Camelot Group

1.0 Introduction

Camelot recognises that people with disabilities face unique social and practical barriers that can prevent them from taking opportunities, realising their full potential or participating in society fully.

Camelot seeks to create a climate where every individual is judged on his/her own merits and on his/her ability to do the job and assumptions are not made about disabled people. Camelot will take all reasonable steps to remove disadvantages which might prevent disabled people from achieving their full potential in the workplace. Helping all employees to develop their full potential will maximise the efficiency of the company. To ensure the success of The National Lottery, Camelot seeks to make games, information and services available to all those eligible to play, while at the same time protecting those who might be vulnerable.

Camelot is committed to meeting its responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act.

2.0 Ownership

Camelot has established a diversity forum to review its policy and practice across all areas of diversity, including disability. This group includes a range of senior managers who will explore practices in their area of the business. The People Director has responsibility for the aspects of this policy relevant to our people; the Commercial Director has responsibility for the aspects of this policy relevant to game accessibility; and the Operations Director has responsibility for aspects of this policy relevant to information and support services.

3.0 Our People

As an employer committed to equality of opportunities in all its employment practices, policies and procedures, Camelot seeks to create a climate where every individual is judged on his/her own merits and on his/her ability to do the job and assumptions are not made about disabled people. Camelot will take all reasonable steps to remove disadvantages which might prevent disabled people from achieving their full potential in the workplace. Helping all employees to develop their full potential will maximise the efficiency of the company.

Camelot will

• raise awareness of disability issues among staff involved in the recruitment and selection process
• take all reasonable steps to ensure that the working environment does not prevent disabled people from taking up positions for which they are suitably qualified or achieving their potential within those positions and maintain a central audit of all adjustments made
• review and develop recruitment procedures which encourage application from, and the employment of, people with disabilities
• ensure that disabled people have the same opportunity as other staff to develop their full potential within the organisation
• offer employees who become disabled the fullest support to maintain, or return to, a role appropriate to their experience and abilities within the company
• ensure that access to its key facilities for employees and members of the public is suitable for disabled people and make reasonable arrangements for special support when required

4.0 Our players and winners

To ensure the success of The National Lottery, Camelot seeks to make games, information and services available to all those eligible to play, while at the same time protecting those who might be vulnerable.

4.1 For players

Camelot will offer a range of services and information for our players and potential players with disabilities. Camelot will

• ensure that all staff who deal directly with members of the public, players and winners are trained appropriately and aware of services we provide to players with a disability
• make key National Lottery games available through channels more easily available to disabled people who cannot get to retailers' premises (internet, interactive TV, play by text, and subscription service)
• work with relevant partners to improve the accessibility of the National Lottery website for people with visual impairments
• offer the "Lucky Dip" service and a facility where selected numbers can be given verbally to retailers for keying into the terminal to help who cannot fill in their own playslips
• offer a minicom service for players who wish to use the National Lottery Line (number 0845 9100000)
• make game rules available in Braille, large print or on audio tape
• provide information, advice and training to support our retailers in meeting their responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act via retailer training and articles in our dedicated magazine for retailers; and train retailers to manually produce a ticket when a players is not able to fill in a playslip but knows what numbers they want

4.2 For winners

We have developed a range of services for winners who have disabilities. Camelot will

• enable visits to the homes of people with disabilities that prevent them from visiting the regional centre for validation or arrange suitable travel and accommodation that meets their individual needs
• provide all major winners with access to a panel of specialist financial and legal advisers. Where a winner with special needs would rather have an advisory session at his/her own home arrangements are made to arrange this subject only to meeting conditions on protecting a winner's anonymity from third parties
• provide access to communication for visually impaired people via Typetalk an agency that has its own confidentiality code
• make winners' information available in Braille, on audio tape and in larger print

5.0 Protecting vulnerable groups

Camelot aims to protect vulnerable groups who might be at risk from National Lottery products - which might include young people, those on a low income, those who might experience problem gambling and those who might be vulnerable because of a particular disability. We aim to understand how best to balance making games accessible with protecting those who may be vulnerable through consultation with relevant groups.

6.0 Supporting disabled groups

The Camelot Foundation, funded by Camelot, has awarded over £1.7 million to a range of organisations working on disability issues since 2001. The Camelot Foundation focuses on supporting 16-24 year olds who are on the margins of society into mainstream life - this includes a focus on young disabled people. For more information, please see www.camelotfoundation.org.uk

7.0 Communication and Review

This policy will be available internally via Camelot's intranet site and externally on the company's corporate website and on request from the National Lottery Line.

The company will monitor its progress in these areas and progress will be reported in our social report. We will collate qualitative and quantitative information about our work in this area to understand what more we can do to help.

We will review this policy and its implementation every two years through our diversity forum and in consultation with groups working with disabled people.

Camelot Group