Strategic services in relation to the Equality Duty
Training
Public authorities enter into large numbers of contracts for goods, works, services and staff. As procurement is a function of such authorities, they will need to ensure that in procuring services and facilities they comply with all aspects of the Act.
The Code of Practice recommends that public bodies provide training for all staff involved in procurement work so that they fully understand the provisions of the Act and the relevance of the disability equality duty to their area of work.
CAE is a leading training provider in the field of accessibility. We provide customised training in house to individual clients on a wide range of topics from access awareness to access consultancy, including access auditing, and the Equality Act 2010. Such training includes:
Strategic access consultancy
The Code of Practice also identifies that for many disabled people environmental barriers play an even more important role in restricting opportunities than attitudes. Although these barriers may be unintentional, that does not make their impact upon disabled people any less significant. When buildings, services and employment practices are designed in a way that fails to take into account the particular circumstances of disabled people, this excludes and disadvantages them.
Public authorities can make a significant contribution towards removing the barriers (both environmental and attitudinal) to equal opportunities for disabled people. They can do this by addressing the way in which they run their own services and employ people.
Authorities are likely to need to establish measures which identify the range of barriers which disabled people face (such as inaccessible buildings) as well as those which measure successful outcomes.
CAE has played a leading role in developing the access audit as a tool for assessing the accessibility of buildings and places and for formulating access improvement strategies. CAE has worked with many organisations to assist in developing a strategic approach to access improvements.
User consultation
A key element of the Equality Duty is the need to involve disabled people. An Equality Scheme should include a statement of the ways in which disabled people have been involved in its development
CAE has wide-ranging experience of user consultation in the development of new access standards and access improvements.
For further information email CAE's consultancy team.