Thursday 18^th July, 12 noon. Parliament Square

DPAC, Recovery In The Bin, Bromley & Croydon Unite Community and others invite you to join us for both a challenge to the incoming government and a celebration of our history and culture.

Joined by a range of disability campaigns, groups and organisations we will hold an afternoon of music, art, theatre and more.

We will host a Disabled Peoples Assembly to hear from YOU how you want to progress and elevate our ideas and aspirations.

We will lay down a marker for the changes we want to see in our communities which address the litany of crises we face.

We will present our solutions to these crises, borne out of our shared experiences of years and decades of fighting back.

Disabled People Demand our voices are heard and we demand our rightful place at the heart of rebuilding our society.

Closing the door on the past doesn’t just mean closing it on the policies of the past – but also on the negative and exclusionary practices of the past too.

This election is an opportunity to break with that past.

Through austerity, benefit cuts, assessment torture, covid and cost of living crisis disabled people have been at the forefront of the affects of our government’s wrecking the people of this country’s well-being, wealth and health

The narrative used by successive governments to cut resources and services have seen disabled people unjustifiably being blamed for government spending.

These cuts to public services were not forced upon the government by disabled people or immigrants; they were a political choice.

Now is the time for a new chapter to be written.

But disabled people aren’t waiting for any incoming government of whatever party to come to our rescue.

By the looks of the policy platforms on offer – that’s not going to happen.

We have a long history of devising our own solutions to whatever crisis we find ourselves in. 

And we will again.

We live in the 6th richest economy in the world.

The idea that we don’t have the money to put right the damage done to disabled people over last 14 years is just not true.

The idea that we cannot afford to elevate citizens who have seen decades of underfunding and exclusion is simply unacceptable.

That’s why we are taking this opportunity to present our solutions to political decision makers and to the rest of the people in the UK.

We are putting what we believe are both possible and achievable out there.

So, there’s no hiding place from them.

Nobody can say they didn’t know.

Nobody can say they weren’t presented with alternatives.

We will use them as a marker to measure the success or failure of the next government by.

We will use them as the benchmark to measure progress by.

These are the changes we demand to take us towards a more inclusive, accessible and equitable society.

 

Taking part

If your group, organisation or campaign would like to join us in presenting your own policy solutions or demands in a creative way – please get in touch with us.

If you are a disabled creative – an artist, musician or performer, and you would like to join us – please get in touch with us.

Contact details: mail@dpac.uk.net

What you need to know

Protest Rights

If you are planning on attending on the day, please click on the following link and read the information about disabled people’s rights on protests.

https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/advice_information/disabled-people-protest/#:~:text=You%20have%20the%20right%20to%20protest%20without%20discrimination,-Everyone%20has%20the&text=Article%2014%20says%20that%20you,disability)%20without%20a%20good%20reason.

Parliament Square location

Postcode SW1P 3BD

Latitude: 51° 30′ 1.19″ N
Longitude: 0° 07′ 21.60″ E

Transport Links

Nearest Step-Free (By use of mini-ramps and boarding ramps) Underground Station is Westminster Station

For full access details: https://content.tfl.gov.uk/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf

Buses to/from Parliament Square are 12, 24, 26, 87, 88, 159 & 453

For full details: https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/arrivals/490015048A/westminster-stn-parliament-square/

Car parking in Westminster: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/parking/visitor-parking-information

Core Demands

● Legislate to fully incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) into UK law

● A “triple lock” on annual benefit rate increases

● Legal Right to Independent Living with a National Independent Living Service

● Introduce a national requirement for all new build homes to be accessible and 10% to be wheelchair accessible

● A right to mainstream education and to education in fluent British Sign Language for Deaf and Disabled students

● A fully integrated, fully accessible, affordable publicly owned transport system for all

● A right of disabled access to built and natural environments

● Introduce mandatory two-week timeframe for reasonable adjustments and an enforcement framework which does not fully depend on an individual.

● An independent public inquiry into the deaths and maltreatment of disabled children and adults incarcerated in mental health institutions

● Legislate to abolish forced detention and treatment of people on mental health grounds

● No Assisted Dying

● Adequate provision of technical aids and equipment, eg wheelchairs, and adaptive communication aides for people who are nonverbal

 

You can see our full list of demands here: https://dpac.uk.net/2024/06/our-full-list-of-disabled-peoples-demands-disabledpeopledemand/