Disabled children 'missing out'

The study, being launched by Schools Secretary Ed Balls, blames "negative attitudes" by able-bodied children and lack of access to play equipment and transport.

The campaign group behind the report, Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM), said disabled children "just want the same chance as other children to play, go out, and be with their friends."

The report states in its manifesto that disabled children "should not have to ask or fight to be included in the things that other children do."

EDCM is demanding the Government delivers on promises made in its current Play and Youth strategies and that local authorities should ensure all staff working with children are trained in disability equality.

The campaign group are even drawing on Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that all children have the right to have their opinions taken into account on decisions that affect them.

A young disabled girl from York who participated in the EDCM's Going Places report said: "I don't want to feel like I'm a nuisance or somebody different. I just want to do everything that everyone else does."

Other disabled children quoted in the report say they are often made to feel like they are a nuisance or, worse still, that they are simply ignored and not included in activities at all.

EDCM board member Christine Lenehan said: "This is not too much to ask. We urge the Government to have high expectations for disabled children to enjoy the same childhood and teenage experiences as their non-disabled peers."

Fiona Blacke, Chief Executive of The National Youth Agency, an independent public policy agency, backed the report, saying: "The Government have committed to improving access to positive activities for all young people. The National Youth Agency supports and endorses this vision. We will work with Government and all stakeholders, including disabled young people themselves, to turn the vision into reality."