How the Disability Rights Commission Can Help You

The Disability Rights Commission was established in the United Kingdom in the year 2000. Set up by an act of Parliament under the Disability Rights Commission Act of 1999, the Commission was designed specifically to organize and protect the rights of disabled people, and to ensure protection against discrimination for those people.

What Does the Disability Rights Commission Do?

The Disability Rights Commission performs a variety of functions, all of which contribute to equal treatment for the disabled.

• These range from encouraging and rewarding those who show good and equal treatment of the disabled, to taking action against those who don’t.
• The Commission works with those who provide services to the disabled, as well as employers and others who interact with them, to help find solutions that ensure equality and a lack of discriminatory treatment.

The Disability Rights Commission also helps to review laws that are related to the disabled; they assisted with the drafting and finalization of the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995. Their input in such situations helps ensure fair treatment of all, and offers education to both lawmakers and voters so that they can create and agree upon laws in a well-educated way. They also have a relatively large amount of power within the UK government, with the ability to order investigations of businesses charged with discrimination, and even to take such matters up the chain of command if required in order to reach a fair resolution. Should a situation arise where a disabled person felt unfairly treated, or perhaps a business is unsure how to offer fair accommodations for a disabled employee, the Disability Rights Commission is there to help. They offer a general informational and conciliatory service for those in need of information and guidance in any situation related to the disabled and protection of their rights. In general, the Disability Rights Commission has three main goals, which are:

• To raise awareness of the disabled and their rights;
• To examine attitudes towards the disabled and how those affect quality of life for everyone, and
• To help citizens of the UK, whether disabled or not, to work together to ensure equal rights and treatment for all.

It should be noted that in 2007, the Disability Rights Commission closed and the services they offered were transferred to the responsibility of a new Commission, titled the Equality and Human Rights Commission. This group handles things in the same manner and is responsible for the same important issues.

Getting Help

If you are disabled and being treated unfairly or having your rights infringed, a phone call to an attorney is always a good first step. A lawyer can help you to enforce any and all legal rights and protections set in place for disabled individuals.