With apologies for cross posting
Dear colleagues
Happy new year to you all.
Im pleased to say that we have just circulated to the sector copies of our latest Briefing Paper Promoting Equality; the positive duty on disability - suggested first steps for HEIs. One copy has gone to the head of each HEI and three copies to our named contact with the suggestion that a copy be passed on to the Director of Human Resources, the Disability Officer and the head of Staff Development. We do hope you find this initial briefing paper useful. Thanks again to all those of you who assisted us with this document. We are getting quite a lot of requests for additional copies of the paper which is a good sign. If any of you want additional copies then do email us at [log in to unmask]
Throughout this coming year we will issue (in consultation with other relevant bodies like NDT) further practical guidance on the new duty as our own understanding of what is involved in meeting it becomes clearer. The DRC's own draft Code of Practice on the new duty will be published towards the end of this month, January - watch our website for further news on that. The publication of the draft Code will be followed more or less immediately by a series of open consultation events round the UK on the draft Code - these will be organised by the DRC and held between late Feb and Easter this year. We would encourage HEIs to attend. Again watch the ECU website for news of arrangements for these events at the end of this month.
Its maybe worth clarifying one potentially confusing statement in our Briefing Paper re timetables. The DRC hopes to publish the final version of the Code (in the form that is submitted to government) on its website from July 05 onwards; however it is still subject to change at that point and it will be late October/early November before the final government approved and accepted version appears on the DRC website. The official publication date for the final version of the Code remains the very end of 05/beginning of 06.
We would be very interested to hear from any HEIs that are taking any initiatives, however modest or small scale, in response to this new duty. We are also keen to help with advice or information regarding the new duty. Meantime you might be interested to note that the Employers Forum on Disability is planning a number of seminars throughout the year on championing disability and promoting organisational change. You may want to contact them for further details. We will flag up these events on the ECU website too in the next few days.
Finally, just to let you know that early next week we will produce a short ECU Update on those parts of the Disability Discrimination Bill that are not to do with the new duty but are of relevance to the sector. Again, watch the ECU website for this.
With good wishes to all for 2005
Liz Sutherland and Chrissie Pepper
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