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womble -> RE: US company sued under UK DDA (4/12/2007 17:31:24)
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I don't believe I just read that either.
When you deal with discrimination on a daily basis, you realise just how much ignorance, misinformation, and plain stupidity there is in the world.
The DDA and equal opportunities isn't about giving people with disabilities preferential treatment - it's about equal treatment, and equality of opportunity sometimes means giving someone with a disability additional assistance to make sure they have the same chance to access goods and services as anyone else. Being disabled isn't a lifestyle choice. Unfortunately it's usually one of those things you get given without any say in the matter.
The DDA has a proviso of "reasonable adjustment" built into it. That means that a small company with limited resources may not be required to make adjustments to the same level as a large company.
quote:
You shouldn't expect someone else to foot the bill for overcoming your disability.
The vast majority of disabled people want to be independent and don't want to depend on other people. The fact is though that often people with disabilities have higher living costs because of their disability, and that's why in the UK benefits such as Disability Living Allowance exist, and that's because there's a very real difference in the income levels of disabled people compared to non-disabled people. That's not because disabled people don't want to work, but because of the barriers to them working. Disabled people who do work often earn comparatively less than similar non-disabled people with similar qualifications and experience etc. Apart from physical barriers, there's the ignorance and lowered expectations of employers to deal with too.
As Jaybee said, the lady in the article had the tools to do it - the argument was over her not being able to use them. Far from expecting other people to pay for their needs, disabled people often spend larger amounts on equipment to make live easier for them - the cost of which isn't covered by any specific financial assistance available. When you're on a below average income anyway, the financial impact of that can be significant.
I sincerely hope that you or someone close to you never suffers blatant discrimination because of a disability. I think you'll find that it's far from total b*llocks if you ever have the misfortune to experience it yourself.
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