LGA&DRC Access To Services

access to services
disability equality in local government
For further information, please contact

the Local Government Association at:
Local Government House
Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ
or telephone LGconnect,
LGA’s information centre on 020 7664 3131
Fax 020 7664 3030
Email info@lga.gov.uk
Website www.lga.gov.uk
For a copy in braille, in larger print

or audio tape contact LGconnect
Price £20
equalities
(£10 to member authorities)
promoting better local government
October 2003
LGA Code EQ006
ISBN 1 84049 335 X
Printed by LGA Reprographics
Declaration by the DRC
This guide is intended to provide practical advice only. We have highlighted
a number of examples of practice that could be considered effective, and
that have been demonstrated within England and Wales. The Disability
Rights Commission does not, however, endorse any organisations highlighted
in this guidance.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature,
without the prior permission of the copyright holder.
Written by Sarah Long
Copyright Local Government Association, October 2003
Published by LGA Publications,
the Local Government Association,
Local Government House, Smith Square,
London SW1P 3HZ.
Copies may be purchased from LGconnect,
LGA’s information centre on
Tel 020 7664 3131, fax 020 7664 3030
email info@lga.gov.uk
website www.lga.gov.uk
Price £20
(£10 to local authorities)
Please quote LGA code EQ006 and send cheque
(made payable to Local Government Association) with order.
LGA code EQ006
ISBN 1 84049 350 X
acknowledgements
The Local Government Association and the Disability Rights Commission

wish to thank all the local authorities and disability organisations that
contributed to the development of this strategy guidance. In particular we
acknowledge the contribution of the following organisations:
Action in Islington Havant Access Group

Access Association Islington Borough Council
Accessible Designs Partnership Leeds City Council
Bath and NE Somerset Disability Manchester City Council
Equality Forum National Register of Access
Bath and NE Somerset Council Consultants
British Council of Disabled People Neath and Port Talbot Access Group
Birmingham City Council Newcastle City Council
Birmingham Coalition of Disabled RADAR
People SAFE (Swansea Access Group)
Bristol City Council Scope
Centre for Accessible Environments South Gloucestershire Council
City and County of Swansea Welsh Local Government
Corporation and City of London Association
Countryside Agency West of England Coalition of
Disability Wales Disabled People
Employers' Organisation for local Vale of Glamorgan Council
government
Essex Access Forum
Gateshead Access Panel
Greater London Authority
Guildford Borough Council
Guildford Access Forum
Hampshire County Council
Hartlepool Borough Council
Havant Borough Council
contents
page
foreword 3
the Disability Discrimination Act 4
executive summary 5
summary of recommendations 10
introduction 16
Part A: the underlying principles 18
Part B: leading, driving and defining change 25
Part C: developing an inclusive environment 58
key references 78
foreword
Local authority services are provided from a wide range of different premises
and locations. Many town, county and city halls were built long before
concepts of 'inclusive design' and the social model of disability were
recognised. This throws up a number of different challenges for local
councils in seeking to provide accessible services for all but these challenges
are not insurmountable, as this report demonstrates.
By October 2004, local councils will be required to have made 'reasonable
adjustment' to services and premises to enable equal access for disabled
people and non-disabled people. The examples contained in this report show
the progress being made by some authorities in developing more accessible
services and premises. The research that underpinned this report, however,
revealed a very varied response by local government. If your council is one of
those that has yet to address its forthcoming new duties under Part III of the
Disability Discrimination Act, then we urge you to do so now. You may find
there to be a significant amount of work to be done over the course of the
next year.
While this report focuses on the new duties contained under Part III of the
Disability Discrimination Act, it places these within the broader context of
developing a disability equality strategy. The principles that we believe should
underlie such strategies are set out within this document, along with
suggestions as to how such strategies should be developed.
We hope that this report will be useful to you in developing disability
equality strategies and in ensuring local government's full compliance with
the Disability Discrimination Act next October. You may find that this topic is
one which is highly suitable for inclusion in your council’s scrutiny process.
Cllr Sir Jeremy Beecham Bert Massie CBE

Chairman Chairman
Local Government Association Disability Rights Commission
3
the Disability Discrimination Act
Almost everyone who provides a service, including all local authorities,

has duties under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). Some of these
duties are already in place and others come into force in October 2004.
A wide range of services are covered by the DDA, everything from
swimming pools to housing offices. Whenever the local authority is
providing a service to the public or members of the public then this is
likely to be covered by Part III of the DDA. Some services, such as
education, are primarily covered by another part of the DDA - Part IV.
A range of duties came into force in 1999, requiring service providers to
make ‘reasonable’ adjustments to improve access to their services. These
include changes to policies, practices and procedures, and provision of
auxiliary aids and services. Examples of changes to policies or practices
would be ensuring that guide or assistance dogs were welcome in local
authority premises or that emergency evacuation procedures meet the
needs of disabled customers. Auxiliary services could be offering
information in accessible formats.
The 1999 duties also require services to be provided by other means if
physical features make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for
disabled people to access the services. From October 2004 local
authorities will have to consider making reasonable adjustments to the
physical features of buildings or areas from where services are delivered.
These will involve major changes and need planning well in advance,
which is why they aren't being enforced until 2004.
Local authorities will have the option of removing the physical feature,
changing it, finding ways of avoiding it, or (as now) providing the
service by a reasonable alternative method. So with the range of
buildings and services the local authority provides there will be a
significant number of changes to be assessed and considered. The DRC
has produced a code of practice, which gives further guidance about
these duties (see www.drc-gb.org).
4
executive summary
The LGA and the DRC have worked together to develop this guidance for
local government on how to implement disability equality within local
authority service provision. This guidance has been based on existing
effective practice demonstrated within a variety of local authorities across
England and Wales. This document provides a challenge to councils to
review, develop and adopt effective practice to meet their duties, as defined
by the Disability Discrimination Act, specifically Part III: access to services. This
includes, since 1999, having a range of duties to improve access to services
by making ‘reasonable adjustments’ to policies, practices and procedures, as
well as providing auxiliary aids and services. By October 2004 councils will
have had to make additional reasonable adjustments to physical features
within and around their premises.
The guidance is split into three sections. Details of each section and its
recommendations are summarised below. By addressing the
recommendations local authorities will be working towards developing
effective practice in terms of implementing disability equality. Authorities will
have to decide at a local level how they respond to the recommendations
listed within the guidance.
Authorities that have adopted the Equality Standard for Local Government
will find that the guidance and its recommendations will contribute to the
implementation of the standard at various levels. This document focuses on
developing a disability equality strategy that will assist in preparing for
forthcoming legislation and should be seen as part of mainstreaming
equality into all policies and practices of a local authority.
Part A: the underlying principles
Central to this strategy is the endorsement of the 'Social Model of Disability',
which is founded on the belief that disabled people are discriminated against
by the design of the environment and how services are organised and
delivered. Inclusive design principles have been produced based on this social
model, and provide a tool to review the existing physical environment and
guide future developments. These developments will not only improve access
for disabled people, but other groups in society such as older people or
parents with young children.
5
Part B: leading, driving and defining change
Producing a disability equality strategy enables local authorities to develop a
coherent, consistent and strategic approach. In order to develop and
implement an effective strategy, a number of mainly internal processes need
to be addressed within an authority. The processes described below are
consistent with, and will contribute to, the implementation of the Equality
Standard for Local Government.
1 Leadership
Clear leadership must be given to this work by elected members, chief
executives, and senior officers, demonstrating a commitment to disability
equality, while providing well-defined structures of accountability to ensure
the implementation of a strategy.
2 Establishing mechanisms for the development and delivery of a
disability equality strategy
Responsibility for disability equality should be at a corporate level and co-
ordinated by the chief officers and political leaders of an authority as part of
a wider equality strategy. A working group should be established, made up
of senior officers from across the council, to co-ordinate the development
and implementation of a disability equality strategy and action plan, with
every participant being responsible for championing disability equality
throughout the internal and external operations of the council.
In order to support and advise local authorities a commitment should be
made to facilitate the establishment of independent organisations of
disabled people, run and controlled by disabled people. These organisations
can assist with consultation and networking amongst disabled people,
informing local authorities on changes that they could be making to improve
services. They provide a forum for a collective, informed dialogue between
disabled people and service providers, and contribute to the consultation
aspects of the implementation of the equality standard.
6
3 Establishing a disability equality action plan
Local authorities should consider organising their approach to the
implementation of disability equality in an action planning process.
4 Key officer roles
In order to address these actions it has been demonstrated through our
research that there are three roles officers need to undertake: access,
strategic and community development. The role of the access officer is one
of advising planning and building control on the physical environment. The
strategic role supports the co-ordination and implementation of a disability
equality strategy, advising on the development of services at a corporate
level. The community development officer should undertake activities with
the local disabled community to encourage partnership working and to
ensure that advisors to the council are representative and accountable.
5 Developing inclusive communication and consultation
The basic principles and practices as to how the council communicates and
consults with its local community should be reviewed to ensure that it is an
inclusive process. Any consultation undertaken with disabled people should
be representative.
6 External focus and partners
Local authorities, in their leadership role, should champion disability equality
within the broader community and across all partnership relationships.
7 Disability equality training
In order to implement a council's disability equality strategy effectively,
appropriate training has to be provided for officers and elected members.
Part C: developing an inclusive environment
Providing accessible environments is a significant requirement, making
disability equality unique in comparison with other equalities areas. Links
should therefore be made with other corporate strategies such as local or
transport plans.
7
1 Defining the task
Generally the physical environment includes the design of the public realm
as well as access into and within buildings. In order to comply with Part III of
the DDA, service providers need to review their premises to ensure that
disabled people don't find it impossible or unreasonably difficult to use a
service. Local authorities should undertake access audits to review and
improve their services. Council officers will have to review their own role,
especially those who have direct responsibility for environmental resources,
whether rural, green space or urban. In future, councils should aim to ensure
‘inclusion’ is integral to all their service developments.
2 Encouraging involvement of disabled people and access groups
When making improvements to the environment, councils should inform and
encourage discussions within the local community. Councils should also
work with local disabled people and access groups, using their experience to
inform council developments. Access groups, however, should not be seen
as access auditors.
3 Adopting environmental standards
Councils should adopt and develop environmental standards based on the
British Standard 8300 (BS 8300) Designing buildings and their approaches to
meet the needs of disabled people to act as a guide for future
developments.
4 Auditing services
Audits should initially review existing services provided to all customers,
assessing if they are designed to be inclusive for disabled people. They
should review the related costs of adjustments and the opinions of disabled
people about the services.
5 Understanding access audits
Professional auditors should produce access audits for councils. Generally an
access audit will provide an assessment of the environment, profiling the
existing situation in terms of accessibility and usability for disabled people.
8
6 Establishing a corporate access improvement plan
A process should be developed to systematically audit, prioritise, finance and
implement changes within all local authorities' properties. Arrangements
should be put in place to sustain any modification or changes made.
7 Health and safety
Access audits and health and safety audits can be seen as complementary.
The Health and Safety Executive recommends that health and safety
initiatives take account of the specific needs of disabled people.
8 Related issues
There are a number of issues that are directly or indirectly related to these
required developments. They include listed buildings and making polling
stations more accessible. Consideration should be given to linking the
practices and principles outlined in this guidance to other areas, such as to
green and rural areas, and educational establishments.
9
summary of recommendations
1 The social model of disability

