Wheelchair users and sensory Disability : what it means to
impaired people are an important us and our community’s
minority of the total disabled response
population, but the majority of
disabled people have other, often Disability in the United
less visible, disabilities. Trends Kingdom and Lancashire
show that amongst adults,
increasing numbers are reporting It is estimated that there are
mental illness and behavioural currently approximately 11
disorders, whilst the number of million disabled adults and
people reporting physical 770,000 disabled children in the
impairments is decreasing. United Kingdom (equivalent to
one in five of the total adult
What counts as a disability population). However it is
according to the law? difficult to identify the exact
numbers as many of the
According to the Disability Rights estimated numbers of disabled
Commission, the Disability people do not see themselves as
Discrimination Act (DDA) sets disabled, and only 3 million
out the circumstances in which a people claim disability-related
person is ‘disabled’. It states that benefits or use services
you are disabled if you have, ‘A specifically aimed at disabled
mental or physical impairment, people.
which has an adverse effect on The population of Lancashire is
1your ability to carry out normal currently 1,402,400. According day to day activities’, and if the to the Office for National adverse effect is ‘substantial’ and Statistics 2001 Census, the ‘long-term’ (meaning that it has population within the lasted for 12 months or is likely geographical areas served by
to last for more than 12 months Lancashire Fire and Rescue or for the rest of your life). Service was 1,414,731 and of this 20.7% of people had a long-2There are some special term illness, compared with provisions, for example: 18.2% for England and Wales.
? If your impairment has
substantially affected your
ability to carry out normal day to day activities, but doesn’t
any more, it will still be
1 Taken from Lancashire County Council Research counted as having that effect
Monitors 2if it is likely to do so again Limiting long term illness covers any long term
illness, health problem or disability which limits daily
activities or work
? If you have a progressive ? Memory or ability to
condition, and it will concentrate, learn or
substantially affect your ability understand
to carry out normal day to day ? Understanding the risk of
activities in the future, you will physical danger
be regarded as having an The Disability Discrimination
impairment which has a Act
substantial adverse effect In December 2005 The Disability from the moment the condition Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 has some effect on your ability was amended to place a duty on to carry out normal day to day all public bodies to promote activities. disability equality. The Disability ? If you have been diagnosed Equality Duty requires the public
as having cancer, HIV sector to actively promote
infection or multiple sclerosis, disability equality.
you will automatically be
The Act sets out what is known considered as ‘disabled’.
as the General Duty. This ? If you are registered as blind
means that public bodies must or partially sighted, or certified
have ‘due regard’ to the need to as blind or partially sighted by
eliminate unlawful discrimination a consultant ophthalmologist,
and promote equal opportunities you will automatically be
for disabled people. considered as ‘disabled’.
Consideration must also be given ? People who have had a
to the elimination of harassment disability in the past but are no
of disabled people, promotion of longer disabled are covered
positive attitudes and the need to by certain parts of the DDA.
encourage the participation of
disabled people in public life. What are ‘normal day to day
activities’? The Regulations give key public
bodies a Specific Duty, which will
At least one of these areas must define for them a framework to be substantially affected: use to meet the General Duty.
The main element of this will be
the requirement to produce a ? Mobility
Disability Equality Scheme. ? Manual dexterity
? Physical co-ordination
A Disability Equality Scheme is a ? Continence
strategy for change with a ? Ability to lift, carry or move
realistic action plan. It outlines everyday objects
the public authority’s overall ? Speech, hearing or eyesight
equality vision and specific
approach to disability equality.
The scheme builds on and ? Demonstrate that we have informs the corporate aims and taken the actions they have objectives. The purpose of committed ourselves to, developing a scheme is to and achieved appropriate identify ways in which unlawful outcomes. discrimination can be eliminated Specific Duties: Employment and be proactive in promoting disability equality. It is not Regulation 2 (3)(d)(i) states that always about changes to an Authority must establish buildings or adjustments for individuals. Moreover it is about ‘arrangements for being able to demonstrate gathering information on positive cultural change – that the effect of its policies and consideration for and inclusion of practices on disabled disabled people and disability persons and in particular its equality is threaded through arrangements for gathering everything the service does. information on their effect
on the recruitment, In the process of producing this development and retention Disability Equality Scheme of its disabled employees’
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service must: Involving Disabled People in
Developing the Scheme ? Involve disabled people in
producing the scheme and
On 26 July 2006, we participated developing the action plan.
