Southend-on-Sea City Council Accessibility Strategy 2025 to 2028

Appendix 1: definitions

Term, Definition, Links
Term	Definition	Links
Disability	A person is considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if they have “a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.” This includes: sensory difficulties or impairments (e.g. sight or hearing loss) long-term health conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, cancer) ‘substantial’ means the effect is more than minor or trivial ‘long-term’ means it lasts (or is expected to last) at least 12 months ‘day-to-day activities’ include things like learning, communicating, and moving around	Equality Act 2010 guidance on GOV.UK
Mental health and wellbeing	Good mental health and wellbeing helps pupils: attend school develop key life skills, particularly social and emotional skills engage in learning achieve academically have better longer-term outcomes, such as future employment	Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges
SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)	A child and young person or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability that requires special educational provision	SEND Code of Practice
Reasonable Adjustments	Changes made to remove or reduce disadvantages faced by disabled pupils. These may include changes to policies, practices, physical features, or providing auxiliary aids and services	Reasonable Adjustments information
Accessibility Plan	A statutory plan that all schools must publish, outlining how they will improve access to the curriculum, physical environment, and information for disabled pupils	SEND Guide for Schools
Accessibility Strategy	A document that local authorities must produce to support maintained schools in improving access for disabled pupils. It sets out priorities and actions across curriculum, environment, and information	Equality Act 2010 - Schedule 10
Local Offer	A local authority's published information about services and support available for children and young people with SEND aged 0 to 25 and their families	Southend-on-Sea SEND Local Offer
EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan)	A legal document for children and young people aged 0 to 25 who need more support than is available through SEN support. It outlines the child and young person's needs, outcomes, and provision across education, health, and care	EHCP guidance
Public Sector Equality Duty	A duty under the Equality Act 2010 requiring public bodies to consider how their decisions and policies affect people with protected characteristics, including disability	Public Sector Equality Duty
Accessibility Regulations 2018	These regulations require public sector websites and mobile apps to meet accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA) so they can be used by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities	Accessibility Regulations
Auxiliary aids and services	Additional support or equipment provided to help disabled pupils access education, such as hearing loops, adapted keyboards, or specialist staff	Equality Act 2010 Guidance