Equality and Diversity
Disability Equality Scheme
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has been amended by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 so that it now places a general duty on all public authorities, when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to:
- Promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons
- Eliminate discrimination
- Eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disabilities
- Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons
- 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.
The duty not only applies to new services or functions, but also to existing decisions, and it is for this reason that all services are required to be subjected to a disability equality impact assessment over the coming years.
The general duty came into force on 5 December 2006. The specific
duty regulations came into force on 5 December 2005. These require the Council
to produce and publish their Disability Equality Scheme by 4 December 2006.
Schools must then produce their schemes by 4 December 2007.
Following extensive consultation with various disabled people’s organisations
and people with disabilities, an Disability Equality Scheme has been produced
which sets out what action, over the next three years, the Council intends
to take to meet its statutory duties under the Act.
 London Borough of Bexley’s Disability Equality Scheme 2006 – 2009 (983KB, PDF file)
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