DDB 27 British Telecom
Submission by British Telecom to the Joint
Committee on the Draft Disability Discrimination Bill
Dear Sir or Madam,
Thank you for your recent
letter inviting comments from members on the Draft Disability
Bill. The following is BT's response.
BT is delighted that the Government
is acting to reduce discrimination against people with disabilities
and welcome the proposed bill. It is our belief that the extension
of the duty on public bodies to promote equality of opportunity
for disabled people combined with extension of part III of the
DDA to transport, membership of larger private clubs and local
councillors will provide disabled people with greater choice and
greatly enhance their ability to live sustainably independent
lives.
The extension of the definition
of disability to people with Cancer and HIV at the point of diagnosis
as well as the inclusion of progressive disorders such as Multiple
Sclerosis is also welcomed. BT has long believed that Reasonable
Adjustments are vital in both attracting and retaining disabled
people in the workforce. We have a long standing partnership
with AbilityNet which enables us to provide new entrants with
an assessment and the right equipment as they join and have recently
launched an initiative known as Enable, an innovative partnership
with Churchill and Friend to ensure that our existing employees
have access to adjustments which help them return to and remain
within the workforce. We also believe that flexible working practices
are essential to creating an environment where all our people
can contribute to their fullest potential and would like to see
access to flexible working at least referenced within the Bill.
We note that the Government
is considering the extension of accessibility regulations to all
rail companies in the final Bill. This is something that, as
a major UK employer, we welcome whole heartedly believing that
it will create greater employment opportunities for people with
disabilities and align with both the Government's and BT's environmental
strategy to reduce harmful emissions and increase use of the public
transport system. It is our belief that better access to the
national rail system would also create more opportunities for
greater engagement by people with disabilities in the UK's tourist
and leisure industry.
Yours faithfully,
Caroline Waters
BT Director, People Networks
Tel: 020 7356 5529
Fax: 020 7356 5188
Email:caroline.waters@bt.com
BT Group plc
Registered office: 81 Newgate
Street London EC1A 7AJ Registered in England and Wales no. 4190816
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