West Midlands Combined Authority: Building an exemplar region for Disabled people

Paralympian Mark Fosbrook was seconded to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMBA) as a result of the Mayor’s manifesto commitment to making the West Midlands a centre for excellence in disability sport. It soon became clear to Mark that realising this vision would require a system-wide consideration of the barriers facing disabled people in the region, as the ability to engage in sport cuts across so many policy areas. 

Through Mark’s work, he was able to amplify the voices of other disabled people in the West Midlands. He was able to influence and build relationships, using a data driven approach to gain buy-in to the need for wider system-change. He also advocated working in a co-produced way with existing Disabled staff, bolstering staff networks, improving outcomes for disabled employees, and allowing the WMCA to draw on their expertise and lived experience to address wider barriers to physical activity for Disabled people. 

The ambition for the West Midlands has now been reframed away from the narrow focus on sport to an ambition to becoming an exemplary region for Disabled people across the board.

When Andy Street was elected as Mayor in 2016, he stated in his manifesto that he wanted to build a ‘Centre for Excellence for Disability Sport’. In response, Mark Fosbrook was seconded from the disability charity Activity Alliance to lead a new project called ‘Include Me Too’, focusing on the wider determinants to improving engagement in disability sport and physical activity for Disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. 

He quickly realised the issues were cross-departmental and fed into broader issues around how Disabled people are disproportionately impacted across the region. One in five people in the West Midlands are Disabled or have a long-term health condition. 50.7 per cent of Disabled people in the West Midlands are employed, compared to 80 per cent of non-disabled people and 75 per cent of Disabled people in the West Midlands have more than one condition.

Mark was able to use his position and his lived experience to help influence change across the West Midlands Combined Authority. Initially brought in for the ‘Include Me’ project, Mark was able to highlight to managers and leaders the wider reasons why Disabled people are not physically active. ‘Include Me’ encompassed transport, housing, community, wellbeing, workforce and digital.

As evidence was gathered, the focus shifted from sport and physical activity to wider ways of improving access for Disabled people. Mark acted as an expert on disability across the organisation and presented evidence to decision makers around the barriers that Disabled people face. His role has then evolved from advising on sport and physical activity, to advising on disability policy more widely. 

He has therefore been able to grow the disability staff network to ensure that it appeals to as many people as possible across the organisation. The numbers have grown from a handful of members to over 60, mainly made up of Disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, carers and allies.

Externally, Mark has been able to influence the West Midlands Combined Authority in their ambition to be an ‘exemplary region for Disabled people’, working closely with the local community to run engagement events and produce policy reports on how different sectors and partners can improve across the region. 

The creation of a senior policy officer: health and disability role has demonstrated the shift in approach by the Combined Authority.
 

Work on influencing transport systems ranged from a small pilot exploring removing barriers to transport, to a commitment from the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) team to create a gold standard accessible app. There has also been investment from MaaS to fund a ‘Waymap’ pilot in Birmingham New Street Station to help it be a flagship station for accessibility.

Internally, the Neurodiversity Group has introduced improved signage, clocks in all meeting rooms and is soon to launch drop-in rooms to decompress before entering the office. Also to be launched are quiet zones and improved information sharing of available support for employees.

The development of a Disability Needs Assessment has collated all disability data at a national, regional and local level, and is being combined with the real life of Disabled people to provide a robust evidence base of need.

One key barrier can be key decision makers lack of prior knowledge, making it a challenge to explain and persuade them of the scale of the change needed. Decision makers may also avoid taking action through a fear of getting disability changes wrong. People don’t always have the appropriate knowledge or confidence on accessibility. Sometimes a barrier can be that accessibility is not seen as a priority but as something which is added bonus. 

Mark overcame these barriers by ensuring he knew the right decision makers to speak to and using evidence effectively. He has also found building strong relationships with community groups across the region allowed him to expand the range of stakeholders who could advocate for him. These groups can also help to build understanding of what motivates decision makers.

Another enabler has been the council being open to improving its processes and allowing the diversity networks to influence real change. Senior managers have shown a willingness to listen and learn and were open to the move from focusing on disability sport to a wider piece around disability policy and improvement. 

Firstly, in setting up different disability networks to continue supporting the voices of Disabled people. The evolution of Mark’s role also demonstrates sustainability as it’s gone from being temporary and focused on sport and physical activity, to a full-time position advising on disability policy and health. 

It is not enough to simply have a post or role dedicated to disability issues, you also need to have people with passion, drive and dedication to make it effective. You need to recruit people who can use relationships to influence across the organisation. You can also better utilise existing expertise and lived experience within councils. 

Finally, you should be prepared to face negativity and indifference, but don’t give up: keep “banging the drum” and change will follow.