MMU believes that disabled people have a right to be able to participate fully in employment opportunities that the University has to offer. Our vision for disability equality in relation to recruitment at MMU is that:

• Physical, social and attitudinal barriers that disabled people face are removed
• Inclusive and accessible environments are promoted
• Disabled people experience equality of opportunity when applying for employment and working at MMU
• We will be proactive in all matters relating to equality of opportunity and diversity

MMU was originally awarded the Disability Two Ticks Symbol in 2004 by the Jobcentre Plus and has retained this award to date. The symbol identifies those employers who have agreed to meet five commitments regarding the recruitment, employment, retention and career development of disabled people:

• Commitment 1: To interview all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy and consider them on their abilities.
• Commitment 2: To ensure there is a mechanism in place to discuss at any time, but at least once a year, with disabled employees what can be done to make sure they can develop and use their abilities.
• Commitment 3: To make every effort when employees become disabled to make sure they stay in employment.
• Commitment 4: To take action to ensure that all employees develop the appropriate level of disability awareness needed to make the commitments work.
• Commitment 5: Each year to review the five commitments and what has been achieved, to plan ways to improve on them and let employees and the Jobcentre Plus know about progress and future plans.

How does the Two Ticks work at MMU?

The Two Ticks commitment ensures that any disabled candidate who meets the ESSENTIAL criteria for a vacancy will be guaranteed an interview. Therefore, if you do decide to disclose your disability, the information will be provided to the chair of the short-listing panel and the Human Resources Recruitment team – it will only be shared with the rest of the panel once the selection against the essential criteria has been completed.

We ask all job applicants to complete our Equal Opportunity Recruitment Monitoring form (which is part of the MMU application form) as honestly as possible so that we can monitor the effective implementation of our policies. When we receive it, our Recruitment team will separate this from the main application form.

More about the Two Ticks Scheme.

MMU achieved Bronze status in the EFD’s Disability Standard in 2009, the only business-led benchmark that measures an organisation’s performance on every aspect of disability as it affects a business. The Employers’ Forum on Disability (EFD), are the world’s leading employers’ organisation focused on disability.

For more info visit the EFD website.

The definition of the types of conditions that constitute a disability in employment legislation is quite broad; the key thing to remember is, it is not the impairment but its effect on the individual.

Definition of a Disability under the Equality Act 2010:

The Act says a disabled person is someone with a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Long-term means that the impairment has lasted or is likely to last for at least 12 months or for the rest of the affected person’s life.

MMU is committed to equal opportunity in employment both in principle and in practice. By translating our policy commitments into everyday practice we benefit and involving everyone within the University.

Success in achieving our equality plans will mean that we:

• Recruit and promote staff fairly on the basis of relevant criteria and merit
• Develop an inclusive teaching and working environment
• Effectively tackle discriminatory practices, behaviour and language in line with the University’s regulations and procedures

See the full version of our commitment.

At MMU we follow a Recruitment and Selection Code of Practice and by following this we assess your application based on the information you have entered and assess whether or not you meet the criteria detailed in the person specification.

If you are disabled and demonstrate that you have met the essential criteria, then under MMU’s commitment to the Jobcentre Plus’s Two Ticks Disability Symbol you will be guaranteed to be shortlisted and invited to an interview.

Telling the University about your disability is important as it will ensure that you are offered adjustments as part of any assessment, interview or ultimately to carry out your job if it is offered to you. You can do this by completing Part 2 of the application form under the heading entitled: DDA – Reasonable Adjustments – you will be able to state here what specific arrangements are required in order for you to attend the interview. The HR Recruitment Team will then contact you to discuss your requirements. This is part of our commitment under the Jobcentre Plus Two Ticks Symbol.

There are many benefits in telling us what your needs are or asking for support – moreover, it helps the University to provide practical support to ensure that disabled people can participate on equal terms with non-disabled people. Providing information such as this helps MMU understand the diversity of its organisation.

If you require copies of documentation in alternative formats – large print, Braille etc., please email the HR Recruitment Team at: irecruit@mmu.ac.uk or call 0161 247 3502.

Induction and Probation

As a new member of staff, your manager will arrange an induction process to help you settle into your role and to help you see how it fits into the wider organisation.

During your probationary period you will take part in regular probationary reviews with your line manager.

This two way review of progress is a good time to discuss any reasonable adjustments.

Equality law recognises that bringing about equality for disabled people may mean removing physical barriers and/or providing extra support for a disabled employee. This is the duty to make reasonable adjustments.

The duty to make reasonable adjustments aims to make sure that a disabled person has the same access to everything that is involved in getting and doing a job as a non-disabled person, as far as is reasonable.

Many factors will be involved in deciding what adjustments the University needs to make and they will depend on individual circumstances.

MMU has a Disabled Staff Forum which enables disabled colleagues to meet and discuss mutual issues, policies and to generate solutions.

Disabled staff can contribute and be involved through a variety of mechanisms such as attending termly meetings, using the email discussion list, SMS, and the wiki resource.

More info is available from the DSF’s Website or from the E&D Team.

The University has three other staff equality fora covering the areas of: Race (BME), Gender and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT). The Fora report back to the Diversity and Equal Opportunities Committee which is chaired by the Vice Chancellor, Prof John Brooks.

A ‘wiki’ is a collaborative community website where anyone can contribute. The Equality & Diversity team at MMU currently uses the software for each of its staff equality fora so that members are able to collaborate online, share useful documentation and discuss any news in relation to equality.

Car parking spaces are allocated via an application process which takes up to two weeks. The car parking criteria ensure that disabled people (with Blue Badges) or those people with carer responsibilities have a greater weighting.

For information on the car parking process and/or to apply for a car parking permit, contact the Travel Team on 0161 247 2989 or email: carparkpermits@mmu.ac.uk.

For more information, please go to the Car Parking section of our staff website.

Information for people visiting MMU: see a copy of the Visitor and Contractor’s Parking Policy.

Equality Impact Assessments (EIA)

Equality impact assessment is the thorough and systematic analysis of a policy, practice or procedure to determine whether it has a differential impact on a particular equality group (i.e. age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation). MMU undertakes Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) as an integral part of the organisation’s commitment to promoting equality and diversity to staff and students.

EIA is seen as a positive process which can, instigate real changes as a result. All EIAs that have been completed can be found on our Human Resources website.

• Human Resources
• The Equality & Diversity Team
• Disabled Staff Forum (DSF)
• Access to Work (AtW) Contact centre