Disability Conciliation Service

3rd Floor
St Lawrence House
29- 31 Broad Street
Bristol
BS1 2HF

Tel:0117 914 2380
Web: www.dcs-gb.net

Through conciliation, the DCS offers disabled people an accessible and empowering alternative to court action as a way of exercising their civil rights under Parts III and IV of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA).

The conciliation process encourages those involved to meet in a single, one-off meeting (which can be face-to-face, or by telephone, or indeed any other preferred method) with the help of an independent third party - the conciliator. This voluntary meeting usually lasts 2-3 hours and allows both parties to:

• Voice their feelings
• Share their experiences
• Learn about the other's point of view
• Find a mutually acceptable resolution of a complaint

All participants are supported throughout the process right from the start by a named conciliation co-ordinator whose role is to work with the parties throughout the process and to brief the conciliator who will be running the meeting - so that everyone understands the process and what is going to be discussed.

The DCS are unable to "take on" cases. Referrals have to take place via the Disability Rights commission (DRC) which has its own casework department. The DRC can be contacted as follows:

DRC Helpline
Freepost
MID 02164
Stratford upon Avon
CV37 9BR
Tel: 08457 622 633
Textphone: 08457 622 644
Fax: 08457 778 878
Web: www.drc-gb.org

Contact the DCS for further information or visit their web-site.