Recommendation 1
Councils should adopt the social model of disability as the principle central
to the development of a disability equality strategy and in directing plans for
improving access to services for disabled people.
2 Inclusive design
Recommendation 2
Councils should adopt the principles of inclusive design, and therefore
inclusive services, in terms of designing, managing and monitoring the built
environment and service delivery.
1 Leadership
Recommendation 3
A corporate commitment to disability equality should be established and
specific leadership roles allocated. Chief officers and leading councillors
should adopt the key roles in promoting disability equality among staff and
the wider community and in overseeing the co-ordination and development
of a council's disability equality strategy.
Recommendation 4
All councillors should be made aware of the council's duties and
responsibilities in relation to the Disability Discrimination Act; preferably by
way of a disability equality training programme targeted at all elected
members.
Recommendation 5
The responsibility for disability equality should be linked to a political
portfolio within any cabinet structure. The elected member with
responsibility for disability equality should undertake to oversee the
monitoring of the council's disability equality strategy.
10
Recommendation 6
Disability should be recognised as an equalities issue and responsibility for
implementing strategies to address all strands of inequality should be co-
ordinated corporately within the chief executive's department.
Recommendation 7
A corporate steering group, representing the different directorates and
chaired by a member of the management board, should be given corporate
responsibility for the development and delivery of a disability equality
strategy. Members of the group should act as champions within their own
directorates, challenging and promoting change in line with current
legislation and disability equality principles. Representatives of this group
should form part of the corporate planning group that oversees the
implementation of the corporate equality plan recommended by the equality
standard.
Recommendation 8
Councils should consider establishing a forum or similar mechanism to
encourage and facilitate regular involvement and dialogue between the
council and local disabled people and their organisations.
Recommendation 9
Councils should consider assisting with the development and establishment
of an independent local organisation of disabled people, which can build
networks between disabled people, smaller groups and service providers.
Recommendation 10
Councils' disability equality strategies should be supported by action plans,
at corporate and service levels, integrated within mainstream performance
planning mechanisms and subject to monitoring and review.
11
4 Key officer roles
Recommendation 11
Councils should consider the development of three key officer roles - a
strategic role, an access role and a community development role - in order to
respond to these recommendations, including in the delivery of a disability
equality strategy and associated action plan (Recommendation 10).
Recommendation 12
Councils' communication strategies should be designed to promote disability
as an equalities issue. The council should ensure that, as they implement e-
government, 'access' is considered central to the developments.
Recommendation 13
Any formal consultation strategy the council has adopted should be
reviewed, to ensure consultation is conducted inclusively. All consultation
materials should be available in a range of accessible formats.
Recommendation 14
Consideration should be given to developing both long and short-term
consultation mechanisms or models of consultation designed specifically for
disabled people and their organisations. These can be adjusted to the range
of consultation exercises the council undertakes. It is also important to
enable disabled people, when appropriate, to have their own meeting or
'space' within which to be consulted.
Recommendation 15
All consultation focus groups or other panels should be reviewed to ensure
that they are representative in terms of including disabled members who
reflect the diversity of the disabled community.
6 External focus and partners
Recommendation 16
Councils should seek to champion disability equality in their procurement
and partnership arrangements as far as possible within the legal
procurement framework.
12
Recommendation 17
Local authorities should seek to work with local voluntary sector
organisations to assist them in meeting their duties under disability rights
legislation. Funding agreements should consider the extra costs that some
not-for-profit organisations may encounter in order to meet their duties
under Part III of the DDA.
Recommendation 18
A programme of providing disability equality training should be established
for all council personnel and elected members; starting with key elected
members and employees, including senior managers, with responsibility for
service delivery.
Recommendation 19
Disability equality training should be based on the social model of disability
and include an outline of the duties and responsibilities local authorities have
in relation to the Disability Discrimination Act.
1 Defining the task

Recommendation 20
Undertaking the developments required to improve physical access should be
seen as a fundamental part of a local authority's disability equality strategy. It
should be given high priority and be supervised and championed by political
leaders and the chief executive.
Recommendation 21
Councils should identify, within each service area, the roles and
responsibilities of officers in relation to implementing the DDA Part III -
access to services.
13
2 Encouraging involvement of disabled people and access groups
Recommendation 22
Councils should consider developing access groups within their locality. The
groups should be representative of the local disabled community and be
enabled to develop the skills to offer feedback and advice to an authority,
particularly to its access officer and access auditors.
Recommendation 23
In providing a baseline for future developments and in reviewing existing
properties, authorities should adopt an environmental standard or standards.
It should be ensured that council officers are made aware of and able to
work in relation to this standard, but standards must be developed in the
light of experience and based on the BS 8300.
4 Auditing services
Recommendation 24
Councils should conduct service audits reviewing their policies, practices,
processes, procedures and premises to identify barriers and improvements
that need making to be more inclusive.
Recommendation 25
Councils should undertake access audits, conducted by access consultants or
access auditors who can clearly demonstrate competence to the level
required by the National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC). Access
audits should be conducted as part of the service audit and provide vital
information on how services can be improved.
Recommendation 26
Councils should consider establishing a buildings access improvement
programme designed to manage the overall remedial work required to
14
enable their existing buildings to be made accessible. This should be co-
ordinated corporately with service area input.
Recommendation 27
Councils should establish priorities in commissioning works on premises in
order to achieve improvements that will have an effective and targeted
impact.
Recommendation 28
Consideration should be given to using access management plans, attached
to services, which review, monitor and provide a strategic way to ensure that
access improvements continue to be implemented and improved with the
service. These plans can incorporate building management manuals for
different premises.
7 Health and safety
Recommendation 29
Health and Safety procedures should be reviewed to ensure that they take
account of the diversity of the community, where possible assisting with
improving access to and within properties.
8 Related issues
Recommendation 30
Councils should work with English Heritage and CADW to find solutions to
improving access to historic and listed buildings.
Recommendation 31
Councils should work towards improving access for disabled people to
democratic services. This includes improving access to polling stations and
considering alternative methods of voting where possible. Disabled people
should also be enabled to attend and participate in public council meetings,
particularly where political decisions are being made.
15
introduction
The Local Government Association and the Disability Rights Commission

have worked together in developing this guidance, during the European Year
of Disabled People, to assist local authorities in ensuring that they are
prepared to meet their new statutory responsibilities in respect of the
Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The guidance is designed to encourage
and enable local authorities to respond to their legal duties as defined by the
Act - and in particular Part III 'access to services', which comes fully into
force in October 2004. It offers a challenge to local authorities to achieve
effective practice in implementing disability equality by outlining a number
of recommendations. How local authorities adopt the recommendations has
to be decided at a local level, taking into account each council's diversity in
terms of size, capacity and how they operate.
The recommendations outlined in this document can be integrated into the
equality standard for local government and are based on effective practice,
as demonstrated in a number of councils that are addressing these issues. It
is clear from those authorities which have been successful in driving forward
a disability equality agenda that changes in the physical environment have to
be linked to changes made in response to other areas of disability equality
work, eg in employment and institutional discrimination.
This guidance was informed by research examining different local authorities'
approaches to disability equality and in preparing for the full implementation
of Part III of the DDA. Some of the effective practice is highlighted
throughout this document.
Councils need to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their duties
under the DDA and of the terms access and disability equality. The term
'access' is used in this document from a disability equality perspective. It
refers specifically to the absence of physical, social and environmental
barriers which prevent disabled people from gaining access to services and
participating, within their local communities, in an equal and equitable way
to that of non-disabled people.
16
This guidance document is intended to be used as a tool by local authorities,
taking into account the nature of their own council, in developing and
implementing a disability equality strategy and achieving effective practice. It
is broken down into three main sections:
This section outlines the ethos that the LGA and the DRC wish to see
adopted by local authorities to underpin a disability equality strategy, ie the
'social model of disability', and a commitment to 'inclusive design'.
This section of the guidance outlines the processes required to define,
develop, manage and monitor a disability equality strategy.
This part of the guidance covers the specific issues for councils to consider in
addressing their responsibilities under Part III of the Disability Discrimination
Act (DDA).
Recognising disability equality as a corporate issue and facilitating its
mainstreaming throughout local authorities' policies and practices is
fundamental, as with other areas of equalities. The tension between building
regulations and the DDA has to be recognised, and audits need to be
holistic, taking into account a building's usage and the wide range of
potential access needs of disabled people.
17
At the centre of this strategy is the recognition that disability is an equalities

issue and that ensuring disabled people can use services should be integral
to the planning of local government service provision. In order to achieve
this, some basic principles need to be adopted. Fundamental to the
acceptance of disability as an equalities issue is the adoption of the social
model of disability, which recognises that disabled people are not disabled
because of their impairment but by their environment. The second key
principle to adopt is an inclusive approach to delivering services and to the
design of the environment, which integrates the needs of disabled people
with all other users rather than making special provision.
1 The social model of disability
Understanding the social model of disability enables authorities to identify
barriers, which can then be addressed in order to implement the Disability
Discrimination Act. The social model has been created and endorsed by
disabled people internationally and is now widely accepted. This model
signifies a shift away from traditional models as it recognises that disabled
people are not disabled because of their impairment, but by the structures
or barriers present in society.
There are two different accepted models for defining the causes of
disadvantage: an individual (or medical) model of disability, and a social
model. The medical model of disability encourages explanations in terms of
the features of an individual's body, whereas the social model encourages
explanations in terms of characteristics of social organisation. Under the
medical model , disabled people's inability to participate in society is seen as
a direct result of having an impairment and not as the result of features of
our society which can be changed. When people such as policy-makers and
managers think about disability in this individual way, they tend to
concentrate their efforts on 'compensating' people with impairments for
what is 'wrong' with their bodies.
The experiences of disabled people have shown that in reality most of their
problems are not caused by their impairments, but by the way society is
organised. This is not to deny that individual disabled people meet different
barriers from one another within society, but these often have collective
18
themes. It is these collective themes that inform the social model of
disability.
"The social model of disability argues that most of the day-to-day problems
that disabled people face are caused by the fact that society is designed to
meet the needs of non-disabled people. What disables people is not a
particular condition but the way society reacts to it, for example lack of
physical access, lack of opportunities in jobs and education, lack of choice,
negative attitudes and assumptions"
Extract from Access to Services and Employment for Disabled People white
paper, Newcastle City Council 2002.
These barriers, identified by the social model of disability, can be grouped
under three main headings:
• physical or environmental - examples include steps, stairs, inadequate signs,
lack of visual fire alarms, and lack of colour contrasts;
• organisational - the way the infrastructure, policies, processes, procedures
and practices of an organisation exclude disabled people. A common
example is an accessible toilet cluttered with mops and buckets, or a council
tax statement not available in an accessible format (eg tape or large print);
and
• attitudinal - the way disabled people are perceived, for example as passive,
dependant, to be pitied or felt sorry for.
Taking a social approach to disability, and removing the barriers, ensures that
responsibility remains with everyone: non-disabled and disabled people. It
enables organisations to review their own performance, tackling the origins
of discrimination that exist internally, and identifying and disposing of the
disabling barriers which are within one's control, such as management
practices, the way work is organised, or building design. It is also important
to remember that disabled people are women, gay and lesbian, young and
old, and can be Black or from an Ethnic Minority, and therefore liable to
experience other forms of discrimination.
19
Recommendation 1
Councils should adopt the social model of disability as the principle central
to the development of a disability equality strategy and in directing plans for
improving access to services for disabled people.
2 Inclusive design
The principles of 'inclusive design' have emerged from an approach to
designing buildings and spaces that are accessible to disabled people.
Inclusive design techniques and principles complement the social model of
disability. Using inclusive design principles, in order to review the existing
physical environment and for all future developments, creates an
environment which not only enables greater participation by disabled people
but also by other groups in society, such as older people or parents with
young children.
An inclusive environment does not attempt to meet every single need, but
by considering people's diversity, inclusive environments can break down
barriers and tackle exclusion. It will often achieve superior solutions that
benefit everyone.
The term inclusive design isn't just about the end product but about the
means of getting there. It relates as much to the design process as to the
final building or facility. It also refers equally to associated management,
operation and information, linking the user experience with professional
expertise and management practice.
In relation to the built environment, inclusive design extends from
conception, through the planning process, detailed design, construction, to
occupation, management and operation. Each of these stages should be
fully inclusive involving disabled people and other potential consumers in
their development and evaluation. Inclusive design is central to delivering
inclusive access to services for the council, and the involvement of disabled
people and potential customers will improve the accessibility of services and
the built environment.
20
There are three main benefits to local authorities of inclusive design:
• focusing on making the process of achieving a built environment an inclusive
approach will significantly improve the likelihood of success in achieving a
more inclusive built environment at the end of the process;
• the environment will be better for all users, obviously including disabled
people, but also for the whole community and range of service users; and
• access for disabled people will be part of the mainstream rather than
something special added on afterwards.
Recommendation 2
Councils should adopt the principles of inclusive design, and therefore
inclusive services, in terms of designing, managing and monitoring the built
environment and service delivery.
The DRC held a round table event of experts in this area in 2002 and the
report which followed this event is available on the DRC website
(www.drc.org.uk) and gives further details concerning the principles of
inclusive design and an overview of the approach.
Disability Rights Commission Report What is 'Inclusive Design' and how can
it achieve a built environment to be enjoyed by everyone?
21
Example: Manchester City Council
(Access 2000 - Key Elements of the Strategy)
In order to achieve the vision of making Manchester the most accessible city
in Europe, the aims of the strategy are:
Aim 1 - To achieve access excellence in Manchester It is essential that
the Access 2000 strategy is able to help the city raise its profile on access
issues. Much has already been done, but it is necessary to tell local people
and visitors what has been achieved and what must be done in the future.
Aim 2 - Working with people to get it right The city council is
genuinely committed to listening to what residents and users of the city
need. Through the Best Value process, greater efforts will be made to
consult and involve people in decision-making. Better communications
between the city council and external organisations will make it easier to
'get it right first time', to reach agreement about what can be achieved at
each point in time, and what the next targets should be. Improving
communications within the city council organisation is essential to this
strategy.
Aim 3 - To improve access in the built environment The design of
buildings and the spaces between buildings determine how easy it is for
disabled people to move about the city. Legislation does set minimum
standards, but Manchester needs to go beyond that. The city council will
use its enforcement powers to the full - through planning, highways, and
building control - but will also use its powers as a provider of services and a
manager of buildings to improve upon the existing situation. As new
redevelopment or refurbishment opportunities arise, the city council will
work with developers and contractors to achieve the highest standards of
accessibility for disabled people.
22
Aim 4 - To work in partnership with and support disabled people's
organisations The city council is committed to supporting organisations
and groups which try to ensure access improvements for all members of the
community, whether they represent disabled people or others who face
access barriers. The city council wants to work with such organisations and
try to reflect their needs in the service it provides.
Aim 5 - To improve the transport infrastructure Accessible transport is
essential if all members of the community are to use and enjoy what
Manchester has to offer. The city council's relationship with the PTA and the
PTE will be key in ensuring the development of a transport infrastructure
which is accessible to all.
Aim 6 - To provide internal organisational support for access
development In order to ensure that Manchester does become the most
accessible city in Europe, it is vital to set up structures and linkages across all
city council departments, to raise access as a corporate issue, and to
demonstrate that there is chief officer and member support.
The Access 2000 strategy covers four broad areas - the physical
environment, consultation, economic development and
organisational structures. All departments will have a contribution to
make (either because the physical environment is integral to the service they
provide, or because they control buildings/open areas or operate key public
service points).
23
Conclusion
In this section we have explored some of the key principles from which
councils should operate. We have introduced the social model of disability,
which defines disability not in terms of individual personal impairment, but
in terms of society's reactions and structures that prevent disabled people
from participating. Rather than seeing a person with an impairment as the
problem, local authorities need to examine their own organisational
structures to identify how they may be excluding disabled people from their
service provision.
Using inclusive design principles in order to review the existing physical
environment and for all future developments creates an environment that
not only enables greater participation by disabled people but also by other
groups in society such as older people or parents with young children. It is
about assisting the evolution of inclusive environments which consider
people's diversity.
In order to inform local government's understanding of the social model and
inclusive design, it is important that councils create a dialogue with local
disabled people. Many authorities that have developed effective practice
have established independent organisations of disabled people. These
organisations are designed to provide a cross-impairment perspective, advise
local authorities and other service providers on their development and
provide a network of disabled individuals and their organisations.
24
A disability equality strategy provides a useful tool in assisting a council to

