Disability Rights Project

LCF's Disability Rights Project was funded from December 2005 until March 2008. It was initially funded by the Disability Rights Commission who funded the LCF and 14 Law Centres until October 2007. The Equality and Human Rights Commission set up in October 2007 then took over the Project until it ended in March 2008.

On the 1st of December 2005 an agreement was signed between the Law Centres Federation and the Disability Rights Commission worth an estimated £1.4 million for the Law Centres Federation to provide a case work service on a regional basis through Law Centres and provide a higher national and local profile particularly in relation to Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act.

The project was set up in December 2005 and ran until the end of March 2008. The strength of this project’s timeline was the overlap with the establishment of the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights in October 2007.

The overall aims of the Disability Rights Project were to provide a casework service while promoting the awareness of disability rights law specifically disseminating information pertaining to Part III of the DDA (Goods and Services).

The promotion of the Social Model of Disability has to be at the forefront of all the work carried out within the disability field. People on the whole need to realise their part in the making of an inclusive society, which is why the development aspect of the Disability Rights workers roles is paramount, by offering training to organisations and detailing “reasonable adjustments”. Often organisations don’t realise how little they actually have to do to make a significant change.

Approximately one in five of the adult population (10 million people) has a disability or suffers from a long term illness. In the 10 years since the Disability Discrimination Act has been in affect, the Law Centres Federation estimate that only a couple of hundred Part III cases have been brought to tribunals.

A team of highly experienced Disability Rights Workers were recruited in Law Centres across England with an LCF Project Worker to provide development support, coordinate the evaluation of the project and work on ensuring continuation of funding. The Disability Rights Workers were suitably located to continue work at a regional level. In partnership with Disability Rights Commission’s Helpline and the Conciliation Service they delivered a highly successful national service aimed at influencing local and national social policy on disability issues.

Disability Rights Workers operated from the following Law Centres: Avon and Bristol Law Centre, Camden Community Law Centre, Chesterfield Law Centre, Coventry Law Centre, Gateshead Law Centre, Kirklees Law Centre, Leicester Law Centre, Luton Law Centre, Newcastle Law Centre, Rochdale Law Centre, Sheffield Law Centre, South West London Law Centres, Trafford Law Centre.  An Associate Member of the LCF, the Disability Law Service was also part of the team.