Public sector must do more to meet disabled needs, says Minister

However, they are much more likely to provide information in specialist formats on request than they were before, according to the report on how public bodies are approaching the implementation of the Disability Equality Duty which is part of the Disability Discrimination Act of 2005, a law that builds upon the better-known 1995 Act of the same name.

The report calls upon public bodies to be more proactive in their approach to the provision of information, so that it is provided in a variety of formats as a matter of course.

The 2005 Act imposes a positive duty upon public authorities such as Government Departments or Primary Care Trusts to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people, including employees, service users and others, from December 2006.

Public sector authorities are working hard to promote equality of opportunity in all areas. But the survey of 376 public bodies, carried out by the Centre for Research on Social Policy and the British Market Research Board, shows that there is still a lot of work to be done before the new rules come into force.

Its main findings are:

• The 1995 Act was a major influence behind the changes made by organisations who took part in the survey in terms of employment and service provision, accessibility of information and buildings strategy. It was also the main reason given by respondents for integrating disability issues into their mainstream plans.
• The vast majority of participating organisations had adapted their work environment, implemented flexible working time and flexible work organisation to help disabled employees. Many had conducted Disability Equality Impact Assessments and of those that had most had changed their employment and service policies and practices, as a result. Nearly all public bodies also had an Action Plan to meet the needs of disabled employees and service users.
• Although a large number of organisations in the survey had a Disability Equality Scheme in place, only a minority had involved disabled employees or service users in drafting it. Also the vast majority of organisations had acted to improve access to premises for disabled people, but few had engaged with disability organisations to review the extent to which the services met the needs of disabled people.
• Participating organisations were unlikely to provide information in specialist formats for disabled employees and service users as part of their standard procedures, although they were much more likely to provide it on request.
• Almost all the organisations felt they were committed to improving the experience of their disabled employees, and most also felt they were currently meeting the needs of their disabled employees. In contrast though slightly fewer organisations felt they were meeting the needs of their disabled service-users.

The DWP hopes to use the report as baseline research so that the impact of the Disability Equality Duty can be evaluated in the future.

"The DDA has been a major factor in bringing about change in terms of employment and the way services are delivered for disabled people,” said Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People.

“But the report published today highlights that organisations in the public sector still need to be much more proactive in meeting the needs of disabled people. The Disability Equality Duty, which comes in from this December, will be a further catalyst for change, ensuring that the needs of disabled people are no longer seen as an afterthought," she added.