Scottish
Disability Equality Forum����
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Scottish
Disability Equality Forum���� |
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� Recent Events
Equality
and Access
���� Report of SDEF Members� Meeting, Friday 5th April 2002, Perth
1.� Setting the Scene �
Report from SDEF Convenor
Elma Mitchell MBE
My name is Elma Mitchell, Convenor of
SDEF.� I am delighted to welcome so
many of you here today and thank you for coming.��
For those who have the original agenda I have to apologise changes have
had to be made, mainly due to the fact that the Ministers from the Scottish
Parliament we had invited were unable to come to address us and participate in
our discussions.� Thus the time from
11.10 � 11.30, when we will welcome our guest speaker Anne Begg MP will be
used very profitably I have no doubt, to set the stage of what we, as your
elected management committee, have been doing on your behalf.��
There is a saying there is no such thing
as a free meal and this is definitely true today.�
We intend that the day will fall into 2 parts,� one to update on where we are, and the other looking to the
future.� Perhaps I should explain
that today is a day for participation, and we would like you all to contribute
and exchange ideas, and give us guidance of where you would like to go from here.
I would ask those of you who have been
with us from the start to bear with me for a few minutes until I fill in a short
background.� Since the demise of
Disability Scotland in 2000, SDEF struggled to survive until the middle of 2001
when the Scottish Executive allocated funding for our conference in Dunblane in
July 2001 and for a 6-month period until October.�� This was continued for another period until April 2002.��
A review process was set up and we had 2 meetings with civil servants
from the Community Care Division and Equality Unit in November/December.�
�While we welcome this response, it has not really allowed us to
develop as we would have liked and hoped. Nevertheless we have stressed that, if
we are to initiate and implement long term aims and achievements, we must have
the certainty of sufficient and long term funding.��
Representatives of the committee have another meeting with the Executive
next week when we hope that we will receive a definitive decision on the future.�
PROGRESS since our last get together in September
We have increased our membership and updated the web site regularly. We have had a joint meeting with the Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance and John Stirling from the Scottish Executive, looking at the possibility of co-operating with putting on a mobility show in 2003 � this is on-going. We are members of the Cross Party
Parliamentary Group on Disability where I have been made one of the
vice-conveners.
The main priority coming out of our
September meeting was access in its widest form.� This was reported to the Scottish Executive during our
meeting in December and a research report was commissioned looking into the work
of access panels.� I expect some of
you here today were asked to complete the questionnaire, and participated in an
telephone interview. SDEF were represented on the research steering group by Jim
Bryan and Valerie Robertson. Philippa Bonella from SCVO, who managed the
research, will discuss the research project later in this session.
I would like to stress, that as your
management committee, we reply on you for guidance, and I want us all to work
together to make the SDEF the success we know it can and must be.�
We need your support, not just at these get togethers, very enjoyable,
pleasant and important though they are, but in between as well.�
As individuals we are limited in what we can achieve, but together we can
move mountains � maybe even Government policies.�
For instance we have responded to
several consultations: -
I expect that many of your organisations
would have sent in your own responses to all or some.� In addition, in the future could we ask you to send them also
to us to be incorporated in a combined response?
Newsletters����
Please let us know if you find our newsletters of interest.� If not why not?� What would you want included?� We would urge you to send in any articles for inclusion, any amusing incidents and experiences you would like to share (e.g. a lovely new ramp which ends in a step, or wheelchair accessible toilet, up or down steps); any items of good practice you think should be shared in other areas (or the opposite).� Perhaps good eating places and accommodation in your area.� All contributions gratefully received. Future
As a starting point I would like to
float the following ideas your management committee have been discussing.
1.����������������� Picking up and improving the idea of IT development and offering appropriate support to smaller organisations who do not have the time or expertise to exploit the benefits of technology. 2.�����������������
Following on from access in general, we feel it is important to focus on
accommodation/ hotels and visitor attractions, especially in view of the fast
approaching 2004 and the impact of DDA.� I
think this is something, which would be of mutual benefit to both ourselves as
customers, or potential customers, and for the providers.�
We feel that, with the co-operation and in partnership with the tourist
authorities, we could provide the impetus to prepare guides disabled people
could rely on and offer assistance and advice.�
This arose from the fact that we have been receiving rather disturbing
news that many providers are still unaware of the implications of DDA.��
You will have received a handout of a
question raised in the Scottish Parliament.�
We would like to have your reaction to this and how we should or should
not reply.