in an event hosted by Wyre
? Identify how we will gather Borough Council, and alongside
and analyse evidence to a number of agencies, such as
inform their actions and Blackpool and the Fylde College,
track progress. Lancashire County Council,
Wyre Housing Association, ? Set out how we will assess
Myerscough College, The the impact of our existing
Pension Service and Lancashire and proposed activities on
Constabulary, to find out what we disabled people.
could do as an organisation to
? Produce an action plan for improve our services and access
the next three years. for disabled people and how we
can involve disabled people in ? Report on our progress
the decisions we make. At the every year and review and
start of this event it was make appropriate revisions
explained that the views given by to this scheme at least
disabled people attending would every three years.
be used to inform our work as we
promote equality for disabled ? how disabled people would people. Initially the attendees like to be kept informed about were asked what life in the future events, and involved Borough was like for them, what more widely in improving were the bad points and what services and facilities could be done better. Later sessions focussed on specific The event was held at the Marine areas relating to the individual Hall in Fleetwood, which was organisations. Lancashire Fire audited for accessibility prior to and Rescue Service asked : the event. Sign language
interpreters were available ? if disabled people knew what throughout the day and the
services the Fire Service colleges provided a range of
offered, such as home fire assistive technology and
safety checks, alarm fitting, produced papers in Braille.
and discussing fire evacuation Transport costs were reimbursed
plans for those requesting assistance.
Disabled people and disability ? if disabled people could
organisations were involved in identify the issues for them as
planning the event and agreeing a disabled person in terms of
the format for the day. fire safety or evacuation
? if disabled people ever
The event was publicised using considered visiting the fire
existing contact lists from Wyre stations or the headquarters,
Borough Council, through Wyre and if they had, whether they
Disability partnership, and the had experienced any
networks of the organisations difficulties accessing the
such as ours, taking part. In grounds, buildings or facilities
addition, an open invitation was ? how easy or difficult it is for
issued via the local media. 54 disabled people to get in
people attended the event, touch with us, by any method
including those representing of communication
disability organisations, and ? if disabled people were aware
individuals. of the range of roles available
within the Fire Service, such
On 30 September 2006 we took as Community Safety,
part in a similar event at The Prince’s Trust programmes for
Royal Preston Hospital hosted by young people, including
West Lancashire Primary Care disabled people, and other
Trust and involved disabled support posts including those
people from the West Lancashire in administration
and Preston areas.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue ? Some disabled people were Service also attended a unaware of the specialist fire Blackburn with Darwen Local safety advice, information and Strategic Partnership Workforce equipment we can provide Representation Group event held ? Some disabled people were at Ewood Park on 9 November not aware of the wide range of 2006. Both public and private initiatives the Service sector organisations attended promotes, such as Prince’s this event aimed at involving our Trust, Young Firefighters, disabled community in the School Mentors etc development of our Disability ? Some disabled people were Equality Schemes. It is planned unaware of the provision of that this event will be repeated community rooms at some annually, once organisations stations and hearing loop have published their Disability systems Equality Schemes, so that we ? Some disabled people were can feed back to our community unaware of our mini-com on our actions and outcomes. service, or our 0800 telephone
number These events provided us with ? Not all disabled people have an excellent opportunity to learn access to on-line information the views and receive feedback ? In general, disabled people from disabled people within the were unaware of the variety of County of Lancashire. The roles available within the Fire feedback has provided us with Service, including any the basis to formulate our volunteering opportunities Disability Equality Scheme ? A point was made that Action Plan and set priorities organisations in general over the coming three years for should be more proactive achieving that plan. about facilities for the disabled rather than reacting with Key Issues ‘reasonable adjustment’ if employing a disabled member A number of perceptions of staff emerged from these involvement ? A general observation was sessions, which fall in line with made about office furniture other surveys we have not being ‘DDA friendly’ and a undertaken in some cases: suggestion made that as new ? Some disabled people were office furniture was procured, unaware of our preventative it should fulfil the and community fire safety requirements, eg desks function
should have bright edging for
partially sighted people. ? It was suggested that the Fire
Service should develop a
database of disabled
members of the community so
that we would be aware of any
specific needs in the event of
being called out to an address
(although it was recognised
that there were a number of
practical issues in gathering
the data in a comprehensive
way and keeping it up to date,)
The Future
In terms of how disabled people
would like us to progress from
here, key points were identified
as:
? Hold similar workshops or
meetings
? Produce bulletins or
newsletters to be distributed
either via hard copy or email ? Post articles in local free
papers
? Hold open days at fire stations
? Provide transport to
workshops or open days and
pay consultees to encourage
participation
? Involve disabled people more
in volunteering activities, eg
mentoring
? In general, awareness needs
raising of the spectrum of
disabilities, eg diabetes and
stroke