Here in the UK, the political parties have just finished their conference season. This is traditionally a time where politicians from all parts of the politcal spectrum celebrate their own political positions and set out what they would like to achieve for the future.
Whether you like politics or not, there is no denying that at present, here in the UK, we are at the crossroads of political uncertainty. Okay, I’ll balance this off and for many this is the dawn of a brave new era for the UK; Brexit and all.
Last Wednesday, I listened to teressa may give her first tory conference speech as Prime minister. Although, this is not an annual habbit for me, I wanted to see if I could glean any insight into any changes of approach to groups such as the vi community. The exercise for me was yet again another one that involved quite a bit of head scratching (something that I cannot afford to do much of as I don’t have much hair left).
She was trying, as far I could hear, to convince us all that opportunities in education, employment and life should not be limited to those who could afford them, but they should be opened to all. She highlighted some groups and rightly so, but sadly no indication for those with disabilities and visual impairements.
Education, for instance, was a hot topic for discussion amongst many of the political analysts. The prime minister grandly announced that grammar schools would be coming back, but only if they were opened to individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Right, so will such announcments be matched by reversals in fundng cuts so that opportunities are opened to visually impaired students whose opportunities should be opened by realistic support? Will the preference of grammar schools see the continual erotion of support to those in other schools; hence further decrease the opportunities that are available? Lets see if actions can speak louder than words.
ah yes, employment is another topic where Teressa May wants us all to succeed and grasp the moment of erm yep the ‘Brave new dawn’. many people have been wanting to do this for years, but opportunities have often been affected by social perception. In this area, will teressa may and her government revers cuts to access to work (they say its been increased but in real terms the budget has been squeezed). Will we see a realistic programme of employer engagement, positive promotion and dare I say it realistic expectations? Maybe.
At the end of the day, I just want to see government and society match what we already know. with the right investment, a progressive approach to attitude and societal change and also a better sense of realism, we will all be given the opportunity to succeed.