Dimensions joins providers in a joint letter to Liz Kendall MP
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Dear Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,
The Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper to reform health and disability benefits should be an opportunity for the government to hear from those directly affected.
It is essential that those most affected by these proposed changes have time to process and share their views. But there is no information provided in accessible formats at the point of launching this important consultation.
The consultation is only running for 12 weeks and whilst the consultation page indicates that accessible information will be available ‘in due course’, we are concerned that this excludes people who the Government should be listening to from the start.
Inclusion and accessibility are a basic baseline for employers to be disability confident and the Department for Work and Pensions should be a leading example of this.
We are calling for an immediate update to the consultation and accessible formats be included, simply extending the deadline implies accessibility for disabled people is an afterthought when the essence of welfare reform should focus on ensuring people get the support they need.
Signatories
Guy Van Dichele, Interim CEO, United Response
Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG)
Aisling Duffy, Chief Executive, Certitude
Sarah Maguire, Chief Executive, Choice Support
Rachael Dodgson, Chief Executive, Dimensions
Sarah Burslem, CEO, MacIntyre
Samantha Clark, Chief Executive, LDE
David Coe, Chief Executive, AFK
Jo Land, Chief Executive, Avenues Group
Ruth Gorman, Chief Executive, Imagine Act and Succeed
Stephen Veevers, Chief Executive, Hft
Richard Franklin, Chief Executive, Kisharon Langdon
Craig Crowley, Chief Executive, Action Deafness
Robert Shanahan, Chief Executive, Aspens
Ru Watkins, Chief Executive, Hamelin
Anna O’Mahony, Chief Executive, Hollybank Trust
Angela Murphy, Chief Executive, Fitzroy
Holly Spiers, Chief Executive, Walsingham Support
Anna McEwen, Chief Executive, Bromley Mencap
Sue Livett, Chief Executive, Aldingbourne Trust
Rachel Law, Chief Executive, PossAbilities
Gill Bryant, Chief Executive, Aurora Nexus
Jim Kane, Chief Executive, Community Integrated Care
Julie Bass, Chief Executive, Turning Point
Professor Vic Rayner OBE, CEO, National Care Forum
Lisa Hopkins, Chief Executive, SeeAbility
Katie Ghose, Chief Executive, Kids
Sarah Butcher, Chief Executive, Autism at Kingwood
Maria Mills, Chief Executive, Active Prospects
Kerry Dearden, Chief Executive, Affinity Trust
James Watson-O’Neill, Chief Executive, Sense
It is essential that those most affected by these proposed changes have time to process and share their views. But there is no information provided in accessible formats at the point of launching this important consultation.
