There are 1.2 million Disabled people currently living in London.

All Londoners deserve to live in an inclusive, accessible city, free from discrimination and barriers that prevent them from fully participating in society.

Infrastructure from housing, transport and the built environment consistently fail to meet the needs of the various Disabled people living in London. We believe this is a result of a lack of meaningful engagement with the Disabled community during policy formulation and implementation across the Greater London Authority.

At a September plenary meeting of the London Assembly, a cross-party motion proposed by Hina Bokhari AM and seconded by Keith Prince AM, that Inclusion London was heavily involved in creating, was passed unanimously.

This motion called for a number of actions for the Mayor to take, chief among them:

• The Appointment of a Disability Equality Champion to lead on making London a better place to live for Disabled Londoners, and ensure that disability equality and co-production is embedded into all plans and policies.
• This Champion would lead the strategic development of a London Disability Action Plan.
• Ensure a Disability Equality Champion has a role separate to the one undertaken by the Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice in order to take a broad, cross-cutting and non-political role across the GLA group.

Join your voice with ours by signing the below petition. Together, we can show the Mayor just how important it is for him to reaffirm his commitment to the social model of disability, by taking this step to ensure that 1.2 million Disabled people across London finally get a seat at the table, and a real say in how policy is formulated and implemented.

Official petition text:

“We the undersigned call on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to create a salaried, accountable and permanent position of Disability Equality Champion.

This post will be filled by an experienced member of the disabled community, who will champion and embody the key values of disability equality and co-production.

The Disability Equality Champion should play a key role in ensuring that disabled peoples’ voices are heard at every level of policy formulation and implementation.

This is necessary to transform London into a truly accessible city that leads as an example to other cities around the world.”

Photos show: Campaigners Sophia Kleanthous, Svetlana Kotova, Adam Gabsi and Laura Vicinanza with Hina Bokhari AM, at the London Assembly when the motion was passed. Hina Bokhari AM introducing the motion in the London Assembly.