Persuasion for institutional change

It requires a great deal of hard work to persuade people that institutional change is needed in the first place, build a coalition in favour of change that can overcome the resistance of existing stakeholders in the old system, and then condition people to accept the new set of behaviours as routine and expected.

I just happened across this line, right at the end of Francis Fukuyama’s The Origins of Political Order. It somehow felt appropriate to post it at the end of this week.

See also this line, which is the best I have seen at dealing with the conflation of personalisation and funding cuts (which is, in my view, an inaccurate conflation.)

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JCHR Independent Living Inquiry visits ecdp

On 8 September, the Joint Committee for Human Rights visited ecdp as part of its Inquiry into Independent Living.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights is undertaking an Inquiry into Independent Living.

Inquiry Into The Implementation Of The Right Of Disabled People To Independent Living The Joint Committee of Human Rights is conducting an inquiry into the implementation of the right to independent living for disabled people. The Committee seeks evidence from anyone with an interest.

As part of its visit, the JCHR visited ecdp.

ecdp – enhancing everyday lives – Home – ecdp hosts visit of a group of MPs and Lords Today, ecdp is hosting a visit of the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR). This is as part of the Committee’s Inquiry into Independent Living.

We talked about what ecdp does, using the slides below.

“	As you know we are currently hosting a visit from the Joint Committee on Human Rights. @M_J_Adams had just introduced the @ecdp staff.
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	My colleague @fayesavage now talking with JCHR about her lived experience work. A really interesting and engaging discussion so far.
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	.@fayesavage talking with the Joint Cmmttee on Human rights about ways we engage w our members in order to pursue the issues they highlight.
	ecdp September 8, 2011

Following this, there was really interesting discussion between the Committee’s members and two of ecdp’s members: Barry and Hazel.

“	Barry tells JCHR Independent Living Inquiry that accessible transport is the starting point for him to live independently.
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	Our member Barry telling Independent Living Inquiry that current changes around #disability are like a cliff being eroded from the bottom up
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	Barry, an @ecdp member talks about how important the motability scheme has been to him in accessing the community independently. #JCHR
	fayesavage September 8, 2011

“	.@ecdp member, Barry, and @M_J_Adams talking about risk and decisions being made for disabled people. #JCHR
	fayesavage September 8, 2011

“	Hazel now talking to Independent Living Inquiry about her experiences of social care. When she moved from the north to Essex her care didn’t
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	Hazel is now giving a personal account of her life before she had her personal budget and how services prevented her living independently.
	fayesavage September 8, 2011

“	Hazel: “I couldn’t work if it wasn’t for the Personal Assistants I am able to employ through a Personal Budget. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	Hazel highlights that not having a motability car – because of changes to DLA – may mean she could no longer pay taxes since she cldn’t work
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	Barry and Hazel both feel there should be greater transparency around #DLAreform. #JCHR
	fayesavage September 8, 2011

“	Joint Committee on Human Rights really interested in the Access to Work issue that we wrote about last wk. We’ll share our report with them.
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	JCHR debating with us issues around why rights-based approaches don’t have better traction. The parallel w consumer rights being highlighted
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	The Independent Living Inquiry visit is finishing on a good note, by talking about the positive impact of the Olympics and Paralympics…
	ecdp September 8, 2011

“	… for disabled and non-disabped people in Essex alike.
	ecdp September 8, 2011

After the visit, Barry reflected on what independent living means to him. He also said what it meant to him to be able to share his views directly with the Committee.

Quotation of the week: what independent living means

What does independent living mean to me?

What it means is, basically, it is my life, my work, what I do every day of my life, and the fact that I am able to do that through the support of others like the personal assistant sitting next to me is immense.

It is very hard I think to get that message across to people who perhaps are not dependent on others to support them in their day-to-day living.

But it has provided me with a life, my work – I have worked widely – and the opportunities and the choices to do the things I want, like you do.

I think with the restrictions somebody like myself has, with thekind of severe impairment I have, it is freedom. It is the freedom for me to be able to do what I want to do, when I want to do it[.]

— John Evans, OBE

The above quote is taken from John’s evidence to the Inquiry on Independent Living by the Joint Committee on Human Rights. I’ve been fortunate to have been a colleague of John’s before and have heard him speak about independent living. For me, the quote above beautifully captures the essence of independent living and why it is so, so vital.