Popular topics
Popular topic: law
-
Businesses ’should consider access issues’
July 26th, 2010
Posted by Imogen Welsh
Businesses have been advised to ensure they can cater for all customers and staff by making workplaces fully accessible.
Opting to consult disabled people about proposed changes before they are made can help to ensure that modifications deliver the right results, Rollaramp argues.
The company notes that by making changes, firms may be able to win new business as those with disabilities may feel more comfortable in easily accessible environments.
Tips offered by the firm include making sure that doorways and aisles are as wide as possible to make it easy for wheelchairs to turn around, while eliminating hazards that could be difficult to navigate around may also help boost numbers of disabled customers, the company claims.
Other features, such as grab bars and ramps, can also help improve access, the firm said.
Earlier this month a new guide to the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons was published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, giving more information to disabled people on how to use their rights to challenge injustices.
- 0 Comments
0 Ratings, Not yet rated
-
Police urged to improve disabled access
July 22nd, 2010
Two police stations in north-east Lincolnshire have been criticised for their lack of access for disabled people.
The two stations, which are reportedly the only two in the region open to the public, present problems for disabled people both inside and out.
According to the Yorkshire Post, both Grimsby and Immingham police stations do not have disabled parking spaces and had limited access options.
The study, conducted on behalf of the Humberside Police Authority, found that staff had limited knowledge of access issues, equality or diversity, the newspaper reports.
Access problems included the lack of a hearing loop, desks that were too high for disabled people to see over and problems with the emergency cord in the disabled toilet.
Director of policy and campaigns at Scope, Ruth Scott, told the newspaper that there has, in general, been slow progress in improving access to public buildings.
“Police forces should ensure that police stations which are open to the public can be used by everyone in the local community,” Ms Scott said.
Later this year, the Equality Act 2010 will be implemented, replacing a number aspects currently covered by the disability Discrimination Act.
- 0 Comments
- 0 Ratings, Not yet rated
-
Mencap expresses concerns over DLA assessments
July 9th, 2010
Posted by Imogen Welsh
The government has unveiled a new medical assessment for working-age adults seeking Disability Living Allowance (DLA), it has been reported.
According to Mencap, all disabled people applying for DLA from 2013 will be expected to pass a medical test - a fact that could cause the number of people considered eligible for the benefit to drop.
Some 2.5 million people received DLA in 2009.
Meanwhile, the charity also expressed concern about assessments for Employment and Support Allowance, which have recently seen ill and disabled people deemed ‘fit for work’.
Mencap campaigns and policy manager Esther Foreman said the organisation is worried people who genuinely need disability benefits will be left without financial support under the new government plans.
“DLA is often the only financial support people with a learning disability receive. We want to ensure that any medical assessment does not unfairly squeeze people with a learning disability out,” Ms Foreman said.
The charity is conducting an online survey to find out how disabled people spend their DLA.
Currently, those applying for DLA are not usually required to take part in a medical assessment.
- 0 Comments
- 0 Ratings, Not yet rated
-
New law to boost pub access in Scotland
July 1st, 2010
Posted by James Lahey
A new law has been passed in Scotland to promote better access to pubs and clubs for disabled people.
The Barred! amendment was passed by the Scottish parliament yesterday (June 30th) as part of the Criminal Justice and Licensing Act, following a campaign headed by Capability Scotland.
The law requires landlords to display how their premises can be accessed by disabled people before applying for a license.
A recent study by Capability found that 75 per cent of disabled pub-goers have experienced some form of access barrier when drinking in Scotland.
Capability director of external affairs Richard Hamer said that the charity often hears stories about disabled people having to leave a pub or club due to inaccessibility, often relating to toilets.
“The Barred! amendment offers a solution to this problem by asking license applicants to think about access at an early stage,” Mr Hamer commented.
He added that the amendment also calls for landlords to make access information publicly available, allowing people to make a decision about where to socialise.
One in five people in Scotland has a disability, according to Capability.
- 0 Comments
- 0 Ratings, Not yet rated
-
New law could provide better access to Scottish pubs
June 30th, 2010
Posted by Imogen Welsh
A new law could improve access to pubs, bars and clubs if passed in the Scottish parliament today (June 30th).
The Barred! amendment is being considered as part of the Criminal Justice and Licensing Act and would require landlords in Scotland to prove how they have adapted their premises to accommodate disabled people before being granted a licence.
Spearheaded by Capability Scotland’s Barred! campaign, the law could boost access to drinking establishments and improve disabled people’s choice of where they socialise.
The amendment was lodged by George Foulkes MSP on behalf of the disability organisation.
Mr Foulkes said: “With the support of the Scottish parliament, Barred! can empower disabled people to make informed choices about where they chose to relax and socialise, and make sure they have the best possible independent lifestyle.”
Capability Scotland is also campaigning to improve disabled people’s access to voting.
The organisation recently revealed that 68 per cent of polling stations had some form of access barrier to disabled people in the last election.
