• Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
• If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
• Wash your hands as soon as you get home

Do not meet others, even friends or family.

You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.

The Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit is working with government colleagues, disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, charities and businesses to achieve practical changes that will remove barriers and increase participation.

A key focus is the development of a National Strategy for Disabled People. This will put fairness at the heart of government work, to level up opportunity so everyone can fully participate in the life of this country.

The strategy will build on evidence and data, and critically on insights from the lived experience of disabled people.

It will include existing commitments, such as to increase special educational needs and disability funding and support pupils, students and adults to get careers advice, internships and transition into work, whilst identifying further opportunities to improve things.

Our objectives for the National Strategy for Disabled People are to:

• develop a positive and clear vision on disability which is owned right across government
• make practical changes to policies which strengthen disabled people’s ability to participate fully in society
• ensure lived experience underpins policies by identifying what matters most to disabled people
• strengthen the ways in which we listen to disabled people and disabbled people’s organisations, using these insights to drive real change
• improve the quality of evidence and data and use it to support policies and how we deliver them

As the coronavirus pandemic is the current priority for the government, we are reviewing our plans for the development of the strategy. We want to ensure we have enough time to get this right and undertake a full and appropriate programme of stakeholder engagement. People’s views and insights will be crucial as we work with colleagues across government, disabled people and other stakeholders on possible solutions.

• Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
• If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
• Wash your hands as soon as you get home

Do not meet others, even friends or family.

You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.

• Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
• If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
• Wash your hands as soon as you get home

Do not meet others, even friends or family.

You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.

The Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit is working to achieve practical changes for disabled people, which remove barriers and increase opportunity.

A focus of this work is understanding the lived experience of disabled people, together with relevant evidence and data. To do this we are working across government, with disabled people, their organisations, charities and other stakeholders to gain their valuable insight.

We want to reach as many people as possible, including those who may not usually engage with the government, providing a variety of ways to engage with us according to people’s preference or accessibility requirements.

The current situation with the coronavirus pandemic makes face to face engagement impossible at present. We are working on plans to develop a digital engagement programme so we can undertake some engagement in the meantime. We recognise that many disabled people are not able to access digital means of communication, so this is a temporary approach. We will be undertaking extensive regional and local engagement once we can meet face to face again.

Some examples of the engagement we are undertaking include:

• a Regional Stakeholder Network of disabled people and organisations across England – to share their views throughout the year on a wide range of issues that matter most to disabled people
• a new forum between some of the leading disabled people’s organisations, some of the Regional Stakeholder Network chairs and other smaller disabled people’s organisations – to provide an opportunity to meet with the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, and to bring the voices and expertise of disabled people into the heart of government policy making
• a series of roadshows around the country to allow disabled people to talk directly to policy makers and to share their insights and lived experiences
• meetings between the 10 disability charities that make up the Disability Charities Consortium and the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, and the Disability Unit – to bring the voices and expertise of disabled people into the heart of government policy making
• digital engagement to increase our reach and connect with more individuals and smaller organisations in particular – online surveys and video meetings will be helpful in complementing more traditional face to face engagement and may be more accessible for some people, and will be vital in the coming weeks with current restrictions because of coronavirus

Technology provides opportunities, but can be a barrier for some, therefore we are working to identify the most inclusive and accessible ways to work with stakeholders during this period and in the future.