Almost a quarter of disabled people looking for employment having
had to turn down a job due to inaccessible public transport, new
research reveals.
The survey, carried out by disability charity Leonard Cheshire,
found that the work, health and social lives of disabled people are
greatly affected by inaccessible public transport.
Transport providers are currently exempt from part III of the
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 on provision of goods and
services, which means that they can still refuse disabled people a
service.
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The charity is calling on the government to remove the exemptions
in a new disability bill. It says ministers announced plans to
introduce new disability legislation in January 2003 but that a
draft bill is yet to be published.
Other findings from the survey, which had more than 450
respondents, show that inaccessible transport has caused almost
one-third of disabled people to have missed a vital health
appointment; a fifth find it difficult or impossible to get to the
health care they need.
Two-thirds of disabled people without access to a car are unable to
see family and friends when they want to and many even miss
weddings and funerals.
-
Mind The Gap from
www.leonard-cheshire.org
