Disabled children’s manifesto for change

Ahead of the 2010 General Election, EDCM, in partnership with disabled children and young people, produced the Disabled children's manifesto for change document and film. These are based entirely on the views of disabled children and young people themselves.

We want to make sure that all political parties make promises to make disabled children and young people's lives better. We want them to tell us what they are going to do to make things betterabout the issues that are important to disabled children and young people.

The Manifesto for Change sets out disabled children and young people's challenges to the Government which are:

• Make people understand and respect disabled children and young people.
• Support us to take part in our communities, doing the things that all other children and young people do.
• Make sure the services we use can support us to live ordinary lives.
• Help us to get the education, jobs and training we want.

These are all things that disabled children and young people have told us are important to them.

View the Disabled Children's Manifesto for Change film and a selection of video clips with young disabled people talking about what they want the Government to do for them.

Political responses to the Manifesto for Change

The Manifesto for Change is written directly to politicians. We want all MPs and political parties to respond to the questions that we have asked and listen to the issues that are important to disabled children and young people when they are developing policy and legislation. EDCM produced a range of policy recommendations in response to the Manifesto.

You can find out about how political parties have responded to the Manifesto for Change.

How children and young people have been involved?

• During the summer of 2009 EDCM asked all disabled children and young people to tell us what they think the government should be doing better for disabled children and young people.
• This included telling us about things like school, health, getting a job, college, disabled children's rights or anything else that is important to them.
• We asked children and young people to answer the questions on our form and also send us photos and pictures. We also met with groups of disabled children and young people to talk to them directly.
• EDCM would like to extend our thanks to all the young people that were involved in creating the Manifesto for Change. Please see our list of everyone involved.

Next Steps

EDCM encourages organisations to make use of the Manifesto for Change in their own training and policy development. EDCM has produced a range of documents to accompany the Manifesto for change. Including a booklet outlining all the main issues raised, along with an accompanying film. View all the resources accompanying the Disabled children's manifesto for change here.