Disability Equality Scheme (DES) for

Introduction

Easton College is a land-based institution with over 600 full-time learners and 230 employees. The College has courses from Entry and Foundation Levels to Level 3 and provides progression into Higher Education through seven Foundation Degree Programmes in partnership with the University of East Anglia. The College is very successful in terms of learner retention and achievement and this is especially so for disabled people.

The support provided for disabled people and learners with impairments has developed considerably over the past five years, as have the procedures for disclosure and links with schools and other outside agencies. This, together with perhaps a greater willingness to disclose information and the development of courses specifically designed for such learners, is the key to the increase in numbers of disabled people. For those with the most significant impairments, who would be classed as disabled within the meaning of DDA, learners are directly involved in discussions about the support, the positive approach by the College to see that all ‘reasonable adjustments’ can provided. For the College there has been little formal involvement of disabled people in evaluating the possible impact of the resources in strategic and/or operational considerations that have implications for those with disabled people, unless directly implicated in providing suitable support. The College is involving disabled people and other organisations in the formulation, operation and monitoring of the DES.

Purpose of DES

In adopting a systematic, whole-organisation, approach to the Easton College Disability Equality Scheme (DES), it will be mainstreaming disability equality in the College and will promote disability equality as central to the work, study, activities and policies - by acting proactively and as an agency of change

The Draft DES was presented at an AMT meeting to establish a Steering Group of key people to: drive forward change, set a clear remit, produce a final DES, set the timescale and associated set of priorities. The DES was then presented to a

Governors’ meeting for review and confirmation of procedure and preparation of the 3 Year Action Plan.

Membership of the Steering Group

David Bale – Director of Learner Services and Skills (lead) Tricia Bell – Deputy Principal Christopher Nix – Director of Resources Julia Moss - Governor Marie Pacey – Head of Department for Skills for Life Jennifer Ainsworth – Head of Department for Sport and Public Services Janice Cowen – MIS Manager Hazel Weekes – Personnel Officer Josie Goldsmith – Learner (Hearing Impairment) Angus Smith – Learner (Mobility Issues) Rebecca Marr – Meridian East Ann Young – Disability Arts and Culture Officer (as Disability Equality Trainer/Consultant)

The Duty (on Easton College) to Promote Disability Equality

The key duty for the College is to promote disability equality, through DDA 2005, which comes into force with the College DES (and Disability Equality Duty [DED]) from 5th December 2006 and is “the most significant legislative development for the post-16 education sector’s duties towards disabled people”. This duty builds on progress by providers in their continuous improvement of disability equality in education and training – with all organisations becoming proactive agents of change. General duties require Easton College to eliminate unlawful discrimination (which may occur naturally within College policies, practices and proce d ures [PPP], which have been themselves, designed to eliminate such discr imination) and disability-related harassment.

The n e w duty goes further with the responsibility (on the College) to: • promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and other people • promote positive attitudes towards disabled people • encourage disabled people to participate in public life and public bodies (and in particular colleges) • take account of people’s disabilities – even where this involves treating disabled people more favourably than others

Disability Equality Scheme (DES) Key Elements

Easton College Vision

The C o llege is establishing its ‘vision’ for disability equality through the 3 Year Action Plan, and therein the outcomes to be achieved through the DES. There has been reflection on how the organisation has responded to, moved forward on and undertaken action as a consequence of DDA legislation and implementation. Actions for the Group ¾ Constantly review and monitor what the College changed as a consequence of DDA ¾ Act as a lead in the vision for disability equality within the College ¾ Set outcomes through a 3 Year Action Plan (and monitor) to improve disability equality

Involving Disabled People in the College DES

Responding to the needs of the DES/DED the College will seek active involvement from the very outset of disabled people in, and outside of, the College to actively encourage contributions to identifying appropriate monitoring processes as well as setting priorities for the DES 3 Year Action Plan.

The Steering Group has set out to involve disabled people, always, wherever and whenever possible.

In conjunction with the Steering Group’s work the College will prioritise policies for Impact Assessment and to work towards a contextualised and holistic outcome of di sa bility equality

Indiv id uals, groups, organisations and stakeholders will be sought to contribute to the e v aluation process: • (present) disabled staff, and applicants for all vacancies • (present) disabled learners, and additionally – o potential learners o learners who have dropped out of courses • local organisations of/for disabled people • learners in the College franchised provision (Meridian East) • learners in outreach/partnership provision (through the CSV) • the views of: o under-represented learners o learners in curriculum areas where EDIMs have identified under- representation

o individuals with mental health difficulties o individuals with profound and complex impairments

Through consultation the DES Steering Group, will address issues of participation and collate a range of data to review and avoid potential ‘skewing’ of information or favoured opinions and obtain timely and appropriate views through: • finding out about all existing networks which have a validity to contribute • identifying disabled people learning and working in the College and identify concerns and impacts which they wish to include and which are appropriate to the needs of the DES/DED • ensuring that individuals and organisations asked to be involved offer genuine, realistic and influential (within workable frameworks) information and support that is not just their superficial take on “disabilities”, not their particular area of need nor tokenistic

Impact Assessments

Having undertaken an initial Impact Assessment of the College “Recruitment and Selection” Policy for presentation to the Governors, it was agreed that through the DES Steering Group there will be an holistic College approach to reviewing all policies through Impact Assessments – detailed within the 3 Year Action Plan - to ensure policies, procedures, services and functions all respond to, and identify with, disabled people through elimination of (any current) discriminatory policies practices and practices.

