The Scottish Government

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CHAPTER 3 - INVOLVEMENT OF DISABLED PEOPLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SCHEME

Background

3.1 The Scottish Government has long recognised that the involvement of disabled people is key to delivering disability equality and to developing our scheme. We also recognised that finding a mechanism for this involvement would be challenging.

3.2 We approached the involvement of disabled people in a number of ways. We wanted to build on existing relationships with disabled people and disability organisations that have been influencing Scottish Government policy for a number of years. However, we also recognised the importance of reaching beyond existing relationships and involving disabled people who have not in the past engaged with Government.

3.3 Taking account of a broad range of views on disability, including the views of disabled people from rural communities, minority ethnic communities and young people was also important to us; and reaching disabled people with a broad range of impairments was another significant consideration. This presented particular challenges and we are committed to further developing our work on involvement.

Our approach to involvement

3.4 Our approach to involving disabled people in the development of the disability equality scheme has therefore followed a number of routes:

• A strategic disability working group;
• Direct engagement with national grassroots disability organisations and, through them, disabled people;
• Harnessing the expertise of our own disabled staff and those in the wider civil service;
• Building on existing relationships with disabled people across directorates and agencies and working in partnership to develop policies; and
• Looking ahead at ways of supporting meaningful involvement across the Scottish Government during the life of the scheme.

Strategic disability working group

3.5 The disability working group was established at the request of Scottish Ministers at the end of 2004. It reported in November 2006. The membership of the group included organisations of and for disabled people as well as a number of other public sector organisations including Scottish Enterprise and CoSLA. Many of the individuals who participated were disabled people.

3.6 The remit of the group was to 'establish priorities for the Scottish Government and partner organisations to promote equality for disabled people in Scotland'. One of the strands of work undertaken by the group was specifically in relation to the disability equality duty and a number of specific recommendations were made on this. However, all of the group's recommendations contribute to how the Scottish Government is responding to the new duty.

3.7 The Disability Working Group's recommendations were published in November 2006 and informed our first disability equality scheme, published in December 2006. The group's recommendations have also influenced the revision of the scheme and have helped to set actions for the period from May 2008-2011.

3.8 Although helpful, we recognised that the disability working group did not represent a full or effective involvement of disabled people in the development of the Scottish Government's disability equality scheme. We therefore sought to complement the group's input and report with a range of actions working directly with disabled people in order to reach a broader field of views and to focus more specifically on the scheme itself.

Work with national grassroots disability organisations

3.9 The Scottish Government has been supporting 2 national grassroots disability organisations since 2002 - Inclusion Scotland and the Scottish Disability Equality Forum. This has included providing funding for these organisations to reach disabled people and local disability groups across the country.

3.10 Both organisations arranged events for the Scottish Government to meet directly with disabled people to discuss the disability equality duty and the development of the Scottish Government's first disability equality scheme. These events took place in September 2006.

3.11 The Scottish Government has also been working with the Scottish Council on Deafness ( SCoD) on a range of actions to support people who are Deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. SCoD also organised an event for us to engage with these communities in September 2006.

3.12 A further meeting with disabled people then took place in November 2006 to look in more detail at the shape of the Scottish Government scheme and further prioritise action. Our events with disabled people were called 'Get Involved'.

3.13 What disabled people told us in late 2006 is still relevant and still important. We did not wish to lose the valuable input that we received and have used the material gathered through our 'Get Involved' events to inform the revision of the scheme.

3.14 However, we also undertook further involvement work, again through national grassroots disability organisations. We worked with the Scottish Disability Equality Forum to hold an event on 5 March 2008, with Inclusion Scotland on 10 March 2008, and with the Scottish Council on Deafness on 13 March. Through these events we provided disabled people with an opportunity to have their say on any issue important to them; and we also asked for specific input in relation to areas where involvement of disabled people had been weak in our first scheme.

Work with disabled staff

3.15 The Scottish Government has an active staff disability network. This was set up following the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. In order to benefit from the knowledge and experience of our disabled staff we held an event with them on 23 June 2006 to discuss the disability equality duty and the development of the Scottish Government's first disability equality scheme. In addition, a proforma was sent out to the network inviting members to submit written answers to a number of questions about the development of the Scottish Government's scheme. Staff were invited to contribute their views as employees on staff employment matters and, as disabled people, on broader disability equality issues.

3.16 For our 2008 revision of the scheme we wanted to build on the expertise of our staff disability network and reach a greater number of staff. We therefore used a questionnaire which we issued to all staff who had declared themselves to be disabled on our e-HR system. The questionnaire covered a range of issues related to the working environment and experiences of disabled staff, including future involvement, and the responses will be analysed and appropriate action taken.

Existing relationships which shape policy

3.17 The Scottish Government has, for many years, been working with disabled people across directorates and agencies to help to inform policy. Examples include Fair for All: Disability (which informed health policy) and the disabled students stakeholders group. There are many other groups, structures and relationships and some of these are mentioned in the action plans later in this document.

The outcome of involvement - influencing the scheme

3.18 The Scottish Government recognises the importance of responding to disabled people's views. In developing our scheme, we used the outcome of our engagement with disabled people to influence the style, structure and content of the scheme and, crucially, to shape priorities for action.

