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Independent Living Awards 2007

Main Sponsors: Manchester City Council and The Office for Disability Issues.

Other Sponsors: North West Regional Assembly, North West Strategic Health Authority, Equality and Human Rights Commission, John Lewis Partnership, BBC, North West Development Agency, Harvest Housing, Manchester People First.

Breakthrough celebrated 10 years of growth and success with the introduction of groundbreaking awards.

Anne McGuire M.P., Minister for Disabled People, and Sir Bert Massie CBE of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, joined over 200 guests at the City of Manchester Stadium on 6th December 2007 to honour organisations promoting the independence of disabled people.

Breakthrough UK has set up the Independent Living Awards to praise and highlight organisations which have shown good practice in making areas of everyday life such as transport, housing, information and employment more accessible to disabled people.

Anne McGuire said: “There is still a lot to do before we can say that independent living is a reality and disabled people’s lives have been transformed. We need to ensure that user led organisations, like Breakthrough, continue with their invaluable work to support disabled people to live independently in the community by shaping local services and providing employment support.”

Sir Bert said: “These awards recognise excellence in the policies and practices of organisations who not only talk of disabled people's rights, but who also put their words into action.”

Breakthrough UK has worked for ten years to support disabled people into training and employment, to enable other organisations to become more inclusive and to influence decision makers across the country.  Our strength and success come from using the knowledge and experience of disabled people in our strategy, leadership and service delivery.  Over 85% of the Board and over 60% of staff at all levels in the company are disabled people.

Breakthrough UK champions independent living and aims to empower disabled people to make their own choices, to access mainstream jobs and to achieve their full potential, highlighting and encouraging best practice in recruitment and retention.

Award Winners:

Kevin Hyett Award for Best Independent Living Initiative

Winner: Greenwich Association of Disabled People’s Centre for Independent Living

Greenwich Association of Disabled People’s Personal Assistants’ Agency was established in response to disabled people who wanted personal assistants but did not want to deal with aspects of employment themselves. The agency has gone from strength to strength, currently employing 40 PAs to work with 45 clients.

Collecting the award, Dot Johnson and Linda Leone said: “We are so proud to have been recognised by our peers in the Disability Movement as providing services which promote Independent Living.”

Runner up: Ideal for All Ltd.

Ideal for All (IFA) is an independent not for profit company run by and for disabled people.  Based in Sandwell, West Midlands, Ideal for All has a strong membership base of disabled people. The company provides a range of social and health care services to support disabled people to live as independently as possible.

Good Employer (Private/ Public Sector)

Winner: GGI Furniture Ltd.

GGI is an international furniture company which has had a manufacturing site in the Blackburn area since 1974.  11.5% of its 150 employees are disabled people.  Disabled people are employed throughout the business and career progression of disabled employees is evident.

Collecting the award on behalf of GGI, Judy Halstead, HR Manager, said: “GGI is proud of its achievement in employing people with disabilities.  The workforce has pulled together and I don’t think we have a department without someone who has a disability.  We will continue to employ the best people for the job and to concentrate on their abilities not their disabilities.”

Highly Commended: Manchester People First

Manchester People First has grown from a handful of learning disabled people into an organisation with 500 members.  They make employment for learning disabled people as accessible as possible from the application process, through to interviewing and induction.

Accessible Transport

Winner: Transport for London

Transport for London is committed to providing accessible public transport in London through a full fleet of wheelchair accessible buses. They regularly consult with a Disability Advisory Group and disabled staff on future developments and are also looking to improve access to the London Underground.

Mike Weston, London Buses Operations Director, collected the award on behalf of Transport for London, saying: “We are delighted that our efforts have been recognised.  Transport for London has invested heavily into accessibility on and around the transport network in London.  London has the biggest wheelchair accessible bus network in the world; all 8000 buses in the fleet are modern, low floor and wheelchair accessible.”

Runner Up: Bury People First

Bury People First received funding from the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive to run a travel training scheme for disabled people.  The scheme enables people to learn particular public transport routes and develop their general independent travel skills.

Highly Commended: Nottingham Express Transit

Nottingham Express Transit has incorporated design features into its tram system to maximise access for disabled passengers. 

Accessible Housing

Winner: Step by Step Living Network

Step by Step Living Network is a small North West charity which supports individuals and families through a network of independent brokers. The brokers enable their clients to access the housing they want and achieve greater independence.

Philippa Harris and Barry Stott collected the award, saying: “Thank you.  Step by Step Living Network is delighted to receive this award on behalf of our trustees, directors, associates, and most importantly, on behalf of and in recognition of the living network of individuals and families who steadfastly are determined to have a life they want.”

Runner Up: Bromford Housing Group

Bromford Housing Group is committed to putting independent living, choice and opportunity at the heart of their business.  Bromford have developed a unique scheme, which enables disabled people to become home owners under ‘shared ownership’ terms.   

Accessible Information

Winner:  Ideal for All Ltd.

Ideal for All (IFA) is an independent not for profit company run by and for disabled people.  Based in Sandwell, West Midlands, Ideal for All has a strong membership base of disabled people. The company provides a range of social and health care services to support disabled people to live as independently as possible.

Collecting the award, Naeem Arif, Executive Director, said: “Ideal for All was set up by disabled people for the disabled people of Sandwell, West Midlands, in 1996.  Receiving this Independent Living Awards gives us a great sense of achievement and fulfilment.   Timely and accurate information leads disabled people to live and enjoy independence and we are pleased to be recognised for our work in this area.”

Runner Up: Action for Blind People

Action for Blind People provides information in accessible formats and supports visually impaired people to access mainstream information. 

