Questions to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip – in the Senedd on 9 March 2021.
1. What action is the Welsh Government taking to protect the human rights of disabled people? OQ56381
Thank you very much for that question, Mike Hedges. The Welsh Government is committed to leading the way in eliminating discrimination towards disabled people. Our disability equality forum has led the way in highlighting the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people during the pandemic.
I thank the Minister for that response. People with a disability, especially those with hidden disabilities like arthritis, multiple sclerosis, myalgic encephalomyelitis and deafness, often feel overlooked. What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure that more support can be given to people who have these types of disabilities to ensure they are not disadvantaged?
I recognise the significant challenges, as the Member said, that people living with conditions like MS, ME, arthritis and deafness face. And, also, the additional impact, of course, that COVID has had on carers, friends and families. I know the Member recognises the social model of disability, which the Welsh Government is committed to using, and it makes that important distinction between impairment and disability, recognising that people with impairments are disabled by barriers that commonly exist in society. And we also recognise that not all impairments, as you say, Mike Hedges, are visible, and that hidden impairments must be given the same weighting. And the social model does support those with a hidden disability.
I think it's important to recognise that, in our disability equality forum, we do have a broad membership, including the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, the Wales Council for Deaf People, the MS Society, as well as many other disabled organisations. And we've just employed a network of six disabled people as employment champions, who are going to be working with employers and recognising these hidden impairments, in terms of the barriers and the opportunities we have to overcome them.