The Disability Poverty Campaign Group (DPCG)
The DPCG is a coalition led by DPO (Disabled peoples organisations) and includes many countrywide Disabled peoples Charities, organisations and allies, all working together with one singular mission: to raise the issue of disability poverty and to work together to end it.
What is the Disability Poverty Campaign Group (DPCG)?
The DPCG is a coalition of DPOs (Disabled People’s Organisations) from across the country. Our campaigning is also supported by a group of allies, which includes charities, research institutions, and carers organisations. Together we work to end the scandal of disability poverty in the UK.
The DPCG exists because poverty among Disabled people is an enormous and growing problem – 31% of us live in poverty, which is much higher than the rate among non-disabled people. The cost of living crisis has had an appalling impact on our community. Disabled people are far more likely than others in the community to go hungry and be unable to heat their homes.
Living with a disability costs more. Research by Scope shows that Disabled households (households with at least one disabled adult or child) need an additional £1067 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households.
The facts speak for themselves:
More than half of food bank users are Disabled people or those with a long-term health condition.
Households with someone with a disability or a long-term illness are at a heightened risk of fuel poverty because of a need to run essential equipment or to regulate body temperature.
Social care charging means Disabled people often must give up their modest income from benefits to pay for their social care.
More than 600,000 disabled people in the UK are estimated to have £10 or less per week to pay for food and other costs.
Parents and carers of Disabled children report skipping or cutting the size of their meals because there wasn’t enough money for food, and many more say they’ve had to cut back on essential items for their Disabled children.’
What are the DPCG asking for?
Poverty | Disability Rights UK
The DPCG is led by:
Disability Rights UK is the UK's leading organisation led by, run by, and working for Disabled people. They work with Disabled People's Organisations and Government across the UK to influence regional and national change for better rights, benefits, quality of life and economic opportunities for Disabled people.
Inclusion London’s mission is to promote Deaf and Disabled people’s equality and inclusion by supporting Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs) and campaigning for rights for Deaf and Disabled people across the UK.
The DPCG has DPO members from across the UK:
Action on Disability Kensington and Chelsea / Bristol Reclaiming Independent Living / Bromley Experts by Experience / Cambridge and Essex DPAC / Choices and Rights Disability Coalition / Chronic Illness and Disability Support Group / Chronic Illness Inclusion / DABD / Difference North East / Disability Positive / Disability Rights UK / Disability Union / Greenwich DPAC / Harrow Association of Disabled People / Inclusion Barnet / Inclusion London / Inclusion North / Inclusion Scotland / LD England / Manchester DPAC / ME Action / Merton CIL / Real DPO / Surrey Coalition of Disabled People / Voices Advocad Wales / Winvisible
We also have a group of allies who regularly work with us, including:
Adult Social Care Warriors / Bringing Us Together / Campaign Collective / The Food Foundation / Joseph Rowntree Foundation / Leonard Cheshire / MENCAP / NaCSILS / Northern Lights Northumberland / Scope / Shared Lives / The Musicians Union / Trussell Trust / Women’s Budget Group
How do I join the DPCG?
You can join the DPCG if you are a DPO (this means your organisation is formally led by Disabled people: over 50% of your board members and staff must be Disabled people, and your organisation must have a clear commitment to Disabled people’s leadership). Alternatively, you are welcome to register as an ally.
Meetings are held monthly online, every first Wednesday of the month at 2pm. During meetings we discuss relevant recent news, reports, members’ work, and plan DPCG responses and collaborations. Both members and allies are welcome to attend the meetings, but key decisions are made by members.
Only by collaborating and working together can we hope to achieve positive and long-lasting results for the community of 14 million people we collectively represent.
To sign up, please email: Dan.white@disabilityrightsuk.org or DPCG@inclusionlondon.org.uk
