Dimensions responds to the EHRC report ‘Is Britain Fairer’ (2018)

Today’s report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission lays bare the stark realities for disabled people in Britain, who confront daily barriers to inclusion and poor outcomes across education, employment, and health as well as rising levels of hate crime and abuse.

Steve Scown, Dimensions CEO, commented “Is Britain Fairer? – well not for people with learning disabilities and autism. The sheer number of issues underlined in the EHRC report show how much further there is to go to achieve real inclusion and equality for people with disabilities in Britain. From those needlessly locked up in ATUs to those experiencing vile hate crime on our streets, people with learning disabilities and autism deserve better.”

The report highlights that people with disabilities are experiencing severe material deprivation, with independent living threatened by funding pressures in social care and changes in welfare policy. It also cites learning disability mortality statistics, which show people with learning disabilities die years before their counterparts in the general population.

Dimensions is one of 57 organisations to sign a letter to the EHRC, calling for action on the human rights abuses of people with learning disabilities and autism. As the Commission looks ahead to its priorities for the next 3 years, we urge them to continue to consider the rights of this group and support equal opportunities and rights protection across education, employment, health and social care, and welfare.