1. March 2012
This update includes
Monthly Bulletin 34 articles on the following
topics:
Dear Members,
Welcome to the March edition of ecdp’s monthly
email bulletin. This has been an exceptionally ecdp news
busy month at ecdp, and we have been working
on some exciting projects with our members. 1. Fulfilling Potential
discussion
This week we held our second Fulfilling Potential 2. Health and social care:
focus group with young disabled people and effectively capturing your
people with learning disabilities. It was great to views and experiences
see so many people engaged with the work and 3. Working with Skills for
offering practical solutions to tackling some of the Care to give you the
barriers disabled people face in their lives. information you need as
an employer
Hugh Pullinger, Deputy Director of Disability
Strategy at DWP introduced the session and
spent the day listening to the suggestions of
local news
participants.
4. Job Opportunity at
You can read more about the event and how you Terrence Higgins Trust
can contribute your lived experience to this 5. A new animal in Essex:
important work on page 3. Dancing Giraffe
We welcome member contributions to the
national news
bulletin, our website and the ecdp magazine. If
you would like to write something, or comment on 6. Joint Committee
any of the articles in this edition of the bulletin, publishes report on the
please get in touch with us using the details human rights of disabled
below. people
7. Disability Rights UK
If you have missed a previous email bulletin, they launch hate crime
are all available on our website: ecdp monthly guidance
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34 Page 1 of 21

2. Monthly Bulletin 34 – March 2012
email bulletin.
8. Disability Law Service
Best wishes, Training Courses
9. Disability Rights UK
Rich Watts networking and
Director of Policy and Development empowerment events
10.New smartphone app
based on Braille
11.Inclusion London – A
matter of survival
If you want to get in touch with us about any
of the articles included in this bulletin:
Telephone: 01245 392 300
Email: info@ecdp.org.uk
Post: Ivan Peck House, 1 Russell Way,
Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 3AA.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34 Page 2 of 21

3. ecdp news
Fulfilling Potential discussion
The Government is currently engaging with disabled
people and their organisations on a new cross-
Government disability strategy.
ecdp has been working with disabled people in Essex to
inform our response to the Fulfilling Potential discussion
exercise, which will inform this strategy. Last month we
shared details of our first focus group.
ecdp held the second event on Tuesday 28 February.
All our members were invited, but we particularly wanted
to ensure the perspective of young disabled people and
people with learning disabilities was represented.
We were delighted to welcome Hugh Pullinger, who is
Deputy Director of Disability Strategy at Department of
Work and Pensions (DWP). Hugh introduced the
sessions by talking about the importance of the Fulfilling
Potential work and the purpose of a disability strategy.
Participants were then able to ask Hugh questions;
including how the disability strategy will address
particular issues they had.
Smaller groups discussed three questions; about
achieving in education and employment, about having
choice and control and living independently and about
changing attitudes towards disabled people.
You can follow the conversations through a Storify available on
the ecdp website: Fulfilling Potential: the story so far… (part II)
All participants made a huge contribution and had a lot to say
about how to improve the lives of disabled people.
Damon Rose, a journalist from BBC Radio 4 joined us during
the event to record a segment for the Radio 4 You and Yours
programme which was broadcast today. We will share the
recording with members as soon as it is available.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34 Page 3 of 21

4. ecdp news
Stephen Hodgkins produced a ‘graphick’ representing the wide
ranging discussion we had on the day, resulting in the fantastic image
below.
Remember, there is still time for you to share your lived experience
through the ecdp Fulfilling Potential survey, which will close this Friday
2 March.
If you’d like any further information on the Fulfilling Potential work,
please contact Faye Savage at ecdp: email fsavage@ecdp.co.uk or
call 01245 214 023.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34 Page 4 of 21

5. ecdp news
Health and social care: effectively
capturing your views and experiences
ecdp has recently been asked by Essex County Council to find out
how to best capture your views and experiences of the health and
social care systems. This is to ensure that your views and experiences
are reflected in the way decisions about health and social care in
Essex are taken.
Over the coming months, we will be finding out what you think are the
most practical and effective ways of capturing what people think, and
how we can ensure that everyone has a chance for their voice to be
heard.
How we will do this work
Very soon we will be using our website, our monthly email bulletin and
our various social media (such as Twitter and Facebook) to let you
know more about the work and how you can get involved. We will also
keep you updated on the progress we are making so that you can let
us know if we’re including the sorts of things you would expect us to.
We will be hosting a range of focus groups through March, April and
May, where we will bring people together to talk about how they would
like to be involved in shaping health and social care. We will also have
an online survey so that you can tell us your views at any time.
We’re very keen to ensure this work covers as many different groups
of people across Essex. This means we will work with:
 People with learning disabilities
 People with long-term health conditions
 People with mental health conditions
 People with physical and/or sensory impairments
 Young people
 People from BME backgrounds
 LGBT people
 Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34 Page 5 of 21

