Disability Information
On October 1st, 2004 the final phase of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
came into force. The DDA gives people with disabilities rights of access to goods,
facilities and services, as well as in employment and buying/renting property.
The Office of National Statistics states that there are 8.5 million people in the
UK living with disability. Only 5 % of these individuals require the use of a wheelchair.
The figure demonstrates the extensive and diverse range of impairments that are
classed as a disability.
To be officially recognised as an impairment that restricts the ability to carry
out day-to-day activities a disability must affect one of the following functions:
mobility; manual dexterity; physical coordination; continence; lifting, carrying
or moving objects; speech, hearing or eyesight; memory, or the ability to concentrate,
learn or understand; perception or the risk of physical danger. Conditions such
as impaired vision or hearing, dyslexia and depression are included whereas alcohol
addiction and hay fever are not.
Disability discrimination in the Workplace
There are two ways in which an employer might unlawfully discriminate against a
disabled employee or job applicant:
- By treating them less favourably (with no justification) than other employees or
job applicants because of their disability (direct discrimination).
- By not making reasonable adjustments to take into account an individual's disability
(indirect discrimination).
Facts and Figures
Approximate distribution of disabilities in the UK:
- Learning disabilities (e.g. dyslexia) - 65 %
- Chronic medical (e.g. asthma, diabetes) - 10 %
- Mental Health (e.g. depression, anxiety) - 10 %
- Visually impaired / blind - 5 %
- Hearing impaired / deaf - 5 %
- Wheelchair user / mobility impaired - 5 % (Higher Education Academy NCT)
41% of people with disabilities of working age have no educational qualifications
in comparison to 18% of non-disabled (Family Resource Survey 1997).
The most commonly cited barrier for workers with a disability is the cost of adjustment.
Average cost of adjustment in the workplace in 2001 was £184 per disabled employee
(Institute for employment studies and Mori, 2001).
A recent survey revealed that 1 in 6 young people with a disability said they had
been turned down for a paid job, and told it was for a reason related to their disability
or health problem (Disability Rights Commission 11/2002).
- Young people with disabilities and black people with disabilities are further disadvantaged.
- The average hourly wage for Londoners with a disability was £10.25. This is 20%
lower than the average for Londoners without a disability.
Business Case for Diversity
One out of every four consumers in the UK either
has a disability or has a person in their immediate circle with a disability (Achieving
Access 2002).
By the year 2010, 40 % of the population will be over 45 - the age at which disability
begins to increase significantly.
The estimated annual purchasing power of people with disabilities is £40 - £50 billion.
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