Progress on disability equality

The DCMS has published a progress report on disability equality in all the areas covered by the department, including the arts. In the ‘Secretary of State Report on Disability Equality’ the DCMS’s Disability Reference Group draws attention to the importance of providing disability training for employees, increasing the number of disabled Board members and involving disabled people in decision-making at all levels. They add that senior management should take a leading role in addressing disability issues, and that ‘regular assessment and post-implementation evaluation’ is crucial in embedding disability policies. The report identifies a number of barriers to arts attendance and participation among disabled people, principally bad health and lack of interest. People with limiting disability or illness also look for facilities close to where they live and people to join them in participating. The report also revealed that “access (physical and attitudinal) to services provided by regularly funded organisations (RFOs) was also highlighted as a barrier to participation by the initial disability strategy reference group”. Future activity by Arts Council England (ACE) will include developing its Disability Equality Scheme, new research on issues facing disabled people and enforcing the requirement for RFOs to have disability equality action plans in place by 2010. ACE is also developing a Disability Arts Strategy and a Deaf Arts Strategy. Secretary of State, Andy Burnham, has written to organisations which took part in an Arts and Diversity seminar in January 2008 to find out what progress has been made in setting up a cultural diversity network which would, among other things, consider disability needs.