Just Fair Consortium Independent Living Event
House of Commons
November 26th 4-6pm.
This event will be attended by the UN special rapporteur for disability Mr. Shuaib Chalklen who will give a keynote address to MPs and Lords.
Plus the new minister for disabled people, Mike Penning and shadow minister Kate Green will be attending.
DPAC will also be involved in supporting this and we hope providing some work through Theatre of the Oppressed plus we hope some film linked to the loss of independent living and ILF. (tbc)
Information about the theatre presentation is in this link.
http://dpac.uk.net/2013/10/dramatic-presentation-at-report-launch-dignity-and-equal-opportunity-securing-the-human-rights-of-disabled-people-in-an-age-of-austerity/
As the UN special rapporteur will be at this event we hope as many of you as possible will come along and also speak out about how your right to independent living whether through closure of ILF, local authority care and support cuts or other aspects of welfare reform are or will affect you. This is your chance to get your voices and fears heard and to help show what the government attacks are doing to disabled people in the UK.
You will need to arrive at the House of Commons around 30 minutes before the start to get through security and if necessary to a committee room although I am assuming the event will be in the Central lobby due to the theatre event.
This is what Jonathan has said about the event to the rapporteur.
On behalf of the Just Fair Consortium, it is my pleasure to invite you to present a keynote address at the launch of the Just Fair Consortium report on “Securing the Right to Independent Living in the Austerity Era” in the Houses of Parliament (Westminster, London) on Tuesday November 26th 2013 at 4pm. (Please see below for further information on the Just Fair Consortium)
The report will focus on the UK’s realisation of the rights contained in the UNCRPD, and will put forth a series of recommendations to the UK government, which will enable them to better protect the UNCRPD in the UK. Following on from the report, the Just Fair Consortium will engage with the upcoming UNCPRD UK review by drafting a civil society parallel report, to be submitted to the UN in 2015.
Disabled people are leading on all elements of the research, including selection of the report theme and sub-issues, submission of real-life case-studies, contribution of statistical analysis and presentation of testimony evidence at the November report launch. The event will enable disabled people’s organisations, MPs, Peers, the media and sick and disabled people to discuss the challenges and opportunities for better securing the right to independent living in the UK.
As the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Disabled People, and the world’s leading expert on equality and the rights of disabled people, particularly the right to independent living, we feel that your keynote address will offer essential and timely guidance for the UK Government, Parliament, members of the media and civil society more generally. In light of this, the Consortium are very keen to work closely you in order to better realise the UNCRPD in the UK.
Please do let us know if you require any further information with regards to the event, and we look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Please reply to Jonathan Butterworth (Just Fair Director) at jbutterworth@just-fair.co.uk
