Introduction
The Our Manchester Disability Plan sets out a commitment to disabled children and adults and their supporters, with the aim of enabling everyone to have a much richer and more fulfilled life.
Manchester has recently become the first Age-Friendly city in the UK, and much progress has been made in making the city a place where older people want to continue to live in retirement.
Manchester is a ‘destination’ city for older people to visit because it’s easy to get around, there’s plenty to do and see, and they feel valued and welcomed. Yet disabled Mancunians and visitors of all ages have told us they don’t have the same experience of life in the city. They have said that Manchester does not include them or give them the same opportunities. In fact, it has a large range of barriers and inequalities.
Clearly, this needs to change. The need to reduce these inequalities is at the centre of this plan.
It is for all, not just those in receipt of social care, because the vast majority of disabled people don’t use social care services. The plan’s aim is to reach all communities in Manchester, from the variety of people who have settled in Manchester from other parts of the world and made it their home, to disabled people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
The plan will take a new approach to achieving equality, accessibility and inclusion for all disabled children and adults who live, work, study in or visit the city. It will describe how everyone, collectively and individually, can contribute to that transformation so that disabled children and adults genuinely can feel part of everything that goes on in their local community and the city as a whole.
This won’t happen overnight, but achieving the outcomes is something that everyone in Manchester must contribute to. Equality, accessibility and inclusion should touch every person and every organisation in every part of life, society and local communities. There is commitment at a very senior level across all partners to ensure that this work is prioritised, as well as embedded into all aspects of city life so that it becomes usual working practice.
Carers
It is equally important this plan acknowledges and recognises the vital role of carers and supporters. This is a key priority for us and our partners, so it is essential that carers have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and that they are valued as individuals and carers. Carers of all ages, including disabled people who are carers themselves or parents, don’t consider themselves as carers. Not only does this mean they may not be getting support, it also means their voices aren’t being heard. We know we aren’t getting the full picture about carers in the city; however, this is being addressed in a variety of ways. Find out more about carers.
Identified outputs of this plan so far
- Co-ordination of the individual projects into a single thematic action plan overseen by a Partnership Board and the Engagement Group, where learning and excellent practice from one area applies to others, where applicable.
- A shared vision of equality, accessibility and inclusion for the whole city.
- A short guide on what ‘good’ looks like for a disabled person: access all areas. This will feature the standards for a disabled child and adult-friendly city and develop into a resource tool. See Appendix 2: Draft Access All Areas (best practice standards).
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