Disability
Equality Act definition of disability: a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
- substantial’ is more than minor or trivial, e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed
- ‘long-term’ means 12 months or more, e.g. a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection
Recurring and fluctuating conditions are covered if they recur in the long-term (as above).
People often think of a disability as being physical and obvious in appearance. However, most impairments are not visible.
Only a few illnesses (cancer, HIV infection and multiple sclerosis) are covered by the Equality Act from the point of diagnosis. Generally, it is the effect of the illness / impairment on the individual that covers them under the Equality Act.
Impairments include sensory impairments (e.g. sight or hearing), recurrent or long-term mental health conditions, a condition affecting mobility, a severe disfigurement, recurrent or long-term health condition / illness, a social/communication impairment, a specific learning disability or a general learning disability.
Over 17% of working age people in the UK have disabilities. Most disabilities develop in adulthood (only around 6% of children have disabilities).
When people develop a disability they may need support at work, including reasonable adjustments, to reduce disadvantage that they might otherwise arise. Likewise, job applicants who have disabilities may require reasonable adjustments to the interview process.
University Activity
We aim to make the campus an accessible learning environment for all. Working with individuals who have declared a disability to ensure that they are supported across all aspects of University life.
The University has a range of accessible facilities, including Conference Centres, and Sports Centres. The University is currently assessing the impact of all policies and practices at the University, on a range of equality issues, including disability. Details of these Equality Impact Assessments will be published shortly.
The University has a range of accessible facilities across campus, and works proactively to anticipate needs and identify accessibility issues. For further information on accessible routes, disabled parking, or accessible washroom facilities on campus please contact the Estate and Campus Services directorate. An accessible route of campus can be found on this .
Disability Confident
Launched in July 2016, the Disability Confident scheme replaces and builds upon the work of the Two Ticks Symbol scheme. The Disability Confident scheme aims to help organisations successfully employ and retain disabled people and those with health conditions.
Keele University is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to supporting staff with a disability or long term health condition and has commits to:
- Anticipate and provide reasonable adjustments as required for disabled people when applying for and doing their jobs, and
- Support any existing employee who acquires a disability or long term health condition, enabling them to stay in work.
Keele Communities Together
Led by our staff and students Keele Communities Together aims to bring people together through a series of events with a common aim of promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion, throughout the Keele community. For further information on the latest events visit the Keele Communities Together web pages.
The Staff Disability Forum
The University aims to provide a safe and supportive forum for disabled staff and agencies to come together to share ideas and support the development of University activity around disability equality.
For advice on support available for disabled staff at Keele please look at our section on reasonable adjustments.
Useful Websites
