FIMITIC

As part of the PROGRESS programme, which supports national activities raising awareness of discrimination and promoting equality, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) has published a handbook and DVD in the UK on the Disability Equality Duty. This legislative tool requires that public authorities actively promote the equality of disabled people when carrying out their functions. It lays down specific legal responsibilities, including the elimination of discrimination and harassment and the need to take account of a disabled person's disabilities.

The handbook and DVD are entitled 'Lights, Camera, Action: Promoting Disability Equality in the Public Sector' and responded to the need for guidance for public authorities and disabled people on the implementation and utility of the Disability Equality Duty in their organisations. They provide examples of good practice in this respect. Public Bodies now have an invaluable resource at their disposal to which they can refer in seeking to understand their obligations under the Duty. Disabled people can follow the guidance to enforce the Duty and maximise the positive impact it can have in their workplace.

In addition, RADAR has produced a document directed at EU level organisations seeking to lobby for a similar public sector duty on disability in their own Member State. It is entitled 'Beyond Good Intentions' and is available in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish.. This document outlines the Duty and discusses its impact on various sectors in the UK, with a view to promoting the benefits of such a legal mechanism further afield.

radar.org.uk

Source: EC equalitynews