Following a 12-week consultation, which received more than 1,300 responses, the Government has published its Disability Action Plan. This is a list of actions that the government intends to tackle this Parliament and across a ‘longer term’. The consultation was launched alongside a draft plan in July 2023.
In the UK, more than 1 in 5 people are disabled. The plan aims ‘to make this country the most accessible place in the world for disabled people to live, work and thrive, addressing and removing the barriers which prevent them from reaching their full potential’.
Categories and themes
Proposals in the consultation document were grouped into 4 broad categories:
- Improving disability inclusion in existing government policies
- New actions focused on the specific needs of disabled people
- Improving cross-government collaboration
- Strengthening the evidence base
People’s responses to the consultation covered 7 main themes:
- Policies should be informed by disabled people’s experiences
- Clear, measurable actions are needed, with clear accountability
- Consideration of disabled people’s financial circumstances and the cost of living
- Sufficient funding for specific actions
- Ensure the inclusion of all disabled people
- Improved and accessible communications about government services and resources
- Equality of opportunity for disabled and non-disabled people
Actions to take
The plan, published in February, lists 32 actions across 14 different areas. The Government has promised to take these forward with disabled people, their organisations, other government departments and public service providers.
Among these areas are: supporting disabled people who want to be elected to public office; improving information and outcomes for families in which someone is disabled (including special educational needs); helping businesses understand the needs and deliver improvements for disabled people; researching issues facing disabled people in the future; making government publications and communications more accessible. The full list of actions can be viewed on the Gov.uk website.
The Disability Action Plan sits alongside and complements the National Disability Strategy.
Easy Read Disability Action Plan
