Quote:
Originally Posted by RizzyKing
And I don't overly disagree but when it comes to the internet you can gauge what type of site your on relatively quickly and if it isn't to your full liking you move on you don't have the right to expect or demand any site change to better suit you. Personally i think the law is now intruding into areas it's not best suited for. I do not accept that anyone has to suffer so called online bullying between free vpn's and other easy measures you only get bullied if you want to and there are people out there in increasing numbers it seems who relish being victims and they are a problem not a solution.
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I think that most people agree that the solution is to change people's attitudes, understanding and treatment of disabled people and the issues that they face through education and persuasion, rather than expect them to move on or put up with it.
If a black person was racially abused in a shop, should they be told to simply shop elsewhere to avoid it? If a gay person was refused service in a bar, should they simply accept the discrimination and drink elsewhere? I think not. The latter happened only the other day in Leeds and I understand that the bar owner is now in negotiation with the gay couple to resolve the matter (it was also featured on yesterday's news).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43683033
It is
not the victims that are the problem, I remember when this was attempted by the police after the Stephen Lawrence enquiry and you still hear some people say that women were 'asking' to be raped.
Not all the perpetrators discriminate against the disabled out of malice though, some are simply ignorant of the facts or have never experienced mental or physical disability. I have a friend who made some shocking remarks about the Governments cuts to disability benefits and services on Facebook which showed her ignorance of the subject. She has now had to give up her £600 a week job and claim benefits (ironically, the Government cuts mean that she will be getting less than existing claimants) after being diagnosed with a debilitating condition. All of a sudden her attitude has reversed, but it's such a pity that it's taken this to happen to change her mind. This is what I meant by not tempting fate, karma or whatever people want to call it.
The law clearly says that disabled people
do have the right to expect organisations to make adjustments to meet their needs and stop discriminatory attitudes/treatments. It matters not whether the organisations charges for its goods or services and complainants must not be treated less favourably because of their reaction to their complaint (this in itself could become a further case of harrassment.) Interestingly, which I never knew, cases of harassment can be brought against the perpetrators even if those on the receiving end don't make a complaint themselves! I suppose this is so that those charged with protecting others can take action if the victim is unwilling or unable to. The law, however, should only be used as a last resort when all else has failed. In fact, last time I started legal action for disability discrimination* the court required evidence that efforts had been made to resolve the situation informally.
* A financial settlement was reached before the case was heard and I made £3,500 available to Cableforum members to donate to the registered charities of their choice.