DISABILITY EQUALITY SCHEME – WORKING DOCUMENT
Wrexham County Borough Council
Disability and Accessible Council Scheme
2006 - 2009
(Disability Equality Scheme)
This document is available a variety of accessible formats including large print, Braille and on audio cassette or computer disk.
If you would like a copy in an accessible format or in a language other than English or Welsh or would like someone to explain it to you please contact:
Equality Manager
Wrexham County Borough Council
Lambpit Street
Wrexham
LL11 1WF
Telephone: 01978 292808
Wrexham County Borough Council is committed to improving the quality of life for all citizens.
We believe that
disabled persons of all ages
should have the same
freedom, choice, dignity and control
as other citizens.
Disability and Accessible Council Scheme
2006 - 2009
1. Forward by the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council2. Introduction to the Scheme
3. Summary of the Law
4. How the Scheme was Developed
§ How disabled people were involved
§ Information and evidence
5. Methods for Impact Assessments
6. Methods for gathering and analysing information
§ Employment
§ Education
§ Service Delivery
7. How the Council will fulfil the general duty and deliver the action plan
8. Arrangements for reviewing this scheme and action plan / Page No.
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FORWARD
A message from Wrexham County Borough Council’s Chief Executive and Leader
Welcome to Wrexham County Borough Council’s first Disability Equality Scheme. It has been produced to help us meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and provides a focus for integrating disability equality across all we do and improving the way we work for the benefit of all citizens.
We are very grateful to the many people who have contributed to this scheme by sharing their experiences, views, opinions and ideas with us. This involvement has helped us to identify a series of objectives which form the basis of our Scheme. Ensuring disabled people have a voice locally is a key feature of our long-term approach. We will be reviewing our existing arrangements and establishing new mechanisms to ensure local disabled people have their say directly on issues that may affect them.
As the local Council for Wrexham we are committed to providing equality of opportunity for all and to challenging inequality and discrimination in any forms.
Equality and fairness are the corner stones of public services. As a provider of services, an employer and a community leader we recognise our important role in improving the quality of life for everyone in Wrexham.
Equality is at the heart of our values as an organisation and a key theme running through the Council’s Improvement Plan.
1. COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY
1.1 This scheme has been written in accordance with the legal duties set out in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. It sets out our plans for improving access, opportunities and the life chances of disabled people.
1.2 Through this scheme we set out a series of key objectives that we will address over the next three years designed to turn our commitment into positive outcomes.
1.3 We are committed to:
· Providing high quality services that are accessible to everyone and meet the diverse needs of our customers.
· Making sure Council buildings are as accessible as possible.
· Providing information about our services in accessible formats such as large print, Braille, on audiocassette or computer disk and providing information in languages other than English or translators, including British Sign Language interpreters, where they are needed.
· Promoting inclusive communities that have a shared sense of belonging and pride in Wrexham.
· Challenging unfairness and discrimination where ever it exists.
· Engaging with the diverse communities of Wrexham to ensure their needs are identified and met.
· Valuing the important contribution the community and voluntary sector makes to Wrexham life.
· Working in partnership to share good practice and promote a consistent approach.
· Valuing and training our staff to deliver services fairly, efficiently and effectively.
· Actively seeking feedback to continually develop and improve our approach.
1.4 We are taking action to promote equality of opportunity, combat discrimination and remove barriers including those that are environmental, physical and attitudinal that disadvantage disabled people.
The Equality Standard for Local Government in Wales
1.5 Wrexham County Borough Council adopted the Equality Standard for Local Government in Wales in 2002. The Standard provides a generic framework for disability, race and gender equality and is set out over five levels.
Level 1 - Commitment to a comprehensive equality policy
Level 2 - Assessment and consultation
Level 3 - Setting equality objectives and targets
Level 4 – Information systems and monitoring against targets
Level 5 – Achieving and reviewing outcomes
1.6 Achieving the Equality Standard is part of the Council’s Policy Agreement with the Welsh Assembly.
1.7 This Scheme is a key element of meeting not only the legal duties but helps us to meet essential criteria set out within the equality standard.
2. INTRODUCTION TO THE SCHEME
2.1 The purpose of this scheme is to provide a framework for Wrexham County Borough Council to:
· Promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons.
· Eliminate discrimination that is unlawful.
· Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons.
· Encourage participation by disabled persons in public life; and
· Take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disabilities, even where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably than other persons.
2.2 This Scheme will help us to integrate best practice across all departments and functions of the Council. Each employee and Councillor has a role to play in achieving our aims and delivering this scheme further.
2.3 The Social Model of Disability, constructed by disabled people themselves, is the tool which we have adopted as the basis for our approach to help us work in partnership with disabled people and representative organisations to eradicate the systematic, environmental and attitudinal discrimination disabled people face every day.
2.4 We believe that addressing equality and diversity alongside the ongoing and continual improvement of services promotes independence and enables disabled people to play a full and equal part in the life of Wrexham and will improve outcomes for ALL citizens.
2.5 During 2007 Wrexham County Borough Council will be reviewing how we address equality and diversity including looking at our policies, working practices and the way we design and deliver services including those that are carried out under contract or under Service Level Agreements.
