National Disability Strategy (2021)

Document summary

Over 1 in 5 people in the UK are disabled. That is over 14 million of us. It is a number that has continued to rise as people are living longer and treatments and technology in healthcare improve. Disability matters to all of us. This national strategy recognises and builds on the progress that has been made since the Disability Discrimination Act was introduced more than 25 years ago. There have been many improvements in services, access and opportunities for disabled people. The employment gap has narrowed. Levels of understanding and visibility have increased. And there have been profound changes in public attitudes towards disability, captured and catalysed by national moments such as the 2012 Paralympic Games. Disabled people have told us that these positive changes in recent years, while welcome, are not enough. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our economy and society makes the case for concerted action all the more important. Disabled people have felt the impact more than most. Now is the time, as we build back fairer, to raise the level of our ambition. Our vision is to transform the everyday lives of disabled people. This will not happen overnight. We know meaningful change to transform the physical and social environments across all sectors of society will require a sustained collaboration across government. We want to level up opportunity at every stage of disabled people’s lives, as well as in all areas of disabled people’s lives. Disabled children should have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential as non-disabled children, and so should disabled young people. In this strategy, we outline targeted action to support disabled children in education, as well as broader action such as changing perceptions which will benefit disabled children as well as disabled adults. We want to transform the lives of all disabled people. We include disabled people with visible and invisible disabilities. We include disabled people who do not identify as disabled. We include non-disabled people who might have been disabled in the past or become disabled in the future. This strategy sets out immediate actions we will take on the path towards our vision to transform disabled people’s everyday lives.