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Where the Disability Equality Duty (DED) has been positively embraced by organisations, real and positive change is occurring.
Research carried out by The Office for Public Management found that involving disabled people, a key aspect of the specific duties, can help organisations:
The following case studies show what a difference the Duty has already made.
Surrey Borders Partnership, an award-winning Health Trust, used the Duty to push forward a new approach to recruitment which aimed to ensure newly appointed Directors and senior managers understood the importance the Trust placed on disability equality and the involvement of service users.
The process involved four people with learning disabilities being trained and prepared to participate in interviews. One candidate described the method as 'powerful' and judges in the Excellence in HRM Awards 2007 stated that it displayed 'a user focus in a way we have never seen before, reducing stigma and enhancing human rights.’
The group has continued to work with the Trust on senior recruitment and one member has gone on to become an informal leader within the Trust, advising the Board on the development of the organisation and its services.
Lucy Darlow, Involvement Development Manger, said ‘The Award was a real accolade to the four people who worked so hard to develop an interview technique that helped to evaluate how the senior leaders of the organisation related to them as human beings, and connected with their needs and issues. Future directors' first experience of the organisation was to interact with people who use services, families and carers.’
Martin Jackaman from Nottingham City Council used the Duty to highlight the fact that standard accessible toilets did not meet the needs of disabled people who might need a place to change incontinence pads or required the use of a hoist. Using the DED as a lever he was able to introduce the first Changing Places toilet into Nottingham City, which addressed these needs.
In his bid to make this a reality, Martin brought together teams, including carers and disabled people, from across the Council to test the designs.
Using the DED to drive the change, the vision became a reality when it was included in the new City Centre Toilets as part of the modernisation of the heart of the City. The impact this has had on the lives of disabled people in the area cannot be underestimated. Feedback shows that families, sometimes for the first time, can now go shopping, eat out and enjoy the entertainment in the City.
Nottingham City Council is a member of the National Changing Places Consortium which campaigns and advises on Changing Places toilets nationwide. There are now 45 changing places throughout the UK and the DED is being used in the campaign to great effect.
Jackaman says of the initiative: ‘People don't like talking about toilets but it's the most basic human need and has been such a barrier to disabled people, their families and carers. I saw this as a mission.’
In 2006 the design team won the Community Care Award (Carers Category) and in 2007 The Guardian presented Martin with the Public Servant of the Year Award.
Launched to mark European Year of Disabled People, DisabledGo claims it is 'an ambitious internet service which will transform the daily choices available to millions of disabled people, their families and friends'. Based at www.disabledgo.info, this aspiration has quickly become a reality, even surpassing the initial ambitions of its founder, wheelchair-user Dr Gregory Burke.
Supported by Marks & Spencer and leading local authorities, the innovative service is opening up towns and cities across the UK. Whilst growth has been rapid, many of the key partnerships that make the website so valuable have been cemented since the introduction of the DED.
Founder Gregory Burke says: ‘Many public sector bodies want to cooperate with the spirit of the DED but need help moving from conceptual aims to practical action.
‘We have found that the DED gives us the means to add capacity to diversity departments, and by so doing, we can help them achieve so much more. The net effect is that disabled people are becoming increasingly empowered through our work. That is one of the legacies of the DED.’
Sussex Police Force used the DED to help refine and reshape the delivery of their services, enabling them to better serve people in their community.
By involving disabled people in the development and implementation of their disability equality scheme, the force was better informed on a range of issues that would enable them to deliver a more accessible, effective and responsive service, including:
The force won the Disability Equality Scheme Award at RADAR’s People of the Year Award, saying ‘To be recognised among such a strong field is a remarkable accolade and one that Sussex Police is very proud of. Winning this award is an acknowledgement of our approach to engage with, and learn from, people right across Sussex so we can do our job better.’
Geoff Williams, Deputy Chief Constable, continued ‘I am convinced that by collaborating with communities and partners, as we did here with disabled people and East Sussex Disability Association, we can look confidently to the future. This marks a significant milestone against our twin objectives of delivering services and a working environment that meet people's needs.’
Page last reviewed: 11 August 2008