Employers unaware of act’s definitions

Myths and misconceptions about what constitutes disability need to
be combated by the government, according to research released last
week.

The research into the knowledge and impact of the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995 among employers and service providers found
that those who do not employ a disabled person had little idea how
disability is defined in the DDA.

An awareness campaign about the breadth of disability that includes
conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy should be launched,
concludes the report.

Under the Act employers must make “reasonable adjustments” to their
recruitment practices and premises so disabled people are not at a
substantial disadvantage.

The research, based on 2,000 telephone interviews and case studies
of 38 employers and service providers, was carried out by the
Centre for Research in Social Policy and the British Market
Research Bureau.

It found that nearly a quarter of employers (24 per cent) said
their workplace employed at least one disabled person, 83 per cent
of which had made adjustments to the workplace to help them.