Improving outcomes – disability equality scheme

Date published: 04/12/2006

Communities and Local Government has published its first Disability Equality Scheme setting out in detail how it will improve equality of opportunity for disabled people.

The Disability Equality Scheme (DES) includes an Action Plan setting out what the Department will do over the next three years to deliver improved outcomes for disabled people.

In developing the Action Plan officials at Communities and Local Government engaged with disabled people both within and outside the department and the Disability Rights Commission worked with the department to learn from the production of our scheme. This consultative process ensured that the action plan focused on understanding the priorities of disabled people and examined what would make a real difference to their lives.

The Action Plan is the key part of the DES and includes around 100 actions involving units across the department. The actions focus on five key areas:

• Improving housing opportunities – the department will ensure that increasing numbers of people can live in more accessible homes. By 2010, most new social housing provided the Housing Corporation will be built to the Lifetime Homes Standard.
• Encouraging inclusive environments - the department will promote Inclusive Design Principles to improve disabled peoples’ use of and access to local built environments.
• Encouraging engagement in public life - the department will seek to raise the profile of disabled people in public life and in policy making. Communities and Local Govt will involve disabled people more in the policy making process and increase understanding of disabled people’s needs amongst councillors and senior managers in local authorities.
• Increasing the accessibility of communications - the department will make its internal and external communications easier for disabled people to use. Its website will be made accessible and web-based and other documents will be made available in alternative formats on request. We will actively seek the views of disabled people on how to improve our communications.
• Improving employment practice - Communities and Local Government's employment practices will be improved to better meet disabled people’s needs. Disabled staff will be directly involved in improving employment policy within the department, its agencies and in the Government Offices.

Peter Housden Permanent Secretary at Communities and Local Government said: "In all our work we want to ensure we are taking and sponsoring practical action to break down the barriers that disabled people face in every community, workplace and in society as a whole, and to change the way people think about disability. This is a fundamental part of our mission."