CYP Now - Disability: Many early years settings are still unaware ofinclusion laws

Many early years settings are still unaware of legislation around inclusion, according to a leading disability charity, which has called for a massive awareness and training campaign.

Mencap's national children's officer, Lesley Campbell, said calls to thecharity's helpline from parents revealed many settings were not thinkingabout how they could make "reasonable adjustments" to accommodatedisabled children, a legal requirement under the DisabilityDiscrimination Act 1995.

"There are many settings that simply aren't aware of the requirementsunder the Disability Discrimination Act so there is an enormous piece ofwork to be done," she said. "The training task is huge, especially asthe sector has a high staff turnover."

The call follows the publication of a report on implementing the act forthe Government's Sure Start Unit by the Council for Disabled Childrenand the Special Educational Needs Joint Initiative on Training.

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