Consultation on the draft Disabled People’s Rights Plan

The Welsh Government is committed to promoting the rights of disabled people, and to ensure disabled people are included and able to participate in all communities in Wales. We want to make Wales an inclusive and accessible place for disabled people; a society where disabled people can participate without limits or restrictions and are empowered to lead fulfilling lives, where their individual and collective rights are recognised and upheld and where their contribution is recognised. 

This plan, based on the work of the Disability Rights Taskforce, sets out our cross-government 10-year ambition and the long-term outcomes we are working towards to ensure disabled people can flourish as equal members of Welsh society, and to challenge discrimination and prejudice. This plan replaces Welsh Government’s ‘Action on Disability: The Right to Independent Living’.

The Taskforce was made up of more than 200 Welsh Government policy officials and 350 external stakeholders.  The Taskforce formed 10 thematic working groups, to recommend action that would improve disabled people’s lives. These were:

• embedding and understanding of the Social Model of Disability (across Wales)
• access to services (including communications and technology)
• independent living: social care
• independent living: health
• travel
• employment and income
• affordable and accessible housing
• children and young people
• access to justice
• wellbeing (as a workshop)

The Taskforce worked together to develop the recommendations which informed this plan. Disabled people were active partners in the Taskforce’s process, sharing insights and lived experiences, which have shaped actions to address disabled people’s rights and dismantle existing barriers. These recommendations have shaped the short-term actions and are aimed at improving outcomes and ensuring the rights of disabled people in Wales are fully realised. The 4 overarching areas addressed by this Plan are:

• Neighbourhoods and places
• Employment, income and education
• Independent living
• Justice and supporting environments

Within these 4 areas, this plan sets out our overarching ambition and the outcomes we want to achieve over the next 10 years.

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 aims to secure improvement in the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of Wales. The Act gives a legally-binding common purpose – the 7 well-being goals for national government, local government, local health boards, and other specified public bodies. It details the ways in which specified public bodies must work and work together to improve the well-being of Wales. This plan and the four overarching areas will support all the Well-being goals, and particularly: a prosperous Wales; resilient Wales; healthier Wales; more equal Wales; and a Wales of cohesive communities.  

Our commitments are outlined in 3 main documents:

• The comprehensive 10-year plan, which lays out our long-term ambitions
• The actions that we will take now
• Our progress report which sets out some of the achievements made so far and our ongoing work to achieve positive outcomes for disabled people, such as our ‘Hate Hurts’ campaign and work on our Disabled People’s Transport Advisory Committee

Future Senedd Governments will set the medium to long-term actions they will take to achieve the ambition and outcomes for disabled people set out in this 10-year plan. 

We have started to take forward some of the short-term actions now - we do not want to wait until the next Senedd term to take action to improve outcomes for disabled people.

We would like your thoughts on the draft Disabled People’s Rights Plan. You may want to comment on one, or all, of these areas.

The consultation will last for 12 weeks. We encourage all members of the public, in particular disabled people and stakeholders, to take part. Your input is essential to improving the Disabled People’s Rights Plan, making sure it meets the needs and goals of the disabled people’s community. We will publish the final version of the plan following the consultation.

We invite you to consider the draft Disabled People’s Rights Plan and share your thoughts and suggestions. The plan proposes specific actions, and we have prepared some questions to help guide your feedback. You can respond in writing in any format or language that works best for you, including BSL recording. Your views are very important to us. Your feedback is essential to making sure the Disabled People’s Rights Plan for Wales is thoughtful, effective, and inclusive. 

Please remember that while you have the right to share your views, your responses must comply with legal requirements about hate speech and malicious communications.

Question 1

The Disabled People’s Rights Plan has this overarching ambition:

The Welsh Government is committed to promoting the rights of disabled people, and to ensure disabled people are included and able to participate in all communities in Wales. We want to make Wales an inclusive and accessible place for disabled people; a society where disabled people can participate without limits or restrictions and are empowered to lead fulfilling lives, where their individual and collective rights are recognised and upheld and where their contribution is recognised. 

Please tell us what you think about our proposed ambition. Is this the right ambition to improve equality for disabled people in Wales? What, if anything, could be added to or removed from this ambition?

Question 2

The Disabled People’s Rights Plan is split into 4 themes:

1. Neighbourhoods and Places
2. Employment, Income, and Education
3. Independent Living
4. Justice and Supporting Environments

Please tell us whether you think these themes are suitable for the plan. Do these themes cover the main issues or barriers that disabled people experience? Are there any missing areas that should be added to these themes? If yes, what are they? 

Question 3

The plan sets out the following main topics:

• embedding and understanding of the Social Model of Disability
• access to services
• independent living: social care
• independent living: health
• travel
• employment and income
• affordable and accessible housing,
• children and young people
• access to justice and
• wellbeing                                       

Do these topics cover the main issues or barriers that disabled people experience? Are there any missing areas that should be added to these themes? If yes, what are they?

