Disability Policy Statement
Salford City Council is committed to equality of opportunity, both in the provision of services and in our role as a major employer. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to, and will work towards, the elimination of unfair and unlawful discrimination against disabled people to ensure equal treatment in all our procedures, practices and access to Council services.
We recognise and operate within the framework of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) which provides the following definition of disability:
"A physical or mental impairment which has substantial and long term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day to day activities"
However, we understand that many people are disabled by social, attitudinal and physical barriers and as such we recognise a social model of disability that uses the following definition:
"There are societal barriers that prevent disabled people from achieving their full potential, hinders their personal development opportunities and limits access to a full role in society"
In order to address this, the Council will try to overcome these barriers by providing any reasonable adjustments where appropriate to do so. We acknowledge that disabled people are not all the same and that each person may have different needs. We understand that disabled people and organisations who represent them are best placed to describe their individual needs and specific requirements.
We appreciate the contribution of, and will work with, organisations that are controlled by disabled people. We will also work with other organisations promoting the interests of disabled people which work within, and support the aims of the DDA.
Harassment of disabled people is unlawful and will not be tolerated in any form in relation to service delivery or employment. Any reported incidents will be fully addressed in accordance with the Council's procedures and the relevant disability discrimination, equal opportunities legislation and European Codes and, where appropriate, may result in disciplinary action.
We will adhere to the appropriate requirements of the Building Regulations and will seek, wherever possible, to exceed the requirements and continue best practice in respect of building design facilitating improved access and egress.
We will continue to seek improvements in the areas of service delivery and access to communication by enhancing and increasing the availability of loop systems, Braille facilities, information available in other appropriate formats, and sign language interpretation.
We are committed to complying with our Equality of Service Delivery Policy, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Codes of Practice of the Department for Education and Employment.
This page was last updated on 21 October 2004
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