Mayor publishes capital’s first ever Action Plan to drive improvements for Deaf and Disabled Londoners

• First-ever action plan has been created in partnership with advocacy group Inclusion London, Deaf and Disabled Londoners and other Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations

• Landmark Plan builds on Sadiq’s work to increase the number of step-free stations to record levels, improve the accessibility of the bus network, signed the British Sign Language Charter, and help Londoners secure financial support that they are entitled to

• Action Plan sets out a range of commitments to improve transport, safety and housing, as well as access to financial support and employment

 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today published the capital’s first ever action plan for Deaf and Disabled Londoners, setting out his bold plans to make London a more inclusive city.

 

London is home to 1.2 million Deaf and Disabled people but too often they face a range of barriers, including safety concerns, difficulty travelling, a shortage of accessible housing and a lack of support with employment and skills opportunities. This group of Londoners is also being disproportionately impacted by the long-standing rise in the cost-of-living.

 

The Mayor has made it his mission to make London a fairer and more inclusive city, and has worked closely with Deaf and Disabled people’s organisations to do all he can to drive change over the last decade. 

 

This has seen a wide range of improvements across the capital including the Equity in Motion plan to ensure London’s transport network is welcoming, inclusive and accessible to all Londoners. The Elizabeth line, DLR and trams are all step free, all bus routes are served by low-floor vehicles with an access ramp and dedicated space for wheelchair users, and 95 per cent of bus stops are wheelchair accessible. More than half of the London Overground is step free and more than a third of Tube stations. TfL is also rolling out fault-reporting technology in Tube station lifts to improve journey planning for people with access needs, and is trialling a calm space at Ealing Broadway station for those who may find travelling overwhelming and need a quiet space to pause.

 

London’s Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice Debbie Weekes-Bernard chairs the Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations forum to inform and scrutinise City Hall’s policies and programmes and a Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) disability co-production group was created to inform development of the Police and Crime Plan. City Hall has signed the British Sign Language Charter and through the Mayor’s income maximisation campaigns and advice services he has helped Londoners claim millions in financial support that they are entitled to.

 

The Mayor has consistently supported increasing the supply of accessible and specialist housing and protecting the support disabled Londoners need to live safely and independently. His London Plan sets strong accessibility requirements for new homes and partners for affordable homes funding are expected to adhere to the policy to provide wheelchair-accessible and adaptable homes. Last year the Mayor and London Councils launched a new Inclusive Talent Strategy to help Londoners get the skills they need to progress their careers and break down the barriers to good work, building on free adult education provided through the Adult Skills Fund. While the Liberty Festival has been a part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture programme helping to champion the work of disabled creatives.

 

Now the Mayor has worked closely with Londoners, Inclusion London – which supports more than 70 Deaf and Disabled Organisations across the capital – and partners across the capital to develop this first-ever action plan.

 

The plan builds on the Mayor’s wide-ranging existing work to support Deaf and Disabled people and includes a focus on:

• Tackling poverty – improving access to advice services and expanding support for disabled Londoners to claim the financial support they are entitled to.

• Policing and safety – working with the Met to develop a pilot to improve ways for disabled people to report crime and improving victim support, and with the London Fire Brigade and local authorities to ensure safe evacuation routes and appropriate support during emergencies.

• Housing and planning – a commitment to focus on accessibility throughout the development of the London Plan, working with boroughs and housing providers to ensure accessible housing is delivered – holding developers to account and providing funding to increase provision of accessible accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse.

• Transport – continuing to engage Disabled Londoners to improve accessibility across the transport network, working to improve uptake of travel concessions and improving TfL staff training.

• Employment and skills – tackling employment barriers through the Inclusive Talent Strategy (ITS) and Get London Working plan and sharing best practice to create more accessible and inclusive workplaces.

 

City Hall has also committed to strengthen engagement with Disabled Londoners to ensure that services across the GLA group are accessible.

