New web standards have been issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) with regards to access for disabled people.

This is WCAG 2.0 and applies to all web content (text, images, sound, video etc).

(Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)

There is also standard BS 8878 - a British draft standard on process.

What does this mean to my business?

Firstly all businesses (including voluntary organisations) must ensure their web-site is accessible to people with a range of different impairments including people with impairments which effect:

• Movement (alternatives include using a mouse, graphics tablet, switches (singe button, head control etc) and adjustments to keyboards).
• Ability to read e.g. someone with dyslexia, learning difficulty or visual impairments.
• Hearing and vision (alternatives include design changes, subtitles/captions, audio description)
• Concentration or cognitive ability.

“These guidelines also make Web content more usable by older individuals with changing abilities due to aging and often improve usability for users in general.” [W3C:2008]


Any person who experiences difficulties using your website (to the level of functionality that is offered to those without impairments) may fall within the Disability Discrimination Act.

Failing to ensure accessibility is unlawful in the UK under the DDA.

What should I do?

You should ensure that you meet the British Standard on web accessibility:

http://drafts.bsigroup.com/

and international W3C standards on:

http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/

and the DDA.

Tags:disabled | discrimination | access | website

I am not going shopping this Christmas - why?

Take a look at what happened last year.

--

T'was the night before Christmas... well not really, it was the Thursday before actually and the venue wasn't a cosy family scene around a log fire - it was myself and my PA in Tesco!

Christmas brings out the best in people. It is a time of good will to all men and extra special good will to disabled people.

The charity boxes are filling up nicely giving people a warm and cosy feeling inside....

[Note from Editor: Little do they know their contribution may have inadvertently helped another disabled person spend further years in an institution with little choice or control of what they do in life - but never mind.]

and people are falling over themselves trying to help me.

How lovely? Actually, no. Not lovely at all when you are the recipient of such goodwill. Now, I know people are just being nice, and God Bless them for that. However, it is enough to put any sane person off never going again.

Take this example from that dreadful day.

My PA was selecting vegetables and you would have thought I personally was adding to the variety of vege in that area [Ed. crip joke], when out of the blue an elderly gentlemen beamed at me and proceeded to squeeze my cheeks like you might do to a cute baby in a pram.

For goodness sake, I'm a thirty something woman not 3 months old. He told me how pretty I was, followed by a comment that I wasn't to think of him as a weird old man - he just thought I had a pretty face and felt I should know that. So, he wasn’t weird - just patronising. That’s ok then.

I smiled and wished him a Happy Christmas... but he lingered on. He carried on chatting whilst his wife did the shopping. I was turning a shade of red and struggling on how to politely get away. He had me cornered between the mangos and the bananas - resistance was futile. The store was crowded - there was no place to hide.

"Some of us have to wear a silly hat or shave to look beautiful - but you don't" he said.

"I should hope not", I laughed. "If I have to shave my face then I'm in trouble."

He laughed and gave one more patronising half wink and off he went.

Thank @*(£)@ for that!

No rest for the wicked

But it wasn't over yet, do gooders were all over the place asking could I reach things and if there was anything I wanted. My Yoghurt Lady (a member of staff who works in that isle. Together, we share a bit of yogurt delivery banter each week) spotted me at another end of the store and shouted 'I'll go and get the cherry yoghurts ready for you, how many do your want"? Back she came with my goods and popped them into my trolly. Everyone around now knows I have cherry yogurts each week. It could have been worse I suppose....

As my PA was packing things into the car, the guy in the next car offered to help put them in.... there was no end to this jolyness!

Think twice.

If you are on you own then all this help is probably just that - helpful. When you have a PA around and you have to keep declining help, explaining you have your own assistant and that this is part of their job and my independence - it becomes tiresome.

The week after New Year, people are going back to their every day lives and goodwill is a thing of the past. No one will offer me help, probably, until next December. And that's the real point of this entry.

We are disabled for life (well a lot of us) not just for Christmas - so spare a thought throughout the year rather than use up the annual dose of goodwill all in one go - thanks.

Tags:attitudes | wheelchair | woman

I was at one of the motorway brand hotels the other day, training, where a meal in their restaurant was included.

The tables were on an upper level via a platform lift.

The food was selected on the lower level with level access.

I was escorted by staff to the lift and they said they had already removed a seat for me just a few steps from the lift (which would probably have blocked in any other people using it).

So, they appeared to think that it was helpful to tell me exactly where in this empty restaurant I had to sit and with whom!

