DDB 20 British Polio Fellowship
Draft Disability Discrimination Bill
Comments from the British Polio Fellowship to
the Joint Committee
General observations:
- The British Polio Fellowship [BPF] welcomes
the draft Bill as the next stage towards progress in extending
basic rights and opportunities for disabled people.
- However, the BPF would endorse a Single Equality
Act. This legislation would incorporate disability issues
and the rights of disabled people affording them equal status
in law. It would also establish a level playing field on equal
rights for all discriminated groups.
- Effective sanctions
need to be identified to ensure that disabled people can be confident
that the updated Act, once implemented, will protect their rights
and quality of life. Operation of sanctions would improve monitoring
and appraisal systems used to evaluate the impact of an enhanced
Disability Discrimination Act..
- The future of the Disability Rights Commission
needs clarifying because the success and credibility of an extended
Disability Discrimination Act will rely on sufficient financing
and staffing resources. The legal service should be expanded to
accommodate both the existing and new duties once they come on
stream. Without adequate resources, it will not be possible to
deliver equality for disabled people or monitor implementation
and disability issues will once again become the poor relation
in the field of social justice.
- Clause 3 - transport services
1. On trains there is a lack of wheelchair spaces
- more spaces
to be identified.
2. There is a lack of reliable staff assistance
at train stations -
systems to improve assistance need to be formalised
so that disabled people are not stranded on arrival at their destination
despite having booked staff assistance.
3. Inaccessible stations should offer courtesy
taxis or other
suitable accessible transport to and from the nearest
accessible station for disabled passengers.
4. Road coaches should be accessible by 2020
not 2025 as
proposed.
5. Air and shipping: the recent Ryan Air test
case which
successfully found against the company
for charging
disabled people for wheelchair assistance
and treating them
'less favourably', should set a precedent
for other service
providers in the field.
Jane Nation
Project Co-ordinator
British Polio Fellowship
16th February 2004
| 