2.6 Building upon its achievements and previous track record of addressing inequalities, Wrexham County Borough is taking this opportunity to
re-think our approach to all strands of equality including race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion and belief and disability. We address all strands of equality simultaneously as far as possible in recognition that each human being is a unique individual and may experience discrimination or unfairness on a variety of levels.
2.7 The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 states that “an adult or a child is disabled if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that has an effect that is “substantial, adverse and long term (lasting or expected to last for at least a year) on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities” the term “physical or mental impairment” includes sensory impairment, e.g. loss of hearing, or sight.
2.8 We have written this scheme to be as inclusive as possible. We recognise many people protected by the Disability Discrimination Act do not consider themselves to have a disability. Defining disability is a complex issue and we must refer back to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, but for many people this definition is not considered appropriate to their needs or how they identify themselves either as a community or as individuals.
2.9 Many people who are protected by the Disability Discrimination Act or have conditions or impairments that are often referred to as disabilities do not consider themselves to be “disabled”. Instead they consider that the failure to acknowledge different linguistic and other needs and therefore address only “mainstream” needs puts them at a disadvantage. Many people are not in positions where they can access or contribute to society because society's systems and structures are based on mainstream norms, and are inadvertently exclusionary. For example Deaf people are not hearing people with impairment; they are a linguistic minority because they communicate using British Sign Language which is a language in its own right. Enabling people to communicate in their own language means that Deaf people are empowered to represent themselves proactively, in order to establish equality.
2.10 Deaf people see themselves as members of a community of people, who share the same attitudes, culture and language. British Sign Language is an integral part of Deaf culture and its use is a major distinctive feature of the Deaf community.
2.11 Disability is a complex issue and we recognise that training, awareness raising and improving the skills of our workforce to enable them to deliver services equitably are key factors that underpin all of the objectives and plans set out within this scheme.
2.12 For the purposes of the Disability Discrimination Act we are required to publish a Disability Equality Scheme. In publishing this scheme we recognise the benefits for ALL citizens.
2.13 In writing this scheme we have drawn upon guidance from the Disability Rights Commission and a report called “Improving the Life Chances for Disabled People” which stated that:
“Poverty, disadvantage and social exclusion experienced by many disabled people is not the inevitable result of their impairments or medical conditions, but rather stems from attitudinal and environmental barriers.”
3. SUMMARY OF THE LAW
3.1 The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005 comes into effect in December 2006 and places upon public bodies new statutory duties to promote disability equality, eliminate disability related harassment, to promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities, to promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons and encourage participation by disabled persons in public life.
3.2 The DDA 2005 works in conjunction with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
3.3 According to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 an adult or a child is disabled if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that has an effect that is “substantial, adverse and long term (lasting or expected to last for at least a year) on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities” the term “physical or mental impairment” includes sensory impairment, e.g. loss of hearing, or sight. It includes disfigurement and people with a history of disability as well as people with HIV and cancer.
3.4 The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 sets out a framework to assist public bodies in planning, delivery and evaluating action to meet the general duty and to report on those activities. This scheme is a means of meeting the various elements of the general duty.
3.5 The DDA 2005 places a legal duty on public bodies that when carrying out their functions they must have due regard to the need to:
· Promote equality of opportunity between disabled and other persons.
· Eliminate discrimination that is unlawful.
· Eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disability.
· Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons.
· Encourage participation by disabled persons in public life; and
· Take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disabilities, even where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably than other persons.
3.6 The DDA 2005 Duty comes in two parts:
· General duty: public authorities to have due regard to promotion of disability equality in relation to all policy and practice including: planning and policy making, service delivery, regulation, monitoring and enforcement, employment, future decisions, address consequences of poor quality past decisions.
· Specific duty: publish Disability Equality Scheme no later than 4 December 2006 (Schools in Wales by 1 April 2007). Demonstrate actions in the scheme have been delivered and achieved appropriate outcomes. Report on progress every year. Review and revise scheme every three years.
3.7 Public bodies are required to prepare and publish a Disability Equality Scheme by 4 December 2006 to meet the specific duty.
3.8 The Disability Equality Scheme must set out how the Council intends to fulfil its general and specific duties. The Council is required to involve and engage disabled people in the development of the scheme. The scheme must include a statement of:
· The way in which disabled people have been involved in the development of the scheme.
· Methods for impact assessment.
· Steps which the authority will take towards fulfilling its general duty in the form of an action plan.
· Arrangements for gathering information in elation to employment and where appropriate, its delivery of education and its functions.
· Arrangements for putting the information gathered to use, in particular reviewing the effectiveness of its action pan and in preparing subsequent Disability Equality Schemes.
3.9 Public bodies must publish a revised Disability Equality Scheme every three years and publish a report containing a summary of the steps taken to deliver the action plan and the results of information gathering and the use to which it has put the information.
4. HOW THE SCHEME WAS DEVELOPED
4.1 The scheme has been drafted and drawn together by the Equality Manager of Wrexham County Borough Council in conjunction with a number of key partners and staff but most importantly local disabled people.
4.2 We began to develop our scheme in October 2005 and our first step was to ask local people, via the “Peoples Voice” (Consultation Panel) about their preferred methods of consultation and how they saw their role in the development of public services.
Partnership Working
4.3 A key part of preparing for the Scheme was to establish a partnership with the Health Sector to streamline consultation, avoid consultation fatigue and to open up further opportunities to access information, expertise and knowledge and share limited resources.