Peer Support

Winner: Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People’s Young Disabled People’s Forum

The Young Disabled People's Forum supports members to become active peer mentors and to become more confident and independent.  The forum also runs a successful drama group which has performed across the country and abroad.

Collecting the award on behalf of the Forum, Phil Samphire said: “Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People’s Young Disabled People’s Forum is honoured to have been awarded an Independent Living Award in the category of Peer Support. GMCDP knows from its work with young disabled people that effective peer support is powerful beyond measure in supporting the independence of young disabled people.  Thanks go to all of the young disabled people who offer their time, experience and support, and who make every difference to how the project works.  Thanks to Manchester City Council, Manchester Primary Care Trust, the Big Lottery and Connexions for supporting the Forum’s various projects.”

Runner Up: Brent Advocacy Concerns

Brent Advocacy Concerns host a self advocacy forum for people with learning disabilities called ‘Speaking up for Yourself’’. ‘Speaking up For Yourself’ is effectively a forum for self advocacy groups based in day centres, residential homes and an independent group.

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Opening Speech

Lorraine Gradwell, Chief Executive of Breakthrough UK, opened the awards ceremony with the following speech:

Good evening; Minister, sponsors and guests, award nominees, Breakthrough staff and volunteers; I’d like to welcome everyone here tonight for the first ever national Independent Living Awards Ceremony.

There are two main reasons for our celebrations here tonight; firstly, it’s a full 10 years this month since Breakthrough was officially registered as a Company, and we certainly think that’s worth celebrating. Secondly, we’re here tonight to acknowledge and celebrate work across the country to support Independent Living.

Breakthrough was unusual in 1997, and we’re still unusual 10 years later. On your tables you should each have a summary of our recent evaluation, which tells you more about Breakthrough, and perhaps most importantly shows how others see us.

Up until 1995, when plans for Breakthrough emerged, existing employment support in Manchester was segregated, providing little in terms of career progression and rarely moving disabled people into mainstream jobs.

Breakthrough was set up by Manchester City Council, working with local disabled people, and bringing together the public sector and the private sector to deliver an idea that was certainly ahead of it’s time.  And yet it was simple enough – or so it seemed to those of us disabled people involved!

The principle was this – we would set up a training facility that would provide a good foundation for moving disabled people towards real jobs; we would also have an employment team that would support disabled people towards these real jobs; and there would be a new company controlled by disabled people that could deliver these services against contracts. And the focus of this new enterprise would be independent living – for how can you hold down a job if you’re not living independently?

So here we are today –

The context, or the landscape looks very different 10 years on, but it is significant that the important work that Breakthrough does remains at the forefront of practice in many ways.  Just as important is the continuing evolution of Breakthrough as a model organisation, an employer and a service provider, with HR policies and practices which are considered ‘leading edge’, and an involved and committed staff base.

We have expanded our employment work across Greater Manchester and into Liverpool, and our Training and Consultancy work goes from strength to strength, adding to our positive reputation; we’ve doubled both our staff numbers and our income in 10 years – through earned or grant income, and without any charitable fundraising. 80% of our Board of Directors are disabled people. 65% of our staff are disabled people. Over 2,000 disabled people have been directly supported by us, and the organisation was cited by the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit as a good practice example of a social enterprise. Our policy influence spans the local, regional and national agendas, with input into local authorities in the North West, the Development Agency and the Regional Assembly, the National Employment Panel, the Disability Rights Commission, as was, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department of Health, the now re-vamped Department for Trade and Industry, the Office for Disability Issues - many of whom are represented here tonight.

Of course, many organisations face difficulties as the landscape changes and budgets get squeezed – we’re no different and we’re constantly looking at original and innovative ways of generating income without reverting to the charitable model, by moving forward with the social model and promoting independent living through our delivery of services and support.

And the other reason we’re here tonight is to acknowledge and celebrate Independent Living.

Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves about the lack of independence that many people experience. It does still happen that people have little independence at home – have no control over when they get up, or go to bed, when and what they eat, when they get a bath, or go to the toilet. It really does happen, and more often than you would like to think.

The government’s agenda to support people into work is tremendously important – but if the issues I’ve just mentioned are not addressed, then it’s hard to imagine how people are expected to work. But also, the outside environment, the transport system and infrastructure, the lack of affordable and accessible housing, the inaccessibility and scarcity of useful information – all these combine to form a shocking layer of barriers to independence and a real source of exclusion from the life of our neighbourhoods and society.

Disabled people developed the Seven Needs for Independent Living – information, Peer Support, Housing, Equipment, Transport, Access and Personal Assistance as a framework for delivering independence, and on which we have based our awards. Our Awarding panels included the award sponsors, a disabled expert in the field and a Breakthrough representative, with myself, the Chair of Breakthrough, and Councillor Basil Curley as overall adjudicators, and we were bowled over with the standard of entries.

So tonight IS about celebration, and acknowledgement by disabled people, of organisations and agencies who are making real progress towards supporting independent living. Tonight is also about raising the profile and understanding of independent living, and that true independence is about autonomy and being in charge of your own life.

The Award Winners and the runners up tonight are all consciously working towards delivering independence, and we want to honour that.

Our overall Independent Living Award is delivered in partnership with the Kevin Hyett Legacy Fund at the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People. Kevin was the first Chair of Breakthrough, and the 10 years leading up to tonight owe much to his consistent vision and clarity of purpose.

We’ve a lot to pack into tonight – seven awards and commendations, some excellent, if edgy, entertainment, some good food and drink, and good company.  Above all I hope you enjoy the night; thank you.

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Please visit this section again soon as there is more to follow. Thank you to Graham Bool Photography for all the photos on this page