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Disability Champions – Alf Morris

Alf Morris was the MP for Manchester Wythenshawe from 1964 to 1997 and became the UK's first minister for the disabled in 1974.

His work led to the first disability rights legislation, the 1970 Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act.


The act, which sought to give people with disabilities equal opportunities in society, faced opposition from within his own party and was almost scuppered when the 1970 general election was called by Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

However, it survived in the short "wash-up" period before the election and became law, the first of its kind in the world. It set down specific provisions to improve access and support for people with disabilities.


This act, for the first time, imposed a duty on local authorities to assist disabled people, whereas previous legislation had simply given them the power to assist.


Among other provisions, the act made it the duty of local authorities to give practical assistance in the home; help obtaining radio, TV, library or other recreational services; and access to specially adapted equipment, including telephones.


'Transformed lives'

 

Lord Morris went on to become the UK's first Minister for Disabled People in 1974, introducing benefits for disabled people and their carers, including a mobility allowance.

 

One of his colleagues in the House of Lords, Baroness Royall said: "With his Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act - the very first act to give rights to people with disabilities - he transformed the lives of millions and millions of people throughout the world.


He championed the rights of disabled people, including injured service personnel, throughout his life and was deeply committed to public service."

 

In 1991 he introduced a Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill which never made it on to the statute book because the Conservative government at the time argued it was too costly. His campaigning work, however, saw fruition with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.


Let us look a little more closely at the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 and to do this I shall draw on a number of different briefing and speeches which marked the 40 anniversary of the Act in 2010


Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (CSDPA)


The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 was an act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that required local authorities to provide services to disabled people:


Welfare services


The CSDPA required local authorities to provide welfare services, including:

  • Practical assistance

  • Home adaptations

  • Access to activities like excursions, TV services, and educational facilities

  • Provision of meals at home


Access to public buildings


  • The CSDPA placed a legal obligation on local authorities to make arrangements for disabled people to access public buildings, such as libraries.


Information


  • The CSDPA required local authorities to provide information about the need for and existence of welfare services.


Badges for motor vehicles


  • The CSDPA required people who drive motor vehicles to display badges if they are issued under the act. This was the introduction of the Blue Badge


Use of invalid carriages


  • The CSDPA made provisions for the use of invalid carriages on highways.


The CSDPA applied equally to adults and children. It was introduced as a Private Member's Bill by Alf Morris and received royal assent on May 29, 1970.


The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 was the first legislation in the world to recognise and give rights to disabled people. In that context it is appropriate that Alf Morris became the World's first Minister for the Disabled in 1974 and continued to fight for disability rights throughout his career


During the debate on the 40th Anniversary of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 in the House of Lords, Alf Morris, who was known as Lord Morris of Manchester said:


“It must seem incredible and outrageous now, but from 1945 to 1964, there was no mention in any party manifesto of anything specifically about disabled people. Between 1959 and 1964, there was not one parliamentary debate nor even a single Question on disability. Westminster and Whitehall always had more pressing things to do than to respond to the claims of people with disabilities. The attitude of both was one of serene satisfaction with the status quo.


No one even knew how many disabled people there were in Britain. They were mostly seen or heard only by their families or, if they were in institutions, by those who controlled their lives. Even to talk then of as-of-right cash benefits for chronically sick and disabled people or for their carers was to invite ridicule. Local authority services were wholly discretionary and often non-existent. There were countless disabled people with every kind of moral justice on their side, but no statutory right whatever to vitally needed help.

 

That was how things were when, against all the odds, my Bill became law in 1970. Those who worked with me to enact it will remember how often and how close we came to disaster.”


In a tribute to Lord Morris after his death in 2012 the Manchester United Disabled Supporters Association reminded us that the day before the second reading of his disability bill (CSDPA), 1969, Lord Morris said:


“If we could each bequeath one precious gift to posterity, I would choose a society in which there is genuine compassion for long-term sick and disabled people; where understanding is unostentatious and sincere; where needs come before means; where if years cannot be added to their lives, at least life can be added to their years; where the mobility of disabled people is restricted only by the bounds of technical progress and discovery; where they have the fundamental right to participate in industry and society according to ability; where socially preventable distress is unknown; and where no one has cause to be ill at ease because of her or his disability.”


54 years after the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 became law, how close have we come to achieving the dream and the aspiration of Alf Morris?


Sadly, if we are honest with ourselves, we have to acknowledge that many of the barriers facing disabled people in 1970 remain today.


Let us know what you think in the comments section below. If you have experienced difficulties in getting reasonable adjustments and support from your employer, please share your experiences with us.

 

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