Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:22 pm on 1 December 2020.
I look forward to speaking and listening at both Leonard Cheshire's young disabled persons' political engagement day and Disability Wales's launch of the disabled people's manifesto on Thursday. All public authorities have a duty under the UK Equality Act 2010 to ensure they meet the needs of disabled people and actively involve disabled people in the design and delivery of their services. The UK Equality Act also states that service providers must think ahead and take steps to address barriers that impede disabled people, and that you should not wait until a disabled person experiences difficulties using a service. However, I know from both my own casework and my work as chair of the cross-party groups on disability, autism and neurological conditions in this Welsh Parliament that too many Welsh public bodies continue to tell disabled people what they can have, rather than work with them to agree their needs and ask them what they want to achieve. This is damaging, costly and entirely avoidable and applies in particular to people with hidden impairments. Given that the 2020 theme of the United Nations international day of disabled people on Thursday is 'not all disabilities are visible', when and how will the Welsh Government therefore ensure that public bodies involve disabled people in the design, evaluation and review of services in accordance with both the Equality Act and your own legislation?