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Parliamentary News Release

 

13 November 2003
 

PARLIAMENT AWARDED DISABILITY SYMBOL
 

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has been awarded the Disability Symbol by Jobcentre Plus.

The SPCB received the Symbol in recognition of its work in meeting five commitments regarding the recruitment, employment, retention and career development of disabled people.

Presiding Officer George Reid, who also chairs the SPCB, said of the award:

“This award recognises the efforts we have made to ensure that our employment practices and policies are non-discriminatory and fully inclusive.

“Accessibility is one of our founding principles and I want the Scottish Parliament as both an employer and an institution to be fully open and welcoming to all. We are firmly committed, for example, to making adjustments to meet the needs of disabled job applicants and staff and we are also keen to encourage disabled people to apply for positions at all levels within our organisation. The Corporate Body as the employer of Parliament’s staff will do all that it can to follow best practice.”

Background Notes

Job vacancies at the Scottish Parliament are advertised on the Parliament’s website at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/corporate/recruitment/index.htm

The Scottish Parliament recently organised its own Disability Awareness Week to raise awareness of disability access issues. Events included a series of workshops for MSPs and parliamentary staff, examining how the Disability Discrimination Act impacts upon their work and legal responsibilities.

All areas of the new Parliament building at Holyrood will be accessible to disabled people. Every element within the building has been considered from an access perspective, including the specifications for furniture, the height of surfaces in catering areas and the design of security screening equipment.

Features in the new Parliament building, which is expected to be completed by July 2004, include:

  • a guarantee that carpets will have a short, dense pile to assist wheelchair users
  • the provision of “mega-loos” with space for an assistant and a changing bench
  • infra-red and induction loop sound enhancement systems available for use in all the working areas of the Parliament
  • six accessible parking spaces for disabled people in the Parliament’s secure car parking area for use by staff and members, as well as six similar parking bays on Horse Wynd for use by visitors to the Parliament
  • lifts from the visitors’ gallery to ensure that disabled visitors can be evacuated safely and quickly should the need arise

George Reid has edited the World Disability Report for international disability and UN organisations, has worked as a consultant for the World Blind Union, and has helped establish prosthesis centres for landmine victims in nine countries. Currently, he is patron of the Scottish Disability Equality Forum.

The year 2003 is European Year for Disabled People (EYDP).

A number of related news releases are also available on our website. These are:

For further information, the media contact is:

Andrew Proudfoot: 0131 348 6245
email: andrew.proudfoot@scottish.parliament.uk

For public information enquiries, contact: 0131 34 85000

For general enquiries, contact: 0845 278 1999 (local call rate)
Text phone: 0131 348 3415 RNID Typetalk calls welcome on 018001
email: sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
Visit our website at: www.scottish.parliament.uk

 
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