The law

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. For example, it placed new duties on public bodies, larger private clubs and transport providers not to discriminate against disabled people.

The 2005 Act introduced a new duty, the Disability Equality Duty, for public authorities to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. Read more about 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 discrimination issues will be properly taken account of in the Equality Bill.

Find out more on who the ODI works with.