Is this disability discrimination?

[oldandknackerd]

My current workplace is relocating to a site that will be at least a 45 drive away which although not ideal is fine (I currently work 10mins away from home and this was one of the reasons I applied.
Unfortunately my car is 14 years old and although very reliable it's age does means a large repair bill could happen if something was to go wrong and there's no way i can afford to pay a large bill without saving up for it ....
I could in theory get public transport to the new site but it would take me 3 buses and a 20 minute walk (total nearly 2 hours each way )
Due to having severe arthritis cold and fatigue are things that make my condition worse (I already have a couple of small 'reasonable adjustments in place to accommodate this)and reality don't think i could manage the journey via public transport if for any reason I couldn't use my car .

My point is could or should my organisation be making a reasonable adjustment under the DDA for the above scenario?

Just for clarity I earn 25k a year as a lone parent so there is no way i can afford to buy a newer car ..

what reasonable adjustment do you want them to make? im a bit confused? the age of your car is nothing to do with your work?

have you considered applying for PiP? at the enhanced rate, you can use that to get a new car?

Anyone's car might break down, how is this discrimination?

😂

Planning a huge office move without thinking about and making plans for the impact on disabled staff is clearly discrimination. It's hardly a tricky point to grasp.

She can DRIVE!! Her disability does not stop her from driving. If she had a brand new car sitting in the driveway would we be having this conversation? No. So it is actually about the fact her car is older and it MIGHT break down and she has no savings to get it fixed.

That is NOT discrimination.

Thinking about it may be worth selling my car and asking what their plans are for getting someone to work who can't catch public transport due to disability. ..
Hopefully they'll make me redundant and I'll be due a nice pay out equivalent to 2 years salary !

I disagree. Disability is expensive meaning people with disabilities tend to have less spare money.

I don't know any sensible organisation that wouldn't be providing some kind of move allowance to staff and making other reasonable adjustments too.

I doubt you'd get 2 years' salary as a redundancy payout!

Ah, so you don't love your job as much as you previously said, and are now attempting to manipulate the situation? So when they refuse to make you redundant, and you have no car, how will you manage?

Although that last comment does make me wonder, since nobody in their right mind expects two years salary as a redundancy payment, whether any of this is true at all.

Public sector..one month's salary for each year of service ! I have worked there 23 years

Also public sector.

Rubbish.

I'm out.

It's worth a chat with Access to Work, but they only covered taxis for me to the nearest public transport - so for me, for my 25 minute walk to the train station - and only because I was medically unable to drive. When I was given the green light to learn to drive, even though I couldn't afford to, they pulled the funding. I suspect that they'd cover taxis if you couldn't drive because of your disability; but not when you can drive but don't have access to a vehicle.

I'm not sure they'd even consider a claim before your car actually broke, but they may be able to give you guidance on if it'd be something they'd ever even look into...

But realistically you'd need to prepare for that to take at least a month or so to get set up, in my experience.

It's not their responsibility to get you to work 🙄

That will get you fired not made redundant.

Google nhs redundancy.. it's one month's salary for each year of service up to a maximum of 24 months

Employers can't just completely alter the location of someone's work . I am shocked people think they can

No I believe that’s a no to reasonable adjustments. But, I do believe, if a company relocates X miles away, then they have to provide you with ££ for the extra mileage for X amount of time. Worth looking in to?

They can relocate within reason and I think it’s less than 50 miles is deemed reasonable (might not be exact).
It isn’t the employers responsibility to get the OP to work. If her car breaks down she needs to be responsible for getting it repaired.
Getting rid of the car now and trying to force redundancy is a bit underhand.

I do get the daily living element of pip but not entitled to anything for mobility

I disagree. She is is getting more money than someone who does not have a disability.

And there you have it. Someone who was and still is...trying to manipulate the system because she has an old car.

It's capped.

And you won't be made redundant if they still need someone to do the role.

Of course they can. Businesses move premises all the time.

You clearly have no understanding how much extra cost is or can be associated with being disabled

Sorry, I posted to soon, this was meant to say, without putting in place schemes to support staff.

No good union would allow that to happen without a mitigation scheme

Sorry, I posted to soon, this was meant to say, without putting in place schemes to support staff.

No good union would allow that to happen without a mitigation scheme