Equality Action Groups

English Heritage is committed to improving access to the historic environment for everybody, especially those groups who have traditionally been excluded from engaging and contributing to our shared heritage. We are working hard to ensure that we meet and exceed the legal requirements to involve and consult with different groups in all of our core work. One of the most positive recent developments has been the establishment of the English Heritage Disability Action and Gender Equality Groups. These groups are made up of staff across all pay grades and areas of expertise, all with a real interest in disability or gender equality issues.

What does the Disability Action group do?

The majority of the members of the Disability Action Group are disabled or have a long-term health condition. We also have members from disability advocacy bodies such as Scope, RNIB and RNID who attend meetings to provide us with external challenge. The groups meet three times a year to discuss progress on the Disability Equality Scheme and to raise any issues affecting staff or visitors which we monitor through visitor comments and surveys. The DAG looks at disability equality issues across the organisation, from diversifying the workforce, to grants for reasonable adjustemnst to improving intellectual access at our sites. Feeding into DAG if the Properties Access Group which has a remit to look at improving access at all our properties and enhancing the visitor experience for disabled guests.

Recent achievements include:

• New guidelines on how to produce accessible publications for all EH staff and a much wider variety of publications available in alternative formats soon to come
• A comprehensive access audit template looking at physical, sensory, intellectual access and customer care at all our sites, including family-friendly services.
• A revised access guide which involved disabled people in its creation and which comprehensively covers physical, sensory and intellectual access. This is available free on our website.

 What is EH doing to promote gender equality?

The Gender Equality group is in its infancy, but has just produced English Heritage’s first comprehensive Gender Equality Scheme. Key action points include:
• The production of management guidance on supporting transgender staff before during and after transition
• Building gender awareness training into the induction programme for all new staff
• Including family-friendly and gender-related points in both the new properties access audit, and the new access policy, as well as the working guidance for site staff.

How does change happen?

The groups report the recommendations and achievements into the Social Inclusion and Diversity Programme Board made up of English Heritage Directors who look at broadening to heritage at a more strategic level. This group feeds in to our Executive Board. This way we ensure that people are having a much stronger voice for change in the organisation and we are already beginning to see this happening. You can find copies of both Equality Schemes and their progress reports here:

The priority for this year will be the revision of the Race Equality Scheme.