develop a coherent, consistent and strategic approach to implementing
disability equality as part of an overall equality strategy. This section provides
guidance on the processes required to achieve effective change. Central to
the strategy is the development of three areas.
Firstly, clear leadership and structures of accountability need to be defined to
drive the strategy forward. Secondly, there needs to be a process of
reviewing existing policies to ensure they reflect a rights-based approach to
disability, as defined by the social model perspective and the principles of
inclusive design. Thirdly, clear objectives and a defined work programme or
action plan need to be developed and put in place, at both corporate and
service levels. A key part of the processes required to support the
development of the aims of the strategy is to consult and involve disabled
people within the decision-making and monitoring processes related to this
work.
Establishing commitment and strong leadership from both political leaders
and chief officers is essential in implementing a strategy of change.
Example: Birmingham City Council

Birmingham City Council outlined in a report to their cabinet prepared by
their chief executive how they have demonstrated or intend to demonstrate
their corporate leadership and commitment to disability equality. This has
been done by:
1 Endorsing a social model approach and implementing it across all services
and encouraging other agencies and institutions across the region to
adopt this approach.
2 Putting in place a corporate group chaired by the chief executive to
develop and implement an action plan. This group will have senior officer
representation from each directorate with responsibility for driving this
work forward and sharing, developing and celebrating good practice
across the city council.
25
3 Developing a corporate action plan to implement the social model and
deliver on the priority issues identified by disabled people in the Blue
Print for Birmingham.
4 Ensuring that the action plan is developed and implemented through
consultation with appropriate organisations and individuals.
5 Ensuring that elected members and employees understand the concept
of the social model of disability and can relate and apply it to their work.
6 Ensuring that communication with and about disabled people is
consistent with the corporate policy on appropriate language and
terminology, including the use of British Sign Language as a community
language.
7 Developing robust information and monitoring mechanisms in respect of
our specific services to disabled people in order to inform our decision-
making processes.
8 Directing funding, resources, commitment and real value for money into
services that result in disabled people achieving full participation and
equality as citizens of Birmingham.
Source: Report of the Birmingham City Council chief executive to the
cabinet (31 March 2003)
26
1. Leadership
The chief executive and chief officers should take the lead in initiating,
overseeing and monitoring the development of a disability equality strategy
as part of the council's overall commitment to equality issues. The chief
executive, or another chief officer, should fulfil the role of internal champion
of a strategy in promoting it to staff, and as external champion in promoting
it to chief officers of partner organisations. Political leaders should act as
external champions in promoting disability equality and the council strategy
to the wider community and governing bodies of partner organisations.
Recommendation 3
A corporate commitment to disability equality should be established and
specific leadership roles allocated. Chief officers and leading councillors
should adopt the key roles in promoting disability equality among staff and
the wider community and in overseeing the co-ordination and development
of a council's disability equality strategy.
An effective example of the benefits of having strong political leadership is
demonstrated by Manchester City Council, where the deputy leader of the
council champions equality for disabled people through leading the council's
'Access 2000' strategy. This aims to make Manchester the most accessible
city in Europe.
All elected members should be made aware of their council's responsibilities
and duties with regard to the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), by way of
training where possible, and should be concerned with addressing inequality
in access to services. Hampshire County Council has stated in its equalities
strategy that elected members will 'as far as reasonably practicable, promote
equalities, and ensure that adequate resources are available to discharge the
county council's legal responsibilities in terms of supporting equality of
opportunity'.
27
Recommendation 4
All councillors should be made aware of the council's duties and
responsibilities in relation to the Disability Discrimination Act, preferably by
way of a disability equality training programme targeted at all elected
members.
Members with a policy portfolio, or responsibility for a specific service area
of the council, should be made aware of their particular responsibilities in
overseeing the disability equality within their brief. Where councils have
established cabinets or executives, overall co-ordination of the disability
equality strategy might be most effectively overseen by a cabinet member -
within his or her portfolio. This arrangement has been established by various
councils including Hampshire County Council, Newcastle City Council,
Leeds City Council, Bath and NE Somerset Council, and Birmingham
City Council. This member may seek to take on the role of a champion for
disabled people, ensuring they are adequately consulted by the council and
appropriately involved in relevant areas of policy and practice development.
Recommendation 5
The responsibility for disability equality should be linked to a political
portfolio within any cabinet structure. The elected member with
responsibility for disability equality should oversee the monitoring of the
council's disability equality strategy.
As with any other section of the community, the council should seek to
develop an ongoing dialogue with disabled people and their organisations,
ensuring that both are aware of current situations. A good example of this is
Havant Borough Council, where the deputy leader takes a central role in
developing and improving services for disabled people - including gaining
resources to improve access to public buildings. As part of this role, he
regularly attends drop-in meetings co-ordinated by the access officer for
local disabled individuals and their relatives. Other elected members of
Havant Borough Council also regularly attend the access group's weekly
meetings.
28
Example: Newcastle City Council (Tackling Disability
Discrimination - statement of intent)
The city council knows that disabled people often experience disadvantage
and discrimination. This is because of attitudes and actions based on the
belief that disabled people are less able than other people. These kinds of
beliefs are based on the idea that disabled people are impaired in some way,
rather than recognising that it is other people, organisations and systems in
society that create barriers which prevent disabled people from having a full
quality of life.
This can mean that disabled people are the subject of negative stereotypes
or attitudes. They are often patronised by other people and not given the
same access to the full range of services, or social, work and leisure
opportunities as other people. Disabled people can also face harassment,
hatred and violence.
The council will try to meet the specific needs of disabled people. We will in
particular:
• carry out our duties under laws passed to stop discrimination, including the
Disability Discrimination Act 1995;
• promote positive images of disabled people and challenge attitudes that
patronise or discriminate against them;
• deal effectively and consistently with any harassment and violence towards
disabled people;
• develop our services and the environments we deliver them from, to remove
barriers preventing disabled people from having the same access as others;
• support campaigns and activities for achieving full equality for disabled
people;
29
• work with others to make Newcastle a safe and accessible place for disabled
people to live, work, study and spend their leisure time;
• carry out, review and build on our commitments under the Employment
Service 'Positive About Disabled People' scheme;
• support all disabled employees to fully develop their potential; and
• support the formation of groups, networks and services for disabled people,
as employees of the city council and as users of services in the Newcastle
area.
We also recognise that disabled people can face other forms of
discrimination or disadvantage because of their race, age, gender, marital
status, family circumstances, caring responsibilities or because they are
lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. We will make sure our policies to
tackle these issues include ways to address the needs of disabled people.
The council is committed to tackling disability discrimination in all its forms,
as both service providers and employers.
Extract from: Newcastle City Council The Access to Services and
Employment for Disabled People white paper (2002)
30
Overall responsibility for the disability equality strategy and any associated
action plan, in order to be most effective as a corporate, cross-cutting
strategy, should be held at the heart of the organisation; co-ordinated within
the chief executive's department or corporate services division, rather than
within a specific service area, such as human resources or social services.
Officers interviewed in organisations where co-ordination of disability
equality is held within building control, social services or human resources
departments felt that this did cause a number of barriers to achieving
success. Disability is not just about employment, specific service provision or
improving physical access, and placing it in these areas means that disability
equality can be marginalised and viewed from a narrow perspective. It can
also result in difficulties in delivering a strategy on a cross-departmental
basis. Effective corporate changes are more readily delivered by councils
where disability equality is co-ordinated by the chief executive's office. It is
just as important to integrate the development of disability equality with
other equality issues, so that there is no perceived hierarchy of
discrimination.
Recommendation 6
Disability should be recognised as an equalities issue and responsibility for
implementing strategies to address inequality should be co-ordinated
corporately within the chief executive's department.
Example: Hampshire County Council

Hampshire has produced a corporate equalities strategy Quality through
Equality, which addresses all equalities areas. The principles that underpin
this strategy are based on the idea that equalities issues are not 'special' or
additional but important factors in their own right if services are to be of
high quality. The corporate strategy of the county council and all other
corporate initiatives include issues that managers must take into account
31
in the day-to-day delivery of services to the public. The key equalities issues
of each aim of the corporate strategy are stated below:
Aim 1 - Developing the quality of life in Hampshire
Aim 2 - Stewardship of the environment
Aim 3 - Achieving economic prosperity
Aim 4 - Partnership for strong communities in Hampshire
Aim 5 - Providing high quality accessible services
The purpose of the equalities strategy:
The primary objective of this strategy is to ensure that the county council
has a coherent and strategic approach to equalities issues. This is essential to
the effective management of services and its performance as a whole. It
relates to the best value approach to public services and concurs with the
Audit Commission's 'Best Value Performance Indicators'. Secondly, the
strategy aims to help the county council build equalities issues into planning,
implementation and review processes at all levels.
Key elements of Hampshire's strategy:
The strategy provides a focus for strategic and day-to-day management of
equalities issues within the county council, providing a framework for:
• reviewing and monitoring county council policies and practices;
• making appropriate changes, improving or maintaining best practice.
• ensuring that equalities issues become part of best practice and explicit
elements of the county council's strategic and day-to-day work; and
• placing a requirement on all departments to produce and implement regular
action plans and tackle areas of inequality within their scope of
responsibilities.
32
Councils that are successfully implementing disability equality have
established mechanisms designed to assist with the co-ordination,
development, monitoring and advising of this area of work.
An internal steering group, consisting of heads of service or directors from
across the council, serves to identify senior officers to act as internal
challengers and champions within their service area, and to co-ordinate the
departmental responses to a corporate disability equality strategy. The chief
executive of Birmingham City Council chairs the social model
implementation group, which is made up of principal officers from the
different departments within the council.
Recommendation 7
A corporate steering group, representing the different directorates and
chaired by a member of the management board, should be given corporate
responsibility for the development and delivery of a disability equality
strategy. Members of the group should act as champions within their own
directorates, challenging and promoting change in line with current
legislation and disability equality principles.
Example: Dury group in Bath and North East Somerset Council

The Dury group in Bath and North East Somerset is chaired by a director
who is responsible for equalities corporately, and has directors as well as
heads of service attending from across the council. The overall aim of the
group is to champion and co-ordinate the council's corporate response and
actions with regard to disability discrimination legislation. These senior
officers are responsible for implementing disability equality and access
policies within their service areas. The group also monitors corporate
strategies to ensure implementation of the policies. It is serviced by a
strategic equality officer who has responsibility for disability equality. The
group meets bi-monthly.
33
The chair is responsible for briefing and informing the elected member with
responsibility for disability equality as well as the management board. Formal
reports are prepared by the group every six months. The Dury group sets
annual targets for service areas to meet. The group has conducted a series
of briefings for all staff to attend to inform them of what the council is
currently working towards.
A sub-group has been created to oversee the implementation of their access
to buildings improvements programme 'Building Access Group' in response
to the Disability Discrimination Act Part III duties.
Example of a steering group: Bristol City Council

