Under Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995) (as amended by Article 5 of the Disability Discrimination ( Northern Ireland ) Order 2006), the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) is required when carrying out its functions to have due regard to the need to:

• promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; and
• encourage participation by disabled people in public life ('the disability duties').

Under Section 49B of the DDA 1995, the NIAS is also required to submit to the Equality Commission a Disability Action Plan showing how it proposes to fulfil these duties in relation to its functions.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service wishes to consult with interested parties on its Draft Disability Action Plan. Comments in relation to this Draft Plan should be forwarded to:

Michelle Lemon, Equality Manager ( mlemon@niamb.co.uk ) or at the address contained in Section 1.2 of the Plan.

Please also contact Michelle if you wish to discuss the Plan further or have any Special Requirements to enable your participation in the Consultation Process. The Consultation Period will end on 27 th June 2007