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25th Anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act, but what still needs to be improved?
Chloe_Scope
Scope Posts: 10,662 Disability Gamechanger
On the 8th November 2020, it’s the 25th Anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
The DDA was a landmark piece of legislation that was a result of years of protests and campaigning by disabled people. The act made it unlawful to discriminate against disabled people in relation to employment, the provision of goods and services, education and transport.
The DDA has since been replaced by the Equality Act 2010.
25 years later, what do you think still needs to change to guarantee equality for disabled people? Let us know in the comments below if you'd like your answers to be featured in a Scope blog!
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I would agree with parrot123 in that housing provision for disabled people especially in the social sector needs to be vastly improved
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Also, when you're applying to places like the local Council where you're supoosed to get a "guaraunteed" interview under the 2 ticks scheme, the conditions are too harsh IMO, like last year I applied to be a Lollipop Man at a school in Sheffield, I declared my disability for the 2 ticks thing, they never even acnknowledged my application much less give me an interview.
OK there'd be issues with me being a Lollipop Man due to my disability but that's beside the point, I should've at least gotten a punt on it even if I didn't get it.
And don't get me started on companies like WeWork who don't declare who accessible their offices are for people with physical and mental disabilities. Also, if anyone wishes to know, there's only a few London based Wework offices that ALLOW GUIDE DOGS. Not just normal, untrained dogs. GUIDE DOGS. Y'know, the ones that people need. Nowhere on the site do they explain this discriminatory policy. Nowhere do they talk about accessibility. Nowhere can you find if there's a lift, or stairlift, or anything to help those that have difficulty moving around. Surely if all supermarkets allow guide dogs, a bloody 'Progressive' co-working space should without question.
Many will be aware that the act gets debated in Parliament on I think the 27th November where the adjustments for carers are discussed. I feel that there should also be protections for those who report workplace bullying and poor practices.
So if I wasn't living with my Parents till further notice due to the second lockdown, I'd have no landline or Internet for 2 full weeks till Plusnet goes live the week commencing the 23rd of November.
How the chuff is that legal for a disabled adult who needs the support of Family and carers? I do have a mobile but the siginal in most parts of Sheffield is terrible.
The lady I saw from my local citizens advice said she's been campaigning for years on this subject as the government is breaking it's own law!!!!!
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I've been looking at disabilities and working and as we understand the needs of one another, maybe we could build businesses run by disabled people.
It would be interesting to hear others thoughts and opinions about this idea?
And the pros and cons pleases
I'm sorry that you had to leave your job. Have you heard anything about Scope's Support to Work service? It could be worth checking to see if you're eligible to get some help from them. They're a lovely team
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I lost my last job due to Covid but I am hoping to get back into work in 2021, I'm not rushing into work this year because I want to be sure I feel well and truly comfortable, especially with my seizures and my anxiety. In the past I have walked out of work places/interviews because they have been just so uncaring or biased that I have had to ask do you know of the Disability Discrimination Act. Speaking with some of the other editors on the Disabled Peoples Channel and what work life was before the act has been amazing
I'm sorry that you lost your job due to coronavirus, but it seems like you have a really good outlook. Very best of luck with it all.
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I see you've created a discussion for this topic elsewhere, that's great. I just wanted to say that I'm very well thank you, and I hope you are too
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For instance, due to both lockdowns I've been living with my Parents till further notice, and not at the Flat, I did go back briefly in late September but I was only there for a month before we went back into lockdown!
Hopefully it won't happen, but I am concerned that if there's a further extension to lockdown after the 2nd of December, I could lose the Flat as the Social will say I'm not spending enough time there to warrant them paying the rent via HB, not my fault, blame moronic Clowns who have caused the second lockdown by not social distancing etc.
Although in 2008 I did 3 days at Reclaim, a similar project for disabled adults, stood up all day in a noisy, messy recycling Factory... How in the God's name is THAT suitable for a disabled bloke who can't stand up all day due to back problems? And don't even get me started on the joke of a "pay packet", £3 a day for 8 hours a day = 25 p an hour for that?!
On the last day, I went Home and prestented Mum with ehe pay packet containing £6 and she was o proud! I was like, what? And went on a long swear word filled rant about unequal pay just because all the clients were disabled and on benefits.
Nowadays such things are illegal! Good!
Yes things are better then they were considerably, but there are several things that get on my nerves. My biggest one is taxi provision talk about patchy at best. The amount of times I nave gone to places, prebooked a cab and the firm will send a saloon car and claimed I never asked for a wheelchair cab and drive off. I have lost count of when I have been stranded at train stations, or in the middle of nowhere!
I also want to find work, but my disability seems to stop me. Talk about irritating!
Taking out the loopholes that include "reasonable" would be a good starting point. It's not reasonable to be left out in the cold and wet to wait for someone to allow access to a building, etc. . . . .
