Following recent discussions with members of the Long Term Impairments Partnership Board, the City Council Adult services Team have arranged a conference for people with long-term impairments to establish the future structure of the Board and inform future strategy.

It will be held on September 15th at the A4I premises in Albert Road WV6 0AF, commencing at 10.00 am with coffee and closing at 3.00 pm.

The Agenda is:

10.00     Coffee

10.30     Opening presentations and outline for the day.

11.00     Working Groups.

12.00     Lunch and Display Market stalls of Disability groups in Wolverhampton.

1.30       Working Groups.

2.30       Plenary session

If you want to come along as part of One Voice let us know soon and we will make sure your place is booked.

A British Diplomat praised for her work promoting disability rights as a diplomat in Poland, has had her new posting as Britain’s deputy ambassador to Kazakhstan revoked, after Foreign Officie officials decided that her deafness makes it too expensive for her to work abroad.
The Equality and Human Rights commision is taking up her case.
But this signals an interesting approach by a Government that – in oppositiion, said that disabled people’s equality was safe in their hands.
Overcoming disabling barriers can be expensive, but the Disability Discrimination Act looks at the resources of the organisation when deciding whether the cost of removing barriers or providing aids and adaptations, is prohibitive and can be refused.
It seems a clear indication of the Government’s continued intention for poorer and “less equal” groups to bear the main burden of the Government cuts.
After all, a Government that is still paying MP expenses for TVs, up to £24,222 for rent/housing costs, an annual Communications Allowance of £10,400, and up to £37,281 to each MP for staff costs.
Readers may also remember an item in the news that foreign secretary William Hague was employing 3 Special Advisors, but apparently, paying for the lip speakers that Jane Cordell uses to do the job she was selected for is too expensive.
The EHRC must win this case, or the hard won rights of Disabled people to live and work as equals will have been effectively repealed.

This is one of the excerpts from the excellent Disability Rights Commission video on the barriers disabled people face.
It gives a good understanding of the social model of disability – One Voice uses it in training sessions.

It shows a world turned on it’s head, where impairment is the norm, and the people who are disabled by social barriers are those without impairments.