DRC receives more than half a million enquiries in five years

15 August 2005

More than half a million enquiries have been made to the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) Helpline since it was established in 2000 the Commission announced today. 

This year alone, the Helpline has handled 124,368 enquiries with the vast majority (70%) coming from disabled individuals, their representatives, relatives or friends.  There was a noticeable surge in enquiries as new disability legislation came into force in October 2004.

As the DRC publishes its Impact Report today, Bert Massie, Chairman of the Disability Rights Commission said:

"We are seeing real and positive changes in the way that disabled people are treated throughout Britain as new legislation strengthens disabled people's rights and Government, employers and other organisations are beginning to take disability seriously. This last year saw the introduction of new duties that require every business, large or small to become more user-friendly to Britain's 10 million disabled people."

The DRC played a key role in strengthening the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in 2005.  Amendments to the Act now mean that there will be:

• better protection for mental health service users, people with HIV, Multiple Sclerosis and cancer;
• new rights for disabled people using transport; and
• a new duty on the public sector to promote equality for disabled people and to cover schools - helping to ensure equality for disabled children in the education system.

Employment rights for disabled people dramatically improved from 1 October 2004 when the DDA was extended to cover all employers except the armed forces.  Two landmark employment cases - Archibald vs. Fife Council and Miekle vs. Nottingham County Council - taken by the DRC were successful in cementing disabled people's rights at work and providing convincing proof that the DDA has teeth.

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has also launched a major national debate on the future of disabled people's equality in Britain. In what promises to be the nation's biggest and most wide-ranging debate ever on disability, the Disability Debate is designed to set the agenda on disability equality for the next 20 years.

Bert Massie continued:

"The DRC will leave a strong legacy but Britain still has a long way to go before disabled people can take up their place as full and active citizens. In employment disabled people remain twice as likely to be out of work and more likely to earn less; in education they have fewer qualifications; transport remains a barrier for many; and the right to independent living is still a dream rather than a reality. Our Disability Debate is the first wide ranging debate aimed at breaking down the remaining barriers to disabled people's full involvement and participation in society. Its findings will act as the blueprint for delivering to disabled people in the new Commission for Equalities and Human Rights. "

10,986 enquiries of potential disability discrimination were received in the past year. Almost half of these (49%) were employment related, highlighting the discrimination that disabled people continue to face in the workplace. A further 35% of potential discrimination enquiries related to services, 12% to education and 4% to premises.