THE DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT

The Disability Discrimination Act gives disabled people rights in the way they receive goods, services or facilities. People protected from discrimination under the DDA include anyone with a physical or mental impairment that affects their ability to carry out normal day to day activities. This means not only wheelchair users but also those with sensory impairments, learning difficulties, other mobility problems or mental health issues.

The Act has been passed in 3 phases over 8 years:

Part 1
Since December 1996, it has been illegal for service providers to treat disabled people less fairly because of their disability

Part ll
Since October 1999, service providers have had to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, such as giving extra help or changing the way they provide their services.

Part lll
By October 1st 2004, all service providers should have made those reasonable adjustments to their premises by removing physical barriers that make it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to access and use their services.

For a full description of the Act and its connotations - click here (DDA 1995)