The situation in Wales
It is difficult to get an exact idea of how many disabled people there are in the UK. Surveys tend to word the ‘disability question’ in different ways which could lead to people feeling that they fit one criteria but not another. A recent strategy launched by the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit estimates that there are currently 11 million disabled adults in the UK, equivalent to 21% of the population. They also estimate that one in twenty children under sixteen years of age is disabled, and the number of children with special needs is increasing.
Within Wales figures contained in ‘A Statistical Focus on Disability and Long-term Illness’ published by the National Assembly for Wales in 2003 paint a picture that shows a steady increase in the numbers of disabled people over the past twenty years and the effect that disability and long-term illness have on people’s standard of living, such as:
- About a third of people report having a long-term illness which affects their daily lives;
- Just over one in five people of working age has a limiting long-term illness;
- One in four people with a long-term illness has mental health problems;
- Disabled people are nearly twice as likely to have no qualifications as other people;
- Disabled people or people with long-term illness have lower incomes than those of other people;
- People with a disability or long-term illness are more than twice as likely to be economically inactive (neither in work or looking for work) than other people;
- The number of vehicles’ disabled parking badges issued doubled during the 1990s.
What can be seen from this is that a significant number of people have difficulty accessing mainstream services, opportunities and employment that non-disabled people take for granted.
The Social Model of disability
The disabled people’s movement has lobbied over the last few years for organisations to work towards understanding and implementing the ‘social model of disability’ as opposed to the ‘medical model of disability’. Put simply, the Social Model signifies a shift away from traditional models as it views that disabled people are not disabled because of their impairment, but by the structures or barriers present in society. Under the Medical Model, disabled peoples’ inability to participate in society (including accessing employment or services) is seen as a direct result of having an impairment. It is the individual’s problem that non-disabled people (and service providers) seek to compensate for by providing services because they have ‘something wrong’ with their bodies. A useful definition of the social model is one used by Newcastle City Council:
“The social model of disability argues that most of the day-to day problems that disabled people face are caused by the fact that society is designed to meet the needs of non-disabled people. What disables people is not a particular condition but the way society reacts to it, for example lack of physical access, lack of opportunities in jobs and education, lack of choice, negative attitudes and assumptions”
(Extract from Access to Services and Employment for Disabled People White Paper – Newcastle City Council 2002).
Implementing the Social Model is a challenge for local authorities who over the years have provided services under the more traditional model. However from research we are aware that a number of local authorities in Wales have adopted the Social Model as a policy principle and are working towards creating an understanding of what it means in terms of providing appropriate services based on informed decisions involving disabled people. Commitment to work towards the Social Model is also a key feature of the Equality Standard for Local Government in Wales. The Association fully supports the Equality Standard as a framework for supporting continuing work on equalities within authorities.
For more information contact: David Morgan