Disability - Broader duties on
public authorities.
Disability - A reminder that Cancer IS a disability.
A reminder that parts of the Disability
Discrimination Act 2005 came into force in
Dec 2006 - and to be aware that cancer is a disability.
Additional provisions which apply to public authorities came into force on Dec
4th
2006. The Disability Equality Duty will require all public authorities to
have due
regard to the need to :
- eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment
- promote equality of opportunity for disabled people
- promote positive attitudes
- encourage disabled people to take part in public life
Figures from the Disability Rights Commission's (DRC) Helpline show that those
with cancer - who are protected against discrimination as a result of changes to
the Disability Discrimination Act that came into force in 2005 - are not doing
too well.
Such employees are protected from the point of diagnosis - and employers can not
dismiss workers with cancer or other long-term health conditions because of
their
condition. ALL CANCERS ARE COVERED.
Since December 2005 the Commission has taken an average two calls a
week from women with breast cancer complaining of unfair treatment at
work. Some examples include a woman dismissed because she was not
able to give a date of return to work after her radiotherapy treatment
finished, and a woman who worked for a security firm for 19 years who
was told she was a "bad investment" because she needed more time off
for reconstructive surgery.
The vast majority (82%) of callers to the DRC Helpline said that their employers
failed to
make reasonable adjustments that would keep them in work. Nearly
one-in-five people
reported having been dismissed, 13% were facing threats of dismissal and, nearly
6%
were facing disciplinary action.