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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

 

Adopted: 5 June 2023
Last reviewed: 2 September 2026
Next review due: 2 September 2027

Our Commitment

 

ADHD Pirates CIC is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion across our services, activities and working practices.

We aim to create an environment in which people are treated with dignity and respect and are not unfairly disadvantaged because of who they are.

As an organisation supporting neurodivergent people, we pay particular attention to barriers that may arise from inaccessible environments, communication methods, processes and expectations.

We recognise that people can experience overlapping forms of disadvantage and that individual needs and experiences vary.

The Law

 

ADHD Pirates CIC complies with the Equality Act 2010 and other relevant equality and employment legislation.

The Equality Act identifies nine protected characteristics:

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender reassignment
  • Marriage and civil partnership
  • Pregnancy and maternity
  • Race, including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin
  • Religion or belief
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation

The way particular protections apply can vary depending on the context, including whether they concern employment or the provision of services.

Under the Equality Act 2010, a person is disabled 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.

Some neurodivergent people, including people with ADHD, may meet this definition. This depends on the effect their neurodivergence has on them rather than simply whether they have a particular diagnosis.

Where the legal duty applies, ADHD Pirates CIC will make reasonable adjustments to reduce or remove disadvantages experienced by disabled people.

Types of Discrimination

 

Discrimination can take different forms.

Direct discrimination
Treating someone less favourably because of a protected characteristic. This can also include discrimination because someone is associated with a person who has a protected characteristic, or because they are perceived to have one.

Indirect discrimination
Applying a policy, practice or requirement to everyone that particularly disadvantages people sharing a protected characteristic and cannot be objectively justified.

Discrimination arising from disability
Treating a disabled person unfavourably because of something arising from their disability, where that treatment cannot be objectively justified.

This could include, for example, treating someone unfavourably because of disability-related communication, concentration, organisation or attendance difficulties without properly considering the circumstances.

Harassment
Unwanted behaviour related to a relevant protected characteristic that has the purpose or effect of violating someone’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

Sexual harassment is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that has this purpose or effect.

Harassment will not be tolerated within ADHD Pirates CIC’s activities, whether it involves directors, future staff or volunteers, participants, service users, visitors, contractors or other third parties.

Victimisation

Treating someone unfavourably because they have raised a discrimination concern, supported another person’s complaint, provided information or evidence, or carried out another protected act under equality law.

No one will be disadvantaged for raising a concern in good faith or supporting someone else to do so.

Failure to make reasonable adjustments

Disabled people may experience discrimination where reasonable steps have not been taken to remove or reduce a substantial disadvantage.

What is reasonable will depend on the circumstances, including the person’s needs, the barrier involved, practicality, effectiveness, available resources and the nature of the organisation or service.

Reasonable Adjustments and Accessibility

 

ADHD Pirates CIC aims to identify and reduce barriers to participation wherever reasonably practicable.

For disabled people, reasonable adjustments may be a legal requirement. We also aim to consider accessibility proactively rather than relying solely on individuals to identify barriers themselves.

Adjustments may include:

  • changes to physical spaces or how services are accessed;
  • adapting communication methods or providing information in different formats;
  • changing working practices, tasks or processes;
  • providing equipment, aids or additional support;
  • allowing appropriate flexibility, breaks or additional processing time;
  • providing clear written information or breaking information and tasks into manageable stages; and
  • reducing avoidable sensory distractions where practicable.

When planning and delivering services, we may also:

  • select accessible venues and consider sensory and environmental needs;
  • make quiet space and sensory aids available where the venue and activity allow;
  • provide clear information before activities, including directions and information about what to expect;
  • provide accessible ways for people to give feedback or raise concerns; and
  • design digital information and communications with accessibility and readability in mind.

We recognise that neurodivergent people are not a single group and that an adjustment that helps one person may not help another.

Where practicable, we may also provide accessibility support to people who do not meet the Equality Act definition of disability.

Accessibility arrangements may vary according to the venue, activity and resources available.

Peer Group Inclusion

 

ADHD Pirates CIC recognises that peer groups can provide connection, shared understanding and practical support.

