DISABILITY POLICY

This Policy applies to students and employees.

Introduction

The School aims to treat students and employees equally and fairly regardless of a variety of personal situations which might in the past have mitigated against them.

In this context, the School Disability Policy seeks to further amplify these aspirations as they affect potential and actual students and employees with disabilities.

Statement

Woodworking School Ltd is committed to promoting access to people with disabilities. A further commitment is to work towards supporting and enabling students and employees with physical disabilities, sensory impairments, specific learning disabilities, special psychological needs and medical conditions which may have an impact on day-to-day activities, to take part in all aspects of School life which may be appropriate to them. To further this end the School will:

1. Judge applicants with disabilities solely on the basis of their potential

2. Invite applicants with disabilities to contact the College to discuss how their needs might be met

3. Offer additional provision so that disabled persons are not disadvantaged in comparison with others at the application stage

4 Offer information to any student applicant with disabilities who requires study support for help which might be available

5. Remain committed to ensure that all sections of the School are active in supporting students with disabilities

6. Continue to increase the provision for disabled students in the College as far as is practicable

7. Take steps to encourage persons with progressive conditions, or who become disabled during their time at the College to continue study

8. Provide the appropriate level of disability awareness needed to foster an inclusive community, and endeavour to ensure appropriate training for those working directly with disabled persons

9. Endeavour to ensure that health and safety procedures are inclusive

10. Regularly review this policy and plan ways to improve it

Application

This Policy applies to all applicants to the School and all existing students and employees. The Policy aims to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the wider aspirations of the College’s Equal Opportunities Policy.

Legislation

From September 2002, education in the UK is covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001. The DDA defines disability as “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”. The Act makes it unlawful for providers of education and related services to discriminate on the basis of the disability. Discrimination may occur in two ways:

1) When a responsible body treats a disabled person less favourably, for a reason relating to the persons’ disability, than it treats or would treat a person to whom that reason did not apply.

2) It also occurs where a responsible body has failed to make a reasonable adjustment, which has meant that a disabled person has been placed at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with a student or employee who is not disabled.

The Act makes it a statutory duty for a responsible body to make reasonable adjustments. This is an anticipatory duty owed to disabled persons at large. It is not simply a duty to individuals. The Code states that responsible bodies should not wait until a disabled person applies to a course or applies for employment before thinking about what reasonable adjustments could be made. Instead, the requirements of disabled persons should be continually anticipated.

Policy Implementation

The School will continually review it’s Disability Access situation, including consultation with representatives of any disabled students or employees, as part of it’s Health and Safety reviews.