The Commission for Disabled Staff in Lifelong Learning, in celebrating equality and diversity, aimed to investigate and report on current practices in the employment of disabled people in order to make recommendations that positively influence culture and practice and promote career opportunities for disabled people.
The Commission was an independent body.
Its final and summary reports produced findings and recommendations for the government, unions, lifelong learning employers and staff, and a variety of other ‘stakeholders’.
Outcome
The Final Report of the Commission for Disabled Staff in Lifelong Learning is called From Compliance to Culture Change
Disabled staff working in lifelong learning.
The Commission was established in March 2007 to investigate and report on current practices in the employment of disabled people in the lifelong learning sector and to make recommendations for improvement.
The report’s 160 pages set out the major challenges to achieving real inclusion for disabled staff. Citing and quoting a deeply impressive body of evidence, it finds no grounds for complacency: there is a clear problem about the under-representation of disabled staff in lifelong learning, and little evidence of organisations adopting a strategic approach to current and future disabled staff.
All this points to a systemic failure to address the issue seriously, leading to widespread institutional discrimination against disabled staff. The report explains authoritatively and in depth why this should be so and identifies the main issues that need to be addressed to change this situation. Every organisation involved in lifelong learning, and every individual with an interest in the needs of disabled staff, will find this report essential reading.
