Disability Equality Scheme
Foreword by David Hume, Chief Executive, Scottish Borders Council
Scottish Borders Council recognises, welcomes and fully supports the ethos of the general and specific duties placed on it by The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended by The Disability Discrimination Act 2005, and The Disability Discrimination (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 SI No.565.
In particular, the Council fully endorses the need to involve disabled people in the formation of this strategy, and to this end has been pro-actively involved in taking part in the joint Disability Equality Duty Scheme Consultation process currently ongoing in association with Scottish Borders Council and Borders College.
The main aims of the consultation exercise have been to gather from disabled people and their carers accurate information so that all three organisations can:
- plan and deliver services that disabled people need and want;
- prioritise services as disabled people would wish them to be making best use of limited services;
- highlight to disabled people that as public organisations we are committed to being open and accountable and customer orientated; and
- that as organisations we are not always the ones who know best.
Further, the Council, Scottish Borders Council and Borders College have worked together on this consultation in order to make best use of our resources and to in partnership try and improve the quality of life for disabled people living and working in the Scottish Borders.
We are hopeful that together we three agencies can:
- promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons;
- eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disabilities;
- promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons and encourage participation by disabled persons in public life; and
- take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disabilities even where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably than other persons.
This Disability Equality Scheme outlines how Scottish Borders Council which includes the Education Authority will achieve its aims, and how we will monitor, evaluate and review the path which we are following.
This Authority wants the Scottish Borders to be an area where:
- ‘disabled people live in communities where they can participate fully and equally;
- disabled children do well at school; and
- where all citizens are able to access and use services and no-one feels excluded.
We can achieve our aims and this organisation and its entire staff (disabled and able-bodied) will work to the best of their ability to achieve this within the foreseeable future.
Disability Equality Duty Consultation Document
Unified Solutions.