Archived decisions
MEMBERS' AND OFFICERS' DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT WORKING GROUP
1. At the County Council meeting on 20 February 2003 Councillor W H Wheeler moved a motion that a Member/Officer Working Group be established to look at how the Council is preparing to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) in particular, plans to meet the October 2004 deadline when physical barriers are to be removed. The Working Group would also hear the views of disabled people in relation to the use of County Council services by inviting representatives from disability groups and organisations to its meetings. The outcomes would then be reported to the Buildings, Land and Contracts Panel.
2. The Working Group comprising Councillors W H Wheeler, Mrs E M F Randall and Mrs P Dickens have met twice. The inaugural meeting was held on 14 May to which all members of the County Council were invited to contribute ideas and suggestions. A summary of the points raised is set out below:
Benefits to all disabled people
- Induction loop system to be available and usable in all meeting rooms and at main Reception. (a portable loop induction system will be available for booking in Room 100 EII Court). It is important to have other sound enhancement facilities as an induction loop is not universally beneficial to all hearing aid users.
- To further develop staff and Member training in appropriate areas on disability issues.
- To further develop good employment practices to assist with the successful recruitment of disabled people.
- To look into increasing the font size of Committee reports.
- To look at directional signage in terms of floor numbers and listing departments at lift exits to assist people with knowing where they are and where they are going. To provide a disabled route round The Castle. Signs are necessary to help those not familiar with where to go and also showing people to meetings rooms.
- To look into displaying some key signage in Braille: for example in lift cars adjacent to lift buttons. There is some signage in Braille.
Access to meetings
- To ensure that when disabled Members are attending meetings, either at Hampshire County Council or at other local authorities, that disabled bays are reserved.
- To hold meetings in convenient and accessible locations. Guidance to be provided to all Committee Chairmen.
- To reserve seats at meetings for those who are hard of hearing.
- To have a mix of seats with and without arms in each meeting room to enable people to sit more comfortably.
- To provide a Notice of What's On at the County Council on the main doors for members of the public and advising that assistance would be given by reception.
- To set aside the bench in the Council Chamber for disabled people attending the meeting.
Working links, including the Group's future plans
- To invite a representative from a disability group or organisation to each meeting. It was agreed that a representative from Hampshire Association for the Care of the Blind be invited to the next meeting and a representative from the Hampshire Deaf Association to the Autumn meeting.
- To invite officer representatives from Education, Environment and Social Services and Recreation and Heritage to future meetings so that information can be provided on areas which affect the departments and access to services and sites. The Access Manager to present the Building Access Strategy to the Policy Review Committees to advise them of their relevant areas.
- To receive presentations by officers in Property, Business and Regulatory on improvements to buildings which have taken place and benefited people and those projects which are still in the planning stage and could be influenced.
- To work with the Local Government Association which is helping authorities set up a strategy to prepare for the implementation of the DDA Act 2004 requirements.
- Share best practice with other authorities , e.g. District Councils.
- To work with access groups across the County.
- The Equality and Diversity Adviser agreed to provide a summary of the access requirement survey that identified the needs of Members.
Influence on design
- To use opportunities to speak to other local authorities to influence planning applications; wider doorways to accommodate wheelchairs and sufficient space for stair lifts.
- To look at integrated transport issues for fully and partially disabled people.
- To seek to influence transport issues.
- To look into access on and off buses with particular attention to the height of the step.
Information
- To provide regular reports on the numbers of disabled people employed by the County Council.
- To include an article in Spotlight inviting staff feedback on ideas for improving access for disabled people.
- To look at more effective ways of communicating and asking the communications team to spread the news to members of the public and to circulate a staff bulletin so that awareness is up to date. To also provide information when improvements are made.
- To display a notice at the bottom of the County Council's pages to advise that information is available in the telephone book
3. The Equality and Diversity Adviser and the Access Manager, who act as advisers to the Working Group, have responded to the points raised by Members and action is being taken and reported back to the Working Group. In many cases action was already under way and this is forming the basis for the focus of the Group.
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