Government yesterday continued to promote amendments to the Human Rights Act coming into effect this week intended to help those with disabilities in the workplace.In a press conference yesterday, Health Minister Zane DeSilva and Minister of Youth, Families and Sports Glenn Blakeney both praised the Human Rights (Unreasonable Hardship) Amendment Act 2011The legislation, which comes into effect on Saturday to mark the UN’s International Day for Person’s with Disabilities, will limit the ability of an employer to deny employment because an applicant is disabled.It states that a prospective or current employee cannot be dismissed on the grounds of a disability if it is possible to modify the circumstances of their employment without causing unreasonable hardship.Mr Blakeney said: “Throughout the community, there are many people with disabilities who are participating and making a valuable contribution to the workplace.“However, there are also people with disabilities who experience certain barriers to progress, or may be prevented from opportunities due to physical or visual impediments in the workplace.“The objective is to ensure that employers facilitate, wherever possible, and without unreasonable hardship, measures and modifications to allow persons with disabilities to obtain positions and do their job.”While Mr Blakeney stressed the importance of allowing access for all during his speech, Government staff struggled to find a way to get Human Rights Commission executive officer Lisa Lister, who is in a wheelchair, onto an elevated stage for the conference as there was no ramp.Mr DeSilva also expressed his support of the amendments, noting the number of people in Bermuda who have some form of disability.“Preliminary data from last year’s census indicates that 3,174 people in Bermuda have some form of disability,” he said. “This is a 12 percent increase form the 2000 census, which in my opinion is a hefty number for an island of our size.“From the 2000 census, we know the second greatest impact of disabilities on the lives of disabled persons in Bermuda was prevention from working at a job.”According to data from the same census, Mr DeSilva said the median annual income for persons with disabilities in 2000 was just $30,637.“I would like to thank the Human Rights Commission, under the direction of the Minister of Youth, Families and Sports for providing this legislation, which is needed so urgently in our community,” he said.