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SDEF Newsletter No.6 -�July 2002 |
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Welcome
to this sixth edition of SDEF News, available free to all members and
associate members of SDEF.� We
will keep you up to date on our own activities and relevant events and
publications in the field of disability.�
If you would like your work publicised in future editions, or would
like to tell us about something new, please contact us at the address below.
This
newsletter is available by email, on disc or in other formats if preferred.�
Please contact us to let us know how you would like to receive it.
Forum
Update
Please
note that SDEF moved premises on 24.6.02.�
Our address is now:
Mansfield
Traquair Centre
Email
will remain [email protected]
Please
amend your records.
SDEF’s
Committee has been working hard over the past few months to develop a
business plan and series of projects delivering the priorities set out by
members at our three Members’ Meetings.
The
business plan is now almost complete, and will be submitted to the Scottish
Executive and other potential funders shortly.�
We are quietly confident that we will shortly be in a sustainable
financial position, based on the analyses and planning we have done.
Your
views on the final plan will be sought at our AGM and Conference on 2nd
October.� We are keen for your
input into this event - please let us know if you have any ideas for the
discussion sessions.
Meanwhile,
we have continued to make links with a wide range of other organisations to
work on the priorities you set.� We
are now represented on the Scottish Steering Group for the European Year of
Disabled People (see below) and the BT Countryside for All Advisory Group,
as well as a whole range of informal networks and contacts.����������
EYDP
2003
2003 is the European
Year of Disabled People. The European Year will be launched by events across
the UK in January 2003. Local and larger projects will take place throughout
the European Year.� A Scottish
Steering Group has been convened to look at activity in Scotland, and SDEF
is represented on this.
The UK theme for
projects is “Promote Rights and Participation”. Sub-themes to support
this include:
The European Year is
being organised by a National Co-ordinating Committee (NCC) led by the
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The NCC will assess projects and
recommend them to the Minister for Disabled People for approval.�
To support the
European Year, grants of up to �10,000 for local projects and up to �50,000
for regional/national projects are available. The grants are made up of
funding from the European Commission and the Government. The NCC hope to
fund up to 80 local projects and up to 10 larger projects.�
A “local
project” covers an area smaller than an English Government Office region
or smaller than the whole of Scotland or Wales or Northern Ireland. A
“regional/national Project” covers one or more English Government
regions, or the whole of England or Wales or Scotland or Northern Ireland or
the UK.
Timetable:
Note:�
Projects
must start in 2003 and be completed no later than March 31 2004. More
information is available from www.disability.gov.uk
Scottish Executive News���
Free
Personal Care For Older People - Helpline Launched:
Leaflets
and special helpline to give advice on Scottish Executive new free personal
care scheme. Call free on 0800 027 7575 for information.
Mental
Welfare Commission for Scotland - invitation to apply
Part-time
Commissioner (with
special interest in minority ethnic issues)
The
First Minister will shortly be recommending the appointment of a part-time
Commissioner to serve as a member of the Mental Welfare Commission for
Scotland. The Commission’s role is to protect mentally disordered people
who cannot look after their own interests. It enquires into cases of alleged
ill treatment or deficiency of care or treatment and visits patients in
hospital or subject to guardianship orders.
The
Commission has statutory duties under the Mental Health
Area
Tourist Board Consultation Letter
The
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport has put out a call for views on any
potential changes to current Area Tourist Board arrangements.�
The aim is to ensure that support is maximised for local level
businesses through the services that Area Tourist Boards provide.
Views
on any aspect of this area are welcomed, but areas for consideration could
include structure, the role of local authorities, relationships with Local
Enterprise Companies, and how Tourist Boards can best engage with
businesses.
Views
should be submitted by 28 August 02, and sent to:
Lesley
Fraser
Or
send by email to [email protected]
Consultation
On Draft Guidance And Regulations On Accessibility Strategies
This
consultation paper asks for views on the draft guidance and draft
regulations on accessibility strategies, to be prepared under the Education
(Disability Strategies and Pupils' Educational Records) Bill.
Copies
of this consultation paper can be found on the Scottish Executive website
(under Consultations) at http://www.scotland.gov.uk
or if you would like additional copies, either by e-mail or in hard copy,
please telephone 0131 244 7139 or e-mail: [email protected].
The
consultation falls into three parts:
Part
I —
draft guidance on accessibility strategies
Responses
to this consultation should be sent by Friday 9 August 2002 at the
latest to:
Samantha
Baker
Women
and Transport
Promoting
Health, Supporting Inclusion - The national review of the contribution of
all nurses and midwives to the care and support of people with learning
disabilities
Scottish
Parliament News
Inquiry
Into Mainstreaming Equality Into The Activities Of Committees Of The
Scottish Parliament
This
consultation paper sets out the initial proposals of the Equal Opportunities
Committee with regard to how best equality might be mainstreamed into the
activities of committees of the Scottish Parliament.
