|
DISABILITY EQUALITY
SCHEME
Introduction
The architect Sir John Soane's house at No. 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields has been a public museum since the early 19th century. Soane demolished and rebuilt three houses on the north side of Lincoln's Inn Fields, beginning with No. 12 between 1792 and 1794, moving on to No. 13, re-built in two phases in 1807-9 and 1812, and concluding with No. 14, rebuilt in 1823-24. Throughout the period he also made continuous alterations, adding more objects to his arrangements and seeking always to enhance the poetic effects and picturesque qualities of the architectural setting. On his appointment as Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy in 1806 Soane 'began to arrange the Books, casts and models in order that the students might have the benefit of easy access to them' and proposed opening his house for the use of the Royal Academy students the day before and the day after each of his lectures. By 1827, when John Britton published the first description of the Museum, Soane's collection was being referred to as an 'Academy of Architecture'. In 1833 Soane negotiated an Act of Parliament to settle and preserve the house and collection for the benefit of 'amateurs and students' in architecture, painting and sculpture. On his death in 1837 the Act came into force, vesting the Museum in a board of Trustees who were to continue to uphold Soane's own aims and objectives (see below). A crucial part of their brief was to maintain the fabric of the Museum, keeping it 'as nearly as circumstances will admit' in the state in which it was left at the time of Soane's death in 1837 and to allow free access for students and the public to 'consult, inspect and benefit' from the collections.
The aims of the Trustees today embody Soane's general aims as defined in the 1833 Act and in the 1969 Order which superseded it. The principal aim of the Trustees is to maintain the integrity of Soane's vision for the Museum while extending this, where appropriate, so that the Museum can play an increasing role in the education and recreational life of the country. The Trustees' main objectives are as follows: 1. To maintain and improve the conservation and maintenance of our Grade I listed buildings and works of art so that they will be accessible to present and future generations. Soane's 1833 Act stipulated that his house and museum (No. 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields) should be kept 'as nearly as circumstances will admit' as it was in 1837. The Trustees' strategy must be to maintain the historic fabric of the three Soane houses in our care, Nos 12, 13 and 14 Lincoln's Inn Fields, and to restore objects and interiors to their Soane positions and appearance where this is possible. 2. To allow the public free access to the Museum and to introduce first-time visitors to the architecture, works of art and collections of the Museum and make these comprehensible and accessible. 3. To inspire creativity by means of an imaginative programme of exhibitions, talks and events (including those on contemporary architecture, art and design), so that the Soane remains a 'living' museum. 4. To provide opportunities for education and life-long learning in Architecture and the history of art in their broadest sense following Soane's intention to develop his House and Museum as 'an academy for the Study of Architecture'. 5. To enable the public to acquire a deeper knowledge of the Museum's collections of architectural drawings, books, models and works of art by means of exhibitions, catalogues and publications and through an increased use of information technology. 6. To manage the Museum's financial and administrative affairs effectively.
The Museum is currently in the process of restoring No.14 Lincoln's Inn Fields, which was acquired for the Museum ten years ago. The Museum gained possession of the building in 2003 and since then has been raising funds for its restoration as an annexe of the Museum. The No.14 Project includes the provision of a lift in the front area of No.12 Lincolns Inn Fields that will enable, for the first time, severely disabled people to enter the buildings without assistance. This will give access to the basement of all three buildings, including many historic areas, as well as the Children and Families Education facilities in the basement of No.14. Work on the restoration and conversion is now half-way complete, and the Museum will gain possession of No.14 in the Autumn of 2007.
The Soane Masterplan, currently in an advanced planning stage, is a phased programme of refurbishment and restoration that seeks to enable the Museum to make the best use of the three buildings that now comprise it. As well as restoring yet more of Soane's extraordinary house-museum, one of the main objectives of the Masterplan is to improve disabled access to the Museum. To this end a complete Disability Access Audit, covering all three buildings, has been commissioned which will determine the scope of what may be possible.
