Tenant Disability Network echo the call for the draft Disability Rights Action Plan

Statement on behalf of TPAS Cymru/Tai Pawb Tenant Disability Network: Disability Rights Action Plan 

This International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we share the sentiments of the statement issued by Disability Wales in October and echo the call it makes for Welsh Government to publish its draft Disability Rights Action Plan.  

Some significant time has passed since the Accessible and Affordable Task and Finish Group met where a range of stakeholders, through a series of workshops, were invited to contribute to and inform the Draft Plan. This included the direct and lived experiences of disabled people.  

In our regular conversations with disabled tenants across Wales, the message is clear: ‘more and better’. More homes that are better suited to the needs of disabled people. For too many disabled people, housing options are often limited and outcomes are poor, which makes tackling the problems all the more crucial and timely.  

A well-drafted and ambitious Action Plan, shaped by the experiences of disabled people and co-produced with stakeholder support, can be a catalyst for positive change, enabling people to live as independently as possible. We remain committed to working alongside all partners in the interests of disabled people, breaking down barriers and playing our part as influencing organisations in delivering ‘more and better’ homes.  

Notes:  

• TPAS Cymru and Tai Pawb jointly host quarterly meetings of the Tenants’ Disability Network. It acts as a forum to share lived experiences, raise awareness of key topics affecting disabled people and to champion their interests in and around the housing sector in Wales.   

• The Disability Rights Action Plan is a proposed outcome of the Disability Rights Taskforce, which aims to remove inequalities experienced by disabled people in society, beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.