A YORK commercial law firm has achieved a national double success by being appointed in two specialist capacities to a national legal panel fighting for the rights of disabled people.

York-based Denison Till is one of only 40 law firms nationally to be appointed to the panel set up by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), where it will handle employment rights cases.

It is also only one of 14 firms nationally accepted to the panel to deal with disability cases within the education sector.

Denison Till already advises businesses and educational bodies, such as universities, schools and colleges, on creating best practice policies to avoid action being taken against them by disabled workers under legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

The DRC, which works to protect and promote the rights of disabled workers, has appointed Denison Till to the panel in recognition of its expertise in handling disability rights employment cases and its nationally-recognised expertise in the education sector where it has been instructed by ten universities as well as several schools and colleges.

The appointment enables Denison Till to arrange fast-track funding and have claims heard by the DRC for disabled people who feel they have been discriminated against in business or as staff or students in the education sector. It also means that the DRC will pass relevant disability rights claims cases to the firm's employment law department and education team.

Denison Till's appointment to the panel's employment law specialism follows its successful handling of a case last summer, when it represented a disabled worker in York in a claim against an employer.

Brian Harrington, head of the employment department, said: "We are delighted at this appointment which recognises our special expertise in this area.

"However, prevention is better than cure and an important aspect of our work will continue to be to advise businesses on how to put policies in place to cater for the needs of disabled workers so that they can avoid being vulnerable if legal action is brought against them."

Updated: 09:02 Tuesday, July 16, 2002