Useful terms


BME Black Minority Ethnic – either groups or individuals.
Consultation Process by which the council seeks the views of local residents, employees, individuals and groups.
Comprehensive Equality Plan (CEP) The council’s commitment to equality and diversity – divided into three sections: Policy, Plan, Action Plan which will ensure that all employees and service users receive fair and equal opportunities.
DDA Disability Discrimination Act.
Direct Discrimination Treating on person less favourably than another on racial grounds. Direct discrimination is unlawful under the Race Relations Act 1976.
Disability The Act defines a disabled person as someone with “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.
Discrimination Where a person is treated less favourably than another based on their age, disability, gender, race, religion/belief or sexual orientation etc and it cannot be shown that the treatment in question was justified
Diversity The council is committed to celebrating diversity and recognises that differences are a natural part of society.
Ethnic Monitoring Collecting and analysing information about people’s racial or ethnic origins to see whether all groups are fairly represented.
Equal Opportunity The ethos and practice of giving equal recognition, access and opportunity to all people without discrimination.
Equality Standard for Local Government Performance indicator to enable local authorities to mainstream gender, race and disability equality into council policy and practices at all levels.
Harassment Behaviour that affects the dignity of individuals or groups of people at work. It includes verbal, non-verbal and physical conduct that could result in unlawful discrimination
Heterosexism The bias exhibited by society or a community which assumes and expects that every individual is, lives and behaves as a heterosexual.
Homeless  
Homophobia The irrational hatred, intolerance and fear of lesbians, gay men and bisexual people.
Impact Assessment Process by which policies and functions are assessed to ascertain whether they have/or not a detrimental affect on an individual or group of people. Policies and functions may need to be reviewed in light of the impact assessment.
Indirect discrimination A rule or condition which applied equally to everyone can be met by considerably smaller proportion of people from a particular group; the rule is to their disadvantage; and the condition or rule cannot be justified on legitimate grounds
Institutional discrimination The collective failure of an organisation to provide appropriate and professional service to people on the basis of their age, disability, gender, race, religion/belief or sexual orientation. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and stereotyping which disadvantage people
Institutional racism The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, race or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in process, attitudes and behaviour which amounts to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic.
Local Labour Market Local authority area working age (16 – 59 women and 16 – 64 men).
Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) Local partnership designed to develop the local community strategy, making improvements across the local area, involves all agencies, public, private and voluntary sectors and community.
Mainstream Issues are included and recognised into all aspects of an organisation.
Partner Agency Other statutory, voluntary or private sector organisation who works together with the council.
Positive Action Refers to a number of methods designed to counteract the effects of past discrimination and helps to eliminate stereotyping.
Procurement The purchase of goods and services from external suppliers.
Race Equality Scheme A statement of intent outlining how the council at both departmental and at corporate level plans to meet its general and specific duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2001.
Racial group Group of people defined by their race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins.
Racism Behaviour, conduct, words or practices which advantage or disadvantage people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin.
Racial Harassment An unwelcome or hostile act or series of acts carried out on racial grounds.
Racist incident Any incident, which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person. It may be perpetrated against individuals on the basis of their race, colour, nationality, culture, language or religion.
Reasonable adjustments The DDA requires employers and service providers to take reasonable steps to prevent a disabled person from being at a substantial disadvantage because of any working arrangements or physical features of the premises.
Resident A person who lives on the Isle of Wight.
Sexual Harassment A form of sex discrimination that involves unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favours and other verbal of physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Sexual Orientation Everyone has a sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is a combination of emotional, sexual or affectionate attraction to another person. The majority of men and women are heterosexual and they experiences attraction and seek partners of the opposite sex. Some women and men are homosexual and experience emotional, sexual and affectionate feelings exclusively towards members of their own sex – the terms gay (for men and women) and lesbian (for women) are used today to describe women and men who have the same sex partners. Other women and men are bisexual and experience emotional, sexual and affectionate feelings for both their and the opposite sex.
Sexuality Often and interchangeably with sexual orientation – however it also describes the sexual nature of every human being.
Transgender Transgendered people have the physical characteristics of one sex and the psychological characteristics of another. Many transgendered people ‘live’ in their psychological gender, and may or may not undergo gender reassignment.
Victimisation The unfair treatment of a person who has made complaints of discrimination
Xenophobia Is an irrational fear and contempt of strangers or foreign people and can be the cause of racist actions and attitudes