What is 2010 doing about equality for people who are disabled?

2010’s work to address equality in this area has included:

· Working with Mencap and Remploy to provide placements for disabled people wishing to work (one of our placements secured a permanent position with us last year).

· Raising the percentage of employees who are disabled from 1.52% in 2006 to 4.4% in 2008. We also raised the percentage of disabled people in the top 5% of pay in our organisation from 4.35% in September 2005 to 13% in January 2008. 
· Working closely with the Disability Workers group and the local visually impaired group.

· Surveying all our customers to learn (when they wish to tell us) if they manage a disability, so we can alter the way we deliver services and check that everyone is accessing them.

· Making sure we arrive at the most convenient door when we visit you; that we knock loudly and wait a while when required.

· Providing British Sign Language signers when required.

· Providing an adaptations service which has received positive feedback.

· Making sure our Key Player database includes a high proportion of disabled people, matching our customer data base.

· Making large print (e.g. rent statements) and audio documents available and providing minicom, induction loops and text-talk in all neighbourhood offices.

· Training staff and managers in Disability Equality legislation and widening our hate crime procedure to include crimes aimed at people because of their disability.

To further improve our work we will be:

· Developing a new communications check list on our customer database system which will alert staff to the communication needs of each of our customers.
· Completing our base line equalities training with staff.

· Bringing together a ‘how we’re doing’ focus group made up of people with disabilities, to help develop an enhanced disability awareness package for staff.