There are at least 4 good reasons for making sure your organisation
is fully accessible:
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1.
The Disability Discrimination Act.
Since October 2004 the DDA applies to all employers and providers
of goods and services. There is no excuse for not complying.
Compensation claims in cases brought under this act are becoming substantial,
with more than £2.7 million awarded last year at an average
of over £33,000 per claim (source: Employment Tribunal Services).
For more information go to the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) website.
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2.
The Moral Argument.
Traditionally disability was regarded as a medical issue, i.e.
people are disabled by their impairment. The more modern view
is that disability is a social issue and that people are disabled by
their environment.
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3. The
Skills Argument.
Research suggests that with declining population levels the "talent
pool" available to employers is shrinking. It is estimated that
there are over 10 million disabled people in the UK, which represents
a significant number of potential employees.
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4. The
Cash.
Even if the first three reasons aren't good enough perhaps
the economic argument is. The so-called "blue pound" (the spending
power of the 10 million disabled people in the UK) is reported to be
worth £60bn (source: DRC). That is a substantial
pot of money to be missing out on by choice!
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