6. ecdp news
Our colleagues at Age UK (Essex) will also be working closely with us
to ensure the views of older people in Essex are included.
Contact us
If you’d like to ensure you receive information about the research work
we’re doing, or if you’d like to make sure your voice is heard, please
contact: Rich Watts on rwatts@ecdp.co.uk or 01245 392 324. We will
be able to pay people for their time and travel in being involved in this
work.
Our experience
ecdp has a wide range of experience in capturing the views and lived
experiences of disabled and older people in Essex. We do this in a
variety of different ways, including varied communications techniques,
focus groups, interviews and surveys. We have used this experience
to do work on a number of different topics, such as:
 Disability benefit reform
 Access to Work
 Blue Badge reform
 Disability Hate Crime
 The personalisation of social care
 The Right to Control
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34 Page 6 of 21

7. ecdp news
Working with Skills for Care to give you
the information you need as an
employer
ecdp is delighted to be working with Skills for Care to support
disabled people in Essex and beyond who employ their own
staff to access Skills for Care’s useful and time-saving
resources.
Skills for Care wants to ensure that the people who work for disabled
and older people in providing care – often paid for by Direct Payments
or Personal Budgets – have the right skills and qualifications to do so.
We know Direct Payments can be a very beneficial way of arranging
your social care. But we also understand that it can sometimes take
time to get the right information to feel fully in control.
This is why ecdp is working with Skills for Care to ensure their useful
information is made as available as possible to you. We also want to
make sure you have the opportunity to let Skills for Care know how
useful their resources are: what is good, what can be improved, and
what new things you might like to see.
How we will do this
Over the next four months, we’ll be telling you much more about the
resources that Skills for Care have. We will be using our website
(www.ecdp.org.uk), our monthly bulletin, our quarterly magazine and
our social media (Twitter, Audioboo and YouTube) to keep you up-to-
date on the support available and how you can access it.
We will also be holding three dedicated focus groups in March, April
and May. This means you’ll have the chance in person to find out from
Skills for Care about the work they do, and let them know how it could
be improved.
We’re also keen to let you know about a very useful source of
information that Skills for Care has developed: it’s called a “Social
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34 Page 7 of 21

8. ecdp news
Care Data Set”, and what it can tell you is the types of skills you can
expect to find for carers in Essex, what types of qualifications they
might have, and all sorts of other useful information you might need to
help you make a good decision when looking for your next carer /
Personal Assistant.
Keep in touch
If you’d like to ensure you receive information about the work we’re
doing with Skills for Care, or if you’d like to take part in the planned
focus groups, please contact: Rich Watts on rwatts@ecdp.co.uk or
01245 392 324. We will be able to pay people for their time and travel
in being involved in this work.
You can find out more about Skills for Care and what they do here:
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/
About ecdp’s payroll support service – ecdp pass
Our payroll service – ecdp pass – supports disabled and older people
with employing Personal Assistants (PAs). ecdp pass provides a vital
support system for people who want the independence that a Direct
Payment / Personal Budget / cash payment can give them, but for
whatever reason feel they need some support to do so. We have a
personalised payroll service to meet user’s individual needs through
offering as much of a tailored service as possible. This includes
payment facilities, quarterly returns to Councils, staff recruitment and
checking, and PA training. To find out more about ecdp pass please
visit the ecdp website or contact them on 01245 392 320.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34 Page 8 of 21

