A new report states that over half of small business owners believe the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) to be irrelevant.
The Governments Disability Discrimination Act was introduced in 1995 and set down provisions applying to businesses with 15 or more employees.
These include requiring employers to consider physical changes in order to provide better access for disabled employees, such as access ramps and elevators.
Come October 1 2004, these regulations will apply to business of all sizes, however many employees.
However, the report, produced by the Small Enterprise Research Team at the Open University, shows that only four per cent of firms think that the DDA has a positive impact.
However, in keeping with concerns over increasing levels of red tape, one in five feel the DDA would create further regulation too costly and time consuming to implement.
Over half of employers believe that although the new legislation is ethical, the amount of administration it involves will place a major burden on their business, with 11 per cent claiming that the DDA is an empty gesture and will be impossible to monitor.
In defence of the small business sector, Stephen Pegge, Head of Communications at Lloyds TSB, said, “Despite their reservations over the actual legislation, our research shows that small firms are not fundamentally opposed to employing people with disabilities.
“In fact, a quarter already have a formal disabilities policy and just under half say that they would consider having one.
“What small firms are seemingly opposed to is the thought of more regulation, alongside the cost of administration and compliance. Many feel that running their own business is hard enough, and that the DDA only adds to their burden.
However, for the 64 per cent of small businesses without a DDA policy in place, October 1 may come as an unwelcome call for change.
