Public and Commercial Services Union

PCS is committed to the active participation of all members.

In order to ensure this, we need particularly to address the requirements of disabled members.

As well as being good practice and meeting our overall objectives of being a member-based union, the Disability Discrimination Act now makes it a legal requirement that the union makes reasonable adjustments to ensure that all members have equal access to information, meetings and training and the democratic processes of the union.

The social model of disability

The social (as opposed to the medical) model of disability is the PCS's preferred way of defining disability.

It is not physical differences or medical conditions (impairments) that disable individuals - it is the attitude and reactions of society to those peoples' needs that means that they are 'disabled'.

By ensuring that the union is as fully accessible as possible, we can start to challenge the attitudes of a society that excludes a large section of the population from day-to-day living.

PCS should not disable its members.
 

This section contains the following information:

• Defining disability
• DDA definition of disability
• Employment protection under the DDA
• Disability and sickness absence
• Understanding reasonable adjustments
• Using questionnaires effectively
• Medical information - making the most of experts
• The Two Ticks or disability symbol
• Access to work
• Taking DDA cases to the tribunal