Better conflicts, Better outcomes, Better world

Reasonable Adjustments Policy
Introduction
We recognise that we must take reasonable steps in the way that we work with and provide ourservices to you if you have a disability, so that you are not disadvantaged compared with people
who are not disabled. By law, we have to make reasonable adjustments to our services. These
adjustments are often complicated and will vary depending on a person's individual
circumstances.
This policy does not cover how we will deal with every situation. Instead, it sets out:•••our commitment to improving accessibility to our services for everybody that we deal with;some of the basic principles of our legal duty to provide reasonable adjustments for people
with a disability; andwhat we will take into account when dealing with requests for reasonable adjustments.

Many of the arrangements that we offer you may also be made available for those who do nothave disabilities. For example, some people may find it easier to read the information we sendout if it is in a larger-sized font.
This policy applies to everyone who uses our services, including anyone who has a complaint
about a company or trader (and the companies or traders themselves).
What is a reasonable adjustment?
A reasonable adjustment involves changing the way that we usually do things to make sure that
we are fair to disabled people. We may change our usual practice if we find it puts you at a
substantial disadvantage. (For example, we may provide our information in alternative formats if itmakes it easier for someone to read).
We will not make assumptions about whether you need any adjustments or about what thoseadjustments should be. We will discuss your requirements with you and try to reach anagreement on what is reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances.
Our legal duties
Under the Equality Act 2010, we have to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled people. The
Act defines disabled people as ‘those who have a physical or mental impairment which has asubstantial and long-term adverse effect on that person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day
activities’. This will sometimes mean that disabled people receive more favourable treatment thannon-disabled people, which is allowed within the law in this context.

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Better conflicts, Better outcomes, Better world

Our duty to make adjustments
When dealing with consumer disputes, we are providing a service and so have a duty to makereasonable adjustments. This will apply to all parts of our service to the public.
We have a duty to make reasonable adjustments if the way that we provide our services puts you
at a substantial disadvantage compared with someone who is not disabled.
This duty also requires us to consider what we can do to overcome anything that might
disadvantage you, and whether we can make an adjustment which is reasonable in thecircumstances.
We will do our best to agree with you beforehand the reasonable adjustments that we are able to
make and tell you when it may not be possible to make an adjustment.
• providing documents or correspondence in a larger font size;• providing documents on coloured paper or with a specific colour contrast, which can often
help people with conditions such as dyslexia;• allowing a person who has a learning disability or mental-health problem with slightly
more time than would usually be allowed to provide further information;• using email or the phone rather than ‘hard copy’ letters where appropriate, which may
help those with sight difficulties;• speaking clearly to you and offering you more time to cover the issues you need to discuss;• using plain English appropriate to the person we are dealing with and avoiding jargon;• translating documents or correspondence into Braille;• communicating with you through a representative approved by you, if you ask us;• helping someone who has mental-health problems to understand and manage the action
we are taking by arranging a single point of contact for them with us (where possible); and• providing access to British Sign Language translations for those with hearing difficulties.
We may need to consider a small number of requests in more detail. There is more information
about these below.
Our response to requests for reasonable adjustments
We will usually be able to agree and provide reasonable adjustments with little delay. In somecases, we may need to consider in more detail how best to overcome the difficulty you may be
experiencing (for example, if it might be difficult for us to provide the adjustment).

Centre for Effective

W: www.cedr.com

Twitter @cedrsays

Dispute Resolution

E: applications@cedr.com

linkedin.com/company/cedr

100 St. Paul's Churchyard
LondonEC4M 8BU

Registered in England no. 2422813

Registered Charity no. 1060369© CEDR 2019

Better conflicts, Better outcomes, Better world

How do we decide what is ‘reasonable’?
The Equality Act does not define what is reasonable. However, when deciding whether anadjustment is reasonable, we will take the following into account:••••

how effective the adjustment would be in preventing the disadvantage;
how practical it is for us to make the adjustment;
the cost and availability of resources, including from outside of our organisation; andthe extent to which making the adjustment would disrupt our activities.

Monitoring
We will record and monitor the reasonable adjustments that we have made. This will allow us toreview the services we provide and help us identify whether there are any other ways we canimprove our services.
Dealing with complaints about our service
We are committed to providing a high standard of service and dealing with everyone in a way that isfair and does not discriminate. If you are not satisfied with the arrangements that we have made forproviding reasonable adjustments, we will deal with it in line with our complaints procedure.

Centre for Effective

W: www.cedr.com

Twitter @cedrsays

Dispute Resolution

E: applications@cedr.com

linkedin.com/company/cedr

100 St. Paul's Churchyard
LondonEC4M 8BU

Registered in England no. 2422813

Registered Charity no. 1060369© CEDR 2019