A Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisation (DDPO) 

• We are run “by and for” disabled people. 

• Over 90% of our Executive Committee are local disabled people.  

• Most staff members are Disabled People or have lived-experience. 

 

We are User-Led: 

• Members influence the projects, groups and services that ADKC develops, and how they are run. 

• Staff support members in the way that they want, and need, to be supported. Staff will try to adapt how they work to provide tailored support, which can change over time - based on what the member needs. 

 

Our Ethos: The Social Model of Disability. 

• We are “Disabled People”, not “people with disabilities”. 

• Barriers in society disable us, not our “impairments” or “health conditions”. 

• They hinder equality of opportunity, causing discrimination. 

• However, changes to attitudes, processes and systems – and providing the right support and adjustments – can help break down disabling barriers. 

• The right changes increase equality of opportunity and decrease discrimination, even though our impairments and conditions have not changed. 

 

Genuine, non-tokenistic, co-production. 

• We aim for co-production and co-design – not “informing”, “educating” or “engaging”. 

• This means being included at all stages – from initially identifying areas to look at, through designing changes and monitoring and reviewing implementation. It is a circular process. 

• Genuine partnership working involves decision-makers, professionals and experts by lived experience all working together on the same issues and towards the same general goal. 

• Coproduction requires buy-in, openness and honesty, a willingness to listen and to make changes, or jointly identifying alternative solutions.  

• It recognises that everyone has something to contribute, and that all contributions are equally valuable. There should be remuneration, and feedback is essential.