Press Release

An Election Message from RADAR to all Parties

You are about to fight what will be, if many polls are to be believed, the closest-run election in many years.

11 million people living with injury, ill-health or disability, their families and their friends are a very big constituency.

Disability issues are not a minority interest; injury, ill health or disability affects or will at some point affect, directly or indirectly, every single person in this country, meaning that the rights to support, empowerment and inclusion matter to everyone. The housing crisis, scandalous delivery of social care, and disability-related poverty affect everyone. You should bear this in mind.

You should also bear in mind that disabled people are parents, employees, employers, home owners, transport users, students and members of every other conceivable interest group that you will be pitching your messages and policies to over the next few weeks.

Not only should your policies on every issue reflect this fact, your communications should also reach out to disabled people. This means producing electoral literature, local and national, in alternative formats and easy-read; this means ensuring that your public meetings are held in accessible venues, with induction loops and sign language available; this means making sure that your disabled supporters and activists are included in your campaigning.

This means doing campaigning differently, reaching out to voters with injury, ill health or disability and running an election which is truly inclusive and representative. We need more disabled people to be active and involved in politics at all levels; this is a great way to bring that about. Candidates with experience of injury, ill health or disability should be championed and brought to the fore.

RADAR Chairman Phil Friend OBE said:

"Every vote will count in the coming election; parties and candidates who make an effort to connect with people living with injury, ill-health or disability will be able to tap a rich seam of voters. There are 11 million of us. We live in every single constituency.  We can strongly affect the result in marginal seats, and so can our families and friends. We cannot be ignored or taken for granted by any party; if the politicians want our vote, their policies will have to address our concerns."

For more information please contact:

Aidan Hargitt                         email: aidan.hargitt@radar.org.uk

Press Officer                         tel:      0191 383 0732

07984 158 525

Notes to Editors

1. RADAR, founded in 1977, is the UK ’s largest disability campaigning network with over 1000 individual and organisational members. As of 2009  RADAR, formerly the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation, now stands for the Royal Association for Disability Rights.

2. RADAR is a charity run by disabled people that depends on the financial and voluntary support of others including public donations. To find out more please visit our web site www.radar.org.uk or call 020 7250 3222 / minicom 020 7250 4119 or email radar@radar.org.uk