Then I realised, and so did the others on the table, that the food was chosen on the lower level.

I couldn’t be bothered to get back onto the lift and go down, so sent my PA to choose for me.

So.... although the staff member thought they were being really helpful, they had actually denied my right to choose where I sit and with whom (without the effort of moving and causing a bit of a fuss), and what I wanted to eat!

Correct method for me would have been:

1) Explain food is on the lower level - so would I like to choose first then select a seat from the upper level (or have a printed menu on the upper level so I could choose).

2) To ask where I wanted to sit and offer to remove that chair at the appropriate time or let my PA do it (or realise I had a PA and could sort myself out).

These are real life problems and solution you get to learn about on equality courses run by disabled people.

Tags:discrimination | wheelchair | business

As a freelance trainer, I have been doing some courses lately at the sorts of night stay hotels you see at motorway stops (without naming names....).

Anyway, about 1/2 of those I visit for the first time do the following.

I report to reception.

‘Hello, I have a group for training booked by [x] can you tell me which room I am in please]’.

they then either lead me into a foyer and say ‘sit here the trainer will be out soon’, or turn to my PA and proceed to introduce themselves as if she is the trainer.

So I thought, I will clearly introduce myself as the trainer next time I do a course.

Method 2

I then went to a company and on arrival about 45 mins before the course started, I said to the receptionist:

‘Hello, I’m here to do the training.....’
“Oh I think there is training in there, but I’m a bit concerned because the trainer hasn’t turned up yet’.

Ehm... let’s start that again, I thought.

“No, you don’t have to worry - I AM the trainer....”

“OOOOOH. Your the trainer... oh oh oh.”

This company also made a ten minute toilet trip a 30 minute one because my PA had to clear the corridor of material being stored, to open the WC door, and put it all back afterwards. So 0/10 for access.

Tags:disabled | attitudes

Insight: Work fit for all - disability, health and the experience of negative treatment in the British workplace.

This is the title of a new publication by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

You can download this EHRC document here.

It explains how Britain (compared to other countries) has large numbers of disabled people with proportionately fewer in employment.

Incapacity Benefit claims have doubled in the past 20 years and the Government wants to reverse this trend.

So why aren’t disabled people getting jobs?

Research shows that disabled people perceive themselves as being subject to negative treatment at work - it is the fear of discrimination.

On a personal level, I can understand that when you are discriminated against time and time again in many parts of your life - why should work be any different?

Is this perception accurate?

Well, those surveyed who had attempted work agreed that negative treatment at work was experience and that for many it had made them ill (and many developed long term illness).

Negative behaviours and attitudes were not just from managers or supervisors - but work colleagues and customers.

What did the figure show:

25.4% of disabled people experienced intimidating behavior compared to 13.4% of those with no impairment.

14.4% received hints and signals that they should quit their job with only 8.7% of those with no impairment.

37.3% experience being shouted at or someone losing their temper with them compared to 25.9% of those with no impairment.

Disabled people felt more threatened, treated in a rude way or insulted, subject to gossip and experienced more physical violence.

In fact, disabled people experienced

More information:

For people with:

• A learning difficulty, psychological or emotional condition, the likelihood of negative experiences at work was increased by 167 per cent
• ‘Other’ conditions, the likelihood was increased by 128 per cent
• ‘Physical’ conditions the likelihood was increased by 3 per cent.

In contrast, other important variables were:

• Sexuality - being gay increased negative behaviour by 55 per cent.

Multiple oppression is an important factor where a mental health survivor who is gay could experience extremely damaging effects of work and may well be healthier if they were unemployed - something the government is now forced to contemplate in its ‘work is good for you, your community and the economy’ approach.

Employers - more needs to be done within businesses to end discrimination.

Employers will be asked, under possible amendments to legislation, to prevent illl-treatment and harassment of disabled people in the work place and promote dignity and respect.

Tags:business | DDA | employment | disabled | discrimination

Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.


It was established by the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and adopted by the General Assembly in 1982 (United Nations 2006) and is based on the goal of full and equal enjoyment of human rights and participation in society by disabled people.

This year the theme is:

"Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and justice for all of us".

You can read all about this years theme by following this link.

