General Enquiries:
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Town Hall
Hall Plain
Great Yarmouth.
NR30 2QF.

Tel:
01493 856100

E-mail:
enquiries@great-yarmouth.gov.uk

PR 214

For immediate release

12 July 2006

Public sector organisations in Norfolk are preparing plans to help disabled people access their services more easily - after asking them ‘what do you need us to do?’.

A recent one-day conference held at Wymondham Police HQ ‘Reaching out – involving Norfolk’s disabled people’, saw the result of several months consultation with disabled people to present evidence of the difficulties they face in everyday life - together with highlighting what makes their lives enjoyable.

Methods such as video diaries, internet blogging, creative arts projects, written diaries, audio cassettes, photographs and drawings were all used to show the positive and negative sides of life in Norfolk.

The research and conference was the result of a partnership between all of the county’s local authorities and organisations such as the Police, and two housing associations under the banner of Norfolk Community Cohesion Network.

“The conference was a way of saying thank you to everyone who has provided the information we need to compile a Disability Equality Scheme and three-year action plan. This will help all the agencies involved implement policies so that we meet the requirements of disability discrimination legislation coming into force in December, “said Joan Emerson, Equalities Officer at Norfolk County Council.

“We saw video evidence of how disabled people still have difficulties accessing buildings, transport and leisure facilities. With this kind of information we can look at ways of improving the quality of life for disabled people in Norfolk.”

Issues raised at the conference included disabled people arriving at railway stations and not being able to leave the platform, buildings that did not give a wheelchair-user access, problems using leisure facilities and the lack of drop-curbs on pavements.

Organisations involved include:  Breckland Council, Broadland District Council, The Broads Authority, Cotman Housing Association, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, Norfolk Constabulary, Norfolk County Association of Town and Parish Councils,  Norfolk County Council, Norfolk Police Authority, North Norfolk District Council, Norwich City Council, Orbit Housing and South Norfolk Council.

Notes to editors:

In 2005 a new Disability Discrimination Act became law. The Act requires public bodies to produce a Disability Equality Scheme (DES). This scheme sets out how organizations are going to promote disability equality and tackle issues that have been identified by disabled people about our policies and services.

The Disability Discrimination Act definition of a disabled person includes people with a sensory impairment, a physical impairment, a learning disability, a mental health difficulty, a person with cancer, and people with HIV or Aids.

The Community Cohesion Network is a partnership of most of the public authorities in Norfolk working together under Norfolk Ambition, the County Strategic Partnership, to promote and improve community cohesion and equality across Norfolk.

For further information please contact the appropriate person below:

Joan Emerson, Equalities Officer Norfolk County Council 01603 223816 joan.emerson@norfolk.gov.uk / Anne Tansley Thomas Consultation Officer Norfolk County Council 01603 222844 anne.tansleythomas@norfolk.gov.uk

Peter de Oude, County Coordinator, Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People 01508 491211 peter.deoude@ncodp.org.uk

Breckland Council - Mitch Kerry, Senior Policy Officer 01362 656385, mitch.kerry@breckland.gov.uk.

Broadland Council – Adam Banham, Social and Housing Policy Officer, 01603 430559 adam.banham@broadland.gov.uk

Great Yarmouth Borough Council – Karla Symonds, Diversity & Communications Officer 01493 846512 krs@great-yarmouth.gov.uk

King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council – Carl Suckling, Community Development Officer / Secretary to Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities 01553 616658 carl.suckling@west-norfolk.gov.uk

Norfolk Constabulary – Isabel Farrelly, HR Diversity Advisor 01953 423801 FarrellyI@norfolk.pnn.police.uk

Norfolk Police Authority – Pauline Mason 01953 424460 masonp@norfolk.pnn.police.uk

North Norfolk District Council – Kate Sullivan 01263 516052 ksullivan@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Norwich City Council - Verity Pelton, Research and Programme Officer 01603 212161 veritypelton@norwich.gov.uk

South Norfolk Council – Ian McArthur 01508 533970 imcarthur@s-norfolk.gov.uk

Issued for Karla Symonds and Joan Emerson by:
Liz Dann
Press Officer
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
01493 846513