Foreword by the Information Commissioner

Equality of access, opportunity and outcome is fundamental to a just and fair society, and to the wellbeing of individuals and communities.

We all want to live in communities where we can fully participate, and we want to be able to use public services and not be excluded or treated less favourably. We know that for many disabled people this hasn’t yet happened.

The disability equality duty requires us to be proactive in our approach to achieving equality for disabled people. It is not just about changing our buildings or making adjustments for individuals, it is about embedding and weaving equality for disabled people into the fabric of what we do.

It includes involving disabled people and disability equality in our policies, procedures and practices, in our way of thinking, our decisions and the outcomes of what we do. It is about planning for equality at the beginning, not bolting it on at the end.

I am delighted to show our commitment to achieving equality for disabled people through this first Disability Equality Scheme. We are not pretending that it will not be a challenge for us, or that we will get it right first time. We acknowledge that we did not meet the original timescale required for publishing schemes; however, we have chosen to follow the guidance in full and to undertake proper consultation on our scheme rather than rushing it through.

We are committed to doing this well, and to do so we shall work in partnership with our disabled staff and service users, their representatives, our partners and contracting organisations, and the wider community.

This document will show you what the ICO has achieved already, and what we are proposing to do. Above all else, it shows our first steps on the pathway to becoming a beacon of good practice in respect of achieving equality for disabled people.

Richard Thomas