Disabled People’s Rights Plan 2025 to 2035: integrated impact assessment

The Welsh Government is committed to improving the lives and opportunities of disabled people in Wales. We want to make Wales an inclusive, accessible nation where disabled can participate fully in every aspect of Welsh life, without limits, restrictions, or discrimination. This vision will be realised through the delivery of the Welsh Government’s 10-year Disabled People’s Rights Plan, which sets out a comprehensive approach to dismantling barriers, promoting equality, and supporting disabled people to reach their full potential.

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the lives of people across the globe, intensifying inequalities and socio-economic disadvantage. In Wales, Covid disproportionately impacted some communities.

In July 2021, the‘Locked Out: Liberating Disabled People’s Lives and Rights in Wales beyond COVID-19’ report highlighted the inequalities experienced by disabled people in society. One of the responses to the report was to set up the Disability Rights Taskforce (Taskforce),a partnership between Welsh Government and 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 and wellbeing
• travel
• access to justice
• Employment and income
• affordable and accessible housing
• children and young people
• wellbeing (as a workshop)

These working groups were supported by British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation and captioning. All members of the Taskforce and working groups were offered training sessions on the Social Model of Disability and Coproduction skills.

Collaboration

The Taskforce worked in partnership with more than 350 external stakeholders and 200 Welsh Government policy officials to develop recommendations aimed at improving outcomes for disabled people in Wales.

Disabled people were active partners and leaders in the Taskforce’s process, sharing insights and lived experiences, which have shaped actions to address disabled people’s rights and dismantle existing barriers.

We recognised the importance of engaging with disabled children and young people to learn from their experiences and develop solutions to address the barriers they face in accessing the Welsh language, its culture and spaces. The Taskforce team engaged with schools including:

• Ysgol Ty Coch: special school for ages 3 to 19 in Pontypridd
• Ysgol y Deri: special school for ages 3 to 19 in Penarth
• Greenfields school: special school for ages 3 to 19 in Merthyr Tydfil

Working collaboratively with Children in Wales ‘Young Wales Forum’, perspectives from children and young people were gathered, ensuring their voices were represented in shaping recommendations for the Disabled People’s Rights Plan. In addition, the Children and Young People working group facilitated a ‘Parent / Carer’ discussion, enabling parents and carers of disabled children to share their lived experiences, advocate on their behalf, and highlight the realities of their caring roles.

The Taskforce held a workshop with a particular focus on disabled people’s well-being, drawing more than 100 participants. The session explored critical topics including access to culture, sport, heritage, art, and music, areas which play a vital role in enriching lives, fostering a sense of belonging, and breaking down social barriers. For disabled people, equitable access to these activities is essential, not only for personal fulfilment, creativity, and self-expression, but also for building communities and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to participate fully in Welsh cultural life.

The Taskforce’s recommendations have been used to inform the actions and outcomes of the Draft Disabled People’s Rights Plan. These recommendations will continue to be an important resource that Welsh Government can return to in the future, to set out its medium to long-term actions to deliver the ambition and outcomes for disabled people.

Integration

The Disabled People’s Rights Plan takes an integrated cross-government approach and at its centre is collaboration and cooperation, particularly from those with lived experiences of disability, in its development and implementation. The development and implementation of this plan relies upon ongoing partnership across Welsh Government, Local Government, the public sector, third-sector organisations, and communities. The development of the Plan was underpinned by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 duties.

The Disabled People’s Rights Plan sets out our ambition for a Wales where disabled people can participate fully in every aspect of Welsh life, without limits, restrictions, or discrimination. Our commitment extends to making all aspects of Welsh life including health, education, employment, housing, and travel accessible

At the heart of our approach is embedding the Social Model of Disability, which helps us to understand how disabled people can be held back by the world around them, and how we can make the world easier for everyone to be part of. We are also guided by the principles and obligations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People.

Cost and savings

Recognising that lasting change takes time, we have established a cross-government 10-year plan. Short-term actions focus on what the Welsh Government can achieve within the next 2 years, ensuring flexibility for future governments to determine medium- and long-term steps towards the overall goals.

Impact

To ensure robust oversight throughout the implementation of the Disabled People’s Rights Plan, we will establish an influential and independentExternal Advisory Board. This Board will play a critical role in shaping the direction, monitoring progress, and maximising the impact of the Plan, acting as a crucial link between disabled people, policy makers, and service providers. Its responsibilities will include advising on delivery, identifying emerging challenges, recommending improvements, and ensuring that the voices and needs of disabled people remain central to all activities and decisions.

The Board will be established in 2026 and will operate in accordance with the principles of the Social Model of Disability, ensuring that all discussions and recommendations are grounded in the realities of disabled people’s lives. The Board’s input will be sought at every critical stage, from strategic planning through to evaluation, to guarantee that the Plan delivers real, lasting change and that all actions are transparent, accountable, and responsive to the community it serves.

The Welsh Government’s Equality, Race, and Disability Evidence Units, is responsible for overseeing the monitoring and evaluation arrangements for the Disabled People’s Rights Plan. This includes measurement of the Plan’s ongoing progress against individual actions, as well as a wider assessment of the overall impact made against its intended outcomes in the longer-term.

How have people most likely to be affected by the proposal been involved in developing it?

The Disability Rights Taskforce worked with more than 200 Welsh Government policy officials and 350 external stakeholders to develop recommendations aimed at improving outcomes and ensuring the rights of which disabled people in Wales are fully realised. 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.

Disabled people and Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) lived experiences have informed the identification of key barriers and priorities, such as the need for accessible communication and digital inclusion. Feedback from DPOs led to the inclusion of specific actions on independent living, employment, and accessible transport. Ongoing engagement mechanisms, such as the Disability Equality Forum, ensure disabled people’s voices will continue to shape the implementation of the Disabled People’s Rights Plan.

