Independence, Well Being and Choice
That's what the Government for England says disabled people should have as a right. To quote their Executive Summary:
"Our starting point is the principle that everyone in society has a positive contribution to make to that society and that they should have a right to control their lives. Our vision is to ensure that these values will drive the way we provide social care"
So what does this have to do with Disability Writes? It should mean that disabled people have the right to access Direct Payments and Individual Budgets (money given to disabled people by Social Care) to 'buy' the services they want to meet their needs. These needs may be personal care needs or 'social' care needs that help to "maintain the independence of the individual by giving them greater choice and control over the way their needs are met".
It is about disabled people not just having to use the services that Social Care (Social Services as was) has to offer but about having a wider choice and choosing the things that are important to the individual. That is where Disability Writes fits in. We have made a fact sheet explaining what Disability Writes is, who it is for and how Direct Payments or Individual Budgets can be used to use this service. This is something individual disabled people can use for their "self assessments" with Social Care, or talk to their Social Workers or Access Teams about.
Click here to download the information file (114 KB)
Updated: Thursday 15th May 2008