Perhaps you could think about these and any other leads you would like us to follow up and if possible give us your views on these or any other subjects and issues you feel we should highlight and pursue. Access Panels Research � Philippa Bonella
Philippa Bonella summarised the work of
the research project commissioned by the Scottish Executive.�
The research aimed, in a short space of time, to identify existing panels
(and areas where there were no panels) and gather information on the activities
of panels and what level of funding and support they receive.�
The researcher interviewed panel members, local authority Access
Officers, Building Control Officers, and representatives of local disability
organisations.
The researcher worked with a steering group made up of 5 representatives from 3 national disability networks, including 2 from SDEF, as Elma had already mentioned.� The steering group helped shape the research tools and identify key contacts.� It also agreed the final report and recommendations.� These have now been delivered to the Scottish Executive and it is hoped that the outcomes of the research will be made available to interested parties. Question and Answer Session
Two key issues came out in this session:
2.� A User�s View of
Transport - Anne Begg MP
Anne Begg began by discussing the work
of access panels.� She believes
panels have an important future with 2004 looming.�
Part IV of the DDA is a big issue for many service providers which are
not keen to make changes.
She felt that access panels should work
closely with the professions.� In
most areas architects have a local network working towards their Continuous
Professional Development.� It is
useful to seek to speak to this network, using the imminence of 2004 as a tool.
For her, it is most insulting when
places try to make things accessible and get it wrong � this is worse than not
trying at all.� The real experts �
disabled people � must be involved to get it right.
Anne moved on to talk about transport.�
She reminded us that transport is substantially more accessible than it
was 15 years ago.� There is now one
wheelchair-friendly Scotrail sleeper! Transport is being gradually brought under
the DDA and new trains and buses now have to conform to accessibility standards.
She challenged delegates not to complain
about wheelchair spaces being used by prams.�
The more people who can benefit from increased accessibility, the more it
makes more economic sense for providers to adapt their stock.��
Older people and babies need accessible transport too and can help the
accessibility argument.
Although accessibility has been
improving, expectations continue to grow at a faster rate � which is quite
right.� There is still much to be
done to make transport fully accessible.� Planes
are not covered by national legislation and are under no obligation to become
accessible.� Only European or even
global legislation could deal with this properly.
Government can do a certain amount to
achieve change but must be pushed from behind.
Anne left us with a final challenge �
what about all the old transport stock?� Although
new stock is better, old stock does not need to be adapted � and it may last
for 40 years before it needs to be replaced.�
The disability movement needs to lobby for an end-date at which point all
transport stock must be accessible.� We
need a single voice on this issue, and we need to start working on it now.
Discussion
The discussion following from Anne�s talk focused on:
3.� An
Overview of Accessible Tourism - Hamish Reid, Visitscotland
Hamish Reid opened his talk by saying
that in many ways, accessible tourism suffers from the �watched kettle�
syndrome.� There has been some
improvement over the past few years, but expectations always rise faster.�
No radical overnight change is likely.
Visitscotland has devised a set of
national accessible standards for Scotland in consultation with the �Tourism
for All� consortium.� These are
currently being revised to include sensory impairment and other elements which
were not originally included.
Visitscotland feels that tourism
businesses do have a better understanding of the DDA than previously.�
A great deal of information on the DDA is available on the Scottish
Tourist Forum website.� An accessibility audit package has been provided for all
Tourist Information Centres.
Visitscotland is happy to support
changes in the tourism market � as has been seen by its support of the new
�backpacker� holiday companies � but from a Visitscotland perspective
there is little evidence of frustrated demand for accessible tourism.�
The Visitscotland website provides
information on a huge range of facilities, including those which have attained
the recognised accessible standards.� These
standards are the only way to be sure of accessibility.�
Hotels etc supply their own background information to the website, but
the standards are independently awarded.
Hamish Reid closed by saying he would be
happy to receive correspondence from any organisations who had concerns about
accessible tourism.
Discussion
Many delegates expressed frustration at
having tried to work with Visitscotland to achieve change, with no success and
often with no response at all from Visitscotland.
Other key issues included:
SDEF have invited Hamish Reid to attend
a committee meeting to discuss these issues in more detail.
4.� Parallel sessions �
TransportBrian Masson � Angus Transport Forum, Muriel Williams � SATA
Key points coming out of the transport
workshop included:
TourismLisa Duggan � Fieldfare, Laura Thornton � Deep Sea World
Key points coming out of the tourism
workshop included:
5.� SDEF
� the Future
Plenary debate
Key issues raised in the debate:
The Convenor invited any member organisation to contribute specific ideas for SDEF�s future work in writing to the Secretariat. �
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� Scottish Disability Equality Forum Working together for the disability movement SDEF is a recognised Scottish charity no. SC031893 end of page |