Pat’s Petition: The emerging role of social media and the internet

Abstract

Pat’s Petition is a group that campaigns about the ‘perfect storm’ of UK political and social policy changes impacting on disabled people and carers, concentrating particularly on so-called ‘welfare reform’ (Machin et al, 2014). It is a pioneer in a development that has international implications. Formed in 2011, it was set up originally to launch an e-petition on what was then a new UK government website to enable online petitions. Any petition raising 100,000 signatories would be debated in parliament. Although it was one of the most successful early campaigns, Pat’s Petition did not reach the required number of signatories, but was awarded a debate in Parliament by the Labour Party. The group continue to campaign, occupying a unique position in taking a neutral political line and being inclusive of both disabled people and carers, consistently championing their cause and focusing on a ‘safety net’ of support. Part of the impetus behind starting the e-petition came from the realisation that many disabled people and carers could not take part in demonstrations and marches or even get out easily to meet in groups. The internet opened up connections and made it possible to find people with comparable interests for peer support and community. This has been life changing for many disabled people and carers including Pat herself, who is blind, and previously could not communicate beyond a limited circle of friends. However, as she describes the difficulties of file formats, including on official websites, and the slow speed of hearing emails in comparison to other’s speed reading, it is clear that difficulties of access for disabled people have not been completely overcome by electronic communication.