The Disability Rights Commission is calling for a change in
the law after the Home Office used a legal loophole to refuse a blind man a job
interview.
The call follows a decision by an employment tribunal that the
Home Office could reject an application by blind lawyer Andrew Komoza for a job
as an asylum adjudicator, despite meeting the minimum criteria for the post.
The Home Office argued that the job fell outside the
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 because it was seen as a statutory office
rather than a position of employment.
In a letter to Home Secretary Jack Straw, the DRC has said
exploiting the small print of the legislation goes against its current good
practise of recruiting disabled people.
Bert Massie, chair of the DRC, said, “This loophole needs to
be closed so that disabled people can participate fully in society. The Home
Office must stop hiding behind the law and make a commitment to equalising
employment opportunities.”
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By Ben Willmott
