A Hierarchy of Access

Overlaying an off-white background, the words, ‘A Hierarchy of Access’ are in bold, black text in the top centre. Underneath are the words, ‘The first of a series of blogs exploring the key details of the recent government Green Paper, ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working’. Underneath the text is a simple triangle base down, with different coloured blocks comprising it; top purple, next salmon pink, next pale grey, next mustardy orange, and finally, navy blue as the base. Equal Lives’ logo is in the top right corner.

This is the first in a series of blogs about specific elements of the government’s ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper and the proposed cuts. Through these blogs, we aim to garner responses from Members that we can share with MPs.

It took over two weeks before the Easy-Read or Welsh versions of the consultation became available on the website. Ordinarily, this would be illegal, but there was a disclaimer stating, ‘further accessible formats will be published on GOV.UK on this page in due course. The consultation will close 12 weeks after the point at which the accessible versions of this Green Paper are available’.

While we appreciate that it takes time to create materials in various accessible formats, releasing Easy-read (and Welsh!) so much later than other formats speaks volumes about whose access is considered valuable. We have Members with compelling stories to share, who were unable to engage with the consultation at the same time as everyone else, because the format was not accessible to them.

How are we to believe policymakers – the arbiters of our futures – value Disabled people’s opinions, understand disability, and understand the barriers that we encounter in the world of work, when they chose to open the consultation before all accessible formats were available?

This is precisely the type of access barrier people with disabilities routinely encounter when attempting to engage with work. If the government haven’t offered equitable access to this consultation, how can we be expected to believe that they have the impetus or expertise to ensure employers will facilitate access accommodations?

In addition to the format access failure, of the nine public consultation events being held, none are in the Northeast -- the region in the UK with the highest number of Disabled people. Again, are we supposed to believe the government are invested in co-production with us?

We are asking you – our members – to tell us how does it feel to have access to the consultation so much later than others did?

Have you experienced access barriers, such as unsuitable format, while attempting to engage with work? Tell us about these experiences.

What impact will losing benefits have on your life?

Please email us at communications@equallives.org.uk. We will anonymise your submissions, and send them to every MP across East Anglia.

Same motif as the first graphic but with different text, that reads, ‘How are we to believe policymakers – the arbiters of our futures – value Disabled people’s opinions, understand disability and the barriers that we encounter in the world of work, when they chose to open the consultation before all accessible formats were available?’.