Annual Report 2005 - The National Disability Authority
Annual Report 2005 - The National Disability Authority
Annual Report 2005 - The National Disability Authority
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Disability</strong> <strong>Authority</strong><br />
commitment to disability equality, training is the first step in the process. Such training<br />
allows staff to explore their role and the role of all stakeholders in creating a more<br />
accessible environment for all. <strong>The</strong> Guidelines have been widely disseminated to<br />
public bodies and ongoing support and guidance has been provided to access officers,<br />
disability liaison officers and other human resource personnel throughout the public<br />
service.<br />
Objective 2.2<br />
To work in partnership with the Department of<br />
Justice, Equality and Law Reform to monitor,<br />
guide and audit progress<br />
Under Part 5 of the <strong>Disability</strong> Act <strong>2005</strong>, the NDA has been assigned a new role in<br />
monitoring the employment target of persons with a disability for the public service.<br />
<strong>The</strong> NDA and the Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform initiated preliminary<br />
work in relation to this responsibility.<br />
Objective 2.3<br />
To award an accessibility symbol to compliant<br />
public services<br />
After significant preparatory work throughout 2004, the NDA’s accessibility award<br />
scheme became a reality during <strong>2005</strong>. It is hoped that the awards scheme will have<br />
a significant impact on improving and maximising accessibility in public services for<br />
persons with disabilities.<br />
Excellence Through Accessibility Award<br />
<strong>The</strong> Excellence Through Accessibility award scheme was formally launched by President<br />
McAleese on 5th October <strong>2005</strong>. <strong>The</strong> aim of the Award is to acknowledge and accredit<br />
those Government Departments and public bodies that have taken steps to make<br />
their services accessible to people with disabilities. <strong>The</strong> award scheme addresses<br />
three dimensions of accessibility: the built environment, accessibility of Information and<br />
Communications Technology; and accessibility of customer services initiatives, including<br />
provision of information in accessible formats.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first assessments for the Excellence Through Accessibility award were completed<br />
in December <strong>2005</strong>, and successful applicants will receive their awards during 2006.<br />
In addition to the promotion of the Excellence Through Accessibility award, the staff<br />
in this area provide ongoing advice and guidance to public bodies to support them<br />
in making improvements to the accessibility of their services. Through site visits and<br />
production of guidance documents, the accessibility co-ordinators offered strategic<br />
guidance to improve planning processes to maximise accessibility, and practical guidance<br />
to overcome the operational challenges in improving accessibility.<br />
40