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 means that, from December 2006, all public bodies will have a duty to promote disability equality (similar to the duty to promote race equality under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000). It aims to change the way our laws work in this area, from responding to individual disabled people making a complaint, to expecting the public sector to be positive in removing barriers. The Act sets out what is known as the 'general duty', and that public authorities must, in carrying out their functions, have due regard to: (i) Promote equality of opportunity
between disabled persons and other persons. If a public authority does not comply with the general duty, its actions, or failure to act, can be challenged by means of a claim to the High Court for judicial review. A claim for judicial review could be made by a person or group of people with an interest in the matter, or by the Disability Rights Commission. The definition of disability is that used in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, and applies to a wide range of disabilities (from people with Alzheimer's and arthritis, to those with learning disabilities, diabetes, cancer etc.). It is essential that the Museum considers the impact of its decisions on the full range of disabled people. The purpose of the Disability Equality
Scheme and Disability Action Plan, is to help Sir John Soane's Museum
achieve equality in employment, service provision, access to premises
and education. The Scheme will set out our overall objectives for improving
and addressing disability inequalities, and our plans to deliver improvements
to access and services. It will help us achieve a number of goals : This document aims to show how, through changing attitudes, the development of partnerships, and increased expertise, the Museum can be proactive in recognising and removing the barriers which disabled people face in accessing the Museum and its collections.
The Museum's Access, Inclusion and Diversity
Strategy is threefold: The Museum commissioned a Disability Access Audit from David Bonnett Associates in the Summer of 2006 and awaits its recommendations.
Government figures estimate that in the United Kingdom there are approximately 11 million people (15% of the population) who may be considered disabled. A majority of this figure, 75%, are of pensionable age. At least one in four people in the UK have a disability or are close to someone who is disabled. By 2020 one third of the population may fall into this group. Disabled people are amongst the poorest people in society. Only 50% of disabled people of working age are in employment, compared to 87% of non-disabled people of working age. Of the present Soane Museum workforce, no employees identify themselves as disabled.
In recent years the Museum has consulted with individuals and organisations on making the Museum accessible to disabled people. Guidance was also gained from the Disability Framework by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Disability Portfolios published by the MLA. In accordance with these guidelines, the Museum has set up an internal Access Group. Its members are: The Director We also plan to invite representatives from external bodies - such as MENCAP, RADAR, RNIB and Age Concern - to assist us with our plans to improve the accessibility of the Museum. To aid the Museum to evaluate and assess policies, services and practices, the Museum will form a panel of users and non-users. This panel, the Visitor User Group, will consist of visitors who have a range of disabilities that can guide the Museum in its quest to becoming a more inclusive environment and service.
The aim of the Action Plan is to help the Museum achieve equality in all aspects of its work, by developing policies and practices which do not discriminate against disabled people. The document will set out a plan of action and achievable goals for a period of three years and be reviewed and updated accordingly. The Action Plan will be published in early 2007 and commence in April 2007. The Museum will demonstrate that it has taken the actions which we have committed it to through evidence gathering, including achieved outcomes and Impact Assessments. The Museum Access Group will report on progress every year in the Museum's Annual Report, and make appropriate revisions to the Action Plan at least once every three years. Impact Assessments are an essential tool for achieving disability equality, and are an important part of the Disability Equality Scheme. Within the Museum's Disability Equality Scheme the Museum will assess the impact and potential impact of policies on disabled people, as well as benefits to those at whom a policy or practice is aimed. Advice and guidance on how best to conduct an Impact Assessment will be taken from the Disability Rights Commission. Evidence gathering is part of the process of achieving greater equality for disabled people, treating employees, service users, and members of the community more fairly and with respect. Gathering evidence is both a specific requirement within the Disability Equality Scheme, and an indispensable prerequisite for complying with other aspects of the Duty. This information will allow the Museum
to: The Action Plan will be taken forward by the Access Group, who will take ownership of the Plan and work to implement it. The Access Group will work closely with the Visitor User Group, who will assist and advise it. Specific goals will be assessed in line with the recommendations of the Access Audit being carried out in 2006, and a review of visitor comment forms. The Soane Museum's Access Group will
publish an account of the progress of the Museum's Disability Equality
Scheme in the Museum's Annual Report, which will also be published on
the Museum website. It will also be made available, on request, in large
print or as an audio cassette. Current Provision The Soane Museum recognises the importance of promoting disability equality. Current provision for disabled people at the Museum is set out in the document, Access for People with Disabilities, which is posted on the Museum website, and is available on request in other media.