Bristol City Council has a corporate group, chaired by a councillor, which has
principal officer representatives from across the different directorates. The
aim of this group is to oversee the implementation of the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995 and their corporate commitment to disability
equality. Bristol City Council has adopted the social model approach to
disability. This group is serviced by the strategic officer (disability equality)
from the chief executive's office and meets monthly.
Establishing a consultation mechanism between the council and the disabled

community may be necessary to ensure a process of regular dialogue
between the council and disabled people. Any consultation undertaken with
the disabled community should be conducted in an accessible manner
acceptable to the participants (see Part B section 5 for more information on
general effective consultation practice). Any internal steering group will need
to be informed by consultation with the broader disabled community, which
may be a process led by elected members.
34
A representative disabled persons' forum is perhaps the most obvious
consultation mechanism that could be established. Whilst council funding
may be required to service a forum, it may be more effective if facilitated
independently of the council, perhaps by organisations of disabled people.
Membership may include disabled individuals and organisations of disabled
people including service user groups. Disabled people's forums may be set
up to operate throughout the year, enabling disabled people to come
together and independently review services or to raise issues they wish the
council to address.
Recommendation 8
To consider establishing a forum or similar mechanism to encourage and
facilitate regular involvement and dialogue between the council and local
disabled people and their organisations.
Bath and North East Somerset Disability Equality Forum
Funded by Bath and North East Somerset Council and Bath and NE
Somerset Primary Care Trust and operated through the West of England
Coalition of Disabled People, the forum is run for disabled people by
disabled people, welcoming membership from people with a wide range of
impairments, experiences and ages. The forum is run by an elected
management group made up of representatives from local organisations of
disabled people, service users from local residential units and day centres,
and disabled individuals. The forum meets monthly and also has frequent
seminars and conferences. It produces a regular newsletter, and elects a
management committee annually through a general meeting. The forum
facilitates and advises about consultation and involvement, as well as
advocating on behalf of disabled people about local issues that affect
disabled people's lives.
West of England Coalition of Disabled People also operates disability
equality forums within North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
35
A consultation forum can be a mechanism for bringing together different
disabled people's organisations where these exist. In areas where such
groups do not exist, however, authorities may wish to consider establishing
an independent organisation of disabled people within the non-profit sector,
which is run and controlled by disabled people for disabled people. This can
prove to be a very effective way of involving and consulting with disabled
people. According to the British Council of Disabled People (BCODP), for a
group to be considered an organisation of disabled people they should have
at least 51 per cent of their voting membership and their executive body
made up of disabled people.
A number of these independent organisations already exist with many of
them receiving funding from local authorities to carry out services, as well as
core funding. Fundamental to their organisation is that they operate from a
social model of disability and actively work to campaign for, advise on, and
promote disability equality. They can develop links with individual disabled
people and their organisations operating in the local area. Some groups
demonstrate how disabled people can work together to influence and
advocate for change, gaining a collective rather than an individual focus. By
working together, disabled people aim to assist with identifying barriers and
are then able to work with service providers including councils to find
solutions, designing and implementing a plan to bring about positive
change. It enables users of services to develop accountable and
representative dialogue with service providers. A number of groups run
innovative projects designed to improve the lives of disabled people living in
the community. These range from regeneration projects, to working with
young disabled people, to establishing regional consultation forums. They
often run open meetings, conferences and produce newsletters for their
members.
Some groups have cross impairment membership, whereas other groups are
run and organised by disabled people with the same impairments - such as
deaf clubs. Single issue groups of disabled people can also be developed
that meet about direct payments or education, whereas some organisations
have a more generalist approach. Later in this guidance we will be outlining
the role access groups and disabled individuals can have within service audits
36
and advising on improvements to be made within the environment (Part C
section 2).
Recommendation 9
To consider assisting with the development and establishment of an
independent local organisation of disabled people that can build a network
between disabled people, smaller groups and service providers.
Example: establishing Birmingham Coalition of Disabled
People
Perhaps the greatest achievement, over the past three years, of the
Birmingham City Council's Disability team in the Equalities division has been
the creation and development of a city-wide independent organisation of
disabled people: the Birmingham Coalition of Disabled People.
Before the coalition was created, there were no coherent cross-impairment,
city-wide organisations that the council could consult or negotiate with
about what disabled people wanted, how to improve its services, and how
to develop new, more relevant provisions. Without such an organisation the
council was almost certain to get it wrong.
The coalition is going from strength to strength and has over 600 members
and over 50 of Birmingham's disability organisations under its umbrella.
Recently (April 2003) it was awarded a lottery grant, which means it is
totally independent of the council and can campaign effectively for what
disabled people want.
Links to the council's cabinet statements
The coalition is a key project, ensuring that in particular, but not exclusively,
the cabinet themes of a 'Health Caring Inclusive City' and a 'Modern
Council Organisation' take into account the needs and aspirations of
disabled citizens.
37
The development of the coalition has been recognised as an example of
good practice across Europe in improving consultation and developing
partnership working.
The coalition is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
Extract from Birmingham City Council Equalities website
Any supporting structure within which to deliver a disability equality strategy

across the council should serve to co-ordinate processes of review,
development and monitoring of a strategy. Elements can be adjusted to suit
the nature and size of the authority and to fit within existing internal and
external structures of a council.
Some of the initial objectives and targets outlined in connection to the
council's disability equality strategy may be achieved by implementing some
of the recommendations defined in this guidance, eg establishing a steering
group and consultation mechanism. Councils that have identified key focus
areas or principles based on the social model of disability, linked to their
vision and policy statements, have been able to identify key targets they
wish to meet, in order to work towards achieving equality for disabled
people. Councils that have adopted the social model of disability have found
it easier to identify targets and meet their legal obligations.
Part of the council's legal duties, as defined by the Disability Discrimination
Act 1995, include the anticipatory duty, which requires service providers to
anticipate the needs of the disabled community. This duty can best be met
by consulting with the disabled community to inform service providers of
current and emerging needs and by conducting assessments as to how
policies and practices impact upon disability equality, in the same way that
impact assessments are now required in respect of an authority's duty to
promote race equality.
38
If a council has identified key areas it wishes to target, or outlined key
principles it wishes to endorse within its practices in relation to disability
equality, these can be set out in corporate action plans designed to
implement a disability equality strategy. Action plans should be designed to
demonstrate to disabled people and the broader community what the
council is seeking to achieve within a given timeframe, and should be
subject to a review process. Authorities should seek to mainstream disability
equality action plans within existing planning processes, such as Best Value
Performance Plans.
Each service area in turn should be encouraged to develop an evolving
action plan linked to a corporate plan and to mainstream it within existing
service based planning mechanisms, such as the Education Development
Plan, the Housing Strategy, etc. Manchester City Council has published
summaries of all its annual service area action plans on its website. Each
service area has developed its own action plan, based on shared corporate
objectives.
Councils may wish to include their disability equality action plan within a
corporate equalities strategy and action plan; some may decide that they
require a disability strategy and action plan that stands alone. Given that
recognition of disability equality, including duties prescribed by the law, is
more recent than some other equalities areas, work may be required in order
to develop the recognition, understanding and supporting mechanisms
disability equality requires, so that it can be brought up to a similar level to
that of other equalities areas already being addressed by the council, for
example in terms of the equality standard.
Recommendation 10
Councils' disability equality strategies should be supported by action plans,
at corporate and service levels, integrated within mainstream performance
planning mechanisms and subject to monitoring and review.
39
Example: extract from Manchester Leisure Disability Action
Plan (September 2002)
The Disability Action Plan itemises the ways in which Manchester Leisure will
try to make its services more accessible to disabled people. The achievement
of the actions will improve the lives of fellow citizens and improve the
quality of services to all.
Objectives:
1 Improvement of physical access to buildings open to the public.
2 Develop greater community consultation with disabled people on service
delivery.
3 Develop greater staff disability awareness and attitudinal change.
4 Improve communication methods and provision of information to
disabled people.
5 Remove barriers to disabled people in transport provision across the city.
6 Improve access to education and employment of disabled people.
Objective 1: Improvement of physical access to buildings open to the
public
To ensure that all indoor facilities conform to the requirements of the DDA
(Disability Discrimination Act) through the Access 2000 strategy.
Lead officer: Principal Policy and Development Manager
Measurable outcome: Continued improved access to buildings and
services promoting all-inclusive programmes.
Timescale: Two-year capital development programme commencing April
2002. The April 2004 programme will get fresh impetus commencing with
the start of new indoor leisure contracts in 2002.
Action and comments: Redevelopment of Moss Side Leisure Centre (sic).
40
To ensure that all outdoor facilities conform with the requirements of the
DDA, through Access 2000 strategy and Parks for All Seasons strategy
Lead officer: City Operations Manager
Measurable outcome: Implementation of recommendations identified
within the Disability Access Audit for Outdoor Leisure. Continued improved
access to buildings and services.
Timescale: Through current statutory Best Value review 2002 - 2003.
Action and comments: Currently our parks partially comply with the
legislation. In all ongoing and future developments ensure access issues are
built into the design and build process.
Detailed plan contained at

http://www.manchester.gov.uk/leisure/dap.htm
4 Key officer roles required to support the development of

the strategy
To facilitate and support the development of the corporate disability equality
strategy there are three key officer roles, skills or functions to be fulfilled.
These roles can be achieved by either generic or specific duties depending
on the style of organisational structure for officers each council chooses to
operate.
Strategic role
Based centrally within the authority's departmental structure, often within
the chief executive's department, this officer should act as a source of
expertise, with knowledge of the DDA and related legislation. The officer
should lead on the co-ordination and championing of disability equality at a
corporate level. Often designated as the disability equality officer or an
equalities policy officer with a specific lead on disability issues, this officer
should act as an adviser to directors, service heads, other principal officers
across the authority and members, and be responsible for overseeing the
implementation of the strategy.
41
Functions can include:
• To develop corporate policies based on a disability equality perspective.
• To service any corporate working groups set up to implement disability
equality.
• To co-ordinate the production of a disability strategy and action plan.
• To offer advice and guidance to services on roles and responsibilities in
relation to disability equality.
• To advise on the development of corporate initiatives with the aim of
ensuring that the outcomes of these projects promote inclusion.
Access role
This role is usually linked to the external facing role of the council as a
planning and regulatory authority, and should not be confused with access
to services. This role will generally involve advising the planning and/or
building control departments on the accessibility of new building schemes
often from the commercial sector. Access officers are often very effective in
influencing the accessibility of new building schemes. However, where the
access officer is fulfilling this important outward facing role, their
opportunities to influence the service provision of the local authority itself
may be limited. Some authorities, though, have an access officer in a
strategic position within the equalities teams. Others have more than one so
that advice is available for both the planning functions and the general
service delivery functions of the council. At Leeds City Council there are
two access officers, one based in highways.
Ideally an access officer will be able to combine the traditional duties of
advising on planning applications and the implementation of building
regulations with supporting the other officers driving and co-ordinating
improvements to the accessibility of local authority services. However, the
co-ordination and responsibility for changes in service provision should not
be left solely to an access officer who has other externally facing
responsibilities and there is still a need for staff in the strategic role outlined
above. It must be recognised that for larger authorities this is a significant
42
amount of work for one postholder even if there are employees undertaking
the strategic role as well.
Ideally the role should include:
• advising on planning applications and the implementation of building
regulations or advising other staff in these areas;
• advising on a corporate approach on access to the physical environment and
its development, in line with inclusive design;
• co-ordinating the auditing processes for existing buildings;
• ensuring that the authority has an accredited access auditor available who is
skilled to undertake access audits and appraisals;
• working closely with officers involved in managing and developing the
physical environment; and
• ensuring the sustainability of access development work.
Community development role
The council needs to undertake initiatives using community development
skills in order to enable disabled people to participate in the local
community, to develop representative organisations to advocate on behalf of
disabled people, and to build up networks between disabled people and
their organisations, in order to tackle social isolation. As a community leader,
the local authority should engage with its partners across the public and
private sectors to encourage other service providers to improve access and
recognise the positive value disabled people can contribute to the local
community. Some smaller authorities may seek to combine this role with the
strategic role. In any event the roles should be closely linked.
Functions of this role can include:
• working with disabled people to enable them to come together collectively
to advocate change;
• assisting with establishing and working with local independent organisations
of disabled people;
43
• encouraging more disabled people to use council services by promoting
improved accessibility of services;
• developing consultation techniques and conducting consultation with the
disabled community; and
• developing projects promoting and celebrating diversity, eg the young
disabled people's project in Manchester and the disability history project in
Birmingham.
Recommendation 11
Councils should consider the development of three key officer roles - a
strategic role, an access role and a community development role - in order to
respond to these recommendations, including in the delivery of a disability
equality strategy and associated action plan (Recommendation 10).
Example: Birmingham City Council (Disability Equality Team)

Role and purpose
The Disability Equality Team's main role is to ensure that the city council acts
on the agenda of the disability community so that disabled people are able
to fully participate in the life and work of the city. This splits into two main
activities:
1 Building the community, identifying the key issues, and assisting council
departments in addressing them.
2 Helping the council to adopt and actively implement the social model of
disability.
Their vision is one where the council and community are working together
to get a fair deal for all disabled people.
44
Example: Manchester City Council (role of access officers)
Within the Department of Environment and Development, there are two
access officers located in the Forward Planning and Regeneration Group of
the Planning Division. Placement of the access officers in this group ensures
that they are involved in physical regeneration work, and are able to work
closely with development control officers and highways staff. The access
officers are able to be at the centre of redevelopment and planning,
including such matters as the Commonwealth Games Stadium, upgrading
Piccadilly Gardens and the design of major housing redevelopments. As a
consequence, the access officers will have close working arrangements with
other departments involved with the physical environment, such as the City
Architect, and parts of the chief executive's department, notably Special
Projects.

