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Disability Equality Scheme and Accessibility Plan

 

At St Joseph's, we are committed to inclusion and to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for disabled pupils, staff and all those receiving services from the school.  We aim to develop a culture of inclusion and diversity in which people feel free to disclose their disability and to participate fully in the life of the school.

 

The achievement of disabled pupils will be monitored and we will use this data to raise standards and ensure inclusive teaching.

 

We will make reasonably adjustments to make sure that the school environment is as accessible as possible.

 

At St Joseph's, we believe that diversity is a strength, which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit here.

 

The Disability Equality Scheme (DES) supports our ethos of inclusion and is encompassed by our commitment to Every Child Matters (ECM).  A DES is one of the specific duties of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA), which aims to promote disability equality and create a fairer environment for disabled people.  The school fully supports the principles of the DDA.

 

What is a Disability?

The DDA defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial or long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.  This includes people with HIV, multiple sclerosis and cancer (though not all cancers) who are deemed disabled before experiencing the long-term and adverse effect on their activities.  Also, individuals with a mental illness no longer have to demonstrate that it is "clinically well-recognised" although the person must still demonstrate a long-term and substantial adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

 

Physical or mental impairment includes sensory impairments and also hidden impairments for example mental health problems, learning difficulties, dyslexia and conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy.  People with severe disfigurements are also covered.

 

The Disability Equality Duty (DED)

The Governors recognise their duty under the DDA to have due regard to:

1.  Promoting equality of opportunity between disabled and other people.

2.  Eliminating discrimination that is unlawful under the DDA.

3.  Eliminating harassment of disabled people that is related to their disability.

4.  Promoting positive attitudes towards disabled people.

5.  Encouraging participation in public life by disabled people.

6.  Taking steps to meet disabled people's needs, even if this requires more favourable treatment.

 

This duty applies to all disabled pupils, staff and those using services provided by the school.

 

Aims

1.  To increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school curriculum.

2.  To improve the environment of the school to increase the extent to which disabled pupils can take advantage of education and associated services.

3.  To improve communication between the school and pupils, parents and other service users who have a disability, in order to ensure that disability equality remains a priority for the school.

 

Purpose of the DES

1.  To identify those in our community who have a disability.

2.  To involve disabled people in our decisions.

3.  To identify the barriers facing those with a disability in our community and to take steps to remove them.

4.  To find out about and act upon priorities identified by disabled members of the community.

5.  To ensure that we meet our legal duties under the DDA.

6.  To ensure that all other members of the school community have information about the DES and are clear how it links to other school policies and procedures.

7.  To provide information about assessment and training arrangements.

8.  To devise a 3-year disability equality action plan, using the widest possible consultation, to outline how the scheme will be put into practice.

9.  To set up mechanisms for monitoring the impact of the action plan and supplying an annual report for governors.