Is your business  cashing in on the £8O billion market thats out there waiting for you?

The DPW have estimated the disabled pound to be worth £8O billion, and this market is waiting for YOU to make it easier to spend this money.

Are your competition already profiting from this Market?

How do you enable your business to gain a foot hold in this market?

Speak to Access2all and attend there seminar on the DDA the Business case on Wednesday 7th. July 2010, St James Park Football stadium, Strawberry Place, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Cost £50.00.for a half day seminar…

 Fully refunded when you sign up to our 100% funded DDA awareness training course.

Michael Rickwood . Access2 All

A local establishment having had an access audit carried out failed after 2 years to carryout any of the recommendations in the audit. A pensioner fell  down emergency exit steps and died for the lack of a hand rail.  The establishment has recieved large fines and bad press. Could this be you

Are public authorities doing enough to tackle disability hate crime? 

The Commission is to ask Hinckley and Bosworth Council to provide evidence it is compliant with its legal duty to eliminate disability-related harassment, following the Coroner’s Inquest into the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter Francecca. [For the background to this story see: www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/oct/01/pilkington-bullying-accused-family]

The Commission will also be contacting the Independent Police Complaints Commission to find out the scope of its inquiry before deciding whether to take any further action.

Following research into hate crimes we published earlier this year, the Commission has already set in train a wider review into how public authorities are meeting their legal duty to eliminate harassment of the kind suffered by the Pilkingtons. The report found that those with learning disabilities and mental health conditions were particularly at risk and suffered higher levels of victimisation, as well as a prevalence of ongoing low level incidents which can escalate into more serious violence.

The Commission has statutory powers to ensure that public authorities comply with the Disability Equality Duty, which specifically lists elimination of harassment due to disability. In December this year many public authorities will be required to publish revised Disability Equality Schemes. The Commission will expect clear evidence of how they propose to address harassment and hate crimes.

Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission said: ‘It is clear that serious failings in a number of public bodies led directly to the tragic deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter Francecca. The Commission’s role is to look at how Hinckley and Bosworth Council was using the Disability Equality Duty to provide the right support and services for families like the Pilkingtons. The Commission is also taking a wider look at how local authorities address hate crimes and harassment. Our research shows that while these deaths stand out because of the desperate course of action Fiona Pilkington took, hate crime is all too common an experience for disabled people.’

Find out more about safety and security for disabled people.
Find out more about the Disability Equality Duty.

Formal Inquiry into disability-related harassment

The Commission has announced that it intends to conduct a Formal Inquiry into disability-related harassment in Britain and how public authorities are protecting disabled people’s human rights to live free from violence and abuse.

Evidence already gathered by the Commission indicates that targeted violence or hostility towards disabled people is widespread in Britain. People with learning disabilities or mental health conditions in particular experience high levels of victimisation.

A report on the safety and security of disabled people published by the Commission earlier this year found that disabled people are four times more likely to be the victim of a crime than other people and are twice as likely to be the victim of a violent attack.

At the end of the Inquiry, public authorities found not to be doing enough to tackle the problem and to protect the human rights of disabled people could face legal action to force them to comply with their legal obligations.

The Commission has produced guidance to help public authorities understand what its duties and responsibilities are and how these duties should be implemented.

Read more about what the Commission did to mark the International Day of People with Disabilities and to promote the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Formal Inquiry into disability-related harassment
The inquiry will also look at how public authorities are protecting disabled people’s human rights to live free from violence and abuse.

European Union Disability Strategy consultation

The European Commission is currently consulting with members of the public about what should be included in a new European Union Disability Strategy for 2010–20.  They are seeking people’s views about what the barriers are for disabled people and how people think such barriers could be addressed. 

The Commission will be responding to the consultation and we would welcome your thoughts, please contact Nonie Benson. 

We would also encourage others to respond to the consultation to ensure that the views of disabled people across Britain are included in the preparation of the new strategy.  The deadline for responses is 4 January 2010.

You can find out more about the European Commission’s work on disability equality on the EC website.

Extract from Equality Rights News Issue 17

see update No. 17 re european campaign

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