A council's communications strategy should recognise the need for
information to be made available in accessible formats. Councils should
develop, as part of their disability equality strategy and their communications
strategy, standards for effective practice - ensuring this is adopted
corporately and developed in partnership with local disability organisations.
Some councils have found this helpful in meeting their obligations with
regard to the DDA. It is important that standard communications are
produced to effective practice guidelines, in terms of font size, backgrounds,
etc. Guidance can be found from a number of national organisations
including the RNIB 'See it right' campaign. These guidelines also have to
include practices that provide a good benchmark from which translations or
interpretations into accessible formats can easily be taken. The planning
stages of producing information need to take into account the length of
time required for the production of translations. Councils will need to map
out how they resource and provide accessible formats, in addition to
translations, in line with the anticipatory duty outlined in Part III of the DDA.
45
The availability of information in accessible formats should be promoted to
the broader community and to disabled people's organisations, as should
the availability of accessible services. Information used to promote tourist
sites or events should also include access information as a means of
encouraging disabled visitors.
With the developments of e-government, councils should ensure that
changes become inclusive to disabled people. Councils' websites should be
reviewed and developed in line with international accessible web design
standards.
Recommendation 12
Councils' communication strategies should be designed to promote disability
as an equalities issue. The council should ensure that, as they implement e-
government, 'access' is considered central to developments.
Here is an example of how a council has outlined their commitment to
providing access to information, it is a guide only and this does not cover
every format.
Newcastle City Council: Access to information

The City Council is committed to using a range of different communication
systems, which meet the needs of disabled people. These are:
• using 'Plain English' as the recommended language and layout for all public
information;
• using 14 point size text, in Arial font or similar for all public information
leaflets;
• using 12 point size text for all reports;
• ensuring that information on services is made available in audio, British Sign
Language Video, Braille and large print (18 point size bold) formats;
• making use of interpreters and lip speakers to help us to communicate with
people who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and deaf blind as
appropriate;
46
• establishing a Communications Service that enables deaf and hard of
hearing people to access council services;
• putting procedures in place to make all services accessible via electronic
means by 2007;
• providing a corporate text phone contact number for all council services
together with individual text phone numbers for key services;
• providing awareness training to all staff about communication needs of
disabled people;
• working closely with disabled groups to explain policies, procedures and
practices and to receive and act on feedback from disabled people; and
• working with other agencies, such as Health Trusts, The Benefits Agency,
etc. to provide more 'joined up' services for disabled people, eg when
meeting their social and housing needs.
These guidelines have been drawn up based upon extensive work with
disabled people and can be found on the city council's intranet site. They
provide a working target that all publications fully comply with these
guidelines.
Source: Newcastle City Council: The Access to Services and Employment for
Disabled People White Paper.
Disabled people should be enabled to participate in mainstream

consultation. It is essential that consultation is undertaken with disabled
people, and action is taken to ensure that they are encouraged to
participate. In this section we are focusing on generalist effective practice for
all consultation initiatives. These principles should be adopted within any
corporate and service level consultation strategies adopted by a council.
Previously (in part B section 2) we outlined that councils could gain informed
ongoing consultation with disabled people by developing and sustaining a
disability equality consultation forum, and/or independent organisations of
47
disabled people. This would complement them in addressing and
implementing disability equality and in gaining representative feedback - but
they are only part of the picture.
It is important that efforts are made to talk directly to disabled people
themselves, as their views can be different to that of carers or professionals.
Disabled residents should be actively encouraged to become involved in
consultation exercises, not just in relation to specific services they may use
but within mainstream consultation exercises also. Councils need to
remember that there are a number of people within the population who are
covered by the DDA who may not identify themselves as disabled people.
Either they do not recognise themselves as being a disabled person, or they
do not wish to share publicly the existence of their impairment. Authorities
will need to demonstrate efforts used to reach these individuals and involve
their perspectives in the decision-making processes.
Action has to be taken to ensure that consultation processes are accessible
for all participants. Information should be offered in a range of formats and
communicated as required. For consultation meetings an independent
facilitator (eg a disabled people's organisation) may be perceived as more
accessible to disabled participants. Consideration should be given to the
pace, format and timescale of any consultation events to ensure there are no
unnecessary barriers to disabled people's participation. Consideration should
be given to refund any out of pocket expenses, such as travel when a
disabled person attends a meeting, as the cost of transport to attend a
consultation event can be a barrier in itself. Councils may wish to arrange
transport to enable disabled people to access an event.
Accountable representation should be used which can be gained from an
independent organisation of disabled people. It is essential for councils to
recognise that the best form of consultation is where users are involved in
planning of services at the strategic and policy levels, and not just at the
delivery level. We will further explore involving disabled people and
specifically the role of access groups in relation to supporting the
implementation of inclusive design in Part C, section 2.
48
Recommendation 13
Any formal consultation strategy the council has adopted should be
reviewed, to ensure consultation is conducted inclusively. All consultation
materials should be available in a range of accessible formats.
Open meetings, for disabled people only, could be considered to enable
disabled people to have their own space, as some disabled people find it
difficult to participate in a larger meeting. There are also key issues that
disabled people have, which may not be easily shared with the mainstream
population. An open meeting process could be used for specific topics, or a
general invite to the disabled community to talk generally about council
services.
Recommendation 14
Consideration could be given to developing both long and short-term
consultation mechanisms or models of consultation designed specifically for
disabled people and their organisations. These can be adjusted to the range
of consultation exercises the council undertakes. It is also important to
enable disabled people, when appropriate, to have their own meeting or
'space' within which to be consulted.
Focus groups could be established with disabled representatives from
residential services, key organisations, as well as interested individuals. These
groups could contribute to a review of a specific service area, perhaps as
part of a best value service review.
Careful consideration should be given to the timetable that consultation is
undertaken within, so that a number of different consultation projects do
not overlap. Disabled people want to be involved but when a number of
consultation projects are undertaken at the same time it can have a negative
effect and become disempowering. A number of independent organisations
of disabled people reported this as a regular frustration.
As with any community consultation exercise, it is important that disabled
people have feedback about their involvement. It is also important that the
council does not just consult with individual disabled people who have
49
expressed an interest, but ensures it also communicates with individuals who
belong and are accountable to groups and are able to consult with their
peers through these organisations. Concerns have been expressed by a
number of independent organisations of disabled people that some
authorities neither consult widely enough, nor ensure they consult with
organisations accountable to the people they represent.
Recommendation 15
All consultation focus groups or other panels should be reviewed to ensure
that they are representative in terms of including disabled members who
reflect the diversity of disabled people.
Example: Consultation checklists
Bath and NE Somerset Council commissioned the West of England Coalition
of Disabled People to draft guidance on involving disabled people in
consultation. The following extract is taken from this guidance:
Consultation checklist:
• Have I consulted with disabled people in drawing up the paper to be
consulted on?
• If I did, was it with democratically accountable mechanisms, such as the
Bath and NE Somerset Disability Equality Forum?
• Have I made sure I have enough resources to make the consultation
accessible to disabled people?
• Is the paper I am consulting on in a format and language that will be
accessible to everyone?
• Am I allowing enough time for people to give feedback?
• Is the consultation process I have chosen accessible and open to disabled
people?
• Am I making sure the consultation is being sent out to disabled people, eg
through the Disability Equality Forum?
• Can copies of my consultation paper be provided in Braille, on tape, in large
print, or on disc?
50
• Do I have a minicom or text number for deaf people to communicate with
me directly?
• If I am arranging a meeting, have I made sure that it is a meeting for
disabled people only - if it is a specifically disabled issue that I am consulting
on?
• Have I booked independent facilitators to assist small groups in the
meeting?
• Is it accessible to use small groups?
• Is the venue wheelchair accessible? (Who checked this out? If the venue
themselves told you, can you believe this?)
• Is there an accessible toilet? (Who told you there is?)
• Is there good parking and access to public transport?
• Is there an induction loop at the venue or do I have to book one?
• Have I booked personal assistants?
• Have I got the money to pay childcare and travel expenses?
• How am I going to advise disabled people what impact their feedback has
had to the process?
• Do I need to take advice on how to undertake this consultation to make
sure I do not discriminate against disabled people?
Source: Principles of good consultation - Bath and NE Somerset Council and
West of England Coalition of Disabled People
Example: Birmingham City Council (Blue Print for Birmingham)

The Blue Print for Birmingham is designed to produce a baseline that can
inform the council's corporate plan to implement the social model of
disability. The blueprint attempts to put all the issues raised by the disabled
community of Birmingham over the past two years into one document.
Also, at the International Day of Disabled People annual event in 2001
hosted by the council, disabled people who attended filled in speech
bubbles with their key issues. Over 4000 issues were collected and, working
51
with the Birmingham Coalition of Disabled People, these were collated and
summarised into 400 issues. These have now been published in the
document A Blue Print for Birmingham - Disabled People's Issues. The
council is committed to responding to these issues and has produced a
report. Not all the issues can be resolved immediately. Those that are not
will form the agenda for discussion, consultation and partnership between
council and community. The key issues in the blueprint that remain to be
resolved have been built into the action plan to implement the Social Model
of Disability. Once the issues are built into the action plan, they become
central to the Corporate Equality Scheme. Birmingham has made a
commitment to work in partnership with disabled people and their
organisations in doing this.
The council feel that conducting this project demonstrates it is actively
listening to disabled people and is willing to work in partnership to resolve
these issues so that disabled people have the same rights as everyone else. It
is felt that the blueprint resolves the perennial complaint that disabled
people have expressed: that they have raised their issues in consultation but
never heard what happened about them. It is considered to provide a
significant driver for disability equality within the council and is a simple but
effective way of monitoring and managing progress.
As with other workers from minority groups, it is important that disabled

employees who work for councils are given opportunities to be consulted on
disability equality strategies. One common way of doing this is the
development of support groups where disabled people are able to receive
peer support and share experiences, as well as being involved in consultation
and advocacy of their needs as disabled employees of councils.
In a similar fashion, consultation regarding this work should also be
considered with disabled councillors who may or may not want to be directly
involved in the development of this work.
52
6 External partners and focus
Councils should make a commitment to ensure they actively promote
disability equality within procurement arrangements, aiming to ensure that
organisations they work in partnership with in delivering services, as a
minimum standard, comply with disability rights legislation. Where staff and
resources are located in external companies, with these organisations taking
on the role of service delivery (which is characteristic for some authorities),
appropriately worded service specifications, contract policies and procedures
should be in place and monitored for compliance.
Example: Leeds City Council 'Passport to Equal Opportunities'

