The Law

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 sets out the main legal framework of civil rights for disabled people. It means that disabled people now have a wide-ranging set of rights which they can enforce

Civil Rights for Disabled People

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) gives disabled people protection against disability discrimination in a wide range of areas, such as:

employment, including recruitment (this links to Directgov website)
education (this links to Directgov website)
access to goods, facilities and services (this links to Directgov website)
membership of, and access to, private clubs
functions of public bodies, like the issuing of licences
letting of premises, and improvements to let residential premises

The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 improved and extended the rights provided by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The 2005 Act introduced a new duty, the Disability Equality Duty, which requires public authorities to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. Read more about the DED.

You can get information on your disability rights from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The EHRC has replaced the Disability Rights Commission (DRC).

The DRC published a range of guidance on the DDA. Read more on disability law on DRC website.

The Government has announced plans to introduce an Equality Bill. This will bring together all discrimination legislation so that it is more consistent and coherent.

The Government Equalities Office is leading this work. The ODI is working with the Government Equalities Office to ensure that disability equality issues will be properly taken account of in the Equality Bill.

Find out more on who the ODI works with.