Centre 56 - Equal Opportunities - Disability Equality Policy Statement

Disability Equality Policy Statement

Liverpool Women's Aid recognises and operates within the social model of disability and uses the following definitions:

Disability is the disadvantage or restriction of activity caused by a society, which takes little or no account of people who have impairments, and thus excludes them from mainstream activity.
Impairment is the functional limitation of he body, sensory impairment, learning difficulty and / or people experiencing mental distress.

Liverpool Women's Aid is committed to ensuring equal treatment of disabled employees and will also ensure that disabled people are not treated less favourably in its procedures, practices and service delivery.

Liverpool Women's Aid recognise that disables people are not always the same, for example: Disabled people may have differences relating to age, sex, sexual orientation and race. They may be women, gay / lesbian and / or Black. Disabled people face greater oppression when they identify with any combination of these groups.

Liverpool Women's Aid will not tolerate harassment of disabled people based in unjustified views of 'normality' and recognises that disabled people may be subject to other forms of harassment, for example sexual harassment and victimisation.

Liverpool Women's Aid believes that organisations, which are controlled by disabled people, are best placed to represent the interests of disabled people. The City Council will therefore give full recognition to those organisations.

Liverpool Women's Aid will adhere to the Liverpool City Council Corporate Access Strategy in respect of the design criteria of buildings and in the areas leading to buildings. The requirements of the Access Audit will be implemented in accordance with the Citizens Charter and the City Council Access Strategy.

Liverpool Women's Aid will work towards ensuring that it's communications are accessible to all people, for example by increasing access to loop systems, Braille, Sign Language and interpretation.

Liverpool Women's Aid will comply with all relevant legislation on disability i.e. the Disabled Persons Act 1986, The Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 & 1958 and the Department of Employment Code of Practice. There is no legislation that renders discrimination against disabled people unlawful. In the absence of this, Liverpool Women's Aid is committed to developing clear policies and practices to ensure equality for disabled people in relation to employment and the delivery of services.