Disability

NEU & Disability

The NEU is committed to challenging discrimination against disabled people and to campaigning for disability rights for its members and students. We work to influence policies at school, local and national levels relating to both working conditions and rights for our members and for the young people we work with. We work with other unions and organisations who share our aims.

TH&C district is keen to increase the involvement and activity of disabled members in the work of the Union. If you would like to be more involved or require some advice or information, please contact us via email alex.kenny@exec.neu.org.uk

You can also contact the NEU Advice Line 0345 811 8111 or further contact details can be found here

TH&C District Equalities Officer: Vacancy

NEU National Executive Member for Disability: Colleen Johnson

Email: Colleen.Johnson@exec.neu.org.uk

More Information and resources on disability issues

Advice on discrimination

London Disabled Members Network

London Disabled Members Organising Forum Representatives:: Mandy Hudson, Kim Knappett, Pamela Daly, Richard Rieser, Jo Howcroft-Scott

Read the latest London Disabled Members’ Newsletter

Disability History Month 2020 Launch Event

Access: How far have we come? How far have we to go?

18th November 2020 7pm to 9pm

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS :

Micheline Mason Writer, Poet, Activist

Mik Scarlet Broadcaster and Journalist

Marsha De Cordova MP Shadow Minister Equalities

Richard Rieser Coordinator UKDHM

John McDonnell MP Patron UKDHM

Louise Regan NEU National Equality and Membership Officer

Doug Paulley Campaigner for Access

Tara Flood Campaigner Local Government and Access

Dr Armineh Soorenian Author ‘ALLFIE Report on School Access Planning Duty’

Emma Dalmayn CEO of Autistic Inclusive Meets

William Vanderpuye Early Years Teacher

Jonathan Bryan (14) Author ‘Eye Can Write’

** BSL INTERPRETER AND LIVE CAPTIONING AVAILABLE **

1000 places available

To register at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launch-uk-disability-history-month-2020-tickets-128228084653?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

Broadsheet for UKDHM 2020 https://ukdhm.org/ukdhm-2020-broadsheet/

Resources to use in schools

NUT Disabled Teachers’ Conference

This conference is held annually for NUT members identifying as disabled. The Conference plays an integral role in ensuring that the Union’s work is in the interest of its disabled members and in developing education policy addressing disability issues. The Conference is empowered to submit a motion for NUT Annual conference.

If you are interested in attending this conference, please email secretary@east-london.nut.org.uk

National Executive Representative for Disabled Members: Colleen Johnson coleen.johnson@exec.neu.org.uk

Trade Unions & the Social Model of Disability

Trade unions have played a big part in the progress made in improving the lives of Britain’s eleven million disabled people, particularly in the area of employment, until that progress was halted by the policies of the Coalition government that took office in 2010. Trade unions have since played an important part in resisting the impact of those policies.

In 2008, following a recommendation of the TUC Disability conference, the TUC published guidance for unions on why it was important that they base their policies, practices and actions on the social model of disability, in contrast to the medical model which was then – and remains – dominant in society.

The attacks on the lives and living standards of disabled people and the associated propaganda to justify them that have been carried out by the Coalition government have reinforced prejudice and discrimination against disabled people. This makes it even more important that the social model – in which the disability is understood to be the result of barriers preventing the inclusion of people with impairments, and not the impairment itself – is used as the foundation for unions’ work in this area. This is not a philosophical distinction – it has real significance in society, in the workplace and in the way that unions work.

There are many reasons for building on the progress unions have already made: the legal framework has changed with the ratification by the UK of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), itself based on the social model; the Equality Act 2010 has replaced the previous legislation (the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)); many unions have strengthened their commitment to engage with their disabled members; and trade unions have been champions of the resistance against government attempts to take disabled people back into the Dark Ages.