Disability Action Plan 2022-2027
A series of cross-functional, new and unique actions for the period 2022-2027.
Page content
Disability Action Plan
Under Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, as amended, the University is required to have due regard to the need to:
- promote positive attitudes towards disabled people
- encourage participation by disabled people in university/public life
In addition, Section 49B of this Act places a duty on the University to prepare a plan outlining how it proposes to fulfil the Section 49A duty outlined above.
Following public consultation, the University has approved a final Disability Action Plan for the 2022-2027 period.
Developing the Plan
How did we develop our Disability Action Plan?
Our starting point in developing the Disability Action Plan 2022-27 was to look at everything we had done to make a difference for people who have a disability.
- We looked at what we said we would do in our previous Disability Action Plan, to see if we achieved what we set out to do. This is detailed in a comprehensive Effectiveness Review of the University's Disability Action Plan (2019-2022).
- We engaged with key stakeholders, including the University's Staff Disability Network.
- The feedback from Staff Surveys for Academic Staff and Professional and Support Services was also used to develop and inform actions.
- We looked at the Disability Action Plans of other organisations in the public sector, to find out what they are doing to help people with disabilities, and through engagement we shared ideas and good practice.
- We also read the guidance from the Equality Commission on what should be in a Disability Action Plan.
Public consultation
A public consultation on our draft Disability Action Plan 2022-25 was launched on 21 September 2022. The consultation lasted for 12 weeks, closing on 16 December 2022.
We published the draft Disability Action Plan 2022-25 on our website, and we let people know about the consultation by posting on social media and by emailing all our equality and disability contacts, including disability organisations, political parties, Trade Unions and community organisations. A reminder was emailed to all our contacts on 16 November 2022.
Ulster University staff and students were informed through a global email at the beginning of the consultation, with a reminder 4 weeks before the consultation closed.
At the end of the consultation period, we reviewed all of the responses received during the consultation period and, where appropriate, we made any necessary changes to our Plan. This is included in the summary feedback, Consultation Comments and Responses Table.
