1.  BACKGROUND
1.1       The Disability Equality Duty (DED) is established by the Disability Discrimination Act (2005) which came into force in December 2006.  It requires a whole-college commitment to changing the context in which students and staff with disabilities learn and work, so that institutional barriers to inclusion are dismantled before they have an adverse effect on individuals.  The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) required only that organisations responded to the individual needs of disabled people.  Organisations must now become proactive agents of change.

1.2       The Disability Equality Duty has six key elements:
·         to promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and other people
·         to eliminate unlawful discrimination
·         to eliminate disability-related harassment
·         to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people
·         to encourage participation by disabled people in public life
·         to take account of disabled people’s disabilities, even when that involves treating disabled people more favourably than other persons.

2.  COMMITMENT
2.1       The College’s current Equal Opportunities statement is informed by the basic Christian principle that “you are, all of you, children of God….” [Galatians 3:26].  Given that all are made in the image of God, we should dismantle barriers that may limit the opportunities of disabled people to live rewarding and fulfilled lives.

2.2       The College is committed, consequently, to the elimination of discrimination against disabled people, to the building of positive relations between disabled people and other people, and to their inclusion in all aspects of the work of the College.

3.  DEFINITIONS
3.1       The definition of a disabled person under the Disability Discrimination Act covers people with a wide range of impairments.  These include:
·         physical or sensory impairments
·         mental health difficulties such as depression
·         specific learning difficulties which qualify for examination concessions
·         medical conditions such as arthritis, cancer and multiple sclerosis.

The impairment must have:
·         a substantial, adverse impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities
·         have lasted or be likely to last for more than 12 months

 3.2       People with a progressive condition that will substantially affect their ability to carry out normal day to day activities in the future, are regarded as having a significant impairment from the moment the condition has some effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities.

 3.3       The College accepts that a purely medical model of disability, which focuses on what is wrong with a person and what they cannot do, is too narrow a perspective to adopt if the six duties of the Act are to be effectively performed.  The social model of disability challenges the restricting impact of attitudes, systems and practices of institutions which can create disabling barriers and prevent participation by disabled people.  The 2005 DDA places a responsibility on organisations to understand and dismantle these barriers before they have an impact on individuals.

 3.4       The College acknowledges that the term ‘disabled people’ is consistent with a social model of disability which underpins the Duty, because it emphasises the social and institutional restrictions which disable people, and is the term used in this policy statement.  We recognise, nevertheless, that some disabled people prefer to be referred to as `people with disabilities’ because they want to be regarded as people first, who are not identified by their impairment.  In general, we are aware of the sensitivities attached to vocabulary and will remain responsive to the preferences of individual disabled people, be they students or staff.

 
4.  PROMOTION OF DISABILITY EQUALITY
4.1       To promote disability equality the College will ensure that the following groups are aware of the College’s Disability Equality Scheme:

For Governors, through
·         induction materials for new members of the Governing Body
·         presentation and discussion of the College’s annual report on progress in implementing the D.E.S
·         annual review of the D.E.S

 For staff, through
·         training activities
·         inclusion of the D.E.S in self-assessment reporting and planning activity at various levels of the organisation

For students, through
·         reference in the student handbook
·         tutorial activities
·         work on disability in the College’s General RE programme and in taking opportunities to address disability issues through the mainstream curriculum

4.2       The annual Disability Equality Action Plan will address nine aspects of College life, with individual targets and identified responsibility, which should ensure wider awareness of the comprehensive implications of the Act.  These aspects are:
·         Management and planning
·         Student admissions and participation
·         Curriculum, teaching and learning
·         Student support and guidance
·         Student achievement
·         Personnel : staff recruitment, selection and career development
·         Staff training and development
·         Building accessibility
·         Community links and engagement of agencies working with the disabled

 4.3       The College will publish its Disability Equality Scheme, annual Action Plan and Report on the College web-site, and internally through its Intranet.

 4.4       The College will ensure that, where appropriate, publicity materials will promote positive images and stories about disabled people, and their achievements in the College.

 4.5       The College will seek to maximise opportunities for disabled students, staff and relevant external disabled groups to be positively involved in the development of the D.E.S and Action Plan.

5.  REPORTING AND MONITORING
5.1       The key report on progress in implementing the Disability Equality Duty will be made by the Principal to the Governing Body for the third Governing Body meeting of the academic year (normally in January/February).

5.2       The report will focus on progress made against the action points and outcomes defined in the College’s Action Plan, which will itself be updated annually.

5.3       Aspects of the Disability Equality Duty will be monitored by management groups within the College.  These are:
·         the Policy and Review group
·         the Pastoral group
·         the Learning Support subject area

5.4       Relevant aspects of the Disability Equality Duty will also be explored, where relevant, through
·         Subject area internal inspection and self-assessment reports
·         Pastoral self-assessment report
·         Every Child Matters reports
·         Focus group discussions with disabled staff and students with disabilities and/or learning difficulties

5.5       The annual report on implementation of the Disability Equality Duty will make use of the following performance indicators in analysing provision and, where appropriate, in target setting.  Types of performance indicators used will be reviewed as the College’s Disability Equality Scheme develops.
·         application and recruitment rates of students with disabilities and/or learning difficulties
·         numbers of students in receipt of additional academic and/or personal support to overcome disability and/or learning difficulty
·         retention, achievement and progression rates of students in this group
·         application and recruitment rates of employees with disabilities
·         analysis of training provision and staff development of employees with disabilities
·         promotion, application and success rates of employees with disabilities

5.6       The annual report will be the key tool for reviewing and adjusting the action plan in the light of information gathered and analysed.