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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)
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