sharonash Posted February 13, 2006 Posted February 13, 2006 Hi Only the second time I've used this forum to post= still really scary! I have applied for some Surestart funding and have been asked to provide an accessibility policy? I have an equal opps one which covers certain points but they say this isnt sufficient, has anyone got one or can help me?
Sue R Posted February 13, 2006 Posted February 13, 2006 Hi Sharon - Must admit my response would have been Inclusion policy. have they given you any pointers? Sue
Gezabel Posted February 13, 2006 Posted February 13, 2006 Hi I would have thought inclusion/equal ops would have covered it too! Maybe they want to see how you provide access to the curriculum for all children regardless of ethnicity, religious beliefs etc etc , what community your setting serves, and the physical accessibility of the builiding and equipment. We had to ensure pathways were wide enough to be suitable for wheelchairs and also had to make internal alterations to some doorframes, toilets etc. Sorry this is probably not alot of good especially as all the things I mention are in our equal ops and inclusion policies I will ask at work tomorrow and see if anyone has other ideas. I have done a google search but just came up with how various companies make their websites accessible to people who are deaf or partially sighted.
Alison Posted February 13, 2006 Posted February 13, 2006 Ive been working on my QA portfolio this week and that asks for an accessibility policy which I had never heard of either i have quoted my SEN policy which has a statement about physical access to the setting and activities and then I have added an extra paragraph explaining that activities are accessible to all ages and abilities and sizes (we have children from 2-5) other than that I dont know what else they may mean . .ummmm . ....unless its accessibility regarding security or emergencies?? (dont know!?!?!)
Guest Posted February 14, 2006 Posted February 14, 2006 Hi, I'm the SENCO at my school and the head and I are planning on writing an accessibility policy in the next wk or so. Basically they outline the physical access to the school/how would a physically disabled child manage at the school. Examples to think about are desk heights/is there access for all in ICT suite/toilets etc. Are all children able to access resources provided in order to receive the best education possible. Bit vague I know, we are going on a course about it so if I get any hot tips I'll let you know! Emma
sharonash Posted February 22, 2006 Author Posted February 22, 2006 Thanks for your responses I have been away and mailed our early years co-ordinator guess what she doesnt know either! I think i will include everything mentioned just to cover myself Bye for now
Guest Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 Just doing a search and bringing this thread back up for discussion. My Area Senco advised me today that we must have an accessibility plan by the end of the year, its statutory. Anyone else heard this and do any of you want to share to help me pull one together? I realise these have to be very individual to settings. Thanks in advance
Guest Posted November 7, 2008 Posted November 7, 2008 Just doing a search and bringing this thread back up for discussion. My Area Senco advised me today that we must have an accessibility plan by the end of the year, its statutory. Anyone else heard this and do any of you want to share to help me pull one together? I realise these have to be very individual to settings.Thanks in advance My question would be if it's statutory to 'have a plan' would it also then become statutory to carry out the plan. If I was still in my setting the accessibility plan would be to provide disabled toilets, but not being the landlord, I couldn't guarantee the plan would be met. Would I then be liable for not carrying out the statutory plan? and if the carrying out of the plan is not a statutory requirement, why write the plan in the first place Peggy
HappyMaz Posted November 7, 2008 Posted November 7, 2008 and if the carrying out of the plan is not a statutory requirement, why write the plan in the first place Yes, it is statutory to have a plan, I believe. However I think the legislation talks about 'reasonable adjustments' and it would be argued by the landlord that it is not reasonable to install an accessible toilet just in case a visitor might be a wheelchair user. That said, if the landlord were to plan and extension then he would be expected to conform to the legislation: so installing ramps, lifts for whatever other measures were necessary to improve access for disabled visitors/hall users would be a requirement. Your accessibility plan would be individual to your setting and would need to identify how you facilitate accessibility for users with various disabilities, within the context of your setting and its constraints. As the hirer of the building you couldn't be held responsible for the lack of facilities - however you must make clear in any literature about your group that these lack of facilties exist: such as your pre-school being upstairs and there being no lift etc Maz
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