[access-uk] Re: Discrimination or simple comon sence.

  • From: "Peter Logue" <peterlogue@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2005 15:25:26 -0500

One should tell him about the blind guy in the World Trade Centre who,
in spite of being located on the 89th floor, managed to get to ground
safely.
Awful this should happen.

Peter



-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Andy
Sent: 02 March, 2005 3:19 PM
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Discrimination or simple comon sence.


Hi all.

I have just secured a social workers post with a Scottish Local
Authority 
and Access to Work are planning an I.T assessment to ascertained my 
technology needs.  In addition to these, I was advised by Access to Work
to 
arrange a Health and Safety Assessment be undertaken by my new employer,
and 
that a copy of this be sent to ATW.

Today, I visited my new place of work, where I am due to commence
employment 
on 11th April, and met with a Health and Safety expert, who had been 
commissioned by his employer, the same local authority, to undertake the

assessment.

I suffer from Retinitus Pigmentosa and I am Registered as Blind.  I do
have 
some limited and confusing vision but generally, I can manage around a 
building/office with no assistance from my guide dog, orbeit,
tentatively 
and slowly.

Well,  the Health and Safety specialist expressed concern about me being

located on the second floor landing of the building.  He stated that in
a 
case of a fire, I may hold up the flow of workers evacuating the
building, 
on the stair well.  He added that he was concerned for my own well-being
as 
well as my colleagues.

Despite advising him repeatedly that I can manage stairs fine and that I

have never experienced any difficulties negotiating them, he remained 
concerned and concluded by advising my prospective line manager that he 
would be happier if the whole Community Care Team, some six workers, be 
re-located to the ground floor.  Alternatively, a second rout  of exit
be 
built in the form of an external fire escape - the office has only one
exit 
at present.


I was advised by my new line manager that the specialist had many years
of 
experience behind him, but I could not stop myself from feeling 
discriminated against.  I don't believe that he has much experience of 
visual impairment and appeared to me to be not listening to my views.
He 
advised that the local authority had a duty of care not only to myself
but 
to my fellow workers.  When I advised him that my job was not entirely 
office based and that I would be expected to get out and about, visiting

clients in their own homes, flats, villas, terraces, day care centres, 
residential and nursing homes, sheltered housing complexes etc etc etc,
he 
advised that he was not concerned about that.

Surely, if my new employer has a duty of care towards me this must
include 
when out and about as one of their representatives.

In any case, his views have resulted in causing alarm to my new line
manager 
and I'm convinced that if another visually impaired person was to be 
interviewed tomorrow, then they may have less of a chance of securing a 
post.

Am I simply over-reacting to this one person's views and being
unreasonable 
myself?  Is the specialist discriminating against me?  Should I
challenge 
his views and become a threat to my  new employer?

I intend to express my feelings in writing to begin with and express
concern 
to my line manager about his limited experience of visual impairment and
I 
would like a Rehabilitation Officer, from the same authority, to
undertake a 
mobility assessment within the office block.  Does this sound reasonable

folks, or as I said above, am I perhaps over-reacting?






Best wishes.
Andy from sunny Kilcreggan.

Drop me a wee line at:
andy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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