The Northern Ireland Executive has published its Draft Disability Strategy 2025–2035, structured around eight outcomes and 58 commitments. The public consultation closes at 5pm on Friday 20 March 2026, and we encourage everyone to submit this form by Saturday 14 March 2026 so views can be included in time.

We're gathering views from members to shape our group's response. This might inform a submission to the consultation, a brief to the party, or both. Your perspective as a Deaf or disabled person, carer, family member, or ally is essential.

If it is easier, you can email your thoughts directly to adam@apnilink.net.

📘 Please share your response by 14 March 2026, and read the strategy before responding (if you can) The full strategy and Easy Read version are on the DfC consultation page. You can also submit your own individual response directly to DfC. We encourage you to do so alongside completing this survey.

This form is independently run by Adam McBride on behalf of the Alliance Party Ability Group in a volunteer capacity, and is not an official Alliance Party consultation. All responses will be aggregated and anonymised for internal group use. Personal details are entirely optional and will be kept strictly confidential by Adam McBride for this project. Your raw data will not be shared with the party, DfC, or any third party. All fields here are optional. We ask for your name and email solely so we can follow up if we need to clarify any of your valuable feedback, and to help us protect the integrity of the survey by preventing duplicate or external submissions.

1

About you (optional)

All fields here are optional. We ask only so we can follow up if needed.

Select the option that fits best. Choose more than one if relevant.
Tick all that apply. This helps us ensure our response reflects a full range of lived experience - not just those with the most visible needs.
A note on privacy: Please do not include any names, specific locations, or highly identifiable personal details in your answers below, as our final submission to the Department for Communities will be a public document.
2

Overall confidence

A quick snapshot of how you feel about the strategy as a whole.

How confident are you that this draft strategy will deliver meaningful change for Deaf and disabled people in Northern Ireland?
Not at all confident Very confident
Is there a particular aspect of the strategy that gives you hope or concern?
3

The eight outcomes

The strategy is built around eight outcomes. Below is a brief summary of each. Please comment on those most relevant to you - you don't need to answer every one.

Outcome 1: Rights, participation and equality
Proposes establishing a Regional Disability Forum (made up entirely of Deaf and disabled people), reviewing disability legislation to better align with the UNCRPD, and publishing a disability data compendium every two years.
Do you think the proposed Forum will be effective? Is the commitment to UNCRPD incorporation strong enough? Does this outcome reflect the rights of neurodivergent people and those with invisible disabilities as well as those with physical/sensory impairments?
Outcome 2: Built environment, facilities and transport
Commits to adopting inclusive design standards in all new publicly-funded spaces, scoping an accessibility rating system, and improving transport accessibility.
Does this go far enough on physical accessibility? What about sensory-friendly environments (e.g. lighting, noise levels) or cognitive accessibility (e.g. clear wayfinding and signage)? Are the needs of disabled people in rural areas adequately addressed?
Outcome 3: Access to public services, information and communications
Commitments include making all departmental information and communications accessible, and improving access to the justice system for disabled people.
Does "accessible" here go beyond BSL/ISL and large print to cover Easy Read, plain language, digital accessibility, and communication support for people with cognitive or processing difficulties? Are there services you find particularly inaccessible?
Outcome 4: Culture, leisure and sport
Aims to improve disabled people's access to and participation in culture, leisure activities and sport, including through the Active Living strategy.
What barriers do you face in accessing leisure, arts, or sport? Think about both physical access and less visible barriers - for example, sensory overload in venues, lack of understanding of invisible conditions, or social anxiety. Are the proposed commitments specific enough?
Outcome 5: Independent living and standard of living
Covers improving housing availability and standards, including inclusive design guidance for people with cognitive and sensory impairments. Indicators include housing costs and relative poverty.
Does the strategy address the real cost of disability? What about access to the benefits system, Personal Independence Payment assessments, and the particular difficulties faced by people with fluctuating or invisible conditions?
Outcome 6: Health and social care
Proposes a digital care record for every patient and greater use of social prescribing. The only indicator is satisfaction with health and social care.
Is a single satisfaction indicator adequate for such a complex area? What about diagnostic waiting times (e.g. for autism/ADHD assessment), mental health provision, specialist services, and the experience of people with learning disabilities in healthcare settings?
Outcome 7: Employment
Aims to narrow the disability employment gap (currently 37.4% vs 75.2% for non-disabled people). Links to the separate Disability and Work Strategy and the civil service People Strategy 2025–2030.
Are reasonable adjustments and workplace understanding of non-visible disabilities (e.g. chronic fatigue, ADHD, mental health conditions) adequately covered? What about self-employment, part-time work, and the fear of losing benefits when entering work?
Outcome 8: Education and children/young people
Covers the SEN Reform Agenda, a new SEN framework, an Executive Childcare Strategy, and aims to improve qualifications and participation for disabled young people.
Given the well-documented crisis in SEN provision and assessment waiting times in Northern Ireland, are these commitments strong enough? What about neurodivergent children who may not meet SEN thresholds but still need support? What about transition from school to adult services?
4

Your priorities

This helps us understand what matters most to our members.

Select up to three.
5

Representation of all disabilities

An important concern is whether the strategy adequately recognises the full spectrum of disability, or whether it is skewed towards physical and sensory impairments.

How well do you feel the strategy represents the needs of people with non-visible or less commonly recognised disabilities? This includes neurodivergent conditions (autism, ADHD, dyslexia), learning disabilities, mental health conditions, chronic illness, and fluctuating conditions.
Very poorly Very well
For example: Does the strategy mention autism or ADHD assessment waiting times? Does it address masking, burnout, or the particular employment barriers faced by neurodivergent people? Does it recognise the intersection of mental health and disability? Are people with fluctuating conditions (e.g. ME/CFS, MS, fibromyalgia) reflected in the commitments?
For example: disabled women, disabled people from ethnic minorities or the Traveller community, LGBTQ+ disabled people, disabled people in rural areas, or those with multiple co-occurring conditions.
6

Delivery, funding and accountability

Several disability organisations, including Imtac and former Co-Design Group members, have raised serious concerns about the strategy's deliverability.

Former Co-Design Group members have publicly expressed disappointment with how their input was reflected in the final draft.
At present, the strategy proposes no penalties for non-compliance and the legislation review is only at the scoping stage.
7

The Action Plan

The strategy itself is a framework. The real detail will come in the Action Plan, which is still to be developed. This is our chance to say what must be in it.

Think about what would make a concrete difference to your daily life or the lives of people you support. The more specific, the better - "reduce autism assessment waiting times to X months" is more useful than "improve services."
8

Final thoughts

For example: broadly supportive with firm caveats? Constructively critical? Calling for fundamental revision?
9

Consent and data use

Please read and confirm before submitting.

Thank you for taking the time. Your input will directly shape the Ability Group's position.

✓ Thank you! Your response has been recorded.
Your data is processed securely on servers within the EU. To protect your privacy, your name and email will be separated from your answers and replaced with a respondent ID before any information is shared with the wider Ability Group.