“Legislation alone will not ensure that persons with disabilities can enjoy their human rights. States will need to formulate effective policies and programmes that will transform the provisions of the Convention into practices that will have a real impact on the lives of persons with disabilities. “

Some facts:

• The UK has not signed up to the Convention.
• This day used to be called International Day of Disabled Persons in 2007 - and has taken on a Medical Model title.
• 400 million people (80% of disabled people) live in poor countries where poverty is the main cause.
• 50-70% of disabled people in industrialised countries like the UK are of working age but unemployed.
• 20 million women acquire disabilities as a result of complications during pregnancy or childbirth.
• 90% of disabled children in developing countries do not attend school.
• 650 million people in the world are disabled.
• Older people with impairments are also ‘disabled people’ - so why say ‘disabled and frail older people’?

Tags:disabled | rights

Earlier this year I applied for part-time work with a large organisation who brand themselves around equality for all.

I met all the qualifying criteria for a flexible job that involved lone working, out and about in the community with disabled people and carers.

They were particularly keen to recruit a disabled person into the post because the nature of the job involved being a role model.

I was invited to an interview - after the first one had to be re-arranged because of an inaccessible venue.
(Not a good start).

The appointment was out of the county with no communication regarding access, parking or similar. I had declared my impairment, PA and access requirements many months in advance. They felt there was nothing particular I needed to know.

It was also early in the morning - difficult for me, but I was keen and I am fortunate in that my PA is flexible with her hours to get me up in time.

I eventually arrived to find one of the interviewers standing at the door waiting.

The door into a cold, echoey hall had a step and was a fire door that didn’t stay open so well - but with my PA and them holding the door - we made it inside.

Around a village hall table sat two members of the interview panel.

We reached the end of the interview and they gave every indication that they were very keen. I had some good answers, excellent qualifications... then the doors to the job slammed shut.

A questions about reaching out to minority groups rang alarm bells. One of the interviewees said that ethnic communities keep to their own and look after each other and wouldn’t want this service that I would be providing - this was not the question but part of some chit chat after I responded. It appeared, alarmingly, the person’s actual mind-set. I questioned this approach and was swiftly moved on to the final part of the interview.

Did I have any questions.

I said I presumed because the job was a mobile worker that I could manage my own time and could work from home for ‘admin’ type duties.

I received a stern ‘NO’ and reminded them that my impairment would make it difficult for me to report into an office every morning before I hit the road. They said they had a strict no home-working policy. I looked puzzled and then the second interviewer butted in with a ‘of course if it is a disability related adjustment we would have to talk that over with personnel’.

I said that I would also have access requirements if I was going to be asked to go into my local office.
The response was ‘you’ll be ok, we already have a wheelchair user in there and they manage alright’. I said, no you don’t understand.....’. I had to go into a very undignified description of the room I need to use the bathroom and have a PA around to help.

I had been into the local office before and the manager had said that you had to take the doors of the hinges to allow people in wider wheelchair corridor access to the WC - I only just made it with a lot of difficulty.

The interviewer apologized and didn’t realise what a PA was or that disabled people had different needs - and thanked me for helping her understand... what cheek!

Next I asked how flexible they wanted me to be - because if I needed to work evenings or weekends I would have to recruit or find a PA. They looked blank and said they didn’t know and that I had to be available at all times to see when the work was needed. I had not applied for a job which said you had to be available 24/7. I said, just to know if it was 2-3 evenings or something would be helpful. They said ‘we don’t know’. I felt this was now becoming a way for them not to offer me the job. I think they did know what the likely hours were because of people doing this job in other counties - or at least they could have found out.

After a few more comments that I felt were racist- I left. I decided if they offered it to me I wouldn’t take it based on their attitude. I have heard similar stories from other disabled people applying to work for them.

The reasons for not offering me the job - I couldn’t guarantee I would be flexible and I wasn’t ready for that type of work (whatever that means).

I became another statistic.

Tags:access | disabled | discrimination | wheelchair | third sector

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) turns 60 on 10 December 2008. On Human Rights Day 2007, the United Nations Secretary General launched a year-long UN system-wide advocacy campaign to mark this important milestone. The initiative celebrates the Declaration and the promise that has made this document so enduring: “Dignity and justice for all of us”.
Disabled people are often denied their rights - both civil (DDA etc) and human rights.
To find out about ensuring disabled people have their rights within social care practice, why not visit:
Equality and Human Rights Commission - Human Rights
Topics cover:

Fair and dignified treatment
Taking part in the community
Living the life you choose
Being safe and protected from harm

Rights in different settings - essential for all social care staff to implement.


Topics include:
Health and Social Care, Houseing, Learning and Training, Criminal Justice System etc.

Disability Equality Duty - applies to all local authority workers.

Tags:disabled | rights