Ask the Expert: Treating disability fairly

Following some essential refurbishment, we are now open to children and young people with limited mobility. This is all very positive for those who can now join our programme, but also for others who are encouraged to work alongside less able people. However, there is a tension between staff and one particular young person who seems to feel that because of their disability they should be first in every queue and treated as a priority.

The purpose of integration and equality is to establish the difference between what is fair and equal and what is not. But an individual's disability should not be what defines them. Instead it should be a reference for assessing what they can achieve in relation to their peers.

Since the disability you describe involves mobility, it is fitting that this young person should receive preferential treatment with regard to access and transport. However, I would advocate equality with others in every other respect, so that the distinction is made on grounds of ability and need only, and not simply because someone has been given the label "disabled".