Disabled people’s voices must be heard in this election.
We are one in four of the UK population. We are a force to be reckoned with and we want our potential to be recognised.
Many disabled people think politicians are out of touch with their lives, or simply don’t care.
Our manifesto for an equal future sets out the things disabled people tell us matter most, and the actions the next government needs to take.
Share our manifesto with your MP to put disabled people at the top of their agenda this election.
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16 million people in the UK are disabled. We want our voices to be heard in this election.
Life costs more for disabled people. Most of us experience negative attitudes. And too many of us are denied the chance to work.
Change is possible. We are asking disabled people, their families, and allies to share our calls for the next government with their local MP or political party.
We’re outlining challenges and barriers that disabled people face in the UK today, and the actions that the next government must take to:
Scope’s Price Tag research shows on average, disabled households need an additional £975 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households. The higher cost of specialist equipment, higher usage of everyday essentials and energy, and an inadequate welfare system make it harder for disabled households to meet the extra cost of disability.
To end the unfair Disability Price Tag, we’re calling on the next government to:
The disability employment gap (DEG) has stubbornly remained at around 30 percentage points for over a decade. More than a million disabled people want to work, but poor employer attitudes, insufficient employment support programmes, and a lack of flexibility and adjustments at work make it impossible.
If we were to halve the Disability Employment Gap, we would see a £17 billion increase to the economy each year.
To permanently close the disability employment gap, we’re calling on the Government to:
The number of disabled people they employ
The number of adjustments offered and satisfaction rates
Average earnings for disabled and non – disabled staff
The number of disabled employees in each pay bracket
Removing the threat of work sanctions and conditionality
Scrapping the Work Capability Assessment
Disabled people still face huge barriers to full inclusion and equality in society. 3 out of 4 disabled people have encountered negative attitudes in the last five years. And our research on attitudes highlights the negative impact of these poor attitudes.
It is vital that the next government sets out an ambitious strategy for disabled people when it takes office beginning by leading by example.
To improve attitudes towards disabled people government should:
Using our recommendations as well as co-production with disabled people, the next government has a real opportunity to create an equal future for disabled people.
If the next government takes these important and bold steps to tackle disability equality, disabled people will be able to thrive in all areas of life. Disabled people would no longer be burdened with disproportionate extra costs and have equal opportunity to enter and flourish at work.
With disabled people’s lived experience informing the government agenda, we believe an equal future is possible.