Reasonable Adjustments Project (RAP)- Now available free to schools as part of 'Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in Schools and Early Years Settings'

Background

This project was jointly funded by the Department for Education and Skills and the Disability Rights Commission and was developed on our behalf by Disability Equality in Education [DEE]. The aim of the project is to promote good practice in making reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils.

From September 2002, amendments to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) by the SEN and Disability Act 2001 have placed new duties on schools not to treat disabled pupils less favourably, without justification, than their non-disabled peers; and to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled pupils are not put at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with non-disabled pupils.

Key objectives for the Project

· to promote a better understanding of the DDA discrimination duties by identifying good practice

· to support the development of policies and processes to enable reasonable adjustments to be made effectively, meeting the requirements of the Discrimination Duties

· to disseminate examples of good practice

What counts as a ‘Reasonable Adjustment’?

What counts as a reasonable adjustment will vary across different situations. A case should be judged by its own individual merits. The DRC Code of Practice gives examples of Reasonable Adjustments, namely:-

• A school reviews its policies on the administration of medicines and, with assurances that staff are indemnified by the education authority’s insurance policy, subsequently allows staff to volunteer to administer medicines;
• A school reviews its policy on bullying to ensure that it addresses bullying linked to disability.

More examples of reasonable adjustments from the Disability Rights Commission’s Code of Practice for Schools can be found at www.teachernet.gov.uk/accessibleschools

Schools should consider steps that they could take and then decide if it is reasonable for them to take them. Factors of reasonableness include cost, practicability, health and safety, the maintenance of academic standards, and the impact on other pupils.

[N.B. Schools are not required to provide auxiliary aids and services to meet the DDA discrimination duties since these will be made through the SEN framework; changes in the physical features of the school will be achieved over time through the implementation of the DDA planning duties.]

RAP in more detail

This was a 2 year project running from 01 April 2003 to 31 March 2005. DEE was been commissioned to produce a good practice guide and DVD, now available from the Department, to help schools to include disabled pupils.

Reasonable adjustments can take many forms. DEE asked schools in England to nominate examples of good practice of reasonable adjustments they have made for disabled pupils. DEE wished to know about ways in which schools have been making reasonable adjustments; at whole school policy and procedure level, and in practice, for particular pupils with a range and severity of impairments. The project was keen to identify mainstream schools which have just started including disabled pupils as well as those who have had much experience in this. Examples of good practice of outreach work from special schools was also be collected.

The examples provided were measured against developed criteria and are used as exemplars in the final good practice guide. Additionally, these examples helped DEE to identify schools in which to film good examples of reasonable adjustments.

The project was coordinated with another Department for Education and Skills funded project, the Accessibility Planning Project which is supporting LEAs in the development of their Accessibility Strategies.

‘Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in Schools and Early Years Settings‘

'Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in Schools and Early Years Settings' contains 3 DVD's researched, filmed and compiled by DEE with hundreds of examples of reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils in 41 schools.The DVD's include:

• Training and development materials
  Resources to support training and development work: suggested training sessions, PowerPoint presentations, briefings, questions and checklists

• Resources
  A list of resources relevant to Reasonable Adjustments. Each item on the lists links you to more information

• Background to the Reasonable Adjustments Project
  The background of the project including the framework for the project and how schools were approached and selected for participation in the project

• Reasonable Adjustments: the text
  Different versions of the text of Reasonable Adjustments

The resource pack ‘Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings' also contains sections on:

• Duties and definitions
  This section provides a guide to the duties in the DDA. This includes an account of how the DDA duties fit with the SEN duties and the panning duties and it provides more detail on the definition of disability used in the DDA.

• Making reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils
  This section illustrates the process of making reasonable adjustments. The main resource is the set of DVDs, filmed by DEE in schools across the country.

• Improving access for disabled pupils: school plans
  This section and the supporting materials are designed to support schools in reviewing and developing their accessibility plan.

• Improving access for disabled pupils: LEA strategies
  This section and the supporting materials are designed to support local authorities in reviewing and developing their accessibility strategy.

• Improving access for disabled children: early years
  This section and the supporting materials are designed to support early years settings and local authorities in developing a strategic approach to increasing access for young disabled children. It outlines how the DDA applies to school and non-school settings.

• A further section: Promoting Disability Equality in Schools will be added at a later date.
  The DDA 2005 places a duty on all public bodies to promote disability equality. Regulations place specific duties on schools and local authorities requiring, in particular, a disability equality scheme to support the implementation of the disability equality duties. The new section will provide guidance on the 2005 duties. The Disability Rights Commission is providing this guidance.

Copies of ‘Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings' are free for schools in England and can be obtained from:

DfES Publications
PO Box 5050
Sherwood Park
Annesley
Nottingham
NG15 0DJ

Tel: 0845 60 222 60
Fax: 0845 60 333 60
Textphone: 0845 60 555 60

Please quote ref 0160-2006DOC-EN

Disability Equality in Education can provide training on using these materials. For training enquiries please call 020 7359 2855.

Go back to homepage