One in five constituents live with a disability or long term health condition but often find it hard to get involved in national or local politics because of prejudice or physical and other barriers.
A report of the scheme – launched on 19 October 2011 by the Minister for Disabled People Maria Miller – reveals that disabled people raised a wide range of issues with their MPs. Many disabled people highlighted concerns over cuts to benefits and appealing benefit decisions. Others expressed the value of support services in their everyday lives and concern about threats to funding. Barriers to paid employment for people with learning disabilities was raised and many said they had experienced disability hate crime but that not enough was being done to tackle it.
Launching the Dialogue Scheme’s report, Radar’s CEO Liz Sayce OBE said: “The scheme aims to give disabled people a stronger voice in national politics so it was encouraging that the meetings were positive experiences. In this time of austerity it’s vital that politicians listen to disabled people’s concerns and learn from their real-life experiences so they can represent them more effectively.
“Our report shows that MPs need to tackle the barriers some disabled people said they faced getting to meet them – whether it’s steps into an MP’s surgery, accessible information or apprehension about making contact.
“The Dialogue has helped MPs deliver a better service to their constituents and we hope disabled people in Weaver Vale will be encouraged to get in touch with their MP.”