Schedule 10
Equality Bill
7:15 pm
Vera Baird (Solicitor General, Attorney General's Office; Redcar, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman is clear. The development and implementation of an accessibility plan will give a more proactive and strategic approach to facilitating education for disabled pupils and improving the physical environment. Schools and authorities will be able to plan ahead and anticipate a range of disabled pupils’ issues and needs in order to have facilities in place, instead of having to react to one individual situation at a time.
Schools will have to have considered the need for auxiliary aids and services for disabled pupils as part of their responsibilities under the duty. In addition, it is likely that an individual disabled child who required auxiliary aids would fall within the definition of special educational needs, so the aids would be provided under that regime. We think that it is probably covered more effectively there.