’s targets is to find a way with the campaign to move beyond disabled people and allies who are already “converted” to the need for disability justice and “reach the people who might be sympathetic if you talk to them in the right way”.

She added: “Ultimately, the dream is to break the link between disability and poverty. Obviously, that’s a huge goal, but that link should not exist.

“I’d encourage all Disability News Service readers to join the campaign, follow us at @CampaignFDJ, spread the word and help make the case for change.”

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