The Disabled People’s Rights Plan, through engagement with disabled people, recognises that access to health and culture are intrinsically linked, supporting disabled people’s overall wellbeing and participation in society. By promoting accessible healthcare services and inclusive cultural opportunities, the Plan encourages active engagement and reduces isolation and enhances well-being. Improved health enables greater involvement in cultural life, while participation in cultural activities can positively impact mental and physical health, demonstrating the mutually reinforcing relationship between the 2 areas.

Feedback from the public consultation on the Disabled People’s Rights Plan and Welsh Language shows that disabled Welsh speakers face additional barriers in accessing services, education, and employment. The publication of the Disabled People’s Rights Plan will incorporate insights gathered from Welsh speaking organisations and Welsh speaking young people with learning disabilities, ensuring their experiences inform ongoing actions and priorities.

The Disabled People’s Rights Plan reflects extensive engagement with disabled children and adults, DPOs, parents, carers, and other interested parties. It draws on lived experiences to identify barriers and priorities such as accessible communication, digital inclusion, independent living, employment, and transport. This Plan is aligned with the UNCRDP and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, with no negative impacts identified. It supports Welsh Government’s commitments to tackling poverty and discrimination, embedding the Social Model of Disability, and promoting digital inclusion. The Disability Equality Forum and an External Advisory Board will provide ongoing oversight and guidance to ensure the plan’s effective implementation and responsiveness to community needs.

What are the most significant impacts, positive and negative?

The framework and outcomes within the Disabled People’s Rights Plan will support tackling disability discrimination, increase equality of opportunity and foster good relations.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (UNCRDP)

The UK ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (UNCRDP) in 2009, affirming its commitment to championing and protecting the rights of disabled people. In the Disabled People’s Rights Plan, we consistently refer to the convention as the ‘Convention on the Rights of Disabled People’ or UNCRDP, rather than its formal title, the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. This deliberate choice reflects our commitment to the Social Model of Disability and our aim to use language that resonates with the lived experiences and preferences of disabled people.

In each of the four key themes, this 10-year Plan outlines how its actions and outcomes support the principles outlined in the relevant articles of the UNCRDP. By aligning our actions and outcomes with these principles, we aim to ensure that our Plan promotes the access to rights and inclusion intended by the convention for all disabled people in Wales.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Article 23 provides that disabled children should have care and support so that they can lead full and independent lives (this article is replicated by article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).

There are no negative impacts as a result of the framework and action plan. A Children’s Rights Impact Assessment has been carried out as part of the Integrated Impact Assessment.

Welsh language

No discernible negative impact on the Welsh Language has been identified. The final Plan will be published in English and Welsh. A Welsh Language Impact Assessment has also been completed as part of the Integrated Impact Assessment.

Promoting Economic Opportunity for All (tackling poverty)

The Plan contains short-term actions that support the Welsh Government priorities for tackling poverty. Evidence shows people with particular protected characteristics, such as disabled people are more likely to be living in poverty. The Disability Rights Taskforce Employment and Income working group was set up to discuss issues around tackling poverty and hearing lived experience of disabled people. Actions within the Disabled People’s Rights Plan have been co-produced following these meetings.

Social Model of Disability

The Social Model of Disability focuses on societal barriers rather than impairments, advocating for the same rights for disabled people as their peers. The Social Model of Disability shifts responsibility to society, calling for the removal of barriers: structural, cultural, and discriminatory, which hold back disabled people's participation. Structural barriers include inaccessible buildings. Cultural barriers arise from attitudes, beliefs, and practices within a society that lead to exclusion, discrimination, and prejudices favouring non-disabled people. By challenging these views, society can demonstrate that being disabled is not negative, and society and communities are stronger and more cohesive with a diversity of people, including disabled people. This model empowers disabled people to claim their rights and celebrates their diversity and contributions.

This Plan is designed to remove barriers by ensuring all public services, buildings, and digital platforms are accessible to disabled people. It promotes inclusive design in transport, housing, and digital technology, and challenges negative attitudes through staff training and public awareness campaigns.

Digital inclusion and accessibility

All digital services and communications will be designed to meet accessibility standards, with options for BSL interpretation, Easy Read, large print, audio, and Welsh language. The proposal supports the Welsh Minimum Digital Living Standard, ensuring disabled people have access to devices, connectivity, and digital skills training. Feedback from disabled users will be used to continuously improve digital accessibility.

Disability Equality Forum

The Disability Equality Forum provides an opportunity for stakeholders to advise Welsh Government on the key issues affecting disabled people.The purpose of the Disability Equality Forum is to inform Welsh Government of emerging issues and provide insight into lived experiences of disabled people.

Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act is about improving 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 will support the Well-being goals a prosperous Wales, resilient Wales, healthier Wales, more equal Wales and a Wales of cohesive communities.

No negative impacts have been identified following this impact assessment.

How will the impact of the proposal be monitored and evaluated as it progresses and when it concludes?

To ensure robust oversight throughout the implementation of the Disabled People’s Rights Plan, we will establish an influential and independent External Advisory Board. This Board will play a critical role in shaping the direction, monitoring progress, and maximising the impact of the Plan, acting as a crucial link between disabled people, policy makers, and service providers.

The Disability Disparity Evidence Unit, a team from the Welsh Government’s Social Research profession, is responsible for overseeing the monitoring and evaluation arrangements for the Disabled People’s Rights Plan. This includes measurement of the Plan’s ongoing progress against individual actions, as well as a wider assessment of the overall impact made against its intended outcomes in the longer-term.