north west disability infrastructure partnership - mapping report merseyside disability federation...

North West Disability Infrastructure Partnership

- Mapping Report

Merseyside Disability FederationCharity No:1082671.

2011

Research Question

How accessible are the services of infrastructure providers to organisations of

and for disabled people?

NWDIP Aims

to improve opportunities for disabled people to influence policy, service provision, and support by ensuring that the full range of Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) disability organisations across the North West are provided with consistently good and accessible support/capacity building services.

Context

Avoid duplication

Personalisation

‘More for Less’

Method 1) Literature review 2) Refinement of research objectives to explore

what infrastructure organisations have done how NWDIP could help what Personalisation and Centre for Independent Living support on offer 3) NWDIP partners shaped questions 4) Contacts identified through ChangeUp Consortia 5) Follow-up checks 6) Questionnaire rolled-out online

Response

92 organisations approached

52 completed the survey

Every sub-region contributed

Results

Urban vs RuralCompared urban and more rural areas because of

potential for differences due to population densities and demographics

But:

No Significant Differences

Results

Greater Merseyside/Greater ManchesterOnly significant differences:

Three times as many organisations in Greater Merseyside compared to Greater Manchester expressed interest in

receiving support around Personalisation

(24% vs. 8%)

More organisations in Greater Manchester than in Greater Merseyside had activity planned around Personalisation.

(50% vs. 33%)

Key Indicators

75% of respondents had in place at least one of:

Access audit of premises Accessibility check on website Disability Equality Training (DET) Involving disabled people in the design and delivery of

services

Key Indicators

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

None One Two Three Four

Number ofOrganisations

Measures taken

Key Indicators

Access Audits most frequent indicator

(25 organisations) Every VCS organisation that had

undertaken Disability Equality Training (19 organisations) had achieved at least one more indicator

4 organisations only had an Access Audit

Conclusions

Disability Equality Training is the best first step for organisations that want to become fully accessible

Access Audits are a good second step Accessibility of websites is often

overlooked

Recommendations

Widen adoption of DET Increase take-up of Access Audits Stimulate more website accessibility

audits

Results

48.3% of respondents market themselves at events held by organisations of and for disabled people.

Recommendations

VCS infrastructure organisations should actively reach out to disability organisations as well as make their services accessible

Specialist support in marketing to groups of and for disabled people is required

Results

Infrastructure priorities for specialist support:

Personalisation (23%) Equality Act 2010 (21%) Marketing (21%)

Recommendations

Specialist support should have strong elements of Personalisation, Equality Act 2010 and Marketing

Additional support wanted includes: ‘Disability Equality Training’, ‘advice on policies’ and ‘consultations with groups’

Results

Personalisation

58% already undertaken activity to support groups 38% of organisations knew of their key ULOs2 organisations embedding Personalisation in their

business plans 1 tendering for research into what support the

sector needs to engage with this key agenda.

Recommendations

Specific measures to help VCS infrastructure organisations support ULOs in each area, involving training, networking and provision of information.

Tie in to existing activity

Comments

“However hard we try there will always be some barriers.

“Our organisation is based on equality and therefore we do not ask people if they have a disability as we have found many of our volunteers do not wish to disclose this information especially if it is a hidden disability. If they volunteer the information - that is recorded.”

Key Messages

There is significant potential for VCS infrastructure organisations to be more accessible.

NWDIP is here to enable that to happen From the 4th of July 2011 tailored DET is

being offered FREE to infrastructure organisations like yours.

Thank you

Any questions?

Merseyside Disability Federation.

0151 236 6674

info@merseydisability.org.uk

Charity No: 1082671