Strategic Disability Working Group

3.19 The disability working group has directly shaped Scottish Government policy making. The group made recommendations for action to help to deliver the disability equality duty and the Scottish Government will fund this activity over the life of the current scheme (2008-2011). The Scottish Government's full response to the group's report was published alongside the report in November 2006.

Work with national grassroots disability organisations

3.20 We worked with national grassroots disability organisations to run our 'Get Involved' events in autumn 2006 and March 2007. Reports of the issues raised at these events were issued to Scottish Government directorates and agencies along with guidance on developing their action plans. Directorates and agencies were asked to use this material to help them identify policy priorities. The outcome of this is reflected in the action plans which include activity prioritised by disabled people.

3.21 Disabled people attending the 'Get Involved' events also identified a range of strategic priorities which would be essential for an effective delivery of the disability equality scheme. These priorities are very similar to some of those identified by the disability working group.

3.22 These strategic priorities identified by disabled people include:

• Disability Equality Training
• Accessible Communication
• Awareness, Media and Imagery

3.23 The Scottish Government will deliver a programme of work over the next 3 years in relation to each of these.

Action on strategic priorities identified by disabled people

Work with disabled staff

3.24 In developing the scheme, the issues raised by disabled staff centre around three areas: the working environment; promoting positive attitudes and being involved in HR decision making. We have considered all of the individual points raised and it was good to note that many of the specific points raised had already been actioned by the Scottish Government, or were in hand, although, clearly, there was still more work to be done.

3.25 Changes had already been made to the reasonable adjustment process and to the physical environment, including facilities for breaks from the work area, which are provided in most buildings. Further work is continuing to ensure that all of our IT systems are compatible with the assistive technology used by staff and increasing numbers of staff have been provided with equipment to allow them to carry out their duties effectively. A dedicated diversity trainer has been appointed and we are continuing to raise awareness of flexible working opportunities through a variety of mechanisms..

3.26 A programme of internal outreach and awareness raising is ongoing and some information has already been provided to staff on specific disabilities, both through lunchtime seminars and our diversity intranet pages. This work will continue and ongoing engagement will take place with disabled staff to ensure that that we are providing the information and advice that they require. We will also continue to use Saltire as our main method of communication with staff through a range of articles and features. A number of specific issues highlighted by individual staff members still require to be addressed and we will progress these as quickly as we are able. .

3.27 Since its inception, the Scottish Government's Diversity Team has had a mutually beneficial relationship with the staff Disability Network and its members. The Network has acted as a sounding board for a range of HR policies, influencing both the content of the policies and providing inspiration for future action areas. This role has both directly and indirectly influenced the scheme, in setting past priorities and in highlighting those that still need to be addressed. Steps have now been taken to ensure that all of our under-represented groups, including disabled staff, are actively included in our HR policy review process. We also have an external disabled person with a significant depth of experience in disability issues as a member of our Diversity Forum to bring an additional perspective to the Scottish Government's diversity agenda and have developed closer links with the Civil Service Disability Network and Diversity Practitioners' Network to share best practice.

Existing relationships which shape policy

3.28 Many directorates and agencies have existing relationships with disabled people through advisory groups, committees and events. Some of these relationships have helped to shape the content of the disability equality scheme. For example, Fair for All - Disability, the Health directorates' strategic partnership with the Disability Rights Commission ( DRC), has worked with disabled people and NHS staff to develop a shared vision that improved access to health provision for disabled people cannot be led by legislation alone. This work has shaped the Health directorates' contributions to the disability equality scheme.

Reviewing involvement and moving forward

3.29 Involvement means more than consultation. It means taking a new approach that reflects disabled people's priorities in setting agendas. If involvement is meaningful it will empower disabled people and policy makers alike. While we have made a good start, we recognise that our approach has not delivered effective and meaningful involvement in a consistent way to inform all directorate and other actions plans.

3.30 We will develop the involvement of disabled people during the life of the scheme by:

• Supporting disability-led organisations

3.31 We already support a number of national disability-led organisations such as Inclusion Scotland, the Scottish Disability Equality Forum, the Scottish Council on Deafness and the Communication Forum Scotland, to help develop the capacity of their members to engage with the Scottish Government and other public bodies. We are keen to look at ways that we can further support disabled people and their organisations so that they can engage effectively with us.

• working with the British Sign Language ( BSL) and Linguistic Access Working Group

3.32 Our BSL and Linguistic Access Working Group has been meeting since 2000 and is now supported by a BSL and Linguistic Access project manager, based in the Equality Unit. The project manager we have appointed has extensive experience in the deaf field and is responsible for driving the work of the group forward, including delivering a 'roadmap' for improving linguistic access across the Scottish Government by summer 2007. The group is made up of organisations representing Deaf BSL users, as well as people who are hard of hearing, deafened and deafblind, many of whom do not sign but who use other forms of communication.

• supporting involvement of disabled people in the work of Scottish Government directorates and agencies

3.33 The Equality Unit is looking at different ways to support directorates and agencies to involve disabled people in their work. And we have identified the need to ensure that the effective involvement of disabled people and other equality groups is strengthened and maintained in the long term.

Action to develop the involvement of disabled people during the life span of the scheme.

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