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UK organisations launch new Volunteer Charter to increase disabled volunteers

A new Volunteer Charter to increase the number of disabled volunteers across the UK has been launched with backing from the government.

The Disability Action Alliance (DAA) has joined with Community Service Volunteers (CSV) and Disability Rights UK (DRUK) to create the DAA Volunteer Charter and is calling for organisations to pledge their support.

It asks organisations to not only offer and promote volunteering opportunities to disabled people but also provide personalised support and references for future employment.

Launched on Friday 5 December, the Charter comes on the back of research which shows that significantly less disabled people volunteer than those without any impairment or illness.

Of 100,000 disabled interviewees, 47% said they don’t volunteer because of lack of support, 25% of 16 to 34-year-olds said they lacked the confidence to volunteer and 19% said poor transport and inaccessible venues put them off.

  • 47% of 100,000 disabled people said that their services did not enable them to participate in community life, including volunteering, due to lack of support (“The Other Care Crisis” Leonard Cheshire Disability et al, 2013)
  • 25% of disabled people aged 16-34 felt that attitudinal barriers (confidence) stopped them from participating in community activities (Office for Disability Issues, 2008)
  • 19% stated that transport and access to venues were barriers to participation (Office for Disability Issues, 2008)

Speaking at the launch in support of the charter, Mark Harper, Minister of State for Disabled People, said:

“It’s well understood that volunteering opportunities are very valuable and there is a sense that those opportunities are not as open to disabled people as they ought to be. This Charter calls for opportunities to be made available and also increases the ability of disabled people to take them up. The more chances disabled people have to demonstrate their skills and talents in the work environment the more businesses will be Disability Confident and the more opportunities there will be for disabled people to demonstrate being employed as the norm and not the exception”.

He added:

“I would encourage organisations to sign up and make their commitment to this Charter. I am also very pleased that there is commitment to provide a reference at the end of the volunteering opportunity which will be a really important piece of evidence for disabled people as they look to move into paid work.”

It’s hoped that if the UK increases the number of disabled volunteers in 2015/16 this in turn will increase their skills, confidence and wellbeing and improve future job prospects where relevant.

Volunteering opportunities for disabled people also help tackle employer’s misconceptions about hiring disabled employees such as worries about accommodating any extra needs they may have or any additional costs they might incur.

CSV, DRUK and DAA members will now promote the charter to volunteering organisations before extending its reach and pledged support to businesses and mainstream employers throughout the UK. Thirty-three organisations have already pledged their support so far.

The Disability Action Alliance (DAA) brings together disabled people’s organisations with organisations from the Private, Public and Charity, Voluntary & Religious sectors, to work in partnership to deliver actions at a national and local level that make a real difference to the lives of disabled people.

The Alliance carries forward ideas proposed by disabled people themselves, to help shape and deliver the outcomes disabled people want. This means Government joining forces with disability organisations, as well as the Private, Public and Charity, Voluntary & Religious sectors, all working together to start to change attitudes and create inclusive communities around the country. For more information visit www.disabilityactionalliance.org.uk

Community Service Volunteers (CSV) is the UK’s leading volunteering charity running volunteering and social action programmes. Volunteers make a difference by supporting families in difficulty, young people leaving care, disabled and vulnerable adults and older and retired people. For more information visit www.csv.org.uk or find them on Twitter @CSV_UK and www.facebook.com/CSVUK

Disability Rights UK works to create a society where everyone with lived experience of disability or health conditions can participate equally as full citizens. For more information visit www.disabilityrightsuk.org.uk

 

For more information on the Charter please contact Laura Bell lbell@csv.org.uk / 07912550867 / 0203 780 5876, The DAA Volunteering Charter is available to read here and organisations wishing to sign-up to the DAA Volunteering Charter can do so by contacting the DAA at fulfilling.potential@dwp.gsi.gov.uk.