News

All the latest news and activities from ODI

 

This page covers all the latest news from ODI. News from the previous administration can be found in the News archive.

August 2010

Consultation on guidance about definition of disability

The Equality Act includes the legal definition of a disabled person who is protected from discrimination. This definition is slightly different from the definition used in the Disability Discrimination Act. It will make the law easier to understand.

Because of this change, the government is updating the guidance that helps people to understand how the definition works. We have published draft guidance that reflects these changes and a consultation document, which asks for your views. The consultation closes on 31 October 2010.

Read more about the consultation and download documents on our Equality Act page.

July 2010

Network of Networks goes live

ODI, in collaboration with Equality 2025 and twelve civil society disabled people's organisations, has established a Network of Networks to enable two way communications between disabled people and government.

The network is currently consulting on two policy areas: independent living and implementation of the UN Convention. The consultation responses will help inform the Independent Living Strategy Group's annual report, as well as the government's response in UN Convention's 2011 report.

At the end of the pilot period in March 2011, the Network of Networks will provide an independent consultation service.

The Network is a response to the Independent Living Strategy and subsequent consultation. Look out for more news on the Network on our Independent Living section.

UK candidate selected to run for election to the UN Expert Committee

Following an open selection process, Diane Mulligan OBE has been selected by the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller MP, as the UK candidate to run for election to become a member of the Expert Committee on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Diane and the Minister agreed that given the number of strong candidates already in the field for the Committee elections in September 2010, they would work towards a UK candidacy in the next election round, which will be in 2012.

Find out more about the Expert Committee in the UN Convention section.

Deliver inclusive policies and communications with ODI

ODI has published three new booklets aimed at supporting civil servants in their roles.

Find out more about how ODI can help civil servants in their work.

Find out how to ensure your communications materials are accessible

Three new publications are now available to download from this site.

Guidance on 'Preparing accessible MS Word documents' and 'Delivering technically accessible publications' are available on our publishing guidance page.

For users who commission video, we have also published guidance on commissioning accessible video, available from our tv and film guidance page.

Disability Equality Indicators have a new home

We have changed the way we present our Indicators. They are now easier to read, and we have made sure they are as accessible as possible. Find them on the new Disability Equality Indicators page of our Roadmap section.

The Disability Equality Indicators are a starting point in measuring progress towards disability equality and cover a number of themes that disabled people have told us are important to them. We update the indicators regularly, and will be increasing the number of indicators available over the coming months, so remember to visit the page regularly.

June 2010

Facts and Figures

We have updated the Facts and Figures page of our website, providing our visitors with a summary of the latest disability statistics. The page gives a general overview of areas such as transport, education, employment and more. More detailed statistics are available on our Disability Equality Indicators page.

New disability indicator data published

Data on education, employment rates and access to goods and services are published today. The updated data include

These data are available for download from our Disability Equality Indicators page.

New statistics on disability prevalance are also available from our Key Facts and Figures page.

May 2010

Statement from Maria Miller MP, Minister for Disabled People

"I am delighted to have been appointed Minister for Disabled People, and I am determined to use the role to champion disability equality across Government. The Prime Minister has told me that disability equality is an issue he takes a great personal interest in, and I know he shares my determination to make progress.

"Over the next few weeks and months, I will be meeting and listening to individuals and organisations across the country, to make certain I have an in-depth understanding of the experiences of disabled people, and the policies and services that have an impact on their lives. The involvement of disabled people at all levels of decision making is essential if we are to effectively tackle discrimination, enable disabled people to live independent lives, and achieve equality for disabled people. I look forward to working with you."

New statistics on living standards published

The Households Below Average Income statistical report have been published by DWP. These statistics can be found on our Disability Equality Indicators page (sections C1-C3).

Minister for Disabled People appointed

The Prime Minister has appointed Maria Miller MP as the Minister for Disabled People. Further information will be published on this website shortly. If you wish to contact the minister, please see the instructions on the DWP website.

News archive

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Page last reviewed: 26 July 2010