Accessibility on the DRILL website

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‘Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning’ (DRILL) is committed to providing accessible information. We have designed our site to make the information accessible to the widest possible audience.

If you have any problems with the website or accessing information use our contact form.

We aim to meet WCAG version 1.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Conformance Level “AA”, which means that all Priority 2 checkpoints will be met.

Visual design

This site uses cascading style sheets (CSS) for visual layout. If your browser or browsing device does not support style sheets the content of each page is still readable.

Hyperlinks

All text hyperlinks are written so that they make sense when read out of context.

Access keys

We have not used access keys on this website. There is no recognised standard for combinations of keys; some screen readers use certain combinations for different functions.

Accessibility Help: WP Accessibility Plugin

We have installed the WP Accessibility plugin which is designed to help with a variety of common accessibility problems.

Accessibility Features added by WP Accessibility:

  • Enable skip links with WebKit support by adding JavaScript support to move keyboard focus.
  • Add skip links with user-defined targets. (Customisable targets and appearance.)
  • Add language and text direction attributes to your HTML attribute
  • Add an outline to the keyboard focus state for focusable elements.
  • Add a toolbar toggling between high contrast, large print, and desaturated (greyscale) views of your theme.
  • Add a long description to images. Use the image’s “Description” field to add long descriptions.
  • Enforcement for alt attributes on images.

Accessibility Issues fixed by WP Accessibility:

  • Remove the target attribute from links.
  • Force a search page error when a search is made with an empty text string. (If your theme has a search.php template.)
  • Remove tabindex from elements that are focusable.
  • Strip title attributes from images inserted into content.
  • Remove redundant title attributes from page lists, category lists, and archive menus.
  • Add post titles to standard “read more” links.
  • Address some accessibility issues in the WordPress admin styles
  • Add labels to standard WordPress form fields if missing

Accessibility Tools built into WP Accessibility:

  • Show the colour contrast between two provided hexadecimal colour values.
  • Enable diagnostic CSS to show CSS-detectable problems in visual editor or on front-end of site.

Accessibility issues on this website

There are some aspects of the site that do not pass automated accessibility tests. For example, there appear to be images that do not have labels. This is due to the use of plugins to add functionality to the site such as the Google Translation tool. However, though if means that the site does not pass automated tests, the content is still accessible to visitors.

If you have any problems with our website, or want to tell us how we can improve it, please contact form.

Project Theme: Participating in the economy

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There are different ways that people participate in the economy. Unfortunately there can also be lots of barriers that get in disabled people’s way.  For disabled people to participate equally in economic activities they need access to the right education and training for the current and future job market, to career opportunities, and opportunities for self-employment and to set up new businesses.  Disabled people need employers who recognise what they can do and that they have the experience and qualities needed by businesses.  There can be different, but equally good ways of doing a job.

As consumers, they need to be able to get into shops and be treated appropriately as customers and access to on-line shopping.  They should have choice about the goods and services we need to achieve independent living.

Within the theme of participating in the economy DRILL is particularly interested in solutions that:

  • support more disabled people to be self – employed
  • support more disabled people to set up and run social enterprises
  • close the employment and pay gaps between disabled people and non – disabled people, including approaches that encourages employers to change their practice.

Project Theme: Participating in community and social life

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The communities we live in and the friends and support we have are very important to our lives.

Communities come in many shapes and forms. They can be defined in terms of place, for example, your “local community” where you live, or rural or urban communities. Or the word “community” can describe a group of people who have the same interest or culture. There are lots of ways to describe a community but is usually a place where people find mutual support and company, as well as services to meet every day needs.

Being part of a local community which respects disabled people’s rights, is very important for independent living. Everyone should have the freedom to visit their friends and relatives. Everyone should be able to go to the local cinema, sports centre, evening classes, places of worship, or any other local places and events if they want to.

But too often disabled people are excluded. They do not get the support they need to do these things. And even if they can get to such places, it does not follow that they will be able to participate on an equal basis.  Too often disabled people have not been involved in any discussions about how the services they need are provided to them, for example from the local authority or from a voluntary organisation. Without hearing disabled people’s views, organisations providing services don’t know how the services could be best designed and planned.  And even if well designed, properly funded services may not be available to all, or, disabled people may live “in the community” but not be included in it. They are left in isolation.

Within the theme of participating in community and social life DRILL is particularly interested in projects that lead to / promote solutions:

  • that work best for disabled people in relation to social security delivery
  • that work best for disabled people in relation to social care support
  • to achieve more accessible and inclusive housing.

Project Themes

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DRILL projects must be about one of the following 4 themes:

 

 

National Advisory groups

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National Advisory Groups Role and powers: To contribute to the development and delivery of DRILL in each nation as follows:

Scrutinise and sift: With reference to the political, social and economic context of the relevant nation, and in line with agreed priorities and criteria, scrutinise, assess, sift and select proposals to go forward to the Central Research Committee (CRC).

Report and recommend: Report on selected proposals and recommend to the CRC for decision.

Promote and disseminate: Through members’ networks, promote DRILL and encourage the development of research proposals. Disseminate findings and learning and promote uptake by policymakers/ others, as appropriate.

Advise: Provide advice on any aspect of the Programme, as requested. For example, this might include advice on communications, quality concerns, barriers to progress, new issues arising, event planning, sustainability, etc.