Leeds has produced guidance for external contractors. The purpose of this is
to guide and advise on how to use equal opportunities policies and to show
what contractors who want to provide goods and services must do. It also
gives information on legislation relating to race relations, disability, gender
and other equality issues.
Extracts taken from Leeds City Council 'Passport to Equal Opportunities'
External organisations involved with local authorities in other ways, such as

via local strategic partnerships, might be included in this commitment. The
council can take an active role in promoting and championing disability
equality across the wider community as part of its community leadership
role.
Recommendation 16
Councils should seek to champion disability equality within their
procurement and partnership arrangements.
53
Reviewing all voluntary sector funding criteria in line with the council's
disability equality strategy can serve to ensure that local authority funded
services complement the council's corporate commitment on disability
equality. The local authority should seek to work with the voluntary sector in
assisting funded organisations to meet their duties in line with the Disability
Discrimination Act (1995).
Recommendation 17
Local authorities should seek to work with local voluntary sector
organisations to assist them in meeting their duties under disability rights
legislation. Funding agreements should consider the extra costs that some
not-for-profit-organisations may encounter in order to meet their duties
under Part III of the DDA.
Officers whose roles involve interacting with the local community, including
local businesses, should be encouraged to promote disability equality. This
incorporates key officers undertaking regulatory duties such as trading
standards, or environmental health officers receiving related training. The
ability to share information on the DDA and disability equality should be a
key aim, and promotion of inclusion should be covered within their usual
duties.
Training, for both officers and members, is vital to the effective
implementation of a council's disability equality strategy. The baseline for all
training is to increase understanding of disability as an equalities issue in
terms of the social model of disability, and to inform members and
employees of their duties and responsibilities in respect of the disability
legislation. Training packages can be adjusted for the particular needs and
skills of the professionals who are attending the course. For example,
employees who provide frontline services may require a different form of
training to meet their specific needs than that of directors and heads of
service.
Consideration has to be given to specific skills required, such as producing
accessible information, or being able to review planning applications in
54
terms of access or from inclusive design principles. Those who are involved in
building control and planning departments, such as surveyors, engineers or
architects, may have to develop technical skills and specifically related
knowledge in order for them to appreciate what inclusive design entails, and
to be able to facilitate this in practice. Both the City and County of
Swansea and Birmingham City Council have sponsored employees within
their own building control and planning teams to receive professional
training in conducting access audits and developing accessible design
techniques. This was in order for the council to have the skills available to
improve their local environment for disabled people and meet their duties in
relation to the Disability Discrimination Act.
Recommendation 18
A programme of providing disability equality training should be established
for all council personnel and elected members - starting with key elected
members and employees, including senior managers, with responsibility for
service delivery.
It is important that those responsible for commissioning training services
understand the two approaches of training that commonly exist as it is not
always easy to know from the names given: 'disability awareness training' or
'disability equality training'. Some trainers approach disability from a medical
model perspective and will talk in general terms of "people with
disabilities". They focus on the individual's impairment or condition as being
the primary cause of disability and they may explore this by means of
simulation exercises (eg putting people in wheelchairs or blindfolding them).
They may well go into medical details about particular conditions or
impairments, and cover awareness issues such as etiquette and language.
Often someone with no personal experience of disability delivers this type of
training. It may also only be specific to a particular disability.
It is more relevant for local authorities to consider the increasing number of
trainers who treat disability as an equal opportunities issue. They will almost
exclusively view disability as the restrictions placed by society on people with
impairments or a medical condition. They will probably talk of disabled
people as being people 'disabled by society'. They will aim to show the role
55
organisations can play as part of society in removing these restrictions or
barriers. They will include an element of 'awareness' within their training -
customer care etiquette and appropriate language for instance. It is highly
unlikely that they will use simulation exercises, except perhaps as a means of
illustrating particular barriers. This is because, as with race and gender
training, they generally believe such exercises can never give someone a real
idea of what it is like to be treated as different and not equal.
Using the equal opportunities approach might include exploring these
factors: the various 'models' of, or approaches to, disability - with particular
consideration of the social model as outlined in Part A of this guidance; how
the attitudes of society towards disabled people are formed; the barriers
disabled people face in society; the history of the disability rights movement
and disabled people's struggle for equality; and parallels with other groups
facing discrimination.
Recommendation 19
Disability equality training should be based on the social model of disability
and include an outline of the duties and responsibilities local authorities have
in relation to the Disability Discrimination Act.
Example: City and County of Swansea

In Swansea's Access strategy the council has made the following
commitment.
All employees will be made aware of the access rights of disabled people.
We will do this by:
(a) All directors ensuring that every employee is aware of access issues.
(b) All employees and members receiving disability equality training.
(c) All building managers having 'Access Awareness in Buildings' training.
(d) The authority always having a minimum of two trained accredited
access auditors available.
56
(e) Including specific access related professional training as part of the
personal development plans process.
(f) Departments identifying key roles that require sign language and deaf
awareness training, eg frontline staff.
In order to meet their commitment to ensure that all staff employed by the
council should attend disability equality training, Swansea commissioned a
voluntary sector organisation to train disabled people to become
independent disability equality trainers. These trainers are able to facilitate
issues based training, founded on the social model, and have the ability to
provide an overview of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Training should be evaluated and monitored to assess the impact it has on

the performance of the authority, and it should be regularly updated to
accommodate forthcoming legislative change, or changes in council policies
and practices.
The training programmes that authorities implement should take into
account different learning styles and different emphases and skills required
for different teams or personnel. Follow up courses to the baseline training
programme, or more technically detailed courses, may need to be
developed. Some authorities have sponsored members of staff to have
additional professional training in sign language interpretation or access
auditing skills.
57
A key distinction between disability equality and other equalities is the

requirement to address inequalities in the physical environment. This section
deals with how councils can promote, lead and develop positive change
within the environment to make it more inclusive. Councils' disability
equality strategies should obviously include a significant focus on access to
the environment.
There should be clear links with other corporate strategies, such as the Local
Plan, Local Transport Plan and Community Strategy.
1 Defining the task
When a local authority considers the physical environment this should
include the design of the public realm: streets; highways; parks; rural or
green space public areas; squares and circulation space etc. Also access into
buildings and the design inside buildings, which should cover: entrances;
counter levels; door widths; level thresholds; bathroom provision; height of
electrical sockets; size and style of signs etc. Consideration should also be
given to local parking arrangements for disabled people, gaining access onto
public transport and developing inclusive transportation services.
The main purpose for improving access within the local environment is
governed by the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) Part III - 'access to
services' which requires service providers to review physical access within
their buildings, identifying where there are problems and finding solutions.
The aim within the legislation is to make reasonable adjustments to ensure
that disabled people don't find it impossible or unreasonably difficult to use
a service. In many cases this will require changes to physical features.
It is important to understand that developments in improving access to
services for disabled people, if conducted using inclusive design principles,
can benefit many other members of the community such as older people
and parents with young children.
58
Recommendation 20
Undertaking the developments required to improve physical access should be
seen as a fundamental part of a local authority's disability equality strategy,
be given high priority, and be supervised and championed by political leaders
and the chief executive.
Example: Manchester City Council (Access 2000 strategy)

As part of their disability equality development work, Manchester City
Council agreed an Access strategy in 2000 to clarify their vision and
commitment to improving access. This strategy is closely linked to the
Manchester Plan and their local transport plan. It outlines the council's
commitment to providing equal access to its services. As well as improving
access in the city to 'enable all sectors of the community to play a full and
rewarding part in the life of the City', the Access 2000 strategy is based on
a vision of Manchester that is safe and convenient for all of its citizens and
visitors. Indeed, the vision is to make Manchester the most accessible city in
Europe.
The access strategy was adopted for two main reasons. Firstly, the
Commonwealth Games, which took place in 2002. As this was the first
integrated major international athletics event, where disabled and non-
disabled athletes were competing in the same stadium, the council wanted
to ensure that all its visitors, both athletes and supporters, disabled and
non-disabled people, could make the fullest use of the city's attractions.
Secondly, the duty presented by Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act,
which requires every council service to ensure it is accessible to disabled
people. The Access 2000 strategy was designed to ensure that no part of
the city council creates physical barriers to disabled people using its services.
There was a desire to carry out best practice for its own design schemes, so
that the council would be leading by example, in order to encourage others
to follow suit.
The Access 2000 strategy is about physical and sensory accessibility to and
within buildings controlled by the city council. It is also about accessibility in
streets, in public open spaces and in areas between and around buildings.
The strategy is about accessibility in the physical environment, rather than
59
the provision of council services in general to disabled people. However,
departments that manage public service access points, eg galleries and
museums, also have to be involved. In many cases, the strategy will be
aiming at good practice rather than additional spending. Frequently, the
good practice will benefit a wide range of people, not just disabled people.
The strategy outlines that to achieve its vision it has to involve every
department, with each being responsible for implementing the strategy
within its own area of competence. Environment and Development will have
a leading role to play because of its involvement with so many aspects of
the physical environment, and also because it will co-ordinate the proposed
Access Review Forum and associated multi-department officer group. In
addition, the chief executive's department will play a vital role in terms of
co-ordination, linking to external stakeholders, contributing to strategic
initiatives, and issues of cultural change in general.
Source: Manchester City Council Access Strategy 2000
All departments should be involved in conducting access audits, either

because the physical environment is integral to the service they provide, or
because they control buildings/open areas or operate key public service
points. Improving access to services can also benefit the local economy by
making the locality a suitable place for disabled people to work, participate
socially, and take a holiday with their family.
Meeting the requirements of Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act
(1995), regarding access to services, is of relevance to a range of council
departments but will have particular and obvious relevance for those local
government services which have clear responsibility for aspects of the built
environment or open spaces, eg architects, planners, highways, building
control, housing officers, etc.
60
It is also of direct relevance to other services which manage buildings or
have public service access points, eg revenue collection, environmental
services, social services, education and leisure services, as well as corporate
policy work, eg corporate planning or city centre strategies, Local Plan,
Transport Plan, Agenda 21, etc.
This work is not an add on, but a core principle of councils' operations and
long-term development plans. Swansea City and County Council, for
example, has recognised this and moved their access officer to be part of the
customer services strategy, which is led from the chief executive's office.
Recommendation 21
Councils should identify within each service area the roles and responsibilities
of officers in relation to implementing the DDA Part III - access to services.
2 Encouraging involvement of disabled people and access
groups
Informing and facilitating discussions with the local community, especially
local disabled people, about the changes may assist with increasing
awareness and sharing the commitment at a local level. A number of groups
of disabled people we met with during the development of this guidance
asked for more information and training to be provided. This, they felt,
would improve their understanding of the role of local government, the
benefits of being involved in consultation, and their understanding of the
technical information they are often asked to comment on.
The importance of working in partnership with and supporting independent
disabled people's organisations as previously highlighted (Part B section 2) is
equally valuable when undertaking changes to the built environment with
access groups advising on these developments.
Access groups can play a valuable role, enabling local disabled people to
come together to share their experiences, promote change, and act as
advisers to local authorities and other service providers in the area. Many use
their own experiences as disabled people to form their perspective. Some are
independent to the council; some are sub-groups or associated members of
independent organisations of disabled people. There are a number of groups
61
that exist throughout the country. Membership of the groups can include
not just local disabled people, but also elected councillors, traffic wardens,
police representatives, council officers, etc. They provide a forum where the
commitment to improve the inclusive nature of the environment for disabled
people can be shared and practical outcomes achieved. Clearly there are
funding implications for establishing these groups, including the need to
meet access costs for the individual disabled participants, such as travel or
interpreter costs. Access groups also provide one mechanism to consult with
disabled people on plans for buildings, highways and street developments,
etc. (For more information on effective consultation practice see Part B
section 5).
Access groups should not be seen as the group to conduct access audits
within the local community. Access groups can take on a role in advising
councils on service provision, using their experiences as well as those of the
council's access officers and appointed access consultants. They can assist
with highlighting local issues and identifying problems or physical barriers.
Some may be able to offer, from a generalist perspective, possible solutions
that access officers, consultants, or other relevant officers may wish to
explore. However, in general, their role is to provide advice and feedback but
not be a substitute for professional access or service audits.
Having an access group within localities is considered by a number of
authorities to be a very useful resource as it assists local authorities in
consulting on their services and also outlining priority areas, particularly in
relation to any works programme the council may be undertaking. For
example, when reviewing all buildings as part of an improvement plan,
councils should take into account disabled people's perspectives when
establishing their priorities. Members of these groups can often benefit from
receiving training on 'how plans work' for example, or other related skills, so
that they are able to comment effectively and understand current legislation,
etc, enabling them to participate in consultation effectively.
62
Recommendation 22
Councils should consider developing access groups within their locality. The
groups should be representative of local disabled people and be enabled to
develop the skills to offer feedback and advice to an authority, particularly to
its access officer and access auditors.
Example: Essex Access Forum

