Bristol Disability Equality Forum
Newsflash
The Options Open Day will be held on 30th October 2008 at the Council House from 11am - 7pm. Details can be found on the menu on the left hand side of this page.
Consultation
The draft physical and sensory impairments and long term neurologial conditions joint commissioning strategy can be found on the Bristol City Council website;
There are 2 drop in sessions for people to come and feedback comments on the draft strategy, these are booked for:
5th November - 2pm - 4pm at The Vassall Centre, Bamboo Room, Nr Fishponds (http://www.vassallcentre.org)
12th November - 10am - 12pm at The Gatehouse Centre, Bishopsworth (http://hartwood.org.uk//)
Please let me know if you plan on attending one of the above events.
We would like to know the following:
1. Do you support the broad direction of the vision?
2. Are there any omissions or important issues that we have missed?
3. Is there anything within the Vision document that you particularly disagree with?
4. What should our priorities for change be?
5. Any general comments or suggestions that you may have?
6. Does this strategy reflect what you perceive to be the main gaps in service provision?
The consultation period lasts for 12 weeks and finishes on Friday 5th December 2008.
If you are unable to make one of the drop in sessions please email through your comments.
Forum Newsletter
The Summer and Autumn 2008 newsletter is now on our website. Please see menu on the left.
About the Forum
The Forum was set up in 1995 so that Disabled people in the city could have access to the City Council in order to make their views heard and to help the City Council to understand the experience and requirements of disabled people.
The City Council in its integrated equalities policy has made a commitment to take account of disabled people's requirements with respect to employment, services and access.
In order to get things right they want to hear the views of disabled people. These views are gathered at the Forum meetings and are given to the Officers and Councillors by the Disability Advisors who are elected by the Forum.
In this way you can feel that your own particular views actually reach the Council and will help to make the changes you want made in a whole range of things - education, housing, social services, transport, leisure and so on.
What will joining the Forum mean for you?
By joining the Forum you meet with other disabled people to share experiences, to discuss the difficulties you have with respect to Bristol City Council and to help create the opportunities for change.
It is only when disabled people have the same rights as any other groups in society and can take part in activities run by Bristol City Council on an equal basis with everybody else that we will feel the job has finally been done. As you can imagine there is much to do and everybody is welcome to give what time and energy they feel they can afford to working with the Forum.
What the Council can offer you as a Forum Member?
We feel that for disabled people to be able to attend meetings and get information about the Forum we have a duty to make it as accessible as possible to you, whatever your impairment.
We therefore offer all information in several formats – large print, braille, tape, computer disk, e-mail.
As well as the telephone we have a minicom number.
All meetings are held in buildings with wheelchair access, accessible toilets and loop systems. BSL and SSE interpreters and personal assistants will be present at every meeting. Personal assistants offer you the kinds of support you might need to take part fully in a meeting.
One of the difficulties we have as disabled people is to find cheap and accessible transport, so we will pay any transport costs, including taxis, to and from the meeting.
Disabled People - A Definition
By disabled people we mean anybody with a physical or sensory impairment, learning difficulty or who experience mental/emotional distress. Anybody can define themselves as disabled if they feel they have been treated unfairly because of any one of these.
Contact us
Disability Equality Forum
Community Engagement Team
FREEPOST (BS 6935)
6 York Court
Wilder Street
St. Pauls
BS2 8QX
Tel: 0117 922 2660
Minicom: 0117 922 2661
E-mail: equalities_team@bristol-city.gov.uk
If English is not your first language and you need a translation, we can get one for you.
If you need any information reproduced in a different form (such as on tape, in larger print or in Braille), please contact us.
Links
Below are links that are connected to other Disability Organisations.
Ableize is the UK's largest web site covering all the UK's Disability needs from access, sports, the arts, care resources and education plus detailed information on specifie disabilities and conditions. http://www.ableize.com
