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8 CONSULTATION AND INVOLVEMENT
8.1 A distinction may be drawn between short-term consultation, whereby disabled people are asked to contribute their ideas via events, surveys or other mechanisms. Involvement implies a longer-term input of ideas or opinions, and an involvement in monitoring outcomes.
8.2 Many of the public authorities recognised that contact with disabled groups is useful and helps to build sustainable and fruitful relationships with disabled people both as an employer and as a service provider. A substantial number of the public authorities included a list of consultees as part of their Scheme ( e.g. Renfrewshire Licensing Board). None of the public authorities provided information relating to membership of working groups or staff fora by people with specific impairment.
8.3 Many public authorities commissioned external contractors to hold some form of public consultation event but few noted reporting back to participants the outcomes of the event. A notable exception to this was the multi-agency Highland Well-being Alliance, involving a range of justice, health and other agencies, which held a number of events to create a dialogue with communities. Two of the justice public authorities involved have also instigated actions to report back again to participants on progress on the disability equality scheme and the event recommendations.
8.4 Some public authorities specified questions to be used at the consultation meetings; others provided a draft of the disability equality scheme for consultation. Of those which provided questions, it is possible in some instances that the questions may have limited what the consultees would be able to discuss, for example the Scottish Legal Aid Board provided participants with predefined suggestions for issues and asked them to prioritise these for action. While the use of questions helps to focus on an organisations areas of responsibility, it does not allow participants to raise other issues requiring action in relation to their operations.
8.5 One public authority specifically mentioned including questions on hate crime in its consultation. One police force had carried out a fear of crime survey with disabled people in 2007 but had received a low response which meant that no meaningful issues could be identified.
8.6 One public authority stated that it had reviewed best practice in involvement but then did not evidence utilising this in the creation of their disability equality scheme.
8.7 For those public authorities with internal advisory groups the focus of their work varies from advising on external work to internal operations such as employment.
8.8 Most public authorities which had a disabled staff forum, internal advisory group or similar body consulted them along with relevant trade unions.
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