Equal opportunities

Involving Medway residents

Medway Council knows the value of involving disabled effectively. Many disabled people have an interest in what the council does, even if it does not seem immediately obvious. It will therefore take particular care to involve a wide range of disabled people in it's priorities for action.

The council involved a number of residents’ consultation groups and community partners in a discussions, events and surveys to inform the development of the Disability Equality Scheme and provide the platform for future consultation and research:

What disabled people have told the council

This is a summary of the main findings and themes from all the consultation activity. More detail from each strand of consultation can be found in the appendices to the Scheme.

Customer service and communication

• Better information on services for people with all disabilities and their carers across all agencies.
• One stop telephone contact for queries on services for people with a disability and a need for help from more than one agency.
• Disability awareness training for staff.
• Improvements to the internal design of council public areas, using the expertise of disabled people.
• The relaxation of rules, for example not asking disabled people to put their rubbish at at the boundary of their property.
• Involving disabled people more in giving feedback and helping to design services and monitor achievement.

Benefits and work

• More proactive and targeted benefits advice.
• More flexibility on people moving between periods of working and claiming benefits, particularly if they have a learning disability.
• Specialist benefits advice for people with learning disabilities.
• More job training courses and supported employment for people with learning disabilities.

Education and learning

• Schools to provide disability awareness training for pupils.
• Improved physical access to facilities.
• Courses for people with complex learning disability.

Leisure and things to do

• More play equipment suitable for children with disabilities and more seating at different levels in playgrounds.
• Aids and adaptations at leisure centres, so disabled people can use facilities.
• A review of paths at parks and open spaces to minimise uneven surfaces.
• Linking up accessible transport to places that people want visit: e.g. green spaces, cinemas and leisure centres.

Home, health and personal care

• More flexible home care.
• Better support for disabled children and their families.
• Better support for carers, in particular from ethnic minority communities.
• Providing a percentage of homes for people with additional needs when planning new housing.
• Support and advice for disabled people to get the housing they need.
• More direct payments for personal care, with clear information.

Out and about in Medway

• More parking bays for blue badge holders and better enforcement.
• Speedier responses to requests for pavement repairs and more rigorous continuous monitoring of the need for repairs.
• More dropped kerbs to provide access at bus stops.
• Safety on public transport and zero tolerance of bullying on buses and trains.

Medway Council as a community leader

• Raising awareness amongst local businesses and the council's partners of their disability duties and best practice and enforcinf these where possible.
• Helping to lobby public transport providers to improve access to buses, stations and trains.

Action plan

The full action plan can be found in Appendix One of the Scheme. This outlines how the council will tackle the priorities for action identified through its consultation work with disabled people.

Monitoring and review system for the action plan

The council will publish an annual update of the scheme and report on the monitoring of targets and local indicators set out in the action plan. Additionally, the council will continue to work in a variety of ways with disabled service users and staff to ensure it is meeting its duty to promote disability equality.

Complaints

The council will do its best to meet its duties to promote disability equality and is fully committed to implementing the actions set out in the Disability Equality Scheme. However, it is recognised that, from time to time, the council will not get things right or that people may be dissatisfied with the way services are delivered. The council is therefore committed to ensuring that people know that they have the right to complain and are given information about how to do this.

The council complaints procedure

The council's complaints procedure allows service users to make complaints and suggestions about any aspect of the council’s services or policies.

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