To achieve this the first action in the 3 Year Action Plan for the Steering Group is to identify all existing policies, practices and procedures (PPP) throughout the College, and following this: ¾ identify and prioritise PPP according to their actual and/or potential impact on disabled people, under-represented groups and those with profound impairments ¾ set a timetable to assess the impact of all PP&P ¾ ensure ALL new PPP are assessed prior to implementation ¾ build on DDA Part 4 implementation and audits through impact assessments, extending the process of IA on employment PPP and other areas ¾ by instilling a cross-College duty to eliminate disability related harassment and promote positive attitudes towards disabled people

The College must ensure Impact Assessments will achieve appropriate outcomes, by: • Firstly, ensuring its Impact Assessments are robust • Secondly, identify who will/can carry out Impact Assessments – the need for training and use of external agents/inputs/support

• Finally, for new PPP and subsequent changes – the process by which the College puts these in place to ensure appropriate assessment for their impact on disabled people

Information

The College will consider specific data within the DES/DED for disabled people: ¾ Recruitment, retention and career development ¾ Training/SD, promotion, qualifications achieved, educational opportunities and/or other achievements ¾ Competency, grievance and disciplinary procedures/policies ¾ Look at a broad interpretation, allowing access to a range of learner facilities and trips

The data will be gathered from a wide range, quantitative and qualitative, gleaned through many different methods, analysed and used to inform and support the DES. Initially the College will establish its current data (2005/2006) on disabled people (learners and staff) as benchmarks, and from that set targets and criteria for information which will be needed for the DES. An example could be to look at the different barriers experienced by individuals with different impairments and how information would be established and how it could then be monitored.

Training for Staff

This is a twofold approach following initial draft proposals. Firstly, the College will move training on from the DDA and disability awareness/ etiquette in order to support staff in developing skills to change PPP and carry out Impact Assessments on PPP. To carry out staff development to work towards an organisational disability e qualit y and gain confidence to reach successful DES outcome s . The College will put strategies in place to ensure that awareness and practice continuously develops through Staff Development programmes. Secondly , continuously provide a series of staff development/training sessions to staff on learning disabilities and impairments, at set times, in order to support learners a nd staff in sessions. See Staff Development (out of ‘Improving Choices’) for schedule and attendance details.

Meeting the Challenge?/W h ere are We Now? /The Next Steps?

Meeting the Challenge Involve k e y personnel • achieved through presentation to AMT and Steering Group formed Commitm e nt to drive forward change • the College agrees this is imperative

Completed DES • now a final DES and 3 Year Action Plan with timescales and priorities

The Ne x t Steps Keeping u p the momentum • disability equality is recognised as a goal to continually strive towards • a shared role by all staff that it is everyone’s responsibility to implement duties and mainstreaming disability equality across the whole College • find continuously effective and imaginative ways to engage disabled people • ensure disabled people influence and shape action, outcomes and changes in PPP • ensure the DES has continual commitment at the highest levels and is embedded within strategic planning and development plan and integral to planning in College Translate vision and aspiration into reality, testing through: • how outcomes are delivered/achieved • identified improvements in disability equality • greater inclusion and equality for disabled people • benefits to all employees and all users of the College provision.

Where Are We Now? Engaging disabled people: • external representation o through liaison with the School of Art & Design (NSAD) the College has discussed its Foundation Degrees, Impact Assessments and DES for each institution to achieve a consistency of approach. Subsequently the College has approached the external person (who was recommended for her expertise in disability) supporting NSAD and this person has agreed to be a member of the College group. A meeting is arranged for early December to establish a view of the College and its situation/evaluation in respect of the DES/DED • learner representation o the College identified two disabled people in learning who are willing to join the membership of the Steering Group and offer their views on the College from the learner perspective. • impact assessment undertaken of PPP – such as ‘Recruitment and Selection’ of staff – and discussed through Governors’ meeting • promotional elements of the DES/DED will require to tackle issues relating to access, under-representation and identifying how potential learners are able to help develop the curriculum areas and resources for increased recruitment of courses

Issues arising from/identified by learners in the Steering Group:

¾ improvement in the availability of hearing loops for learners with hearing impairments ¾ increased recruitment of learner mentors with ‘signing’ capabilities to support learners ¾ identified difficulties for learners with physical disabilities in moving around some areas of the College

Data held by the College for the DES/DED action planning in different formats for: • numbers of staff recruited and in which areas • numbers of learners recruited onto courses, their individual disability/ impairment and how the College is supporting such needs • achievements of learners, their progression (where appropriate) and the opportunities for employment/placement for those who studied with support addressing specific need • equality and diversity impact measures to address the recruitment of under-represented groups (including disability/impairment) in staffing and learner cohorts