Manifesto calls on candidates to support disabled people's rights
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 26th June 2024.
Glasgow Disability Alliance has published its manifesto for this year's General Election, calling on action for disabled people's equality and human rights.
The manifesto calls for action on five issues which affect disabled people’s lives and infringe on their rights: the impact of poverty and inequality; employment; investment in public services; ending social isolation and maximising participation; and strengthening rights.
Disabled people face significant barriers to participation in everyday life, with a recent UN report noting that governments across the UK have "have failed to take all appropriate measures to address grave and systematic violations of the human rights of persons with disabilities."
Participation in democratic decision-making is crucial (and already under scrutiny during this election) with disabled people reporting a lack of influence and representation in the political sphere. “It is the way that society is constructed which prevents disabled people from participating,” said one GDA member.
GDA say that this lower “democratic wellbeing" could be improved through investment in proper support, new accessibility standards, commitments to co-produce policy, and allocating resources to ensure disabled people can meaningfully participate in civic, political and public life.
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