New campaign works to help intellectually disabled people fight discrimination

3.51.11pm GMT Wed 8th Nov 2006

Helping people with intellectual disabilities understand what protection they have against discrimination is the key to helping them fight prejudice according to long-time disability and employment campaigner Liz Lynne MEP.

Speaking in Brussels at the launch of a new campaign promoting awareness called Work It Out, Liz, who played a key role in the formation of the EU's Employment Directive that covers discrimination, said:

"People with intellectual disabilities have so much to offer in the workplace but, at the moment, many simply aren't able to live up to their potential because they face discrimination from employers.

"The EU has strong rules to prevent discrimination but if people don't know about their rights, they can't use them to fight being treated unfairly.

"By explaining what discrimination is and how to identify it, and by making it clear that no-one should have to put up with it, this campaign can help people with intellectual disabilities get into the jobs they deserve."

Editor's notes

Pic Attached: West Midlands Lib Dem MEP Liz Lynne with Danish MEP Anne Jensen at the launch of the Work It Out campaign.

Liz is the Vice-president of the European Parliament's All Party Disability Intergroup, the Liberal Democrat's European Employment spokesperson and is the Liberal Democrat MEP for the West Midlands region.

"Work It Out" is a cross-European project that has produced a number of tools to help people with intellectual dis­abilities and those who work closely with them to understand and use the Employment Frame­work Directive.

For more information please go to www.work-it-out.dk