Disability guidance under fire

Guidance issued by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) to help small businesses comply with disability legislation has been branded "ambiguous and long-winded".

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) claims that the 68-page booklet, Making Access to Goods and Services Easier for Disabled Customers: A Practical Guide for Small Businesses and other Service Providers, doesn't help small businesses comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, effective since last October.

Nick Goulding, chief executive of the FPB, said the booklet was "absurd" and "offered little clear guidance". He added: "You can read this guide and still be none the wiser as to what changes you should make to your business."

But Chris Grace, director of In Your Stride, a disability consultancy to the hospitality industry, said the issue was complex. "The difficulty with disabilities is there are so many variations - sometimes the reason for ambiguity is that what affects one person may not affect another," he said.

"Disability law is much more complex than race or gender legislation because of the variety of issues involved."

A spokeswoman for the DRC revealed it would be announcing its first prosecution for breaching disabled access rights under the new legislation imminently. "We're building a case and have a business in our sights," she said.

A Dublin pub has been condemned by disabled pressure groups this week after it was found to have a bogus disabled toilet. The Mezz pub in the Temple Bar area had a red door indicating wheelchair access but nothing was behind it.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 3 February 2005