31 March 2004 - 10 million reasons for businesses to open up
Small employers and all high street services have just 6 months before they are required by law to open up to disabled people. This was the message delivered by the Government today as a new estimate showed that about 10 million adults fall under the protection of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
The figure - the first to be based on the definition of disability used in the DDA - is announced alongside a new Government campaign calling on businesses to choose between making reasonable changes or, from October, potentially facing legal action.
Disabled shoppers up and down the country today backed the call, among them actress/presenter Julie Fernandez and athlete Tanni Grey Thompson, who highlighted the need for high street businesses to improve their services for disabled people.
Work and Pensions Secretary Andrew Smith said,
“Businesses now have 10 million reasons to make their services and workplaces accessible, and they’ve got 6 months to think about the best way of doing it.
“Now is the time for businesses to consider what reasonable changes they may need to make. In 6 months time, not only could they be missing out on a massive pool of potential employees and the £50 billion spending power of disabled people, they also risk breaking the law.”
From 1 October all businesses who provide a service to the public will be under a new duty to make reasonable physical adjustments to make their services accessible to disabled customers. In addition, a million employers who employ fewer than fifteen staff will for the first time have the same duties towards their employees and potential employees as larger firms.
As part of a new campaign launched today, more than a million small businesses are set to receive information packs setting out what they need to consider doing to meet their duties.
To underline this, disabled shoppers last week conducted a mystery shopping exercise on high streets up and down the country. Each went out for a typical morning’s shopping and reported back on the types of barriers that prevented them from properly accessing services.
Minister for Disabled People Maria Eagle said,
“Buying a loaf of bread and a pint of milk or having a cup of coffee should be easy and enjoyable things to do. But our shoppers demonstrated this is far from the case for many disabled people.
“Obvious barriers include steps and blocked aisles that prevent wheelchair users getting into and around premises. But mobility impairments are just one type of disability. Businesses need to consider others such as visually-impaired customers who may not be able to read signs with poorly contrasting colours, or customers with severe arthritis who may have difficulty using certain door handles.
“Most of this is commonsense and what businesses need to know is that the law requires nothing unreasonable of them. What they need to do is take a serious look at their services and their working arrangements and think about how they can be made accessible. Research shows that almost three quarters of those who have already made changes say that it has been easy to do.”
Actress and TV presenter Julie Fernandez hit the shops in London. She said,
"Disabled people want equal rights, no more, no less. We have fifty billion pounds of disposable income per annum. If we can't get in, or are not treated with respect, we will take our money elsewhere."
Athlete Tanni Grey Thompson, who went out shopping in Redcar, said,
“The attitudes of members of staff in inaccessible shops is improving all the time, but physical access makes life so much easier, and makes it easier for me to spend my money.”
Notes for editors
- From 1 October, anyone providing a service to the public needs to tackle physical barriers to disabled people accessing their services. This means businesses like shops, pubs, gyms libraries, doctors and solicitors up and down the high street need to consider what they can reasonably do to become more accessible. In addition, small employers will for the first time have the same duties towards disabled staff as larger firms. This means not discriminating against employees or potential employees on grounds of disability and making reasonable adjustments to the workplace.
- More information and advice for businesses is available from the Disability Rights Commission at www.drc-gb.org
- The Disability Discrimination Act defines disability as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The estimated number of adults in Britain covered by this definition is 9.8 million. This is based on new independent information available from the Family Resources Survey. The scope of the provisions of the DDA could change over time. For example, the draft Disability Discrimination Bill includes proposals to extend its protection to more people with HIV, cancer and Multiple Sclerosis. Similarly, the way in which the population covered by the DDA is measured could also change over time. To ensure up-to-date estimates are available, the estimate will be updated annually. The previous used estimate – 8.6 million – was based on data from 1996/7 and an outdated definition of disability which fell short of the DDA definition.
- A separate analytical Press Notice on the ‘Review of Disability Estimates and Definitions’ provides more detail on the basis for the new estimate.
- Photocalls are taking place this morning with mystery shoppers on high streets up and down Britain and pictures will be available for print. A Video News Release containing footage of the sort of barriers faced by disabled people and comment from Andrew Smith is also available.
For more information contact Nick Turton or Tracy Lee on 020 7238 0756/0725
Press office: 020 7238 0866
Out of hours: 07659 108 883
Public enquiries: 020 7712 2171
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk