CHAPTER 2 - INVOLVEMENT OF DISABLED PEOPLE
Background
2.1 In the disability equality scheme we set out our approach to involvement of disabled people in its development and our commitment to building engagement with disabled people throughout the life of the scheme. The DRC's report on our disability equality scheme highlighted involvement of disabled people as an area where it was thought further work across the Scottish Government was necessary. In this chapter we provide an update on the progress that we have made over the last year in this critically important area
New developments to strengthen our involvement with disabled people
2.2 We have taken action to strengthen our engagement with disabled people, and to build sustainable mechanisms which enable the views of disabled people to be heard across Government. This has included providing additional funding to disability-led organisations for specific intitiatives to improve the engagement of disabled people. In addition to increased funding, we are working closely with our network of disability-led organisations to determine how to improve the involvement of disabled people over the next three years.
2.3 We have brought together the disability-led organisations who receive funding to help improve engagement with Government. This has enabled these organisations to exchange information and good practice. The group has agreed to meet on a regular basis and will agree a workplan for the coming year at its next meeting, to be held early in 2008. We have also undertaken a mapping exercise across the Scottish Government to gather information on the nature and extent of involvement with disabled people. This will help in developing more systematic involvement with Government officials and ensuring that contact and dialogue is meaningful.
Disabled peoples strategic priorities
2.4 As part of our work to involve disabled people in the development of our disability equality scheme, disabled people identified three strategic priorities:
- Disability Equality Training
- Accessible Communication
- Awareness, Media and Imagery
2.5 To take these priorities forward we set out a programme of work in our disability equality scheme for the next 3 years. The following table sets out the specific actions on these priorities and our progress towards these.
Action on strategic priorities identified by disabled people
Policy | Action | By whom | By when | Outcome | Progress and Measure |
|---|
Disability Equality Training ( DET) | Establish a reference group including disabled people to consider standards, accreditation, and take-up of DET. | Equality Unit | Summer 2007 | | Funding provided to an alliance of three disability led DET providers to enable them to develop their position prior to the establishment of the wider reference group. The disability-led DET providers will meet on 6 December 2007 to report back on the progress of their work. The first meeting of the DET reference group which will consider in detail how to take forward the recommendations on DET from the Disability Working Group Report and Parliament's Disability Inquiry will take place early in 2008. |
Roll out a programme of DET for Executive staff | Equality Unit, Corporate Learning, individual departments | Ongoing | Staff have increased understanding of disability equality and can implement public duty. | Since December 2006, a programme of DET sessions has been held across the Scottish Government ( SG) involving staff from across a range of policy areas. The SG will continue to encourage staff to take up DET. This links with one of the recommendations noted above, which is to increase the take up of DET across the public sector in Scotland. |
Accessible communication | Implement and promote the Scottish Accessible Information Forum's standards | All departments | Ongoing | | Guidance on improving information for disabled people was made available to all staff via the Scottish Government intranet. This includes reference to the SAIF standards. |
Media, Images and Awareness of Disability | Departments are made aware of UK Government advice that 1 in 5 graphics should be of disabled people | All departments | Ongoing | Images used by the Executive properly reflect the contribution of disabled people and challenge stereotypes. | The Marketing Unit work across Government Directorates. One of the duties of this team is to inform clients of the Department of Work and Pensions guidance, that 1 in 5 images of people in advertising/marketing campaigns feature or depict disability.
Since September last year new projects for Children's Hearings and the Vote Scotland Campaign have depicted disabilities |
Widen the use of media to promote awareness including consideration of Scottish wide campaign | Equality Unit | Autumn 2007 | Improved understanding of, and attitudes towards, disabled people | The Scottish Government remains committed to improving attitudes towards disabled people. Work on this will be taken forward during 2008-09. |
Involvement of disabled people over the life of the scheme
2.6. In chapter 4 of our disability equality scheme, we set out our proposals for developing the involvement of disabled people during the life of the scheme including:
- continuing to work with our disability working group to develop proposals for longer term mechanisms for engagement with the disability sector;
- building the capacity of disabled people; and
- involving a wider range of disabled people.
2.7 The following table sets out these actions and others to develop the involvement of disabled people over the life of the scheme and our progress towards achieving these.
Action to develop the involvement of disabled people during the life span of the scheme
Policy | Action | By whom | By when | Outcome | Progress and Measure |
|---|
Disability working group to develop proposals for longer term mechanisms for Scottish Executive engagement with the disability sector. | Disability working group to reconvene and focus on this work. | Equality Unit to co-ordinate | During 2007 | Effective structure for engagement leading to better informed policy making. | A new Strategic Advisory Group on Disability has been formed, drawing on membership of the Disability Working Group and others. It is currently finalising its workplan for 2008 and will meet with the Minister for Communities and Sport on 22 January 2008 |
Support disability led organisations. | Work with disabled people to commission research to map the disability sector. | Equality Unit. | During 2007 | This will increase our understanding of the capacity of disability organisations to engage with public bodies. | We have set up an advisory group of disabled people to help shape the work, which will be commissioned in early 2008. |
Build the capacity of disabled people and support their involvement in implementation of the disability equality duty. | Equality Unit. | During 2007 | Better involvement of disabled people in the delivery of the public sector disability equality duty. | This work is ongoing and will continue over the period 2008/09. We have set up a network of Policy Officers we fund to help us engage with disabled people. This group will continue to meet throughout 2008 and will agree a workplan at the next meeting in early 2008. This will inform our work to support the involvement of disabled people across all departments. |
Involving a wider range of disabled people. | Ensure that options for developing involvement include wide range of impairments, and varied experiences of disability. | Equality Unit | During 2007 | Wider engagement, including with disabled people from other under-represented groups, such as younger and BME disabled people, and impairment groups such as learning disability and people with hidden but stigmatised conditions such as mental health issues or HIV. | We have funded impairment specific disability groups to help improve and diversify our engagement with disabled people. This includes funding to the Scottish Council on Deafness, Communication Forum Scotland, and VOX. During 2007 we funded VOX to carry out a series of café style equality events to gather views of mental health service users on their priorities. In the next phase of our work, during 2008, we will focus on reaching younger and BME disabled people. |
Strategic support across Scottish Executive departments. | Support the involvement of disabled people across departments. | Equality Unit and all departments. | Ongoing | Stronger involvement in departmental action planning. | We are actively working to strengthen our networks of organisations working directly to help us involve disabled people. This work is feeding into our approach to supporting directorates across Government to engage in meaningful and focused ways with disabled people. |
Engagement with disabled people through equality impact assessment
2.8 The disability duty requires listed public authorities, including the Scottish Government, to undertake and publish Equality Impact Assessments ( EQIA's) for all new and existing policies. EQIA's are a key driver for ensuring the needs of disabled people are taken into account in designing policy and delivering services.
2.9 To support colleagues across the Government to impact assess their policies we have developed our own Ten Step Equality Impact Assessment Tool, which was launched in October 2006. Further information about our toolkit is set our in our disability equality scheme.
2.10 Government staff have received communication and briefing about their duties under the public sector equality duties through a programme of bespoke, cross-Government briefing sessions and other communications which have been ongoing since Spring 2006.
2.11 Over the past year further briefing and one-to-one support for policy teams has been provided by the Scottish Government Equality Unit in order to further facilitate the EQIA process across Government.
2.12 Evidence is vital to carrying out a successful EQIA and engaging directly with disabled people and representative groups is an important method of exploring areas of specific interest and concern to disabled people. We envisage our wider involvement work feeding into these impact assessments ensuring that our policies and procedures take in to account and respond to disabled peoples needs.