Priority for disabled services

Better transport, improved disability awareness and personalised budgets are among the priorities identified for disability services in Edinburgh.

The new Lothian strategy, Our Lives Our Way, aims to address the needs of people from 16-65 years of age who have physical and complex disabilities.

It provides a vision of how services should be developed to help disabled people live life the way they want to.

Priorities for Edinburgh were discussed by Council members, officers and partners from the voluntary sector in September.

The top six priorities for action are:

• personalised budgets offering choice and flexibility
• disability training and awareness
• short breaks and breaks from caring
• work on establishing resources required to support the strategy
• better access to buildings and services
• flexible transport.

The strategy was developed in 2007/08 through partnership work between NHS Lothian, four local authorities (Edinburgh, Mid, East and West Lothian), the voluntary sector, service users and carers. It was accepted by the Council as the vision for services for people with physical and complex disabilities in Edinburgh for the next 10 years.