Disabled and deaf people

'We are putting deaf and disabled people at the heart of our plans for 2012 and beyond.  We must achieve an accessible London.'  Mayor of London, Boris Johnson

Disability is a normal part of life. More than a million Londoners are disabled, of whom about 100,000 are children (Family Resources Survey). The Annual Population Survey, which uses a wider definition but does not include pensioners, estimates that nearly 800,000 of working age Londoners are disabled.

There is a great diversity in London’s disabled community. In the working age population, about one third of disabled people come from a minority ethnic group, more than a quarter of a million people. A similar number are parents with dependent children, most of them in couples but a significant minority are lone parents.

The Greater London Authority wants to put equality for disabled and deaf people at the centre of its work. Whether that is when forming a policy or strategy, providing a service or employing people. It also wants to remove barriers preventing disabled and deaf Londoners from being equal citizens. The need to consult with organisations working for disabled and Deaf people is the best way to make sure we have an inclusive approach to issues affecting Londoners.  

The Mayor’s Office will benefit enormously from having a dialogue on strategic issues, such as the London 2012 Games, which directly invovled the communities, and on many other policy initiatives such as the Health Inequalities Strategy, the Refugee Integration Strategy, the Carers Strategy, the Housing Strategy, the London Plan, the Equal Chances for All framework and Sustainable Development.

Through consultation and research the GLA has identified the priority areas for change for disabled and deaf Londoners:

• Promoting disability equality and the social model and challenging discrimination
• Improving access to transport
• Improving access to the built environment
• Making more accessible housing available
• Improving access to employment and education
• Improving facilities and services for deaf Londoners
• Supporting the right to independent living
• Improving equal access to health services.

Improvement in these areas will be achieved by changing attitudes, working practices, policies and addressing the lack of access to buildings, transport or information. The GLA is working to remove the barriers that prevent disabled and deaf people from making the most of all that London has to offer.

The Mayor's Office and the GLA have worked closely with and supported organisations controlled by disabled and deaf Londoners. This has been facilitated through regular meetings with key organisations of disabled and deaf people to ensure their needs are reflected in mayoral strategies and initiatives, and to allow them to tell the Mayor’s Office about their main areas of concern. The key activity includes:

• Consultation meetings
• Peer Outreach Team
• Planning
• Other projects.

Involvement of deaf and disabled people is a continuing process, and does not end with the publication of the DES so if you are a member of group or organisation that provides services or activities for and by disabled people we encourage you to get In touch with us for future engagement and consultation activities.