Nursery World - Equality & Diversity: Part 8

The difficulties that a child has with being 'different' are not the result of the difference but of the ways people see them and institutions provide for them, explains Anne O'Connor

An anti-bias approach to ability does not focus on a 'deficit model' where there is some kind of 'norm' to which people with a disability, physical impairment, disfigurement, learning difficulty or any other special need do not conform. We are all more able than some people at some things, and less able than others. Some of us face considerably more challenges than others, however, and discrimination continues to exist, making life even more of a challenge.

The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 places a duty on all public authorities to promote equality for people with disabilities. The Act defines a disabled person as 'someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.'

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