9. Local News
Job Opportunity at Terrence Higgins Trust
HIV is the fastest growing serious health condition in the UK today
with 6,136 new cases diagnosed in 2010 alone. Terrence Higgins
Trust (THT) is at the forefront of the fight against HIV and poor
sexual health, working with both individuals and communities to raise
awareness and understanding, and to provide support and guidance
to individuals to empower them to make decisions around their own
sexual health needs.
Terrence Higgins Trust is looking for a Case Worker, who will be responsible
for a caseload of clients with a direct focus on improving long term condition
management for people living with HIV.
You will be competent in assessment and care planning and review
procedures. You will be a good communicator both verbal and written, be able
to cope in a crisis and have skills in team working and working alone. You will
be computer literate and able to use a database recording system.
This post requires travel across the Essex area so you must be a car driver
and have a current UK driver’s licence. This role requires an Enhanced CRB
disclosure.
THT will reward your energy and enthusiasm with a great range of benefits
including generous annual leave, season ticket loan, family friendly policies
and support for flexible working agreements.
Role: Case Worker
Hours: 35 hours per week
Starting salary: £22,624 per annum
Location: Colchester
Ref: EWE010
Closing date:19 March 2012
Interview: 26 March 2012
THT Case Worker - Job Description and Person Specification.
To apply online and for information on all vacancies go to:
http://www.tht.org.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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10. Local News
For enquiries: email recruitment@tht.org.uk quoting the reference number
EWE010.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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11. Local News
A new animal in Essex: Dancing Giraffe
A new Colchester-based organisation, that aims to bring
new opportunities to disabled people throughout Essex,
has recently launched.
Dancing Giraffe is an online community which enables people to access
information, products and services. It was founded and launched by Shaun
Moffat, a Colchester-based businessman and campaigner, and received Big
Lottery Funding to enable it to launch in January 2012.
Its Mission Statement is:
To provide a platform to inspire, inform and represent the Essex disabled
community. Through this internet portal, Dancing Giraffe will offer support and
advice for people with disabilities, their carer/s, professionals, organisations
and the media. It will bring together comprehensive information and data
about services and facilities available and will present them in one easy to
access place. Dancing Giraffe will also provide a forum for disabled people to
discuss and compare access issues and solutions.
To find out more about what Dancing Giraffe do and how you can get
involved, visit their website: www.dancinggiraffe.com.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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12. National News
Joint Committee publishes report on the
human rights of disabled people
The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has
published its Report on the implementation of the right of
disabled people to independent living.
The report looks at how the law is or isn’t working to ensure
that disabled people have the same opportunities as
everyone else. It particularly looks at what the United
Nations thinks governments should be doing – through
something called the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of Disabled People – and whether this is happening
in practice.
The report unfortunately finds that there is still a lot to do if the right
to independent living is to be achieved for disabled people. It also
expresses concern that a lot of the current changes happening –
such as to benefits and social care services – risk leaving people
without the support they need to live independently.
You can read about the JCHR’s report on the Parliament website:
Joint Committee on Human Rights.
The full report is also available as a pdf on the Parliament website:
Joint Committee on Human Rights – full report
ecdp was delighted to be involved in the Joint Committee’s work
on this report. In September last year we hosted a visit of the
Committee to our offices in Chelmsford (see photos). You can read
about their visit in two articles on the ecdp website:
ecdp hosts visit of a group of MPs and Lords
The story of JCHR visit to ecdp
We were pleased to see that the Joint Committee including
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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13. National News
reference to our work on Disability Hate Crime over the last 18 months. You
can read what the Joint Committee said about this work in paragraph 206 of
their full report. You can also read about ecdp’s work on Disability Hate Crime
on the ecdp website: Disability Hate Crime in Essex and beyond.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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14. National News
Disability Rights UK launch hate crime
guidance
Disability Rights UK has launched a new guide on reporting hate crime
experienced by disabled people. Maria Miller MP, the Minister for Disabled
People spoke at the launch alongside Liz Sayce, the Chief Executive of
Disability Rights UK. The guidance was developed by Disability Rights UK in
alliance with ODI and the launch was attended by senior stakeholders from
the disability movement.
Reports of hate crime against disabled people are growing and so are
prosecutions, which went up to 579 in 2009-10. However, around half of
disabled people say in surveys that they have experienced disability-related
hate crime or harassment – so these convictions are only the tip of a large
iceberg and there is a major discrepancy between the number of disabled
people who have been the victim of disability hate crime and the number of
disability hate crimes that have been recorded.
The guidance has been developed for local disabled people's organisations to
support them to report incidents of hate crime to the police. In addition,
guidance has been produced for carers, friends and families
Liz Sayce said: "Hate Crime against disabled people is shocking and has to
stop. I hope our guidance will lead to change locally, enable disabled people
to report hate crime and support new partnerships between disabled people's
organisations and local agencies, ranging from housing associations through
to the police and the CPS."
Minister for Disabled People Maria Miller MP added: "Hate crime in all its
