DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACTS 1995 and 2005

A definition The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Definition extended The DDA 2005 amended the definition of disability. It ensured that people with HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis are deemed to be covered by the DDA effectively from the point of diagnosis, rather than from the point when the condition has some adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Co-ordinated approach The government has set up an “Office for Disability Issues” with the aim of ensuring full equality for disabled people by 2025. It will bring together a number of government departments including health, education, employment, transport and trade and industry.

3 into 1 does go The Disability Rights Commission was disbanded in 2007 and replaced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. It also takes the place of the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality.

Disability Equality Duty This places a legal duty on public sector employers, which includes schools, colleges and hospitals, to promote equal opportunities for disabled people. They must also actively consider the impact of their work on those with disabilities.

Disability Equality Scheme This document is produced by public sector employers and must include: how disabled people have been involved in developing the scheme an action plan showing the changes that have been identified and how they will be implemented in practice arrangements for collecting information about how the targets have been met.

Activity Obtain a copy of the DDA “easy read”, BSL or audio cassette version from the Office of Public Sector Information. Normal text Braille and large print “Easy Read” version British Sign Language (BSL) video Audio cassette Consider how the versions differ and the impact these changes have made to the accessibility of this information.