7 August 2006
The Office for Disability Issues is recruiting disabled people to sit on a new body called the Equality 2025 Network which aims to help the government achieve equality for disabled people by 2025.
All members of the Network have to be disabled and some should have no previous experience of working for a disability organisation.
Successful applicants will receive £189 per day plus expenses. Of course, this means that most disabled people in receipt of benefits needn't apply as the payments would be a disaster for their benefits entitlement. Appointments will last for two or three years and you will need to be available for around 20-25 days a year.
Some of the work the Network does will be confidential and members will be expected not to tell anyone about what they discuss until a public decision is made. We'd be very interested to hear from anyone who applies and especially delighted if a Benefits and Work Member, say someone who only gets DLA and so doesn't have to worry so much about the potential effects on their benefits, were to get one of the appointments.
The closing date for applications, which can be made online, is Friday 8th September. More details from the Equality 2025 website.