BBC offers a new job - but only if you're disabled

[FlyingJesus]

The BBC is seeking applications for a new weather presenter – the successful candidate must be disabled, and doesn't have to have any qualifications.
An advert posted on the careers website (http://careerssearch.bbc.co.uk/jobs/job/weather-presenting/12455?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=the_bbc_academy&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=corporate) says: “Do you want to share your passion for the weather by presenting weather bulletins? Do you have a disability? The BBC does not currently have any weather presenters who are disabled and we are actively seeking to improve on screen diversity.”


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/the-bbc-wants-a-new-weather-presenter-who-must-be-disabled-10281565.html

And of course, because it's claiming to be about "on screen diversity" it must be someone who is quite visibly disabled, thus not even being inclusive of the majority of disabled people in the country anyway. Utter nonsense

[sex]

half this forum can apply then

[Chippiewill]

Maybe they should find a Muslim with a beard and viralize them. This is literally the plot to an episode of W1A.

[Kyle]

at least theyre honest i spose

[GommeInc]

Might as well stick a label on their forehead saying "gimmick" or "guinea pig".

[-:Undertaker:-]

A disabled person is unsuitable for the position of presenting the weather as they have limited movement and cannot stand up. This is ridiculous. It'd be like me applying to be a fireman when i'm not nearly strong enough. Can't do the job then you shouldn't get it. Equality is the new religion and i'm a proud heretic.

Yet another example though of why the privatisation of the Beeb can't come soon enough.

[Empired]

In the act of trying to be more "diverse" they segregate a minority group even more.

Everyone, doesn't matter if you're a chip shop owner or hold a head job in the BBC, should hire the best person who applies for the job and that's all that matters. If they're disabled, great. If they're black, great. If they're female, great. If they're a white middle class male with an able body, GREAT.

Sent from phone

[Kyle]

A disabled person is unsuitable for the position of presenting the weather as they have limited movement and cannot stand up. This is ridiculous. It'd be like me applying to be a fireman when i'm not nearly strong enough. Can't do the job then you shouldn't get it. Equality is the new religion and i'm a proud heretic.

Yet another example though of why the privatisation of the Beeb can't come soon enough.
disabled does not always mean in a wheelchair lmao

[peteyt]

In my opinion this should be classed as discrimination - When it comes to hiring your supposed to not be able to discriminate on religion, disabilities etc. Surely by only wanting disabled people you're actually technically discriminating against non disabled people

[!:random!:!]

omg, you can all apply! just come here and ill disable you ;) joking on serious note if it was to make disabled people feel less segregated, would this not make them feel it more?

[The Don]

In my opinion this should be classed as discrimination - When it comes to hiring your supposed to not be able to discriminate on religion, disabilities etc. Surely by only wanting disabled people you're actually technically discriminating against non disabled people

"The law in some countries, such as the UK, draws a distinction between “equality of provision” and “equality of outcome”, based on the idea that identical treatment may sometimes act to preserve inequality rather than eliminate it."

[dbgtz]

This is discrimination, no question about it and I don't see how anyone could argue otherwise but at the end of the day, if the BBC want to hire someone under the guise of promoting equality, then so be it.

[Kyle]

This isn't discrimination they are offering training to disabled people to be able to peform roles and apply for jobs already available to the able bodied.

[Chippiewill]

Well technically its discrimination not to offer training to able bodied people too.

[The Don]

Well technically its discrimination not to offer training to able bodied people too.

But they do? Pretty much all of their weathermen are not disabled...

[FlyingJesus]

They proved that it wasn't an equality issue by stating that it was about on-screen representation, showing that they're looking specifically for someone who is visibly disabled rather than actually trying to give opportunities to those who can't always work as others would

[Expling]

I like the idea...
it's only fair as I'm pretty sure some employers try to avoid hiring disabled people so

[GommeInc]

Can't they just have people apply generally and pick out someone who has disabilities? It seems a bit dodgy doing it this way - like they're trying to prove a point that in this day and age shouldn't be necessary.

Where would this person go anyway? BBC National News, International or Regional?

[xxMATTGxx]

Is it me or when you read the full job opening it doesn't sound that bad?

http://careerssearch.bbc.co.uk/jobs/job/weather-presenting/12455?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=the_bbc_academy&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=corporate

I've probably missed the point.

Edit: it's just training and I swear other people do training for disabled people. So surely it's just the same as that?

[GommeInc]

Is it me or when you read the full job opening it doesn't sound that bad?

http://careerssearch.bbc.co.uk/jobs/job/weather-presenting/12455?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=the_bbc_academy&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=corporate

I've probably missed the point.

Edit: it's just training and I swear other people do training for disabled people. So surely it's just the same as that?
It does mention there isn't a guaranteed job at the end of it, but a day out to see what being a weatherman is like :S

[xxMATTGxx]

It does mention there isn't a guaranteed job at the end of it, but a day out to see what being a weatherman is like :S

Maybe if it is an area you want to go in or have an interest in the weather (I know there is a proper name for it) but want to get some sort of training/experience? Not a bad idea I suppose. I wonder how many people will take up the offer.

[Alkaz]

Haven't read the whole thread so I don't know if this has been said or not. Apparantly they're only asking disabled people to apply for the training scheme so there is no guarantee that a disabled person would get the job anyway.

[Chippiewill]

Is it me or when you read the full job opening it doesn't sound that bad?

http://careerssearch.bbc.co.uk/jobs/job/weather-presenting/12455?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=the_bbc_academy&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=corporate

I've probably missed the point.

Edit: it's just training and I swear other people do training for disabled people. So surely it's just the same as that?

Yeah, that's not a job posting, that's literally just outreach.

[e5]

They don't need to be about diversity and employ specifically a disabled person. They need someone who is actually suitable for the job, whatever their history is. Not just employing someone because they are disabled. jeeeez*

*not read the full article

[buttons]

Don't want to sound like a tumblrina but stop crying 'discrimination!' when disabled people are constantly discriminated. for every job position specifically for a (visibly) disabled person, there are millions more positions for able bodied people. however, if I was disabled, I would be annoyed that it's only to make them look good in the publics eye but cause it's so difficult for visibly disabled people to get a job or be taken seriously as an employee, I would definitely go for it.

[FlyingJesus]

It's not that it's giving people opportunities, obv that's a good thing, it's that they've specified that the reason they're doing it is to fill an imaginary quota for purely visual PR reasons and is hugely exclusive of large numbers of disabled who "don't look disabled enough", which is already enough of a problem in the world without a state institution pushing it