View From The Chair: Disability in the workplace deserves equality
From NEWS LETTER May 23rd, 2000
DO YOU employ people? Do you sell goods or provide services to people? If you do, how much thought have you ever given to the needs of people who have hearing difficulties, sight impairment or mobility problems, when they are trying to deal with you or your organisation? The rights of disabled people and, more particularly, the need for changes in the thinking of people in the wider community about these rights, are moving to centre stage in the debate on equality in Northern Ireland and these are questions which all in the business community will have to address in the near future. It is probably true to say that when people in Northern Ireland thought of "equality" it has frequently been in the context of religious or political divisions, of sex discrimination or, increasingly of late, the concerns of ethnic minority groups. Now, new legislation has placed rights for disabled people more firmly
than ever before at the heart of the equality agenda. The Disability Discrimination
Act has been in place since 1995 and since then it has been unlawful to
discriminate against people in employment on grounds of disability. Since
October 1, 1999, businesses have been required to make reasonable adjustments
to ensure that their services are accessible to all. That means that people
must be prepared to look at every aspect of their operation, and consider
what barriers their procedures, or documentation, or systems might pose
for a person with a disability. By 2004, alterations will have to be made
to premises where access is currently impossible or unreasonably difficult
for disabled people. This does not mean just to people with mobility difficulties,
but includes, for example, people with hearing or visual impairment, and
those with learning difficulties. In addition, since 25 April last, the
equality commission has a full statutory role which enables us to provide
advice to employers and service providers as well as advising and assisting
people who wish to complain that they have been discriminated against on
grounds of disability. We will be pursuing those responsibilities with vigour
and determination. These far-reaching changes to the law mean that every
employer and service provider will have to be increasingly aware of the
requirements of disabled people in every aspect of their operations. Like
all equality issues, this is a matter of entitlement and simple justice,
but it can also, if considered without prejudice, be seen as enlightened
self-interest. The more inclusive the operations of any concern are, the
more people they can reach, the more ability and experience they can tap
into and, ultimately, the greater advantage they can derive, compared to
a situation where they would arbitrarily cut themselves off from potential
staff, customers or clients. In practical terms, the Equality Commission
is currently embarking upon a wide-ranging consultation on the production
of a detailed Code of Practice on Access. We are determined to ensure that
those most directly affected have the opportunity to contribute to the code.
To that end, the draft code has been distributed to bodies representing
disabled people, to employers and service providers, to trade unions, to
community groups and to those promoting social inclusion and targeting social
need. The closing date for this consultation is 8 August 2000. We would
hope that from this will come a model of good practice in terms of accessibility.
The law now requires that employers and service providers take steps to
ensure that, so far as possible, people with disabilities can receive goods
and services, and obtain access to premises, in the same way as people without
disabilities. It is an important agenda for the entire community and will
be increasingly prominent in the years ahead. |
