Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995
This major piece of legislation came into effect in December 1996 and the final rights of access provisions came into force in October 2004. The Act established a modern definition of disability, made provisions for the employment of disabled people, specified the duties of trade organisations on behalf of their disabled members and significantly, specified the rights of access by disabled people to goods and services. The DDA aims to end the discrimination which many of us can face and gave disabled people specified rights in the areas of employment, access to goods, facilities and services and in the purchase and renting of land and property. It also provided arrangements for the government to set minimum standards so that disabled people can use public transport easily. The final stages of the DDA, which came into force in October 2004, apply to service providers where physical features make access to their services impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people.
The Act gave rise to the Disability Rights Commission to oversee the effects of the Act, provide guidelines and investigate omissions and injustices. Further activity has occurred with the publication of a draft new Disability Bill that will be introduced to consolidate many provisions concerned with disability. There is now a Minister for Disabled People and there is a central reference point for the multiple sources and contacts on this wide subject at www.equalityhumanrights.com/pages/eocdrccre.aspx
There are a series of Fact Sheets available from the RNID, see here.
It is the area of access to goods and services that concerns most deaf people. Employers, institutions, public services and so many more - a huge range of such providers are required to 'make reasonable adjustments' to ensure that there is no discrimination in the provision of their service. Noise reduction environments, text phones, loop systems, visual displays are but examples of the numerous situations that arise in compliance with this wide-ranging Act.
It is good customer service for a provider to meet the requirements of all of its customers and the DDA is intended to make that service accessible. It is the provider's responsibility to be proactive and anticipate the need for such 'reasonable adjustment' but, if readers encounter unsatisfactory situations, then they should complain and report it.
It is your right