Catholic groups back disabled bill

ATHOLIC GROUPS WERE
among those urging a Government U-turn this week on the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill that was killed by blocking amendments from five Tory back-benchers.
The rights of the six million disabled people in Britain hung in the balance last week as the legislation outlawing discrimination against disabled people came up against the controversial blocking amendments. The Chairwoman of
1Church Action on Disability Nancy Robertson, told the Catholic Herald she was disappointed by the "lack of a consultation process... A lot of education still has to
take place; but legislation could have provided a base line for a change in people's attitudes."
CHAD will issue an equal opportunity policy by the beginning of next month which the organisation hopes to present to as many Church groups as possible.
Peter Stanford, Chairman of Aspire, the Spinal Injuries Charity, said that "the most difficult thing disabled people face is able-bodied people's attitudes: the legislation is one way of countering that." Mr Stanford concluded that "a society that makes people who cannot walk or who have the use of only one arm feel excluded is a sick society."