The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
Find out about the legislation that is in place to
promote civil rights for disabled people and protect
disabled people from discrimination.
Disability rights in everyday life
This article is mainly about the Disability
Discrimination Act itself. You can find out about your
rights in different areas of life, including accessing and
using the services of shops, cafes and banks from the
link below.
The Disability Discrimination Act
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 aims to end
the discrimination that many disabled people face. This Act
has been significantly extended, including by the
Disability Discrimination Act 2005. It now gives disabled
people rights in the areas of:
- employment
- education
- access to goods, facilities and
services
- buying or renting land or property,
including making it easier for disabled people
to rent property and for tenants to make
disability-related adaptations
The Act now requires public bodies to promote equality
of opportunity for disabled people. It also allows the
government to set minimum standards so that disabled people
can use public transport easily.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website
offers further information, including details on the
changes made by the Disability Discrimination Act
2005.
The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) closed on
28 September 2007, but the website is still available and
has plenty of information, including a brief overview with
the key points of the Act. It also provides full
versions in PDF (both Acts) and word (DDA 2005 only)
format.
Getting hold of a copy of the Disability Discrimination
Act
Both Acts are published on the website of the
Office of Public Sector Information.
Print copy
A print version of both Acts are published by The
Stationery Office (TSO) and can be bought. The ISBN number
are ISBN 0105450952 for the 1995 Act and ISBN 0105411051
for the 2005 Act.
Braille and large print versions
You can also order Braille and large print versions
of the Act by phoning The Stationery Office on 0870
600 5522 or by emailing customer.service@tso.co.uk. They
have the same ISBN as the standard print versions.
Easy Read version
You can order a free Easy Read version (ISBN
0117035998) on the The Stationery Office website
or by phoning them on 0870 600 5522 or by
emailing them on customer.service@tso.co.uk.
British Sign Language (BSL) video
You may order a free BSL video version of the Act
(ISBN 011703598X) on the The Stationery Office website, by
phone on 0870 600 5522 or by emailing
customer.service@tso.co.uk.
Audio cassette
A free audio cassette (ISBN 0117036005) guide to
the Act is available to order on the The Stationery
Office website, by phone on 0870 600 5522 or by emailing
customer.service@tso.co.uk.