In any policy or practice, replace the word Old with the word Black, replace the word Disabled with the word Black, and if there is still nothing wrong, fine.
The thread on the Housing Consultation includes a link to the background papers, including the astonishing statement that an 'equalities impact ' has been carried out. The senior civil servants who parasite on our taxes as authorities on Equality have declared....(.Look it up but you won't believe it)......... Having absolutely NO disabled housing makes absolutely NO impact on the lives of elderly and disabled people (!)
That is a perfect post. I want every senior civil servant and every M.P. to be obliged to personally embroider those words on a banner to be displayed at all times in sight of where they do their work.
It should be in every Scope window, too.
i can relate to this, especially wanting to feel safer when going out by yourself. Feeling safe is paramount I think.
Last week, I had my performance managment the other week and was told that I am still giving 100% and that they cannot fault my work, however I am not my usual happy cheery self. This was followed by, I could ask you to leave it all at home... but I suppose it's difficult when you are tired and in pain. It's bad enough that I feel so rubbish because of my disability, but having to fight for help as well not having the support of my employer (who was supportive until my diagnosis).
Scope have some information pages about getting reasonable adjustments at work and steps to take if you feel that your employer isn't doing enough, so please bear these in mind if you continue experiencing problems.
I hope you have better success soon, please let us know if we can help in any way.
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Jesus wept!
This means you don’t have to wear a face covering if:
- wearing a face covering interferes with your hearing aids or cochlear implant processor.
You do not need to wear a face covering if you’re travelling with or providing assistance to someone who relies on lipreading or facial expressions to communicate.And anyone can temporarily lower their face covering while maintaining social distancing to communicate with someone who relies on lipreading or facial expressions.
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You're definitely not alone in feeling this way, many of our members unfortunately feel the same.
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I am so sorry to hear of your experience. I too have had a similar experience on buses too, so you are not alone. It was very traumatic.
I can imagine that must be very upsetting. We agree that greater public understanding of mask exemption, and disability in general, is really important. I'm glad that the bus drivers have stood up for you before though.
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So clear case of discrimination - but who is going to do anything about it - short answer no-one, unless I want to take on the might of Land Rover on my own, with the costs that involves
Even the pathetically few cases taken by the old Equalities commission rarely cover disablism, and never ageism. Their ex chair Sir Trevor Phillips remarked Disablism is worse than Racism, in it's effect on people's lives, but didn't mention Ageism, which is also ignored
The same arrogant writing off, for people whose lives are considered of no value, clearly led to the covid19 patients being deliberately sent to infect care home residents. Arrogance and refusal to listen to, or treat the patient as a person, (especially for women patients) was identified by Baroness Cumberledge . Disabled and old people are the main recipients of this "life not worth living" dismissal. Think of Captain Tom. The money he raised for these people was forty years after they would have written him off and let him die rather than permit him to live in his "useless" retirement.
Apparently entire care homes were told not to revive or treat, nor send anyone to hospital, and the so called 'Liverpool pathway' was a blanket sentence for entire classes of people. It has been revived. There is news of one example, a very fit woman has been told that purely because she is old, she will be denied treatment if she ever needs it..(She was said to be number three, of nine, where number one is an athlete.) Captain Tom obviously had at least ten years of useful life in him, when he reached 90. Other people have lived to be 110, even 120, and not in poor health.
It is clear that various governments, for many decades, have been prejudiced. Disabled people, Oold people, Carers, have all been ignored and despised, because they don't have a civil service union, or any union to speak for them, they are not holding senior civil service and policy maker posts, and they couldn't riot in the streets .
(Please, don't blame Boris or Evil Tories, not because anyone is blameless, but only because making it a yelling abuse contest between those with red football scarves and those with blue, merely distracts. There is N O team of saints. This has continued for decades, regardless of who held power. The infamous 'Liverpool pathway' was hardly from a hotbed of died in the wool Tories.)
What job did you get?
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The only possible explanation I could come up with, is if your doctor was trying to protect you from being forced onto an inflexible conveyor belt? If you volunteer, you are working as and when you are up to it, in tasks you know you can manage. It could be that other people the doctor has known have been able to work in certain circumstances, but the moment they are officially 'fit for work', they might have been pushed into going flat out to take a job involving working long hours, with long journeys, and doing work which for one reason or another is too demanding?
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If your able to work then wonderful, but don't forget the rest of us who can't?
Disabled rights for all of us I say.
Run by that suited numpty Iain Duncan Smith.
That was the point intended in my previous post, i.e. there is the world of difference between a) being able to do a full time job as considered suitable by an unimaginative benefits system, or b) doing something such as posting something helpful, or maybe re-using skills to assist those who have none, as and when reasonable, and with or without payment.
A g.p. will not have a box to tick, indicating "yes, fit to do what the patient is comfortable doing, at times they feel up to it, which will vary from day to day and week to week, but no, not fit to be ordered to do work they cannot invariably manage, full time"