Office for Disability Issues consultation, 'Fulfilling Potential', on a new Disability Strategy, March 2012
Government Equalities Office consultation on repeal of two enforcement provisions of Equality Act 2010, August 2012
Government Equalities Office consultation on Equality and Human Rights Commission reforms, June 2011
RNIB believes it is in the interests of all disabled people to see a strong and independent Equality and Human Rights Commission. We are concerned the reforms to the Equality and Human Rights Commission will render it less effective at regulating public authorities and service providers.
Joint Committee on Human Rights Inquiry on Independent Living for Disabled People, April 2011
RNIB believes the right to independent living should continue to be the basis for government policy in relation to disabled people. To make a difference for people with a visual impairment we need to see much bigger improvements in the provision of accessible information.
Office for Disability Issues consultation on draft UK report on implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, March 2011
RNIB applauds the fact that the UK's legal framework protects disabled people's rights across the range of issues covered by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. However, the draft Government report on implementing the UN Convention glosses over almost all of the concerns we and other disabled people's organisations have expressed.
Inquiry on the Big Society, March 2011
Smaller Government: "Bigger Society"? (Public Administration Select Committee Inquiry) This is the first consultation document - download below.
We set out our concerns that the impact of local cuts raises serious questions about the Government's vision of empowered communities. RNIB provided the Select Committee with evidence which suggests cuts to transport schemes and other services blind and partially sighted people rely on threaten to undermine the "Big Society" agenda.
The voluntary sector could stand to benefit from fairer rules on public service provision and contracting. However, we conclude that reductions in public expenditure could do great damage to the services blind and partially sighted people use.
The UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, March 2010
Monitoring the UK's performance in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Government wished to find out how the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was being implemented in the UK. During our consultation with blind and partially sighted people, we also took the opportunity to find out which parts of the Convention were most important to them.
The three areas covered by the Convention that blind and partially sighted people most often raised as important were covered by Articles 9 (Accessibility), 21 (Access to Information) and 27 (Employment). In all three areas, RNIB believes that the government can do far more to ensure that it meets the Convention's requirements.
The UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, October 2010
Consultation on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Office of Disability Issues (ODI)
We questioned people with sight loss on their awareness of the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The UN Convention sets out disabled people's rights in all the main areas of life, including access to the physical environment. The response delivered to us by blind and partially sighted people is that much more needs to be done to promote the UN Convention.
Voices of experience, October 2010
Voices of Experience: blind and partially sighted people respond to questions on independent living, Office for Disability Issues (ODI)
RNIB submitted a paper to the Office for Disability Issues as we are one of the charities involved in their "Network of Networks" responsible for gathering the views of blind and partially sighted people and tracking what progress disabled people Government is making towards achieving its vision of disability equality. The people we surveyed highlighted the ongoing barriers they experience trying to get information in accessible formats.
They also talked about the struggle to secure employment and the challenges they face trying to live independently in their communities. The response delivered to us by blind and partially sighted people is that change, where it is taking place, is incremental.
Independent living consultation, June 2008
Our response to the ODI consultation on the Independent Living Strategy
RNIB responded to the Office for Disability Issues' (ODI) consultation on the Independent Living Strategy in June 2008. RNIB had sat on the Independent Living Review Advisory Group, commenting on the specific policies and measures that need introducing to ensure Government meets its targets on disability equality by 2025. Our response welcomes the cross-governmental strategy on employment retention, but we believe the Government needs to go further in tackling the barriers that prevent blind and partially sighted people's access to information.
Further information
For further information please email campaign@rnib.org.uk or telephone our campaign hotline on 020 7391 2123