Helping you promote disability equality and meet your legal obligations

The Equality Unit's consultancy service can assist you with any issue relating to disability equality including:

• Complying with the Disability Equality Duty

• Involving disabled people in your Disability Equality Scheme work

• Making policies inclusive

• Mainstreaming disability equality throughout your organisation's policies and practices

• Using positive language throughout your organisation's documents

• Holding disability open days to raise awareness amongst staff.



Capability Scotland has been working with the Scottish Prison
Service (SPS).  Equality Unit  Manager, Elspeth Molony is pictured above
left with Robert Hastings (centre) of the SPS and Richard Hamer, Capability's
Director of Policy and Communications.

Case study – the Scottish Prison Service

The Equality Unit is working with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to develop two new publications which offer guidance to staff, prisoners and visitors on how to communicate effectively and appropriately with disabled people.

The publications, Plain Talking, and a Handy Hints guide, were launched at Glenochil Prison, near Alloa on 20 May 2008.

‘Plain Talking’ is a poster which details the terminology that disabled people do and don’t find offensive.  The poster, which will be displayed prominently in all Scottish prisons, highlights some commonly used expressions that discriminate against disabled people and suggests alternative words and phrases that disabled people would prefer to be used instead.

We also developed a range of Handy Hints cards which have been designed to help prison staff meet the needs of disabled prisoners and visitors.  These cards clarify some of the myths around disability and provide practical tips on how to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Speaking at the launch, Richard Hamer, Director of Policy and Communications at Capability Scotland, said:

“We are delighted that the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has worked with the Equality Unit to produce these user friendly publications which are not about political correctness but about making people more confident in interacting with disabled people.

“I commend the SPS for its efforts to give effective guidance to prison officers in dealing with disabled prisoners and visitors.”

Rob Hastings, the Scottish Prison Service’s Equality and Diversity Manager, added:

“The Scottish Prison Service is committed to treating everyone we deal with respect and an understanding of their individual needs.

“Capability Scotland has been extremely helpful in putting these publications together and they will be used throughout our establishments.  They have also been taken up by other authorities in the justice network who recognise the important messages they contain about communicating effectively and fairly with disabled people.”

For more information please contact Elspeth Molony or complete the form on the main Equality Unit page.