Wheelchair Users

Under the Equalities Act 2010 (and various other bits of legislation) organisations, including schools, have to make “reasonable adjustments” for any disabled employees or learners.

It is important to note though the Equality Act does not override health and safety legislation. If making a particular adjustment would increase the risks to the health and safety of any person (including the disabled learner in question) then this is a relevant factor in deciding whether it is reasonable to make that adjustment. 

Risk assessment

As with any question of health and safety and risk assessment, schools are not required to eliminate all risk. Suitable and sufficient risk assessments should be used to help determine where risks are likely to arise and what action can be taken to minimise those risks. 

Under current UK health & safety law, the risk assessment process covers any person working with the identified risks. Therefore, there is no legal requirement to take out an additional risk assessment for a worker with a disability. However, depending on the nature of the disability and the nature of the work being carried out, additional considerations should be taken into account during the risk assessment process to ensure appropriate control measures are implemented.

If it is decided that the person with a disability is at additional risk, then the risk assessment should adjusted and be specific to the individual learner and the activities in question. Proportionate risk management relevant to the disability should be an ongoing process throughout a disabled learner’s time at the school.

Some common adjustments

1. First of all, the wheelchair user needs to be able to access the laboratory or workshop. Science departments are usually on upper floors but nearly all schools have lifts. Use of these by the wheelchair users should be facilitated and they should have access to them when they wish, even if they are not normally for use by learners.
2. Within the laboratory there needs to be enough space between the desks, benches for the wheelchair to move. In some cases where the size of the room is at the smaller end of that allowable, this can be more problematic. 
3. There also needs to be at least one desk/bench of adjustable height. A seated wheelchair user is at a lower level than the other learners and so it needs to be lower. It has been the norm to install these for years so there should be no issue.
4. Technology workshops can cause some difficulties as machinery can be too large to adjust easily (or at all). Alternative approaches might be needed here.
5. Most work in physics and biology can then go ahead as normal.
6. Chemistry, though, does pose some additional risks. Protection from spills or harmful substances is often managed by having people work standing up so they can step back rapidly from the bench in case of a spill. Wheelchair users are unlikely to be able to move as rapidly so other measures will be needed. Some possible suggestions are:
   1. If the wheelchair user has a suitable apron (PVC for instance) then that will prevent contact of the substance with the person.
   2. Work involving corrosive or other harmful substances could be carried out in a shallow tray – the sort used in many canteens would work – as this will contain the spillage.
   3. Reducing the quantities will also help. Smaller quantities spread less far when spilled. Microscale chemistry is a particularly good example but just heating say 50 cm3 in a beaker rather than 200 cm3 will be safer if it spills

The key factor in all of the above will be the specific issues the individual learner has.

If in doubt or you need further guidance, contact SSERC.

For any specific