The Disability Rights Commission is compiling a dossier of evidence on how the Jobcentreplus call centre process is potentially non-compliant with the DDA. At yesterday’s DWP Disability Forum in Manchester a question from a DRC representative was put to Anne McGuire MP, Minister for Disabled People. She was asked how the JC+ “one size fits all” reliance on the call centre process could possibly be DDA compliant. The question was greeted with thunderous applause from delegates, and the Minister was visibly taken aback by the strength of feeling expressed in this and subsequent questions on Jobcentreplus performance.
You can use the form on the DRC website at http://www.drc-gb.org/whatwedo/enquirydiscriminate.asp to log details of how the call centre process is not appropriate for particular cases.

Very interesting! Our local network has written to the DWP along the same lines as we understand that the local visiting officer has now been given his 'redundancy' package. We have asked how they intend to comply with the requirements of the DDA on this point. It is difficult to reconcile cabinet office/department of health policies on independent living (for example with learning difficulties) with the current stance of Jobcentre Plus. The Pension Service continue to maintain local service teams who can also visit, why on earth can't Jobcentre Plus?.

In Leicester i have had contact from the Centre for the Deaf who inform me that the majority of their users are unable to use minicom/typetalk so are unable to contact the contact centre in this way. Although unable to make it to the forum I forwarded a written question relating both to this and the refusal to assist people who turn up for interviews with an uncompleted claim form because of disability eg head injury being sent away and not provided with help to fill these in, leading to delays receiving any money.

I dont know if these issues were addressed but the one size fits all system is clearly not working for everybody!

In July 2002 Blackfriars Jobcentre was found by Lambeth County Court to be in breach of the DDA in the way it treated a deaf claimant.

The court found that the DWP should make alterations to its policies, practices and procedures to accommodate the indiidual needs of disabled claimants. This included the use of interpretors and better staff training. A summary can be found on the RNID website. Link below (I'm hoping this hyperlink thingy works!)

RNID.org.uk: Media centre: Press releases: 2002

Obviously not!

forgot about that one ......rightsnet news .. august 2002 -

'DWP breaches Disability Discrimination Act: Court victory for claimant

A court has ruled that the Department for Work & Pensions discriminated against a young deaf man because of the way he was treated when he visited a local DWP office.

RNID's Casework Service helped bring the case to court on behalf of a 37 year old deaf man after he complained about the service he received at a Benefits Agency when he needed a National Insurance number to begin a new job.

Lambeth County Court ruled that the Government office was in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 (DDA) because -

• the claimant's request to be interviewed in a room without a glass screen to separate himself and the civil servant was refused. This prevented him from being able to lip read
• he was made to feel isolated and humiliated by the offhand and disrespectful way he was treated by the civil servant
• the office had no visible signage about the availability of an induction loop system for deaf and hard of hearing clients'

Check out the Office for Disability Issues new brochure - Page 5:

http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/docs/introducing.pdf


"...We will work closely with people outside government to make sure
that the Government takes disabled people’s views and needs into
account.

During 2006, we will set up the National Forum for Organisations of Disabled People so that disabled people can communicate directly with the Government. By asking disabled people about their experiences, we will be able to: identify barriers to equality and living independently; and work with public and private organisations to overcome these issues. We will run seminars, events and consultation exercises on specific topics"

So that's OK then - just email complaints to: Office-for-disability-issues@dwp.gsi.gov.uk - for a full and errrrrr... impartial response!