The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against an individual on any grounds related to disability, and gives disabled people rights in all areas of employment, namely: recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, transfer, training, promotion, dismissal and general treatment at work, including the right not to be harassed on the grounds of disability. In addition to making discrimination on grounds related to disability unlawful, the DDA 1995 places an obligation on the Museum to make reasonable adjustments to the working environment, working arrangements, working conditions and working practices in order to accommodate the needs and requirements of disabled employees and prospective employees. At present the Soane Museum has no registered disabled staff, and no staff who consider themselves disabled. The Museum has plans to participate in the Employer's Forum on Disability 'Disability Standard', to measure our organisational performance on disability in every aspect of our business.
The Soane Museum recognises that staff training is key to increasing awareness on disability and achieving improvements in service delivery. The Museum has begun a programme of training programmes including: (i) Disability and access awareness
- all staff, especially Front of House.
As a service provider, the Soane Museum must strive to provide equal access to disabled people by being proactive in making reasonable adjustments to services and premises. Guidance is set out in a Code of Practice - Rights of Access to Goods, Facilities, and Services and Premises - published by the Disability Rights Commission. In order to meet this standard, the Museum has incorporated, or is planning to incorporate, a range of practices to enhance provision for disabled people. The provisions cover specific areas such as: (i) Staff training The Museum has striven to meet the duties set out in the Code of Practice, with the following changes made so far: (i) Fire Pagers - available to visitors
with a hearing impairment.
The Disability Discrimination Act Part IV - Education, gives disabled people rights to equal provision to education and facilities. As a provider of educational courses and library and study facilities, the Museum will be taking appropriate steps to meet this provision. Development of the educational programme, with an emphasis on making it more inclusive, will be an important part of delivering service equality. To this end we have commissioned James Willis to address the provision of courses for disabled people and those with special learning needs in his report on Adult Education at the Soane Museum. We should also explore the provision of talks and workshops which are accessible to those with a hearing or visual impairment. Induction loop systems are being installed in the Education and Research Library facilities currently being created in No.14 Lincoln's Inn Fields.
The Museum currently occupies two Grade I listed historic buildings - Nos 12 and 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields - on a very constrained urban site in the heart of the West End of London. The buildings and their contents are of the highest cultural value, and any alteration or modification of the historic fabric - for whatever reason - has to be carefully justified, planned and implemented. Current accessibility for disabled people to these buildings - which is very limited - is set out in the document, Access for People with Disabilities, which is posted on the Soane Museum website, and is available on request in other media. However, the completion of the restoration of an adjoining Soane-designed building, No.14 Lincoln's Inn Fields, currently ongoing, will occur in the Autumn of 2007. This gives the Soane Museum the opportunity to make major improvements to its accessibility. The building works will include the provision of a scissor lift in the front area of No.12 Lincoln's Inn Fields. This will, for the first time, give severely disabled visitors - such as wheelchair users - access to the basement floor of all three buildings of the Museum, including such atmospheric areas as the Sepulchral Chamber, the Monk's Parlour, the Three Courtyards and Soane's Kitchens. The Children and Families Education facilities in the basement of No.14 Lincoln's Inn Fields will also be accessible, as will the new disabled lavatories. This is just the beginning of access improvements to the Soane Museum, as we are currently undertaking feasibility studies, funded by the Fidelity UK Foundation, to see how we can further improve access to the rest of the Museum and its facilities for disabled people, within the constraints of working with a Grade I listed historic building of unique character. Particular attention will be given to means of escape in case of emergency. Informing this work is the Disabled Access Audit currently being carried out by David Bonnett Associates on behalf of the Museum. Plans will be developed in consultation with the Access Group and the Visitor User Group, together with other relevant bodies. Subject to the constraints of working with a Grade I Listed historic building, all improvements must comply with: (i) Building Regulations - Part M -
2004 (approved Document): Means of Access for Disabled People.
