Judges applaud best practice in accessibility and recruitment, writes Laura Slattery.

Fifty companies will receive an award next month for their commitment to creating opportunities in business for people with disabilities.

The first 02 Ability Awards will be held at Dublin Castle on February 2nd and will recognise the companies' achievements in categories such as leadership, recruitment and selection, career development and retention and customer service.

More than 100 companies applied for the awards and a total of 101 certificates will be awarded to the successful 50 companies. Each certificate is valid for a year.

Five companies judged the best in each category will also receive a special award. There will be two overall awards for best practice, one for the private and one for the public sector.

There is still, however, much room for improvement, the founder of the awards, Ms Caroline Casey, believes. Only two companies will receive a certificate in each of the five categories. Although 33 companies have been successful in the "recruitment and selection" category, only 15 will receive awards in the "career development and retention" category and just 14 were judged successful when it came to "customer service".

The implication is that a relatively high proportion of companies - or at least those companies confident enough of their procedures to apply for the awards - are aware of their responsibility under equality legislation to "reasonably accommodate" people with disabilities. But many then fall short when it comes to retaining such staff and providing promotional opportunities.

"What is really good is that so many companies won for recruitment and selection. That is a reflection of very large companies making an effort and getting people with disabilities into training schemes," Ms Casey said. Ms Casey is the founder of the Aisling Foundation, which works to promote people with disabilities and encourage their employment within the private sector. "We have a long way to go on career development." she said. "People with disabilities want a career, they don't just want a job."

Adequate levels of customer service to people with disabilities, or the provision of accessible goods and services, is frequently absent, she added. Only 28 per cent of the companies who entered the awards received recognition for customer service.

However, the low percentage is also a result of the panel's decision not to award certificates to public service organisations or other companies deemed to have a social responsibility or remit to provide accessible services.

Accessibility remains a major issue. "Restaurants, for example, are still making a big deal about letting people in with blind dogs," said Ms Casey, who is visually impaired. "It is completely illegal to refuse someone with a guide dog, but it still happens."

Although Dublin Bus and Iarnród Éireann are among the winners, no airports or airlines applied. "Airlines need to look at the services they are providing to customers and train their staff," Ms Casey said.

The retail sector is represented on the list of winners by supermarkets Tesco Ireland and Superquinn. "Fashion retailers, for example, need to recognise that ... people with disabilities have spending power. Until they realise that, they're not going to adapt their practices," Ms Casey said.

The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Frank Fahey, said his department was pleased to be supporting the awards. "I hope the success of these awards will encourage many other companies in all sectors to achieve an Ability Award in future years."

* The O2 Ability Awards ceremony will be broadcast on RTÉ on February 3rd.