 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It is unacceptable that Deaf and Disabled Londoners face barriers that affect their daily lives and prevent them from fully benefitting from life. I am proud that London is leading the way to address this.

 

“Since becoming Mayor, I’ve made it my mission to make our city fairer and more inclusive for all Londoners, and through this plan I’m committing to redoubling our efforts to improve the lives of Deaf and Disabled Londoners. By listening to Londoners and working closely with partners, we have created a plan that will tackle the transport, employment, housing, safety and cost-of-living challenges they face.

 

“London's future depends on the talents and potential of all its people and by working together, we can build a city that truly works for everyone.”

 

David Buxton, CEO Action on Disability, said: "London's first Action Plan specifically for Deaf and Disabled Londoners is an important and very welcome step forward. Deaf and Disabled people continue to face too many barriers in our everyday lives, across transport, housing, employment, accessing services, financial security and feeling safe and included in our communities.

 

"What is particularly important is that this Action Plan has been shaped with Deaf and Disabled Londoners and our organisations. Genuine co-production must now continue throughout its implementation, with our lived experience helping to shape decisions, monitor progress and measure whether commitments are delivering real change.

 

"Nothing about us without us must be at the heart of this work. By working in genuine partnership with Deaf and Disabled Londoners and Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations, and by being transparent and accountable for progress, we can turn these commitments into lasting improvements and make London a genuinely accessible and inclusive city for everyone."

 

Tracey Lazard, CEO Inclusion London: “As the fully independent strategic partner who worked closely with the GLA in the process of developing this plan, we welcome it and see it as a strategically important positive step. Whilst at this time not every action suggested by our community was included in this first action plan, the focus now must shift to ensuring the plan is implemented fully and the visions set out in key policy areas are used to guide policy-making in London for years to come.

 

“We believe this plan has laid the foundations for genuine future strategic engagement and partnership between the Mayor and Disabled Londoners not only through its implementation, but also through a far greater understanding of the priorities, experiences, needs, and aspirations of Disabled Londoners. We are grateful to everyone who pushed for this plan and to all Deaf and Disabled people’s organisations and Disabled Londoners who engaged with the GLA throughout its development.”

 

Pippa Maslin, Policy and Campaigns Manager and Safeguarding Lead from Merton Centre for Independent Living, said: “Merton Centre for Independent Living is very pleased to have helped to shape the GLA's first Action Plan for Deaf and Disabled Londoners. The creation of a regional strategy dedicated to addressing the needs of Deaf and Disabled people has real potential to be a game changer, and we hope that everyone with the power to implement its aims will get on board and work hard to make our capital a more equitable place to live, work and visit.”

 

Mary Ann Macdonald, Project Delivery Officer of Our Place at Action on Disability, said: “"As a wheelchair user born and raised in London, I know first-hand how accessibility can affect your ability to fully participate in everyday life. It is encouraging to see lived experience at the heart of this Action Plan, and I hope it leads to meaningful change so that Disabled people are not only able to live in London, but are also respected, valued and able to contribute equally to the city we call home."

 

Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice Debbie Weekes-Bernard said: “We are committed to ensuring that equality, fairness and dignity are not abstract principles, but the reality for everyone across our city. That’s why we have worked closely with Disabled Londoners and Deaf and Disabled people's organisations to develop the Mayor’s first-ever action plan and build on the work we have been doing. By working together to remove barriers and improve opportunities, we can build a fairer society for Deaf and Disabled Londoners.”

 

Emma Strain, TfL’s Customer Director, said: “London is a city that has so much to offer and it’s vital that everyone can access job opportunities, healthcare and our world-class cultural scene. Transport is a big part of this and Our Equity in Motion plan underpins the Mayor’s new strategy for deaf and disabled Londoners. With many improvements taking place across the network, such as the launch of step-free access at Northolt Underground and Surrey Quays London Overground station this week, we’re looking forward to continuing our work with the Mayor to make London fairer for everyone.”