- 0 Comments
- 0 Ratings, Not yet rated
-
Copyright laws preventing blind access to books, says WBU
May 29th, 2010
Posted by James Lahey
Copyright laws are preventing blind and partially sighted people from accessing books, it has been claimed.
According to the World Blind Union (WBU), intellectual property rights currently prevent visually impaired people from reproducing books in accessible formats such as audiobooks.
The non-profit organisation reports that just five per cent of books are accessible to blind people in rich countries, while the figure drops to below one per cent in developing nations.
Christopher Friend of the WBU revealed that since copyright laws are usually legislated on a national level, books must often be reproduced in Braille or audio format many times, even in the same language.
“We have the right to have these books made accessible,” Mr Friend said.
He continued by calling for a “fair balance between creators and consumers”.
The WBU represents 160 million blind people in 177 member countries and is backed by organisations such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People and Sightsavers International.
- 0 Comments
- 0 Ratings, Not yet rated
-
Guide Dogs to pursue legal claim against Kensington and Chelsea
March 7th, 2010
Posted by James Lahey.
Disability charity Guide Dogs has been given permission to pursue a legal claim against the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea relating to its plans to install shared surface streets in Exhibition Road.
The plan would reportedly cost the borough, the city of Westminster and the mayor a total of £25 million and would see curbs removed in favour of a ‘people-friendly’ shared surface for cars and pedestrians.
But the charity claims the idea is unlawful and could threaten the wellbeing of thousands of blind and partially sighted people who might find it hard to navigate the busy road.
The road is used by an estimated 19 million pedestrians every year.Tom Pey, director of external affairs at Guide Dogs, said: “The lack of boundaries makes these streets extremely difficult to navigate and therefore very frightening.
“Kensington and Chelsea has been unreasonable in its refusal to give serious consideration to our concerns about the redevelopment plans for Exhibition Road.”
Guide Dogs lawyer Alex Rook added that the proposals defy traffic sign regulations and cannot lawfully go ahead without consent from the secretary of state.
The campaign is also supported by Mencap, Scope and Transport for All.
- 0 Comments
- 0 Ratings, Not yet rated
-
Powys displays ‘poor disability discrimination awareness’
February 15th, 2010
Posted by James Lahey.
A number of planning applications granted permission in the Welsh county of Powys are in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, it has been argued.
According to Brecknock Access Group (BAG), a local accessibility charity, many businesses and services are not widely accessible due to poor “disability discrimination awareness”, the Powys County Times reports.
BAG planning consultant Dave Summers told the publication that one restaurant in Llanidloes set to open this month did not honour planning conditions that stipulated a wheelchair lift must be installed and has since made an application to vary these conditions.
Mr Summers said: “I often get told that you don’t see people in wheelchairs in a lot of towns here, especially Llanidloes.
“The reason is that accessibility is so poor that disabled people don’t have the option to go out.”
Cllr Wynne Jones told the newspaper that Powys council has in the past refused planning applications after they failed to comply with its design access statement.
BAG was founded in the 1980s with a view to monitoring and examining planning applications and providing disability access advice to developers and the public.
- 0 Comments
- 0 Ratings, Not yet rated
-
Disabled man receives £2m from NHS Trust
January 25th, 2010
A severely disabled man from Warwickshire has received £2 million from an NHS trust that he believes caused his disability.
Jonathon Khairule has been in a wheelchair from a very young age after an alleged mistake during his birth at Tameside General Hospital in Ashton under Lyne led to him being unable to breathe for ten minutes.
The 28-year-old claims the hospital caused his cerebral palsy and was allowed to pursue a legal claim against the North West Strategic Health Authority by the High Court in 2008 despite being too late to do so.
According to the law, individuals over the age of 18 have three years to make personal injury claims.
Mr Khairule, who is only able to communicate through a typing machine, said: “I knew I had cerebral palsy from birth, but I had always been led to believe that it was just one of those unfortunate things which could not have been avoided.”
Despite giving £2 million to Mr Khairule in a financial settlement, the North West Strategic Health Authority has not admitted liability for the incident.
Around one in every 400 children is diagnosed with cerebral palsy in Britain.
- 0 Comments
- 0 Ratings, Not yet rated
-
New law protects disabled travellers in Northern Ireland
January 25th, 2010
A new law introduced in Northern Ireland today (January 25th) is set to protect the rights of disabled travellers.
New disability transport regulations make it illegal for any transport provider to discriminate against a disabled customer by offering a lower standard of service than that which is granted to able-bodied passengers.
The law applies to buses, coaches, taxis, breakdown services and vehicle rental companies and were welcomed by a number of organisations.
Equality Commission chief executive Evelyn Collins said the new law would “make a positive and practical contribution to enabling disabled people to realise new opportunities for work and leisure that may not have been open to them before”.
Ms Collins added that disability access is a priority for many of the individuals who contact the Equality Commission.
The commission has also launched a new advertising campaign to make people aware of their rights under the new law, which includes TV and radio adverts, as well as campaign videos posted online.
- 0 Comments
- 0 Ratings, Not yet rated