A central purpose of Sir John Soane's Museum is to enable everyone to enjoy its collections. Actively promoting the collections to under-represented audiences, such as disabled people, will be a consideration in future - especially when the Museum has the facilities to welcome them appropriately. The Museum is arranged as it was in Soane's day, as a private house of a collector, largely without labels or interpretation. Visitors are encouraged to explore and experience Soane's unique creation without these distractions, although guidebooks and information are available, including in Braille and large print formats. Our well trained and knowledgeable Warders (who have been trained in disability awareness) are often the best way to find out about objects in the collection. They are encouraged to engage and share information with visitors. The Museum is currently exploring the provision of an introductory film and virtual tour of the Museum, accessible from an accessible point in the basement (with Induction loop equipment), and also via the Museum website. The Museum is currently exploring the provision of a range of audio guides and tours of the Museum, downloadable for free from our website on to personal Ipod and MP3 players. A tour of objects that may be touched has been devised and can be provided for blind or partially sighted visitors. The low lighting levels in many parts of the Museum is part of its historic character, additional lighting in the form of torches or additional overhead illumination can often be provided on request. The Soane Museum now pro-actively takes many of its educational programmes - particularly those for Children and Families which explore architectural concepts - out of the Museum as part of an outreach programme. We hope to extend this programme with the provision of classes targeted at people who are disabled or otherwise excluded from visiting the Museum.
A key factor of the Disability Equality Scheme is for the public authorities (Museum) to integrate procurement into everyday business. The Statutory Code of Practice published by the Disability Rights Commission states: 'Public authorities enter into large numbers of contracts with private and voluntary organisations for goods, works, services and staff. Sometimes the nature of the function, which is contracted out, will mean that the contractor is itself carrying out the public authority function. In such a case, the public authority will be responsible for meeting the duty in relation to the procurement process, and the monitoring of the contract. The contractor itself will be bound by the general duty in relation to its carrying out of the function. In many situations, however, the contractor will not be performing a public function, but will be merely providing services on behalf of the public authority. In such situations, the obligation to comply with the duty in relation to the function remains with the public authority that contracts out the function. This means that the public authorities will need to build relevant disability considerations into the procurement process, to ensure that the public authority is meeting the disability equality duty in relation to this function. Steps, which will assist public authorities in ensuring that they meet their obligations, include: (i) Revising any standard terms and
conditions which they have for contracting their services to include
information about the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.
Making the Museum accessible in all aspects of employment and service provision has obvious financial implications. However, careful planning and incorporating access solutions into the initial planning stage of any project will enable the Museum to minimise extra expenditure. To achieve the actions of the Action Plan (Appendix 1), and the duties set out in the Disability Equality Duty, may mean extra finances will be needed to attain the required goals. Sir John Soane's Museum must continue to make the necessary financial commitment to projects which will benefit disabled people. The Museum will be able to maximise this commitment by integrating disability procurement and ongoing maintenance programmes. Subject to consultation and agreement the Action Plan will be published in February 2007, and implemented from April 2007. The Museum has pledged to develop and
Equality Impact Assessment, which covers disability, race and gender.
A schedule of Impact Assessments will be published in the Action Plan
(Appendix 2). |