Information And Advice
Disability Action’s Information and Policy Unit provides specialist information and advice on disability issues. We provide our services to a range of groups including people with disabilities, carers, statutory and voluntary organisations. We also contribute to the debate on public policy and disabled people by contributing to government consultations, networking with statutory bodies and facilitating responses to government policy from disability organisations and individual disabled people.
Information Officers can offer assistance on entitlement to benefits including better-of calculations and form filling. They also advise and provide information on issues such as housing, assistance from Social Services, aids and adaptations to housing and legislation such as Disability Discrimination Act. Over the past year we have dealt with more than 22,000 enquires covering the above issues. The information team also works closely with other statutory and voluntary agencies and can signpost and make referrals to these agencies where necessary.
The information service strives to be as accessible as possible. We can be contacted by telephone, text phone, letter, fax, email, or an appointment can be arranged to meet with an Information Officer for more complex cases.
The Information Unit produces a number of publications including fact sheets and a news sheet. The team deals with approximately 2,000 enquiries per month ranging from benefit queries to aids and adaptations. We contribute to the debate on public policy and its impact on disabled people. The Unit coordinates responses to public policy consultation exercises and in 2007/2008 made 400 such responses.
Information and Policy is available through our Belfast, Dungannon Derry and Carrickfergus offices.
