New Disability Action Plan confirmed for 2023 as MP opens pioneering lab at Olympic Park
A new Disability Action Plan will be published in 2023, the UK Government has confirmed, which will build on its work improving the lives of disabled people in areas such as technology, sport and global leadership.
The announcement follows the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP, officially opening the brand-new Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) research lab at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to mark the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) last week.
The new Disability Action Plan will set out the practical action ministers across government will take over the next two years to improve disabled people’s lives.
The policies in the Disability Action Plan will be further developed in the New Year, with a consultation expected in 2023, so that disabled people, disabled people’s organisations and other interested parties can have their say.
Announcing the government’s intention to develop and consult on a new Disability Action Plan at the event, the minister detailed why he thought a new Disability Action Plan was needed.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP, said: “Over one in five people in the UK are disabled. It’s vital we continue to take concerted action across government to improve disabled people’s lives.
“I’ll be bringing forward our Disability Action Plan in 2023 to build on government reform of the disability agenda, underlining our global leadership on disability rights and leading the way in areas such as assistive tech and accessibility.
“It was inspiring to visit the GDI’s new research lab where this type of innovation is in action – unlocking opportunities so that more disabled people can reach their potential”.
The United Nations is marking this year’s IDPD by focusing on innovation and transformative solutions to create accessibility and equality, with London’s GDI Hub – the world’s first centre on assistive technology to collaborate with the World Health Organisation – forging the path internationally to improve disabled people’s lives.
The GDI Hub will be researching and creating a new generation of advanced technologies, ranging from Artificial Intelligence-powered navigation aids for visually impaired people, to using mobile communication to strengthen disabled communities.
While at the Olympic Park the minister was also welcomed to the Aquatics Centre by Paralympians, including Susannah Rodgers and Grace Harvey, to tour the state-of-the-art infrastructure and accessibility features. They spoke of their experiences competing at last year’s Paralympics and what it meant to them, as well as the impact of the London Olympics 2012 legacy work by the British Paralympic Association.