We aim to create peer spaces in which participants:

  • are treated with dignity and respect;
  • can communicate and participate in ways that work for them where reasonably practicable;
  • are not expected to have identical experiences simply because they share a form of neurodivergence;
  • understand expected standards of behaviour; and
  • know how to raise concerns, including safeguarding concerns.

We recognise that neurodivergent people may also experience discrimination or disadvantage associated with other aspects of their identity or circumstances.

Recruitment and Employment

 

ADHD Pirates CIC does not currently employ staff or have formal volunteers.

If this changes, recruitment will be based on the requirements of the role and will aim to remove unnecessary barriers.

This will include:

  • avoiding requirements that are not necessary for the role;
  • providing clear and accessible recruitment information;
  • considering reasonable adjustments throughout recruitment; and
  • making decisions based on relevant skills, experience and role requirements.

If ADHD Pirates CIC employs staff in the future, we will seek to prevent unlawful discrimination throughout employment, including recruitment, working arrangements, pay, development, promotion, disciplinary processes and termination of employment.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for disabled employees where required.

ADHD Pirates CIC will also take appropriate and proportionate steps to prevent harassment in the workplace, including sexual harassment and harassment involving third parties, in accordance with the law applying at the time.

Training

 

ADHD Pirates CIC does not currently have paid staff or formal volunteers and therefore does not maintain a standing programme of equality, diversity and inclusion training.

When employees, volunteers or others take on operational or service-delivery responsibilities, they will receive appropriate information, induction or training relevant to their role.

This may include:

  • equality and discrimination;
  • reasonable adjustments;
  • accessible communication;
  • neurodiversity; and
  • preventing and responding to harassment.

Training requirements will be proportionate to the person’s responsibilities and the activities they undertake.

Directors or others without operational or service-delivery responsibilities will not normally require the same training as those directly delivering or managing services.

Additional or updated training may be provided when responsibilities change, new risks are identified, or changes in law or guidance make this appropriate.

Responsibilities

 

Everyone acting on behalf of ADHD Pirates CIC is expected to:

  • treat other people with dignity and respect;
  • support the organisation’s equality, diversity and inclusion commitments;
  • follow this policy when carrying out organisational activities;
  • consider accessibility and reasonable adjustments where relevant; and
  • report discrimination, harassment or other serious concerns.

Day-to-day responsibility for implementing this policy rests with the Director responsible for operations.

Concerns about discrimination or harassment should normally be raised with the Director.

Where a concern relates to that Director, appropriate oversight will be provided by the other Director.

Concerns will be considered under the organisation’s relevant complaints, safeguarding, grievance or other procedure, depending on the circumstances.

Raising Concerns and Requesting Support

 

Questions or concerns about equality, diversity, inclusion or accessibility can be raised by contacting:

Email: hello@adhdpirates.co.uk

Anyone using or considering using our services can also contact us to discuss accessibility requirements or adjustments.

We will consider requests individually and will make reasonable adjustments where required by law. We will also consider other accessibility requests wherever reasonably practicable.

We welcome feedback about the accessibility and inclusiveness of our activities, communications and services. Feedback may be used to identify barriers and improve future activities and practices.

Monitoring and Review

 

This policy will normally be reviewed annually, or sooner where there is a significant change in legislation, organisational activities or identified risk.

The organisation will consider relevant feedback, complaints, accessibility requests and experience when reviewing how effectively this policy is working.

Where equality or monitoring information is collected, it will be handled in accordance with our Data Protection Policy and applicable data protection law.

Glossary

 

Neurodiversity: The natural variation in how human brains and minds function. Neurodiversity includes everyone, rather than referring only to neurodivergent people.

Neurodivergent: A term describing people whose neurocognitive functioning differs from dominant expectations or norms. There are many forms of neurodivergence, including ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia.

Neurodivergence: The state or experience of being neurodivergent. It is a broad term and is not itself a medical diagnosis.

Reasonable adjustments: Changes made to remove or reduce disadvantages experienced by disabled people. What is reasonable depends on the individual circumstances.

Accessibility: Designing environments, information, services and processes so that barriers to access and participation are reduced.

Inclusion: Creating environments and practices in which people can participate, contribute and be treated with dignity and respect.

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