Enable Together: The Disability Discrimination Act

The Disability Discrimination Act

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was passed in 1995 to end the discrimination that many disabled people face. It protects disabled people in:

employment

access to goods, facilities and services

the management, buying or renting of land or property

education

Some of it became law for employers in December 1996. Others were introduced over time.

For service providers (e.g. businesses and organisations):

since December 1996 it has been unlawful to treat disabled people less favourably than other people for a reason related to their disability

since October 1999 they have had to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, such as providing extra help or making changes to the way they provide their services;

since October 2004 they have had to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of their premises to overcome physical barriers to access.

Who is the DDA applicable to?

A recent survey showed that 52 per cent of people who qualified as “disabled” under the DDA did not consider themselves disabled even though they had rights not to be treated unfairly because of their disability or health condition

People are affected by disability or health conditions in different ways. This can happen suddenly, as a result of accidents or strokes for example, or gradually as a result of conditions such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Some people are affected for some but not all of the time by their condition, for example people with manic depression. There is often no defining moment when a health issue becomes a disability, at least for the individual concerned.
Exerpt taken from the Disability Rights Commission website

Resources for more information:

The Disability Rights Commission has a page with easy to understand downloads that will tell you more about the Disability Discrimination Act 1995