Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) is developing their first ever strategy for people with physical disabilities – a plan of action which will set out their goals for the next five years. HCC want people with lived experience to be involved in its development. This is a great opportunity for the VCFSE sector to help advocate for the communities we represent and encourage people to have their say.
HCC has engaged with the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTI) to gather the views of people across Hertfordshire. As part of this process, people with lived experience are being invited to take part in a survey.
The target audience
There is particular interest in engaging with people who:
- Live in Hertfordshire, are of working age and have a physical disability i.e. have a long-term condition or health issue which affects their day-to-day activities or ability to get around
- HCC also welcome views from those who are closely associated, including partners, friends, paid or unpaid carers and those working with people with a physical disability.
Whilst feedback from people who have multiple disabilities, including a sensory disability, a learning disability or age-related frailty is also welcome, HCC already has service strategies covering these areas. It is people aged 18-65 years whose primary presenting issue is a physical disability that HCC is most interested to hear from.
The link to access the survey is below – available throughout July. The survey is deliberately open and broad range to enable people with lived experience to articulate their goals and, where possible, encourage services to be planned around these by implanting the user voice into planning.