Skill is grateful to the Teacher Training Agency for its financial support of this publication. Skill would also like to thank the Association of Blind and Partially Sighted Teachers and Students, NASUWT, National Association of Head Teachers, National Deaf Children's Society, National Union of Teachers, Sam Fothergill (RADAR) and Secondary Heads Association for their assistance.

Publisher Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities

Chapter House, 18-20 Crucifix Lane, London SE1 3JW

Designer Lawrence & Beavan Design Consultants

Photographer Dick Makin (Dick Makin Imaging)

Printer Bradell

ISBN: 1 869965 03 5

© Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities 1999. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, storied in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

The Teacher Training Agency is committed to increasing the number of teachers from under-represented groups including disabled people. We are delighted to support this publication. It sets out clearly why employing a disabled teacher can benefit schools and pupils, explains the legal and financial considerations for schools and gives examples of good practice in the recruitment and employmentof disabled teachers.

Professor Clive Booth,

Chairman.

Skill helps disabled people across the UK make the most of their learning and employment opportunities. Skill does this by operating an information and advice service, running conferences, producing publications, conducting research projects, informing and influencing key decisions makers, and working with its members and volunteers.

The Teacher Training Agency (TTA) was established by the Education Act 1994 as an executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB). Its purpose is to raise standards in schools by attracting able and committed people to teaching and by improving the quality of teacher training. The agency’s core aims are to:

• promote teaching as a profession and boost the recruitment and retention of high quality people;

• increase the proportion of initial teacher training (ITT) places allocated to high quality providers;

• raise the standard and quality of ITT; and

• support the Government and other in wider initiatives to raise standards of teaching, by helping to ensure that teachers in their induction year receive the structured support they need; by contributing to improving the knowledge, understanding and skills of serving teachers; and by helping to secure teaching as an evidence- and research-based profession.

Disabled staff can make animportant contribution to theoverall school curriculum, bothas effective employees and inraising the aspirations ofdisabled pupils.

to be decided