Disability Equality Duty: Principles of Good Practice in Involvement
The Disability Equality Duty was introduced in December 2006. It ensures that public bodies take responsibility for tackling institutional disability-related discrimination, by improving their services and policies as a whole for disabled people.
A key part of the Duty is that disabled people must have been consulted in the development of the Disability Equality Schemes and action plans developed as a part of the Duty.
The publication Disability Equality Duty: Principles of Good Practice in Involvement, explains how this can be done effectively not only in the development of a Scheme, but throughout implementation.
The Duty applies in England, Scotland and Wales. The Duty in England and Wales is in all key respects the same as the Duty which applies in Scotland, except there are different arrangements in relation to education due to differences in other legislation.
The Duty requires public bodies, when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination
- Promote equal opportunities
- Eliminate disability related harassment
- Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons
- Encourage participation by disabled persons in public life
- Take steps to meet disabled people's needs, even if this requires more favourable treatment.