In conjunction with the Corporate Equality Policy, the Disability Equality Scheme is intended to fulfil the Council’s statutory requirement to set out a Disability Equality Scheme.

Background
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995, as amended by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, gives all public authorities a general duty to promote disability equality.

In carrying out its functions, the Council must have due regard to the needs to:

• eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Act.
• eliminate harassment that is unlawful under the Act.
• promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons.
• take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disabilities, even where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably than other persons.

The general duty to promote disability equality places a proactive responsibility on the Council to mainstream equality into the way it carries out all of its functions and to work towards creating a more fair and equal society.

The full policy and equality schemes can be viewed by clicking here.