The Essex Access Forum is an informal network of 14 local Access groups
that works with both Essex County Council and the county's district councils
to develop structured approaches to addressing disability access issues.
One significant achievement of the forum is its success in engaging the local
police service, which has now developed and adopted a very positive
approach to disability equality and access. This approach includes the Essex
Constabulary Estates department convening and fully funding (including
expenses of disabled attendees) quarterly meetings with representatives
from each of the 14 Access groups to discuss strategic issues, design criteria,
develop priorities, and other matters. They and their Access consultants then
involve the individual Access groups at a local level as and when
improvement works are initiated.
Example: Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council has created an Access Review Forum designed to
ensure that its strategy to improve access is regularly updated, is responsive
to public comments, and results in a work programme with measurable
outcomes that reflect emerging priorities. The forum takes on board the
views of disabled people using the city's facilities, and the services provided
by the council. The forum has significant external representation from
disabled people and their voluntary groups. Large organisations in the city
that could help with improving accessibility are also invited to attend, as
appropriate.
63
(a) Access Guides: Some have produced access guides, often in partnership
with access groups, designed to assist residents and visitors. The
Corporation of London has developed Access for Disabled People in
the City of London.
(b) Shop-mobility Schemes: A number of authorities have assisted with the
development of shop-mobility schemes within their areas, offering
mobility aids (such as scooters) to disabled visitors and residents. Bath
and North East Somerset Council operate a shop-mobility scheme,
which is located near the bus and train station and enables disabled
visitors or residents to visit and shop within the city.
(c) Awards to shops and other service providers: A number of authorities,
often by supporting their local access group, provide annual awards or
provide certificates on an annual basis to service providers. Islington
Access Awards “give recognition to Islington businesses and services
that provide an excellent and accessible service to everyone.” These
awards enable disabled people and their families to nominate
companies and organisations they consider to be making the greatest
effort in catering for their needs. Businesses are also able to nominate
themselves. The awards are presented at a high profile event and the
initiative is supported by local independent organisations of disabled
people such as Disability Action in Islington and the Islington Access
Group.
(d) Grants: Some authorities, such as Aylesbury District Council, offer
grants to local service providers to assist them in making access
improvements.
Some councils are already using environmental standards. These standards
are only part of the process, but they can serve to increase understanding of
the technical issues. All standards used and developed at a local level should
be underpinned and informed by the British Standard 8300 (BS 8300).
64
BS 8300 is supported by the government and was published by the British
Standards Institute (BSI). Designing buildings and their approaches to meet
the needs of disabled people (BS 8300) is largely based on ergonomic
research into how a wide range of disabled people use buildings, spaces and
physical features. The document is comprehensive, extending across a wide
range of impairments and building elements. As well as providing technical
specifications, it explains the functional reasoning behind them. It has been
acknowledged by the BSI that further research is needed in some areas, in
particular that of learning difficulties, and they have given a commitment
that the standard will be regularly reviewed and updated in response to
future research.
To be successful, those working within the council to improve access to
services and the built environment must balance an understanding of these
standards, with a detailed understanding of the requirements of disabled
people and other consumers, and a commitment to the concept of inclusive
design.
Many authorities that have begun this work recommend BS 8300, and
earlier complimentary guidance published by the Gateshead Access Panel
Designing to Enable - improving access through consultation, and standards
designed by the Centre for Accessible Environments.
(i) Designing to enable - Gateshead Access Panel
Designing to Enable is a clear guide developed from a user perspective,
endorsing the principle that it is possible to design buildings and the
environment to enable all people to function equally. The intention of this
design guide is to identify the kinds of issues that need to be taken into
account if the environment is to enable rather than disable people. To this
end, the guide assumes an 'independent approach', in other words the
belief that the built environment should facilitate disabled people to be as
independent as possible. This standard is used by Hartlepool Borough
Council, South Gloucestershire Council, and Bristol City Council.
65
(ii) Designing for accessibility - Centre for Accessible Environments
The Centre for Accessible Environments has produced a number of
publications, including Designing for Accessibility - a guide for designing
public buildings to be accessible not just to disabled people (including those
with physical or sensory impairments and people with learning difficulties),
but also parents with young children, and older people, etc. It is produced
from the principle that the needs of these members of the population
should be integral to the design process and that by meeting their needs the
building will perform better for other users. It covers the basic design
considerations, the importance of building management in ensuring the
continuance of an accessible environment, and means of escape. The Centre
for Accessible Environments is an information provider, developing a forum
for collaborative dialogue between providers and users on how the built
environment can best be made or modified to achieve inclusion by design.
(iii) Developing local environmental standards
Some local authorities have their own environmental standards to act as
their baseline, such as Manchester, Swansea and Bristol. Any local standards
should be informed and underpinned by BS 8300 as outlined above.
Example: Bristol City Council (Environmental Access Standard)

Bristol's document establishes a baseline standard for access to buildings,
highways, pavements and open spaces with guidance on dimensions,
materials and design. All Bristol City Council new buildings, building
refurbishment or access improvements works should meet this standard.
They also recommend the use of the standard as guidance in regeneration
projects and by agencies and organisations that are funded, supported or
licensed by the council. Departments have to consider service area strategies
for making their buildings and spaces accessible in line with this standard,
including securing the necessary funding and preparing a rolling programme
of improvements.
66
The standard is based on the one previously adopted by Avon County
Council and also draws on the experiential expertise of disabled people and
the British Standards Institute, the Centre for Accessible Environments, and
access consultants. Further revision and development will be needed to
include improvements in technology, developing understanding of access
issues and examples of good practice.
The standard applies to buildings owned and used by Bristol City Council,
(both new and refurbished), and applies to access by employees and
members of the public alike. The scope of the access standard has been
expanded to be more comprehensive and covers the urban environment;
including parks, open spaces and streets, as well as buildings.
The standard can also be used as guidance on good practice by voluntary,
community and commercial bodies, and by organisations or individuals
applying for planning permission from the city council.
Work on environmental access will always need to be integrated with other
initiatives to support equality of opportunity and social inclusion for disabled
people, including access to information, training and employment.
Source: Environmental Access Standards Bristol City Council (2001)
Recommendation 23
In providing a baseline for future developments and in reviewing existing
properties, authorities should adopt an environmental standard or standards.
It should be ensured that council officers are made aware of and able to
work in relation to this standard but standards must be developed in the
light of experience and based on the BS 8300.
67
4 Auditing services
As part of service development, local authorities should carry out service
audits. An audit should begin by asking the questions:
“What services are provided to all customers, do disabled people have
inclusive access to these, what do they cost, and what do disabled people
think of them?”
Service audits can highlight where changes are required, where barriers to
inclusive access exist and how these can be removed, or what alternative
arrangements need to be put in place in order to make adjustments. As part
of the service audit, departments should review all policies, practices,
processes, procedures and premises.
A number of councils have developed standards based on the CRE Race
Equality Standard for local government and the generic Equality Standard for
Local Government. These standards can act as a baseline from which
authorities can review their services alongside the environmental standards
highlighted above.
Recommendation 24
Councils should conduct service audits reviewing their policies, practices,
processes, procedures and premises to identify where there are barriers and
to identify improvements that need making in order to be more inclusive.
This section provides an introduction to the concept of access audits, and
the benefits of professional access auditing services for local authorities.
Access audits of buildings are a useful starting point in assessing the current
state of accessibility and usability of key areas of the environment for
disabled people. Buildings that are designed or adapted to take into account
the wide range of access needs of disabled people are likely to be more
flexible in their service provision and in a better position to meet the
requirements of the DDA. Access audits differ from service audits, in that
their primary focus is around the barriers presented to the delivery of
inclusive services, and by the physical features within the built environment.
68
Access audits should take into account the needs of disabled people, and
the purpose of the service, as well as the layout of the environment. They
need to consider the style and location of the building in assessing the
opportunities for improvements. They should also consider how service
providers and customers engage within the property. An audit should cover
the layout and the ability to move around in the 'space', not just in terms of
utilising the services, but also in relation to evacuation during emergencies.
An auditor needs to be able to think through the building as a service user,
to follow a sequential journey and to take strategic decisions that will
optimise its potential. Audits take into account the existing and potential
service users' perspective by gathering information through consultation.
Many audits are conducted from the social model perspective, and take into
consideration the principles of inclusive design.
Access audits can be designed to suit the needs and circumstances of the
particular service premises being audited. They can be lengthy technical
evaluations ending in a report and presentation or, in the case of a small
service provider, an auditor may make a simple inspection of the premises,
giving some basic recommendations for improvements. Identifying what
would be best for the service can be evaluated between the service
managers, an access officer and an access consultant or auditor. Access
audits should only be conducted by an accredited auditor. For an
introduction to access audits, councils can obtain a copy of Access Audits - a
planning tool for businesses, available from the Centre for Accessible
Environments.
Recommendation 25
Councils should undertake access audits conducted by access consultants or
access auditors who can clearly demonstrate competence to the level
required by the National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC). Access
audits should be conducted as part of service audits and provide vital
information on how services can be improved.
There are a range of professional access auditors available to local
authorities. In some areas the authority may already have a relationship with,
or knowledge of, an auditor. They may directly employ staff who are
69
professional and accredited auditors, or may be able to obtain details of
auditors from local independent organisations of disabled people or
neighbouring authorities.
The National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC) was established in 1999
to accredit access auditors and access consultants. The NRAC can assist local
authorities to locate auditors and consultants free of charge. The database is
available online and enables authorities to find and select the profile of the
access practitioner that they require, for example an access auditor with
personal experience of disability.
The NRAC comprises appropriately qualified and experienced access
consultants and auditors who have demonstrated their expertise in access
matters to the satisfaction of the Register's Admissions Panel. All members
must have professional indemnity insurance before they undertake work as
an access consultant or access auditor. (Website - www.nrac.org.uk)
A number of councils have already begun to review all their council buildings
in order to address the physical barriers present. Hampshire County
Council started reviewing its properties in 1996, devising a programme to
support implementing improvements that was realistic in its recognition of
the time and resources required. Other authorities have also devised
corporate programmes to manage the improvements required within their
properties. For the majority of councils who contributed to this guidance, the
programme of works highlighted in their access audits is co-ordinated by the
heads of property services. They are in close collaboration with the chief
executives or equalities unit and teams involved in service delivery.
Two common approaches for delivering a programme of works are:
• A central fund held corporately which service areas have to apply to. This
funding is governed by set criteria. Each service is responsible for
commissioning access audits, costing the improvements and arranging the
changes. They follow key criteria set corporately regarding priorities, eg
buildings used most often.
70
• A team of designated professionals prioritise which service areas to deal with
first and systematically work with each service, sometimes assisting with
commissioning. This team is responsible for managing the designated funds.
Recommendation 26
Councils should consider establishing a buildings access improvement
programme, designed to manage the overall remedial work required to
enable their existing buildings to be made accessible. This should be co-
ordinated corporately with service area input.
Setting priorities for improvement works should be done in consultation with
local disabled people and their organisations.
The criteria used by Birmingham City Council in prioritising work include the
levels of use of different public buildings and to what extent they are due for
general refurbishment. Leeds City Council developed priorities in
consultation with its Access Forum. Bath and North East Somerset Council
commissioned WECODP to conduct community wide consultation with local
disabled people and their organisations, balancing the results against the
council's own priorities.
Hampshire County Council's access manager and his team of access officers
identified 5000 key buildings to target for review and, using the British
Standards Code of Practice, set annual targets for the number of buildings
to be audited. Their priorities for improvements in the first stage are defined
as 'true public buildings' which have been identified at 150 sites. The work
programme is designed to operate in phases, and where physical barriers
cannot be addressed, management solutions are to be introduced.
Recommendation 27
Councils should establish priorities in commissioning works on premises, in
order to achieve improvements that will have an effective and targeted
impact.
The following diagram shows processes involved within the improvement
programme. Whilst this strategy and the diagram are concerned with the
council as a service provider, the improvement of access for employees
should be considered at the same point. This would obviously be
71
organisationally and financially more effective than undertaking this process
twice.
List of council owned/leased properties where there are

public access points
Set priorities
Consult with disabled users
Consider council's operational development
1. Audit of all properties in line with priority list

2. Interpretation of audit in detail costing
3. Estimate cost of all interpreted works
Organisation of works according to council’s priorities