forms is intolerable as it perpetuates segregation and creates fear. It has no
place in our society, whether it is verbal abuse from children on street corners,
mental persecution by those who are meant to provide care or physical
attacks carried out by callous bullies. We will not tolerate it.”
The Let’s Stop Disability Hate Crime guidance documents can be downloaded
from the Radar website.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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15. National News
ecdp’s work on disability hate crime is available on the ecdp website:
Disability Hate Crime in Essex and Beyond.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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16. National News
Disability Law Service Training Courses
Disability Law Service (DLS) has announced the next session of training
courses delivered by their specialist legal team.
If you are involved with advice, advocacy or campaigning, or provide services
to disabled people or carers, you may be interested in the courses below.
For further information, please click on the course you are interested in
attending (see below) and the link will take you to the DLS website.
Legal courses delivered by DLS expert lawyers:
Understanding mental capacity and the law - 14 March (10am–1pm)
Introduction to Community Care Law - 15 March (10am–1pm)
Supporting people facing discrimination at work - 19 March (10am–4:30pm)
Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance – A Guide to
Successful Claims - 21 March (10am–1pm)
Using the Equality Duty to challenge decisions and promote disability rights -
23 March (10am–1pm)
A basic guide to Employment and Support Allowance and to appealing
decisions - 26 March (10am–1pm)
Disability Discrimination Overview: Challenging discrimination at work and
promoting access to goods and services - 28 March (10am–1pm)
Additional non legal courses delivered by DLS development team:
Knowledge is power? Empowering disabled people through public legal
education - 2 April (10am–1pm)
Personalisation – taking stock and moving - 16 April (10am-1pm)
Courses are delivered at DLS’s accessible offices in Whitechapel and cost
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17. National News
£63 + VAT for half day/ £105 + VAT for full day (voluntary sector rates).
Discounts are available for multiple bookings. All legal courses are accredited
with the Solicitors Regulation Authority and attract CPD points.
For additional information or to discuss DLS training, please call 020 7791
9819 or email: training@dls.org.uk
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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18. National News
Disability Rights UK networking and
empowerment events
Disability Rights UK is a new organisation formed from the
recent merger of Radar, Disability Alliance and the National
Centre for Independent Living.
They are holding a series of regional events to introduce
the new organisation to disabled people and their organisations across the
country. This is an opportunity for you and / or your organisation to find out
about Disability Rights UK, to ask questions, and crucially, to get involved.
Disability Rights UK aims to be a user-led organisation, so they need you to
be part of it.
 Thursday 1 March, Birmingham, RNIB
 Tuesday 6 March, Ipswich, IP City
 Tuesday 13 March, London, SCOPE, Market Road
 Wednesday 14 March, Southampton, Southampton CIL
 Monday 19 March, Sheffield, The Circle
 Tuesday 27 March, Manchester, Breakthrough UK
 Wednesday 4 April, Plymouth, HQ
For Darlington, Sheffield and Manchester download the Booking Form or
contact Cheryl Gowar, 020 7503 6176, Cheryl.Gowar@radar.org.uk
For Leicester, Birmingham, Ipswich, London, Southampton and Plymouth
download the Booking Form or contact Karen Earl, 020 7587 1663,
projects@ncil.org.uk
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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19. National News
New smartphone app based on Braille
A new app has been developed to help people with visual
impairments to use smartphones. The new system is based
on the Braille writing system, and could make typing up to six
times faster than existing methods for texting without sight.
The system is faster because users do not have to move their
hands to text as they do with the Qwerty keyboard.
The app, Brailletouch, was developed in America and will be available on
Apple and Android phones.
The full Brailletouch story is available on the BBC website.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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20. National News
Inclusion London – A matter of survival
Inclusion London have published an important new report
on recent research they carried out into the funding cuts
experienced by London’s Deaf and disabled peoples
organisations and the implications these cuts have for
users and wider social and disability equality policy.
There are an estimated 120 Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations
(DDPOs) in London. DDPOs have played a pioneering and pivotal role in the
progress towards equality for Deaf and disabled people over the last 30 years
- promoting the rights, equality and inclusion of Deaf and disabled people and
providing a wide range of essential projects and services that enable many
thousands of Deaf and disabled Londoners to have more choice, control and
independence in their lives.
Despite plenty of anecdotal evidence of significant cuts to DDPOs, there has
been no specific research on funding cuts experienced by DDPOs and the
implications these cuts may have for social and disability equality policy.
In response, Inclusion London – a pan London DDPO – carried out a survey
with 54 London DDPOs on the funding cuts experienced by these
organisations and the implications these cuts have for DDPO users and wider
social and disability equality policy. The research was funded by Trust for
London.
Key findings included:
 1 in 5 of the DDPOs surveyed face closure this year or next.
 Of the 54 DDPOs surveyed 40 had experienced cuts in funding in 2011/12. 8
of these DDPOs had cuts of up 20% of their total income. 5 DDPOs had cuts
of between 20% -50% of total income.
 31 DDPOs expected further funding cuts in 2012/13. 12 of these DDPOs
expected cuts of 50% or more of their total income
 The biggest reductions in funding came from Local Authority funding sources.
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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21. National News
The full report, including the implications of these findings for DDPOs, is
available on Inclusion London’s website
March 2012 – Monthly Update 34
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