Evaluate: Contribute feedback for the purposes of monitoring and evaluation of the Programme.  Each NAG will be overseen by the relevant national partner.

Membership 

The maximum number of members on each NAG is 15. Members will include Disabled People, representatives of Disabled People’s Organisations and academia, research and policy making bodies and practice and professional leaders. Disabled people will form a majority on each NAG. The Chairperson of each NAG will be a disabled person appointed from among the membership and who is independent of the national partners.

Members are appointed in a personal capacity, not as formal representatives of their organisations. Within the membership of each NAG, steps will also be taken to try to ensure they represent the range of interests relevant to each Nation including pan-impairment, equality, diversity, language and geography.  Nominations to fill any vacancies arising on each NAG will be considered and approved by the Programme Board, ensuring that it retains diverse involvement of experience, expertise and other interests.

Membership of the Scotland National Advisory Group

Membership of the England National Advisory Group

Membership of the Northern Ireland National Advisory Group

Membership of the Wales National Advisory Group

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Central Research Committee

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The Central Research Committee (CRC) is chaired by Professor Tom Shakespeare. The Committee’s membership includes representatives from academia, leaders from Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) and other stakeholders from across the UK. The purpose of the Committee is to support the DRILL Programme Board (DPB), the National Advisory Groups (NAGs) and make stronger the DRILL ethos of co-production.

The CRC has made all final decisions on which projects to fund, assisted by the scoring and ranking by the NAGs of project applications from their nation.

DRILL Central Research Committee Members

Professor Tom Shakespeare (Chair of the Central Research Committee)

Tom Shakespeare is a Senior Lecturer at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dr Bronagh Byrne
Dr Bronagh Byrne is Programme Director and Lecturer in Social Policy at Queen’s University Belfast. She is co-chair of the Queen’s University’s Disability Research Network.

Professor Nick Watson
Professor Nick Watson is a Professor at the Centre for Disability Research, Glasgow University and a Director of What Works Scotland.

Stephen Harris
Stephen was the Chief Executive of the Dewis Centre for Independent Living – a disabled people’s organisation based in South Wales.

Liz Sayce
Liz Sayce was Chief Executive of Disability Rights UK (and its legacy charity Radar) from 2007-2017, where she led work for equal participation for all.

Professor Mark Llewellyn

Mark is Director of the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care and Professor of Health and Care Policy at the University of South Wales.

Professor Alison Koslowski

Alison is a Professor of Social Policy and Research Methods at the University of Edinburgh and is also the Chair of the DRILL Ethics Committee.


The Central Research Committee meet two times per year.

Special thanks is given to those members of the CRC whose contribution was invaluable & who have since resigned. We wish Philomena McCrory, Professor Paul Chaney, Mike Adams, Heather Fisken, Kaliani Lyle, Professor Jenny Morris  &  Professor Eric Emerson, the best of luck in all their future endeavours.

Meet the partners

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The partners are responsible for running the DRILL research programme across the UK

 

Disability Action

Disability Action works to ensure that people with disabilities attain their full rights as citizens, by supporting inclusion, influencing Government policy and changing attitudes in partnership with disabled people. Disability Action is the lead partner and will deliver the DRILL programme in Northern Ireland.

Disability Rights UK

Disability Rights UK are disabled people leading change, working to create a society where everyone with lived experience of disability or health conditions can participate equally as full citizens. Disability Rights UK deliver the DRILL programme across England.

Disability Wales

Disability Wales occupy a unique position within Wales by championing the rights, equality and independence of all disabled people regardless of physical or sensory impairment, learning difficulty or mental health condition. They recognise that many disabled people have many identities and can face multiple-discrimination. Disability Wales deliver the DRILL programme across Wales.

Inclusion Scotland

Inclusion Scotland (IS) is a consortium of organisations of disabled people and disabled individuals. Through a process of structured development they aim to draw attention to the physical, social, economic, cultural and attitudinal barriers that affect our everyday lives as disabled people in Scotland. Inclusion Scotland delivers the DRILL programme across Scotland.

 

The partners are responsible for running the DRILL research programme across the UK

About The DRILL Programme

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What is DRILL?

DRILL (Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning) is an innovative 5 year UK wide Programme led by disabled people, for disabled people and funded by the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF).

Launched in 2015, the Programme is led by Disability Action NI in partnership with Disability Rights UK, Disability Wales and Inclusion Scotland.

What do we do?

DRILL promotes coproduction and collaboration between disabled people and their organisations, academia, research bodies and policy makers. Disabled people are empowered to have direct influence on decisions that impact on their independent living, particularly in relation to policies, legislation and services.

The programme has funded 32 coproduced research and pilot projects across the UK. The purpose of the projects is to find solutions about how disabled people can live as full citizens and take part socially, economically and politically.

Why?

The purpose of the Programme is to build better evidence about approaches to enable disabled people to achieve independent living, which is used to inform future policy and service provision, as well as give a greater voice to disabled people in decisions which affect them.

Research Reports and Findings


DRILL is committed to sharing the findings of the research and pilot projects funded by the Programme.

Our key goal is to enable disabled people achieve our independent living and fulfil our potential in an ever changing world. One of the key ways of doing this is through the availability of robust research and pilot findings which will influence policy making and service provision in the UK.

You can find copies of all research findings here.

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