and available resources
Scheme of work tendered
Monitor progress of works; complete and check
Service providers and users' satisfaction and review
Diagram: sample of a planned building improvement process
72
Monitoring and managing accessible premises is not a one-off process.
Councils need to maintain their commitment to improving services for
disabled people, so that when services and the environment evolve, inclusion
becomes central.
Maintaining commitment is vital, as well as managing the service to optimise
the accessible features. All employees should review their own practice and
role in the organisation to optimise inclusion. Accessibility cannot be
guaranteed by good design alone; how the building is managed in its day-
to-day operations has a significant impact on how easy it is for disabled
people to access the service.
Advertising availability of induction loops within meeting rooms is essential
or the modification does not get used. Having an accessible toilet or
changing room at a leisure centre is no good if it is used to store equipment
or cleaning materials.
There are a number of building management, maintenance, and health and
safety issues to be considered in addressing disability access. These can
include routes, car parks, signs, alarms, induction loops, infrared systems,
surfaces, and lighting. An accredited access auditor should be able to assist
local authorities to identify what these issues are and enable the councils to
manage them. Building management manuals should be provided to all
relevant staff, setting out the issues they need to be aware of in sustaining
disability access.
Ongoing access management plans can be established in respect of
buildings or services. These plans should include procedures for the regular
monitoring and updating of the original access audit, take a long term
strategic view of improving access, and identify opportunities for change (for
example, at routine maintenance or when a major refit is planned). These
can be used to maintain the commitment to making buildings more
accessible to everyone. Regular consultation and surveys conducted with
disabled people and their organisations can assist authorities to monitor
performance and review their services.
73
To ensure that the improvement programme is implemented successfully,
appropriate training may be required, especially among those officers of the
council, such as surveyors or other members of building control or planning
departments, who are responsible for areas of this work. Councils such as
Birmingham and Swansea have trained employees to be able to conduct
access audits and access appraisals of plans.
Recommendation 28
Consideration should be given to using access management plans attached
to services, which review, monitor and provide a strategic way to ensure that
access improvements continue to be implemented and improved with the
service. These plans can incorporate building management manuals for
different premises.
7 Health and safety
It is generally misleading to say that access for disabled people is in conflict
with health and safety arrangements. The Health and Safety Executive has
highlighted that health and safety initiatives should, where reasonably
possible, include disabled people. Gateshead Access Panel has worked and
trained with a number of health and safety officers and found that access
audits and health and safety audits can complement each other. Having
received appropriate training, health and safety officers should, within their
capacity as regulators, actively promote inclusion wherever feasible. Internal
and external health and safety council operations should be audited and
developed so that as a general principle these services promote inclusion for
both disabled service users and employees. Using health and safety audits
and monitoring arrangements can, if used to promote inclusion, assist with
the long-term management and sustainability of access. As we have stated
above, health and safety issues can be part of an access audit - as
emergency evacuation should be considered part of access audits.
Recommendation 29
Health and Safety procedures should be reviewed to ensure that they reflect
the diversity of the community, where possible assisting with improving
access to and within properties.
74
8 Related issues
Working with historic (listed) buildings
Both English Heritage and CADW have outlined a commitment to address
the need for access improvements wherever possible. They are currently in
discussion with the DRC regarding this work.
"English Heritage is committed to improving access to the historic
environment, by helping other agencies and organisations to adopt creative
and sensitive solutions in the adaptation and management of their
properties, and by adopting best practice itself, in relation to the properties it
manages, the services it provides, and the people it employs”
Extract from English Heritage disability access policy.
Accessible designs can, if done well, often compliment the building, and if
done in line with inclusive design, improve it for other users such as older
people, parents with young children, etc.
Example: Swansea - the process taken to improve a grade II
listed building
1 The building manager, the access group and the access officer identified
the problem areas in the building. The Joint Mobility Unit carried out an
initial survey. First assessments identified the problems as: all entrances
were stepped; there were no suitable toilet facilities; those that got into
the building could not circulate as there was a single lift at one end of
the building; reception was in between flights of about 20 steps.
2 The technical services department was then called upon to draw up
schemes for improvement, with the building manager requesting that the
surveyor allocated to the jobs had received access design training.
Schemes were drawn up, taking into account all the historical aspects,
before going through all the necessary processes, eg planning, building
control, CADW, etc.
Source: Access Officer, City and County of Swansea
75
Recommendation 30
Councils should work with English Heritage and CADW to find solutions to
improving access to historic and listed buildings.
Rural and green areas
Those responsible for the management of countryside facilities will be
required to take reasonable steps to provide access for disabled people.
Important measures can be taken to improve access for visitors including
disabled people without destroying the countryside. The Countryside and
Rights of Way Act requires all local authorities to prepare and publish what is
known as 'a rights of way improvement plan'. This plan should contain
details on the accessibility of rights of way for disabled people. There are
two guides available for use by councils. Bristol City Council particularly
recommend the BT guide, Countryside for All: A Good Practice Guide to
Disabled People's Access to the Countryside produced by the Fieldfare Trust,
who work with disabled people and countryside managers to improve access
to the countryside for everyone. This publication includes practice standards
and guidelines, which can act as an initial guide to local authorities.
Polling stations and accessing council meetings
Local councils should consider reviewing their democratic services as, with
any service, disabled people have a right to access these provisions. Access
to public council meetings and being able to vote in elections are parts of
disabled people's democratic rights.
Councils should make polling stations accessible for disabled people,
ensuring disabled residents are able to access their democratic right to vote.
The DRC in Wales joined forces with Scope to monitor local elections in May
2003 and their Polls Apart survey found that polling stations were no more
accessible this year than they had been in the previous election.
Example: Polls Apart Cymru campaign

Initial findings from a survey of polling stations by the Polls Apart Cymru
campaign, which included the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) Wales and
Scope Cwmpas Cymru, appear to show that many Welsh local
76
authorities failed to adequately address access to polling stations for the
Welsh Assembly elections in May 2003. The Polls Apart survey highlighted
some examples of good practice, but overall the picture is one of
inaccessible polling stations for many disabled people. Polls Apart is also
evaluating pilot schemes that allowed voters in the English local elections to
vote without attending a polling station, using methods such as text
messaging, the internet and postal ballots. Initial results were considered
encouraging with some disabled people voting for the first time in years.
Recommendation 31
Councils should work towards improving access for disabled people to
democratic services. This includes improving access to polling stations and
considering alternative methods of voting where possible. Disabled people
should also be enabled to attend and participate in public council meetings
particularly where political decisions are being made.
Schools and educational establishments
A number of authorities have begun to address access to schools and
educational establishments in line with the Special Educational Needs and
Disabilities Act 2001 (SENDA), which introduced new duties on mainstream
schools to make them more inclusive for disabled pupils. This work can
obviously be linked to any corporate disability equality programme that a
council may develop.
Example: Hampshire County Council (outline design brief:

schools inclusion)
Hampshire County Council has produced guidance intended as a brief for
new primary and secondary mainstream schools. It is also their intention
that it should be used when adapting existing schools to make them more
accessible. The Hampshire brief focuses on building related issues but this is
just part of the required developments. Management and school ethos play
an equally crucial part in creating an inclusive school.
77
key references
Access Association (www.access-association.org.uk) and JMU Access

Partnership Access Journal 105 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NE
www.accessjournal.org.uk
Bath and North East Somerset Council Access Policy (1996)
www.bathnes.gov.uk
Bath and North East Somerset Council Disability Equality Policy (2003)
www.bathnes.gov.uk
Bath and North East Somerset Council and West of England Coalition of
Disabled People Disability Equality - principles of good consultation (1999)
Bath and North East Somerset Council Dury Group - terms of reference
(2002)
Birmingham City Council A Blue Print for Birmingham - Disabled Peoples
issues (2003) www.birmingham.gov.uk
Birmingham City Council Birmingham Coalition of Disabled People equalities
online, www.birmingham.gov.uk
Birmingham City Council Birmingham Disability Equality Team, our role and
purpose online equalities, www.birmingham.gov.uk
Birmingham City Council Implementing the social model of disability Report
of the Birmingham City Council chief executive to the cabinet (31 March
2003) www.birmingham.gov.uk - equalities online (2003)
Bristol City Council The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Policy Statement
and Action Plan (2000)
Bristol City Council Accessible Meetings and Information Equalities and
Social Inclusion Team
Bristol City Council Environmental Access Standards Equalities and Social
Inclusion Team
British Standards 8300: 2001 Designing buildings and their approaches to
meet the needs of disabled people (2001)
78
Centre for Accessible Environments Access Audits - a planning tool for
businesses (2003), available on CD-ROM or DVD
Centre for Accessible Environments Access Audits: a guide and checklists for
appraising the accessibility of public buildings (1999) Available price £20.00
including post and packing from CAE, tel/textphone: 020 7357 8182
Centre for Accessible Environments Designing for Accessibility: an essential
guide for public buildings (1999). Available from CAE, Nutmeg House, 60
Gainsford Street, London SE1 2NY Tel/textphone: 020 7357 8182 Fax: 020
7357 8183 e-mail: info@cae.org.uk website: www.cae.org.uk
Centre for Accessible Environments Access by Design quarterly journal
City and County of Swansea Designing an accessible environment 2nd
edition (2001)
City and County of Swansea Access strategy (2000)
Department for Education and Employment (former) Towards inclusion - civil
rights for disabled people. Government response to the Disability Rights Task
Force (2001)
Disability Rights Commission Disability Discrimination Act 1995: Code of
Practice - rights of access - goods, facilities, services and premises (2002)
London: the Stationery Office
Disability Rights Commission 2004-what it means for you, a guide for service
providers www.drc-gb.org
Disability Rights Commission Creating an Inclusive Environment (2003)
www.drc-gb.org
Disability Rights Commission Making access to goods and services easier for
disabled customers - a practical guide for small businesses and other small
service providers www.drc-gb.org
Employers' Organisation for local government The equality standard for local
government (2001)
79
Employers' Organisation for local government Open to the Public? -
reasonable adjustment to local government services (1999) obtainable from
the DIALOG unit www.lg-employers.gov.uk/diversity
Employers' Organisation for local government The Disability Discrimination
Act 1995 - Services Guide No.1:1997 DIALOG unit at the Employers’
Organisation for local government www.lg-employers.gov.uk/diversity
English Heritage English Heritage Disability Access Policy (2001)
Gateshead Access Panel Designing to enable available from John Haswell
House, 8/9 Gladstone Terrace, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 4DY
Tel: 0191 443 0058 Gateshead@dial.pipex.com
Hampshire County Council Excellence in Equalities - A toolkit for
organisations (big or small) to measure and improve performance in
equalities - Assessment Framework (2003)
Hampshire County Council Tips on how to address the Equality and Diversity
area in Best Value Reviews (2003) www.hants.gov.uk/equalities
Hampshire County Council Corporate Equalities Strategy - Quality through
Equality (2000) www.hants.gov.uk
Hampshire County Council Outline Design Brief: school inclusion (2003)
Islington Council Planning Services Lifetime Homes and Wheelchair User
Housing (2000)
Leeds City Council Disability Equality Policy Statement Equal Opportunities
Unit (2000)
Leeds City Council Access Standards - The questionnaire for independent,
private and voluntary sector organisations funded by Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council Passport to equal opportunities (2002)
Manchester City Council Access 2000 Strategy (2000)
Manchester City Council Design for Access (2000)
80
National Register of Access Consultants and Auditors (NRAC) Terms and
conditions for the engagement of an access consultant or access auditors
(2001) Nutmeg House 60 Gainsford Street London SE1 2NY Tel: 020 7234
0434 Textphone: 020 7357 8182 Fax: 020 7357 8183
email: marynoble@nrac.org.uk www.nrac.org.uk
National Assembly for Wales Access to polling stations Committee on
equality of opportunity (2002)
Newcastle City Council White Paper on Access to Services and Employment
for Disabled People (2002)
Polls Apart Polls Apart 3 - Campaigning for Accessible Democracy Ruth Scott
& Gwilym Morris, produced by Scope and the Disability Rights Commission.
Also Polls Apart - A future for accessible democracy Scope (2002)
RNIB See it Right Campaign (2002) www.rnib.org.uk
The Fieldfare Trust BT Countryside for all - standards The Fieldfare Trust, 67A
The Wicker, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S3 8HT Tel: 0114 270 1668
81
access to services
disability equality in local government
For further information, please contact

the Local Government Association at:
Local Government House
Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ
or telephone LGconnect,
LGA’s information centre on 020 7664 3131
Fax 020 7664 3030
Email info@lga.gov.uk
Website www.lga.gov.uk
For a copy in braille, in larger print

or audio tape contact LGconnect
Price £20
equalities
(£10 to member authorities)
promoting better local government
October 2003
LGA Code EQ006
ISBN 1 84049 335 X
Printed by LGA Reprographics

LGA&DRC Access To Services

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

LGA&DRC Access To Services

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

access to services

disability equality in local government

For further information, please contact

For a copy in braille, in larger print

promoting better local government

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

The Local Government Association and the Disability Rights Commission

Action in Islington Havant Access Group

the Disability Discrimination Act 4

Part A: the underlying principles 18

Part B: leading, driving and defining change 25

Part C: developing an inclusive environment 58

Cllr Sir Jeremy Beecham Bert Massie CBE

Almost everyone who provides a service, including all local authorities,

Part A: the underlying principles

1 The social model of disability

1 Defining the task

The Local Government Association and the Disability Rights Commission

At the centre of this strategy is the recognition that disability is an equalities

A disability equality strategy provides a useful tool in assisting a council to

Example: Birmingham City Council

Example: Hampshire County Council

Example: Dury group in Bath and North East Somerset Council

Example of a steering group: Bristol City Council

Establishing a consultation mechanism between the council and the disabled

Any supporting structure within which to deliver a disability equality strategy

Detailed plan contained at

4 Key officer roles required to support the development of

Example: Birmingham City Council (Disability Equality Team)

5 Developing inclusive communication and consultation

Newcastle City Council: Access to information

Disabled people should be enabled to participate in mainstream

Example: Birmingham City Council (Blue Print for Birmingham)

As with other workers from minority groups, it is important that disabled

Example: Leeds City Council 'Passport to Equal Opportunities'

External organisations involved with local authorities in other ways, such as

Example: City and County of Swansea

Training should be evaluated and monitored to assess the impact it has on

A key distinction between disability equality and other equalities is the

Example: Manchester City Council (Access 2000 strategy)

All departments should be involved in conducting access audits, either

Example: Essex Access Forum

Example: Manchester City Council

Example: Bristol City Council (Environmental Access Standard)

List of council owned/leased properties where there are

1. Audit of all properties in line with priority list

Organisation of works according to council’s priorities

Scheme of work tendered

Monitor progress of works; complete and check

Service providers and users' satisfaction and review

Diagram: sample of a planned building improvement process

Example: Polls Apart Cymru campaign

Example: Hampshire County Council (outline design brief:

Access Association (www.access-association.org.uk) and JMU Access

For further information, please contact

For a copy in braille, in larger print

promoting better local government

You might also like