‘we are about to witness the first steps of the dismantling of our dreams of an independent future for all disabled people. The question we need to ask is how did this happen?’

Mike Oliver, Welfare and the wisdom of the past, Disability Now, February 2013 

The brilliance of the social model of disability was always also its inherent weakness: its simplicity.

It was and is too easily read as suggesting that all of the factors excluding disabled people from equal participation in societ...

Continue reading ...

Introduction – independent living in a time of austerity

We start with an apparent dichotomy – the demand to advance disabled people’s right to independent living yet having to do so in the context both of the financial climate we are in and increasing demand for ever more scarce resources as we all live longer lives.

Many of us may disagree with the economic and other policies of the Government in Westminster and their impact at local level – that they are cutting too far, too fast...

Continue reading ...

Last November I worked with Professor Anna Lawson at Leeds University to draft a report for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights synthesising evidence collected from people with intellectual disabilities and people with mental health conditions across nine EU countries - Sweden, UK, Bulgaria, France, Latvia, Romania, Greece and Germany - regarding their experience of living independently and being included in the community.  

Today (7/6/12) the EUFRA has published the final report ...
Continue reading ...

On 21st March 2012, Baroness Jane Campbell, a cross bench peer and member of the UK Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights hosted a seminar concerning the Committee's report of its inquiry into the implementation of disabled people's right to independent living.   You can access the slides from the presentation here 

Unfortunately, Baroness Campbell was unwell on the day and unable to attend, but she sent the following message:

Message from Baroness Jane Campbell                         ...

Continue reading ...

My guest blog on why disabled people should be promoting radical reform of the Welfare State: http://disabilityrightsuk.blogspot.com/2012/03/no-more-defending-indefensible.html
Continue reading ...

In a world-first, the UK's Parliament has conducted an inquiry into the UK Government's implementation of Article19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - the right to live independently and to be included in the community.   I was honoured to work as a specialist adviser to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights on the Inquiry which began in 2011 and received evidence from over 300 witnesses.

Dr Hywel Francis MP, Chair of the Committee, said: ...
Continue reading ...