The Highland Council’s first Disability Equality Scheme is a central part of the Council’s wider Corporate Equality strategy.
The Council recognises that promoting equality will improve public services and employment opportunities and aims to ensure that:
- equality is central to service provision and employment, that equal opportunities objectives are included in all its corporate and service plans, and
- that these objectives will be reflected in policies and procedures. Services will be required to integrate equality into the service planning process, putting it at the heart of policy making, service delivery, and employment practices. A planned approach to equality and reports on progress will result in delivering quality services that respond to the needs of communities and individuals.
Changes to the Disability Discrimination Act in 2005 introduced new duties on the public sector to promote disability equality and most public bodies are required to publish a Disability Equality Scheme by 4th December 2006.
We are committed to work towards disability equality in our service provision and our responsibilities as an employer. Our Disability Equality Scheme sets out how we will meet this commitment and contains outcomes and objectives accompanied by a plan for action. The scheme has been developed involving council services, community planning partners, service users, and voluntary and community organisations. The Scheme also ensures that we continuously monitor and improve the ways in which we deliver services and that the needs and views of disabled people are taken into account.
The Highland Council’s Disability Equality Scheme will help us to meet the requirements of legislation and set our plans to improve disability access to employment and services. It provides a framework to promote equality and eliminate discrimination against disabled people as users of services, employees and members of the community.
The Disability Equality Duty When carrying out their functions, this new duty requires public bodies to pay regard to the need to:
- promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and other people
- eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Act
- eliminate harassment of disabled people that is related to their disability
- promote positive attitudes towards disabled people
- encourage participation by disabled people in public life
- take steps to meet disabled people’s need, even if this requires more favourable treatment
There are additional duties which include the need to publish a Disability Equality Scheme. The scheme is expected to show how a public body has involved disabled people in the development of a scheme, how it will assess the impact of its policies and practices on disabled people, what information will be gathered for example in relation to employment and education, an action plan, and how the scheme will be reviewed.
Further Information, comments and contact details
The Council would welcome any comments and feedback on this Scheme. If you wish to comment, or would like a full copy of the Scheme, or to request information in another format or language, please contact:
Rosemary Mackinnon
Equal Opportunities Officer
The Highland Council
Glenurquhart Road
Inverness, IV3 5NX
Tel 01463 702094 Fax 01463 702830 Email
Email rosemary.mackinnon@highland.gov.uk