The
paper provides further details of the consultation on an approach, set out
in a series of high-level Mainstreaming Equality Guidelines. The draft
Mainstreaming Equality Guidelines aim to outline the features of an
effective mainstreaming process and define the intended outcomes. Once these
are established, then further work on developing appropriate support
structures may begin.
Go
to http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/cttee/equal-02/eo02-ime-01.htm
or phone 0131 348 5216 for a copy of the paper.
Please
send any written comments by Friday 27 September 2002, to:
Equal
Opportunities Committee
UK
Government News
Transport
the biggest barrier for disabled people
Nearly
half of disabled people polled (48%) say transport is their most important
concern. But only a fifth (21%) believe those responsible for transport
planning and development give enough attention to their needs. That’s
according to the recent report, ‘Attitudes of Disabled People to Public
Transport in England and Wales’, published by the Disabled Persons
Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC).
To
read the full report, follow this link:
News
from the Sector
On
Eve Of Free School Meals Debate New Survey Uncovers Families With A
Disability Losing Out (20/06/02):
For
more information, go to http://www.capability-scotland.org.uk/
and click on Press Releases
Improved
Access For Deaf People To Their MSPs (17/06/02):
More
Concerns Over New Anti Discrimination Body (18/06/02):
Government
plans to set up a single new anti-discrimination commission, replacing three
existing agencies, could make disability laws more difficult to implement,
the RNIB has warned.
DRC News
The
Report Of The Conference "Researching Disability In Scotland" Held
In June 2001 Is Now Available (19/06/02):
DRC
calls for shake-up of legislation
Major
changes to the law are urgently needed so that disabled people can use
public transport and enjoy equal employment rights. At the launch of its
first major review of disability legislation, Caroline Gooding, the DRC’s
Special Adviser, says: "Many disabled people still don’t have the
right to get on a plane or a train or effective rights in the workplace.
"After
six years of the DDA, the gaps in the law are clearer than ever. The DRC
needs your help to make the case for legal change."
The
DRC has launched a public consultation on its recommendations for changes to
the DDA. Responses to the consultation must be received by 16 August 2002.
You can help us by giving your comments online.
To read the consultation, and complete the online questionnaire, click here.
Professor
Peter Willetts tried to open an account with smile, the
internet bank, on behalf of his disabled father. He has a registered
Enduring Power of Attorney, which gives him the right to act on behalf of
his father in all his financial affairs. When Professor Willetts was
refused, he asked the DRC for help. After the DRC’s intervention, smile
agreed to alter its procedures and terms and conditions.
Professor
Willetts explains: "I was getting more and more upset because most
financial institutions seemed to have no understanding of our situation…I
am delighted with smile’s decision."
The
DRC has called on all banks to change their rules, so that those holding a
registered Enduring Power of Attorney can open accounts on behalf of their
relatives.
To
read the full story, click here.
DRC
Legal advice surgeries
Last
month, DRC Scotland held the first in a series of free legal advice
surgeries for people in the Highlands and Islands. The surgery, which took
place in Brora, is the first in a series of four events aimed at giving free
legal advice, on a one-to-one basis, to disabled people who feel that they
are being discriminated against. The surgeries also aim to give disabled
people in the Highland and Islands areas equal access to the DRC’s advice,
information and other services.
The
next surgeries will take place in:
Skye
- July 2002
Mull
- September 2002
Aberdeen
- November 2002
For
more information, contact:
Email:
highland&[email protected]
Telephone:
0131 444 4300
Textphone:
0131 444 4302
Civic
Forum News
Forum on DiscriminationThe
Forum on Discrimination Steering Group met last week to review the launch
event in June, and to pinpoint areas for future activity.�
Two working groups have since been formed, one looking at
Mainstreaming, the other at Media.� If
you would like to get involved, please contact Niall Hermiston at the Forum
office on 0131 225 6789 or email [email protected].�
A Conference Report from the June launch event will be published and
circulated in the near future.
Rural
Network
There
is a generally acknowledged ‘vacuum’ resulting from the passing of the
Rural Forum that has not been filled by other agencies picking up the work.�
How can rural Scotland organise, find its voice and use it?�
How can communities as diverse as rural Lanarkshire and the Islands
find a common agenda, or even a common way of working?��
What can we learn from the examples of other countries who are held
up as models of rural community participation, like Sweden, Germany and
Canada?
A
small action group that emerged from the seminar on 29 May in Aberdeen on
rural participation will address these and other questions.�
On that occasion, we heard about the experience of the Swedish Rural
Parliament, the Village Actions Movements, in Sweden and elsewhere in
Scandinavia.� But the situation
in Scotland is different, and we have first to decide what we are looking
for, and what kind of structure or network would enable those who feel the
‘vacuum’ to make their voices heard.
If
you have views on this, or wish to be kept informed, please contact Donald
Reid at the Civic Forum ([email protected]
or 0131 225 6881)
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