Question 4

The ‘actions document’ sets out the short-term steps we are taking now. There will be more actions by future governments to support us to achieve the long-term outcomes. 

Please tell us whether you think these short-term actions will help deliver the long-term outcomes? Will these actions help reduce the problems and barriers that disabled people face? Please give reasons for your answer if possible. 

Question 5

Will the proposed outcomes set out in ‘Neighbourhoods and Places’ help reduce the problems and barriers that disabled people face? What, if anything, should be added or removed from these outcomes? Please give reasons for your answer if possible. 

Question 6

Will the proposed outcomes set out in ‘Employment, Income and Education’ help reduce the problems and barriers that disabled people face? What, if anything, should be added or removed from these outcomes? Please give reasons for your answer if possible. 

Question 7

Will the proposed outcomes set out in ‘Independent Living’ help reduce the problems and barriers that disabled people face? What, if anything, should be added or removed from these outcomes? Please give reasons for your answer if possible. 

Question 8

Will the proposed outcomes set out in ‘Justice and Supporting Environments’ help reduce the problems and barriers that disabled people face? What, if anything, should be added or removed from these outcomes? Please give reasons for your answer if possible.

Question 9

We have outlined in the Disabled People’s Rights Plan how the actions and outcomes support the principles set out in the UNCRDP. Do you think that the plan promotes the main principles of access to rights and inclusion within the UNCRDP?  Please give reasons for your answer if possible. 

Question 10

The final section of the Disabled People’s Rights Plan sets out the arrangements for the governance, monitoring, and evaluation of the plan. This means checking how the plan is working, making sure it is going well, and measuring how well the plan is improving the lives of disabled people.

Do you think any other governance, monitoring or evaluation mechanisms should be considered?

Question 11

What do you think the likely effects of the Disabled People’s Rights Plan will be on deaf British Sign Language (BSL) signers? We are particularly interested in its potential impact on opportunities to use BSL in Wales.

• How will the plan help to promote and strengthen the use of BSL in Wales?
• How will the Plan help to break down barriers for BSL signers in accessing information and services?

Question 12

What, in your view, would be the likely effects of the Disabled People’s Rights Plan on the Welsh language? We are particularly interested in likely effects on opportunities to use the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English. 

• Do you think that there are opportunities to promote positive effects in regard to Welsh Language in the plan?
• Do you think that there are opportunities to reduce unhelpful effects on the Welsh language in the plan?

Question 13

We have asked you specific questions about the Disabled People’s Rights Plan. If you have anything else about any part of the plan you would like to tell us, please use this space to let us know.

Submit your comments by 7 August 2025, in any of the following ways:

• complete our online form
• download, complete our response form and email DisabledPeoplesRightsPlanConsultation@gov.wales
• provide your feedback via BSL recording to DisabledPeoplesRightsPlanConsultation@gov.wales
• download, complete our response form and post to:

Disability Rights Taskforce
Equality and Human Rights Division
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Under the data protection legislation, you have the right:

• to be informed of the personal data held about you and to access it
• to require us to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• to (in certain circumstances) object to or restrict processing
• for (in certain circumstances) your data to be ‘erased’
• to (in certain circumstances) data portability
• to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.

Responses to consultations are likely to be made public, on the internet or in a report. If you would prefer your response to remain anonymous, please tell us.

For further details about the information the Welsh Government holds and its use, or if you want to exercise your rights under the UK GDPR, please contact:

Data Protection Officer

Data Protection Officer
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Email: Data.ProtectionOfficer@gov.wales 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 745 or 0303 123 1113

Website: ico.org.uk

UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The Welsh Government are the data controller for Welsh Government consultations and for any personal data you provide as part of your response to the consultation. 

Welsh Ministers have statutory powers they will rely on to process this personal data which will enable them to make informed decisions about how they exercise their public functions. The lawful basis for processing information in this data collection exercise is our public task; that is, exercising our official authority to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government. (Art 6(1)(e)). 

Any response you send us will be seen in full by Welsh Government staff dealing with the issues which this consultation is about or planning future consultations. In the case of joint consultations this may also include other public authorities. Where the Welsh Government undertakes further analysis of consultation responses then this work may be commissioned to be carried out by an accredited third party (e.g., a research organisation or a consultancy company). Any such work will only be undertaken under contract. Welsh Government’s standard terms and conditions for such contracts set out strict requirements for the processing and safekeeping of personal data.

In order to show that the consultation was carried out properly, the Welsh Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. We may also publish responses in full. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of the person or organisation who sent the response are published with the response. If you do not want your name or address published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response. We will then redact them before publishing.

You should also be aware of our responsibilities under Freedom of Information legislation and that the Welsh Government may be under a legal obligation to disclose some information.

If your details are published as part of the consultation response, then these published reports will be retained indefinitely. Any of your data held otherwise by Welsh Government will be kept for no more than 3 years.

Number: WG51509

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