Access for All Project
Aims:
'To assist and participate in identifying disability issues
relevant to the Council and the development of relevant
Council policy and strategy'.
'To offer advice on removing disabling barriers and
improving access for all to Monmouthshire County
Council's: buildings, services, facilities,
employment opportunities, consultation exercises,
information provision and transport services'.
Strategic Context:
The Project supports the Council's Core value of Equal Opportunities
Background:
Social model of disability
Monmouthshire County Council has formally adopted the 'Social Model' of disability. This model recognises that people are not so much disabled by condition or impairment, as by the way in which society fails to meet their needs. The Council is committed to identifying and removing any practices and procedures, which disadvantage disabled people and has in place a 'Disability Strategy' to explain the policy and programme of active measures in place to meet this commitment.
The Disability Discrimination Act, 1995
A 'disabled person' under the DDA, is 'someone who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities'. The Council accepts that this medically based definition, whilst recognising that it is the way in which society 'disables people', rather than people being disabled by impairment/s. The term 'disabled people' is recognised by the Council (and the law) to include people with physical and sensory impairments (i.e. hearing, sight or speech loss), learning difficulties and mental/emotional distress.
Objectives:
- To encourage all staff, members and partner organisations to take responsibility for meeting the aims of the project. Also to recognise the economic, social and moral benefits of mainstreaming access into all services and facilities for all potential customers and employees of the Council.
- To raise awareness across the Council, within Directorates and the Areas, of the legislative requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the benefits of improving access for all.
- To promote the benefits of proper consultation and working partnerships with the relevant disability representative groups, including the Monmouthshire Disablement Association (CAIR), the Wales Council for the Blind and the Wales Council for the Deaf.
- To develop, commission or recommend appropriate disability equality and access training for staff, members and partnership organisations as appropriate.
- To follow the latest recommended best practice standards, accepted by 'customer' disability organisations.
- To draw up an annual prioritised programme of access work to be undertaken via the central access budget and make recommendations to the directorates regarding the capital programme.
- To assist in the development and implementation of a phased approach to improving access to the Council's buildings, facilities and services, in order to meet Part Three of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
- To encourage and assist the Directorates and Areas by recommending prioritised work programmes including:
- Mainstreaming of best practice.
- Appropriate changes to working policies, practices and procedures with adaptive use of revenue budgets.
- Bids to capital budget access improvement programmes.
9. To support related access topic sub-groups,
either existing or which might develop in the
future. For example:
- County Hall Access Group
- Monmouthshire Countryside Disabled Access Project
- Physical Health Planning Group
- Deaf and Hearing impaired Project
10. To commission surveys and monitoring for
evaluating progress in implementing the project
aims and objectives.