Reasonable Adjustments Policy

Fountain Chambers

Middlesbrough

Equality Diversity Officer:   Collette Price

Data Protection Officer:   Sam Faulks

___________________________________________________________________________

 There are a number of connected policies which may be relevant where problems arise:

• Equality & Diversity Policy.
• Grievance Procedure.
• Disciplinary Procedure.
• Parental Leave.

Introduction

This Policy is circulated to all members of Chambers and staff.

Fountain Chambers is committed to making reasonable adjustments in order to remove or reduce substantial disadvantage for disabled people working with chambers or receiving legal services. This policy covers all employees of chambers, barristers, clerks, pupils, mini-pupils and visitors to chambers.

A copy of this policy is provided to all members, staff, pupils, clerks and those are required to read and understand it..

___________________________________________________________________________

1. For the purposes of this policy the definition of disability follows that set out in the Equality Act 2010 s.6. A person is therefore disabled if s/he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his/her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. “Substantial” means more than minor or trivial and “long term” means 12 months or more”.

2. This policy does not provide an exhaustive list of the reasonable adjustments that chambers will make for staff, barristers, pupils or visitors however the following types of adjustment that may be made are listed below:

(i)             Provision of information in alternative formats (e.g. large print, braille etc).

(ii)           Paid leave for disabled employees of Chambers.

(iii)          Provision of auxiliary aids (e.g. induction loops).

(iv)          Provision of accessible conference room facilities.

(v)            Provision of a reader or interpreter.

3. Staff or barristers with specific requirements should make requests to the Management Committee for reasonable adjustment decisions. All requests for reasonable adjustments will be considered on a case by case basis with the advice and assistance of chambers’ Equality and Diversity Officer and where it is not possible to make the adjustment requested viable alternatives will be discussed with the applicant.

4. The Head of Chambers is responsible for considering whether or not disabled staff, barristers or pupils require assistance during an emergency evacuation and if so whether or not a personal emergency evacuation plan is required for the individual/s concerned. If so, the plan will be developed in partnership with the individual concerned in order to ensure that adjustments to the emergency evacuation procedure may be made.

5. Barristers are responsible for considering reasonable adjustment requests for their visitors. They are also responsible for anticipating any likely reasonable adjustments that will need to be made for visitors whom they know to be disabled and are likely to require assistance. Visitor requests for specific reasonable adjustments may be made by contacting the Management Committee.

6. In no circumstances will Chambers pass on the cost of a reasonable adjustment to a disabled person.

7. This policy is reviewed by chambers’ Equality and Diversity Officer every two years.

8. Complaints may be raised informally or formally in the first instance with the Equality and Diversity Officer, the Head of Chambers or another senior member of Chambers who will agree an appropriate response.

The policy was adopted on 16th November 2020 and will be reviewed by 16th November 2022.