Re: Staff with Disabilities
Patrick
I suspect that your colleague needs to argue much more strongly, on the back of the DDA, for his or her rights. It seems to me that the employer, under the sections that describe duty to make reasonable adjustments and that embrace the notion of less favourable treatment, is, most certainly responsible for such an item of equipment. This is so especially in the light of the withdrawal of of financial support by the PACT teams that work for the DfEE.
Section 6 (3) od the DDA provides examples of reasonable adjustment:
- make adjustments to premises
- allocate some of the disabled person's diuties to another
- transfer him to an existing vacancy (claiming where there is a more suitable post
- alter his working hours
- assign to a different place of work
- allow him to be absent for rehab/assessment/treatment
- retraining
- acquiring or modifying equipment
- modifying instructions or refernce manuals
- modifying procedures for testing or assessment
- providing a reader or interpreter
- providing supervision.
One thing that this does seem to create is a sense that the point where a disabled person found themselves excluded from working effectively by the institution is now a different one to before. Given that the Act states the above list (and I have no idea how far the journey is for your colleague) some form of assisted transport would seem well worth discussing. Someone to provide support during the journey or funding to assist someone providing a lift or whatever.the argument I would use is that i am more use at work than working at home. However, if a greater percentage of home-based working is thought to be appropriate by your employee then certainly provison of a machine/ISDN line/costs of line and calls would seem to be the employer's responsibility.
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> From: Patrick Mulcahy <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Staff with Disabilities
> Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 13:56:48 +0000
>
>UCL currently has a member of staff with Motor Neuron Disease. As you
>probably know, this is a debilitating and ultimately fatal condition.
>Because he cannot easily cope with public transport, the member of staff
>concerned has stopped coming into College, (his condition is steadily, and
>visibly, deteriorating) I have asked to provide funding towards a computer
>which would allow him to work at home. Is there a government scheme to help
>with this and if so who do I contact?
>PATRICK MULCAHY
>Disability Co-ordinator
>Academic Services
>Registrar's Division
>University College London
>Gower Street
>London WC1E 6BT
>Tel: (0171) 391 1343 [voice or minicom]
>Fax: (0171) 380 7327
>E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
>
>
