Disability
Bolton PCT aims to provide services and to employ staff in ways which
support people to maximise their potential. We will offer job interviews to
suitably qualified applicants who have a disability, and will provide
support for people to maintain employment if at all possible, if they
develop a disability.
We recognise that people with a disability have the same rights to health
services as everyone else.
Click here for more information on our
Disability Equality Scheme
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005 amends the previous Disability
Discrimination Act (1995) and is likely to be implemented in stages,
starting in October 2005.
The new Act builds on the DDA 1995 by granting rights to a further 175,000
people by encompassing those with HIV, multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer.
Within the PCT an Equality and Diversity Group has been developed, the main
aim of which is to positively promote equality of opportunity for all staff
including disabled people and eliminate discrimination and harassment in the
workforce.
Together with the Human Resources department, the group reviews new
employment legislation and makes proposals on any necessary changes to
internal employment practices. It is currently reviewing the law in relation
to Disability and the impact on the PCT Disability Policy.
What counts as a Disability according to the Law?
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) protects disabled people. The Act
sets out the circumstances in which a person is "disabled". It
says you are disabled if you have:
- a mental or physical impairment
- this has an adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day
activities
- the adverse effect is substantial -the adverse effect is long-term
(meaning it has lasted for 12 months, or is likely to last for more than 12
months or for the rest of your life).
There are some special provisions, for example:
- if your disability has badly affected your ability to carry out normal
day-to-day activities, but doesn't any more, it will still be counted as
having that effect if it is likely to do so again
- if you have a progressive condition such as HIV or multiple sclerosis or
arthritis, and it will badly affect your ability to carry out normal
day-to-day activities in the future, it will be treated as having a bad
effect on you now
- past disabilities are covered.
What are "normal day-to-day activities"?
At least one of these areas must be badly affected:
- mobility
- manual dexterity
- physical co-ordination
- continence
- ability to lift, carry or move everyday objects
- speech, hearing or eyesight
- memory or ability to concentrate, learn or understand
- understanding of the risk of physical danger.
It's really important to think about the effect of the disability without
treatment. The Act says that any treatment or correction should not be taken
into account, including medical treatment or the use of a prosthesis or
other aid (for example, a hearing aid). The only things which are taken into
account are glasses or contact lenses. The important thing is to work out
exactly how your disability affects you. For example, if you have a hearing
disability, being unable to hold a conversation with someone talking
normally in a moderately noisy place would be a bad effect. Being unable to
hold a conversation in a very noisy place such as a factory floor would not.
If your disability affects your mobility, being unable to travel a short
journey as a passenger in a vehicle would be a bad effect. So would only
being able to walk slowly or with unsteady or jerky movements. But having
difficulty walking without help for about 1.5 kilometres or a mile without
having to stop would not.
What does not count as a disability?
Certain conditions are not considered impairments under the DDA:
- lifestyle choices such as tattoos and non-medical piercings
- tendency to steal, set fires, and physical or sexual abuse of others
- exhibitionism and voyeurism
- hay fever, if it doesn't aggravate the effects of an existing condition
- addiction to or dependency on alcohol, nicotine or any other substance,
other than the substance being medically prescribed.
Useful Links:
Further information on the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 can be found
at:
