At the North Yorkshire TEC, we have been looking at ways of making it easier for people with a whole range of disabilities to work for us.

Before I go on, I wonder what image is conjured up by the word "disabled"? I'm prepared to bet that many people immediately think of a wheelchair. Perhaps that's because it is the international symbol for disability, seen in car parks and on lavatory doors the world over!

In practice, only a small minority of people who are disabled actually need to use wheelchairs. In the same way, only a minority of people who are registered blind have no sight whatever - the majority are visually impaired, though sometimes to a severe degree. Likewise with deafness, many people have partial rather than total loss of hearing.

Now that I am warming to the subject, what other disabilities can you think of? Have you thought about muscular disorders that restrict movement? Or epilepsy? Or learning disabilities? Indeed, you may not realise that someone has a disability when you first meet, because many disabilities make absolutely no difference to a person's outward appearance.

The point I'm trying to make is that very many people have a disability. Good employers take this into account when recruiting staff, and carry it through in looking after the needs and career development of disabled people who work for them. A disability doesn't need to be a barrier to progress, though it may call for some adjustment to premises or working practices.

The TEC has signed up to these commitments:

We will interview all applicants with a disability, provided they meet the minimum criteria for the job we are trying to fill. In making our final selection, we will base our decision solely on the abilities of each of the candidates, not their disabilities.

At least once a year, we will discuss with disabled employees what we and they can do to develop and use their abilities.

If any employee becomes disabled, we'll make every effort to make sure they stay in employment.

We will take action to make sure all our staff develop disability awareness.

A raft of support - advice, equipment and grants - is available to businesses who employ or take on disabled people. If you think there is more you could do to help disabled people achieve their full potential, contact the Disability Employment Adviser through your local Jobcentre.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.